ArShi FF: Fragmented Colors

Chapter 3: Haven

"Khushi! When did you come?" Spotting her friend from afar, Lavanya walks up with one hand extended in greeting and the other holding a can of soda.

She stops when she looks at Khushi's expressions however, confusion and disbelief imprinted on her features.

"Khushi? Are you okay?"

Awareness comes shattering back as she looks at Lavanya, putting on a facade of a smile.

"Yes, I'm alright..."

"Awesome! Come with me," Lavanya leads her inside by the hand and the next few minutes are spent with her introducing Khushi to a group of her friends. The clique of girls are quick to befriend her, rambling on about redundant buzz and gossip in between secretive giggles. Khushi feigns interest and nods, finding it extremely irksome, while her eyes divert once in a while to look around the room in search for a specific someone. Her brain then reminds her of what she had witnessed and anger takes over, so she tries to focus on the mindless chatter she is surrounded by rather than the insistence of her foolish heart.

Little does she know, a pair of eyes are following her every move.

Arnav is completely and utterly spellbound, to say the least. There are numerous other girls in the same room – dressed in provocative clothing, each movement measured, each touch flirtatious – but he can't seem to lift his gaze off of her.

To him, she is ethereal.

He walks slowly across the room, away from her view, his eyes stuck to her all along. Her hair is open today, moving in supple waves whenever she laughs. His heart leaps each time she does, and he realizes she is different from everyone else because she doesn't try.

His breathing runs shallow when his gaze lowers, taking in her entire form. She's donned a white, flowy dress with floral embellishments all around, adorning the piece of clothing itself with her incomparable poise. His lips part on their own accord as he realizes the dress leaves her shoulders bare.

He suddenly remembers the feel of her palm under his touch from earlier that day and wonders what she would do if he grazed the soft skin there with his hands in a similar way.

Would she close her eyes? Would her heart race just like his is now?

Arnav looks away, trying to control the sudden heat running through his body.

Taking a deep breath, he decides to go up to her to ask her for a dance.

The girls had went to the bathroom to touch up their make up and Khushi had been relieved to catch a break from the constant chitchat. When asked if she wanted to join, Khushi had politely declined, wondering why girls always had to go to the bathroom in groups.

She now sits on a chair alone, sipping a glass of lemonade quietly. Her eyes roam around the mass of the huge room, thankful to be seated in a far corner away from the chaotic dance floor.

"Are you a camera?"

Khushi's head turns to her left as her ears register the question directed at her.

"Excuse me?" Flabbergasted, her eyes squint in confusion.

She takes a moment to look at the person talking to her. He seems like a player from the very first look – messy hair and hooded eyes, a smirk playing on his lips.

One word to describe it all.

Trouble.

"I said, are you a camera? Because every time I look at you, I smile,"