The car stopped on an empty road along with her breaths. It was a thick afternoon, with hot loo outside.

The humanity inside him didn't want to disturb the little girl in such a hot weather. But it was weekend and she had school next day. He had to meet her to know the answer to the question, Rishabh had asked him to find and to grasp her heart.

He took a long breathe, relaxing in the faint soothing air of the AC in the car. Looking sideways, he observed her sitting on the shotgun.

Just like always fidgeting her fingers, shying away from him, nervously glancing at him. Her cheeks had already reddened, affected by the situation.

Them, the empty street, alone in the car, cozy and comfortable.

Shrey was silent, thinking how he had to manipulate her into telling him about what was going on between Raghav and Pihu after what happened between Pihu and Rishabh in the try room, without her noticing. His girlfriend from Delhi had just messaged him, asking about his return. It wasn't like he really cared about her or wanted to be with her. But he knew that he was doing the most extra job right now.

Done with his thoughts, he finally turned slightly to look at her. "Did I tell you, yellow suits you?"

Sakshi blushed heavily. Her eyes twinkling as she looked up at him, he smiled.

"Until now."

Shrey leaned back on the seat to forward his hand towards the backseat and picked up the shopping bag. He forwarded it towards her lap. "Open it," he said, huskily.

"What is it?"

He could see the excitement on her face already. "See for yourself," he smirked, looking at her.

Sakshi bit her lip, immediately bringing the silky net from the bag. She gasped, looking at him wide-eyed.

"This is for your farewell party in school," he said, glancing at the dress. "I am good at making choices but this, I knew it is made for you. Yellow silk organza. A royal fabric for a royal princess."

Sakshi chuckled at shaking her head. "Shrey, you didn't have to do this. My sister-in-law had gone for shopping yesterday, you know. I didn't tell her to buy one dress for me because the date is far away and I had so many dresses yet to wear."

Shrey looked at her sternly. "Are you saying that you are going to give it back to me, now?"

Sakshi's smile faded immediately. Afraid of making him upset, she bit her lip and shook her head. "Of course, I will have to wear it. Now, that you have brought it for me. The neckline, the loose sleeves and the length, I love it. Thank you so much."

Shrey smiled finally.

"You know, it suits the theme of the party. Fairytale. I might look like-"

"Belle from Beauty and the Beast," he asked with a smirk.

She giggled, "Yes."

"Because you are my beauty," he said while taking the bag away and putting it on the backseat. He leaned closer while looking at her intensely. Movement happened in his heart at seeing the innocence on her face, she looked extremely nervous again. Even when it wasn't the first time, he would be doing this. "And I am your beast," he whispered on her lips.

She wasn't breathing anymore, he knew as she replied him in the same, whispering tone. "You are nothing like a beast," she told him, her eyes on his collar because with such close proximity she could only look there.

He let out a brief chuckle, "So, am I my Belle's Prince then? Prince Adam?"

She shook her head mildly, moving back to look in his brown eyes. Her own eyes showing extreme love for him while her heart was going out of her chest. "No," she whispered. "Prince Adam was an arrogant, selfish man. Got cursed by the witch. I would never want you to be cursed," she said it as a joke but just wanted to have a serious conversation. She was showing her love.

Shrey felt guilt surfacing his heart. He tilted his head, cupping her cheek. "Even if I am selfish and arrogant. Even if I hurt you," he asked, huskily.

Sakshi smiled lightly. She loved when he took interests in her interests and hobbies. He had cooler ideas then her but he never criticized her childish talks.

"Even if you hurt me," she answered. "Because if you'll be cursed, it will be a curse on my heart too. I will break at seeing your confidence breaking."

Shrey leaned forward, stealing a soft kiss from her by capturing her lips. He moved his lips swiftly against, knowing a pure innocence like her would be overwhelmed by some mere force. He made sure, he was gentle in treating her. After all, he wasn't a villain or a bad guy in real life. He was playing with her for his brother's sake.

Pulling away, he felt her breathing getting shallowed. He smiled, pecking her lips.

Moving back, he held the steering, taking her to some Cafe to get the time to know if Pihu had shared anything with Raghav or family about Rishabh's continuous threats. Also, he had to keep Sakshi strangled deep in his love, so it could hurt that arrogant brother of hers, deep when he would soon come to know about this.

"But you can be the changed Prince Adam, the one who transformed after being a beast. Who had sympathy, empathy, compassion and kindness in his heart," she said, pushing her strands back.

Shrey bit his tongue, smiling lazily at her childish conversations before driving the car.

What had he got himself into!

He had got himself into receiving that curse. The curse that taught him the consequences of being selfish and arrogant. The curse that taught him to be kind and compassionate.

But she didn't even want to him get cursed. She loved him so much that she would have felt hurt at seeing him breaking.

She was a lady of her words.

She did break along with him in the hospital. She came to see him. She gave him the hope of surviving through that curse. Now, he was a kind and compassionate person.

Everything he didn't have, he had now except for her.

The beauty. His beauty.

Shrey nostrils flared as he pulled himself out of that memory, looking around the parking lot, sitting in the car he borrowed from his old friend.

Raghav had ordered all the security guards to not let him enter the building. Was he scared that he could win his heart too? He wished that proving how he had changed was easy. But it wasn't.

Once a belief is stuck in a person's mind. It sticks for a longer period until another belief is forced into replacing it.

Just like how Sakshi had, all of a sudden, decided that she could do her life without him. How? He couldn't imagine his future without her. How could she?

It wasn't like she knew about Kabir's photo scandal. Then, why was she not picking his calls or any unknown number too? She was that scared of him speaking into the call?

His jaws clenched.

Why was he letting her brother waste his time? He had to use this time and be ahead of Kabir. God knows what he must be planning. The cunning man surely must have some plan if anyhow he knew about Aditi and Aarush's break up.

What could he do now?

Raghav wasn't allowing him a conversation. He couldn't even enter the building and even wait for the day to get over and waste it all waiting here. He had to work sooner than Kabir and at the right place.

He had to talk to Sakshi.

Shrey closed his eyes. She wasn't picking up his calls and messages. He couldn't scare by using unknown number anymore. She knew it would be him. Aarush had called her too but she wasn't picking up. What should be do now? He needed to be clever like he used to before.

He looked sideways at Aarush who had his eyes on the gates of parking lot of the building.

Suddenly, the idea flipped in his mind. "You said that Pihu was telling about collecting proofs against him," he asked the best friend of hers, now his friend too who could be called best.

Aarush sighed heavily, looking defeated at seeing all machos and corporate guys. "We have proofs but we can't show them to her literally. Right? It's morally right to talk to men rather than worry women. Her brother won't appreciate us entering his home behind his back."

"That means, you have her number. You can call her easily," exclaimed Shrey while looking at him.

Aarush looked bored but his eyes went narrowed when Shrey said, "Call her."

"But-"

"Tell her that you are in Chandigarh. Sakshi wasn't picking your calls and all that shit. Tell her that you wanted to see if she was fine. And also, that you need a ride to her home. Someone must come to receive you."

Aarush chuckled but ended up waving off. "You are kidding. Right? I can't tell her sister-in-law to come and receive me. I am no District Magistrate," he said, thoughtfully.

"I am just the cute best friend."

Shrey gave him a blank look that made him bring his phone out of his pocket. Aarush bit his lip while calling her.

"Make sure, it's Sakshi who's coming to receive you. Ask her to take you from the Main Bus Stand."

Aarush scrunched his nose, "This will be awkward and embarrassing." The call was picked up in a moment, he opened his mouth and ended up smiling at listening to a precious voice.

"Aarush?"

"Bhabhi, Namaste. How are you?"

"I am good, Aarush. How are you doing? Is everything okay? Why do you sound as if you are breathing hard?"

Aarush realised then, that he was close to hyperventilating. What could he do? Innocent souls were his weakness.

"Actually, Bhabhi. Sakshi had not been picking up my calls. I know that she had some argument with Shrey and maybe, they broke up," Aarush said, glancing at Shrey's knuckles on steering wheel turning white. "I had some work in Panchkula. Now I am done, and thought, I could come to the neighboring city, Chandigarh and meet her. If that's fine with you?"

He heard her chuckling politely. "Of course, Aarush. You are welcome here. Aditi has been enjoying home and is also ignoring phone. Because of Shrey, I guess."

Aarush chuckled nervously as he looked at Shrey who was giving him a restlessly frustrated look.

"The thing is that I have already arrived in Chandigarh. I am here at the main bus stand and was hiring an auto when I realised I didn't know the address."

"What? You are already here?" Aarush smiled cheekily, glancing at Shrey. Pihu sounded cheerful. "Why would you come in auto? I'll send the driver right now. Main bus stand, you said. I am texting you the car number. Okay?"

Shrey gritted his teeth and looked blankly at Aarush.

Aarush had such pressure on his head, he blurted, "Can you please send Sakshi?" He immediately added, "I mean, I'll recognize her easily and I also needed to surprise her. Just don't tell her it's me. Lie about some Aunt-"

He heard her laughing loudly.

Shrey sighed in relief when she agreed, "That's a good idea. I am sending her right now. Sakshi will be so glad to see you."

She hung up while Aarush let out a nervous chuckle, "Sakshi will punch me on the face at seeing you too."

Shrey smirked, while driving out of the parking lot. "If everything goes well, she'll be thanking you for helping me out."

Aarush looked at the building. He bit his lip in thought and suddenly told him to stop the car.

"What happened?"

Aarush looked at him. "You go, talk to her. I'll talk to the brother. The guards don't know me. Why didn't we think of it before?"

Shrey shook his head. "He will hit you the moment you talk about pictures."

"Just like you were ready to," Aarush exclaimed. He thought quickly and replied, "I'll handle it anyway. He can't hit me, he likes me and the plus point, I'll complain to Pihu if he hits me. The wife has the key to every door."

Shrey looked at the front and unlocked the doors, letting him out. "His best friend, Nakul is the sane one there. Raghav is a ticking bomb. Try to take his help, that's what I was planning to do."

Aarush smiled while getting out. "First, go plan to look like me. Because if Sakshi sees your face, she won't be receiving you. She will be riding over you."

Aarush smiled when he chuckled. The boy was beaten badly. He just hoped, Sakshi would melt seeing that. But bruises were only making him look rough and attractive.

Sakshi truly might ride him on bed.

Aarush squeezed his eyes shut, opening them to wave at Shrey who was driving away. Thank God, he didn't say it out loud or Shrey would have gotten mad.

He was affected by the case so much, even jokes were sensitive to him.

________

God knows which aunt of hers was arriving. Her Bhabhi had mentioned Shimla. She had two aunts from Shimla. Now, which one was coming? She hoped for the younger one. She was less talkative and more into sleeping.

Sakshi stopped the car outside the bus stand, noticing the people all around. She looked around to notice her familiar face but failed miserably.

Getting out, she moved her eyes at every woman standing near by with suitcases. But no one was her. When spent a whole of five minutes on looking for her, she twitched her lips and was about to call Pihu. But suddenly, someone called her name from behind.

"Sakshi."

She stiffened and froze right at the place. Her mind turned wobbly at praying that it was not true. She wasn't ready for this. She would never be. She didn't want this moment in her life.

But her heart was a big liar. It would make her believe sometime that she could do without him. But now, it was making her turn around curiously.

Her eyes turned stunned when the bruise on the cheek stood out on his face. Tears formed when she observed the maroon cut on the lower lip. His nose was red too.

But his eyes, those brown orbs lit up at the sight of her. Her heart squeezed tightly that it turned painful. Her lip curled as her eyes filled up immediately.

He had noticed because he stepped ahead to comfort her.

She was breathing hard. "He hit you," she wailed out, trying to sound quieter in public.

Shrey was filled with relief at seeing her worrying for him already. He smiled sadly, looking in her dark eyes.

"Punched me hard. I had almost pissed my pants because of the pain," he joked but she was utterly hurt as a tear leaked her eyes. He gave her an assured look. "He is a great brother," he told her.

"It was you all along. Is Bhabhi helping you?" She asked, quietening down her sob. "How did you call her?"

"She didn't know about me. But yes, no aunt is coming." He smiled when she blinked like she understood everything. "We need to talk."

"There is nothing left to talk," she whispered, lowering her gaze. "I had told you my decision."

"Fuck that decision, I am here to talk. You are going to give me a chance," he said desperately, looking at her in disbelief.

Sakshi closed her eyes, her nostrils flaring. "Gave you chance, years ago. You broke my heart. Gave you chance to listen to me, you ran away. Your brother insulted me. Give you chance again? To suffer more?" She mocked angrily, her tone calm.

Shrey's jaws clenched.

"You don't come into my life anytime you want and go anytime you want. You stay and listen to me," he said through gritted teeth.

"Listen to a surviver? A loser?" She said, trying to hurt him with words. She looked in his eyes, observing the hurt displaying. "Are you anxious already?" She taunted. "I will bruise you without touching you."

Shrey stepped closer, making her nervous because they were in public. People had started to notice because he had clutched her wrist and was squeezing it enough to emphasize his words.

"Survived? Yes, I survived the kick on my balls I took for you that night in the street in this city. A loser. Yes, I was dick to play with your heart. I will be anxious if I get a life not including the continuation of what we had to stop doing in your flat the last time we were together. And yes," he said each word, slowly and calmly. "You do bruise me without touching me."

Anger sliced her heart with coldness in his tone.

"How hard my dick is at seeing your fake portrayal of resistance."

Sakshi gulped, looked up in his eyes.

"I am getting into your car and I'll drive. You won't say a word or even think about making a scene and get to the shotgun politely. If you don't do it, I'll make sure to die with a tag of longest public kiss on my name," he warned, madness reflecting in his eyes.

Sakshi stiffened, her heart freezing at his words. She read his eyes and she knew, he wasn't lying. It was lame but horrifyingly daring.

"You wouldn't humiliate us like that." She exclaimed, even when she couldn't afford triggering him, knowing he could do it for real.

"If I don't have you, I have nothing to lose. You know that," he muttered, making her finally take a breathe.

She nodded mildly and walked with him as he guided her to sit at the shotgun. He walked around the car, controlling his anger as he sat inside and drove out of the busy place.

______

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