Author's POV
Rudransh stared at Arjun for a long moment, his face unreadable. Then he turned away, his decision made. “It’s done, Arjun. Nitya will be mine.”
Arjun shook his head disapprovingly. But he knew that there was no use in arguing with Rudransh right now.
Afterwards, Rudransh stared at Arjun for a long moment, his face unreadable. Then he gave a last look to Nitya and was about to turn away but stopped.
"Take care of her, Arjun. Drop her off safely. I won’t accept any reluctance towards the security of my soon-to-be wife, and queen of Rajasthan."
Arjun opened his mouth but closed it, just to nod his head. Within minutes, Rudransh turned to go and meet the host of the party who was standing at the end of the hall.
Meanwhile, Arjun took a few steps forward. Suddenly, Nitya moved in the same direction, and her juice spilled onto Arjun's blazer.
Nitya's eyes widened. "Oh no! I'm so sorry!" She quickly started rubbing the spot where the juice had split.
Arjun gently stopped her hands. "It's okay. Don't worry about it."
But she kept apologizing, her face full of concern. "I am so sorry! I didn't mean to..."
Seeing her genuine distress, Arjun couldn't help but notice how innocent she was. She was so different from the women he usually met.
He thought about how she would handle his elder brother, Rudraksha. Guilt surged through him.
"It's fine," Arjun said softly, giving her a reassuring smile. "It's just a blazer."
Nitya sighed in relief, her hands still hovering over the stain. "I just feel terrible. Let me help clean it."
Arjun shook his head. "No need. I'll take care of it."
As he looked at her, Arjun's mind raced with thoughts. How could someone as innocent and kind-hearted as her be able to handle someone as intense and controlling as Rudransh?
The guilt surged through his mind, knowing what Rudransh had planned for her.
"You don't need to worry. It's just a small stain."
Nitya finally nodded, stepping back. "Thank you. I just... I hate making mistakes."
The moment she said that Arjun swallowed his breath. He was thinking, no matter what, his elder brother wasn't going to let her make any mistakes either.
But he covered that instantly and smiled gently. "We all make mistakes. It's part of being human."
Nitya gave him a small smile, her eyes still reflecting her worry. "Thanks for understanding."
As they stood there, Arjun couldn't shake the feeling of responsibility.
He had to protect her, to make sure she wasn't going to be hurt by Rudransh. His mind churned with the weight of his brother's command and the innocence of the girl before him.
"By the way my name is Nitya." She paused, bit her lower lip and forwarded her hand in Arjun's direction. "Nitya Maheshwari."
Arjun chuckled. Before he could shake her hand and introduce himself, a man came and gave a bone-crushing hug to Nitya.
Nitya laughed loudly and hugged him back. "Kabir! Finally, you get some time for me."
Kabir was Nitya's best friend since childhood and also a friend of her brother.
Then something came to her mind, and she pushed him. Kabir faked a hurtful expression.
"Ah!! It hurts," he scrunched his nose.
"You are late. Not just late, but super late. I was waiting for you for an hour," Nitya showed fake anger.
"Sorry!" Kabir held his ears and asked, "Do you want me to do sit-ups?"
Nitya turned her face towards Arjun and laughed. "He is my best friend, Kabir. Don't mind him…"
Before she could say anything, Kabir pulled her arm and hugged her tightly, making her laugh.
Seeing the scene, Arjun swallowed hard. His eyes instantly moved towards Rudransh, who was watching them.
Rudransh's eyes blazed with fire. His teeth were gritted, and his knuckles were clenched tightly.
Arjun wanted to control the situation, fearing Rudransh might lose his temper and cause a scene, or worse, hurt Nitya.
Before Arjun could intervene, Kabir took Nitya by the hand and led her to the dance floor. Nitya followed happily, unaware of the brewing storm.
Arjun quickly made his way to Rudransh, hoping to calm him down. "Bhai, it's just a dance. She's safe."
Rudransh's jaw tightened as he watched Nitya and Kabir laughing together on the dance floor. "Safe? With him? I don't like this, Arjun."
"He's just her friend," Arjun said, trying to soothe his brother. "Kabir doesn't mean any harm."
Rudransh's eyes stayed fixed on Nitya. "I don't want anyone thinking they can come between us. She needs to know where she stands."
Arjun sighed, sensing the depth of Rudransh's jealousy. "Give her some space, bhai. She doesn't know anything yet. Let her enjoy the day. She'll come to understand."
Rudransh didn't respond, his gaze was still intense. Arjun could see the struggle in his brother's eyes.
He hoped, in the future Nitya would understand Rudransh's protectiveness, even if it came off as possessiveness.
On the dance floor, Nitya felt a shiver run down her spine. She glanced back and saw Rudransh watching her.
His intense gaze made her heart race, a mix of fear and something she couldn't quite name.
She quickly looked away, focusing on the dance, but the feeling lingered.
Kabir noticed her distraction. "Hey, everything okay?"
Nitya forced a smile. "Yeah, just... a lot on my mind."
Kabir nodded, not pressing further. He knew her well enough to give her space. Moreover, he had a very important thing to discuss with her after the party.
They continued dancing, but Nitya's thoughts were with Rudransh and the complicated emotions he stirred within her.
With time, Kabir felt increasingly guilty. It was about Nitya's family.
Although her brother, Aditya had asked him not to tell her, he couldn't hide such important news from her.
Kabir started, "Nitya—"
But before he could speak, a male hand pulled Nitya away from him, making her stumble.
For a moment, Rudransh gave a sharp look to Kabir, then turned his gaze to Nitya.
Rudransh's eyes were fixed at Nitya. Her heart was accelerating with the highest speed.
She wanted to ask him, "Who was he? And why the hell was he bothering her?"
But no words came out of her mouth. Meanwhile, Rudransh's eyes darkened, and his eyes were fixed on Nitya's wrist. The one which was held by Kabir.
His jaw tightened. He clenched his knuckles and faked a smile, "Can I have the pleasure of dancing with you tonight?"
To be continued…
Before we could go in details, tell me in whose POV you want to read next chapter?
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Purva Narang
(Your author)
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