Mine, To Hold And Behold

Chapter 3

The view from the hotel balcony was absolutely breathtaking. She would definitely love this view. Or maybe I should bring her here sometime, maybe for this New Year’s Eve celebrations. She would love it.

I chuckled at my thoughts. The whiskey was definitely taking its toll.

To bring her here, she must agree to it. And to convince her, I have to first talk to her, for which I have to meet her and that, is next to impossible. After what I did to her, my father and her father sent her somewhere far away, and they made sure that I didn't know where she is.

2 years.... 2 f*****g years, I tried everything but I couldn't find out where the hell she was. I lay on my back on the couch and let the dreams to take over. Her dreams.

3 years back.

"Raghu! Raghu! Raghu!" the loud cheering echoed in the indoor stadium. Among those voices, the only voices that actually cheered for me were my friends’. My only true friends!

I looked at the scoreboard, St. Joseph 10 points and Elite University 24 points. We were leading by 14 points but that didn't suffice me. I needed to beat them by 25 points. Anything less than that would lead to me losing my bet.

Though it is illegal in our college, it has become an open secret that before every basketball match, bets are placed, on teams or on individual players. The stakes vary from five hundred to two lakhs, depending on the matches and the players. This time, the stakes have gone up to 5.

Yes, even I placed a bet of 5 lakhs saying that I would beat the Joseph's by 25 points. If I win, the opposite party, none other than my betting buddy Benjamin a.k.a Benji will be paying me 10 lakhs, and if I lose, my 5 lakhs are at loss. This is a kind of personal best. None of the others knows about this nor are they involved. It's just between me and my buddy.

But still, I can't lose.

The referee's whistle broke me out of my train of thoughts. I pushed all the voices and thoughts to the back of my mind and started playing the game.

The ball was being passed in between my teammates and reached me and then, Basket.

One more basket.

One more and one more.

Twelve minutes and four baskets. We were now leading by eight points.

One of the opposing team members got hurt so the game was held on a pause for 2 minutes. I reached the bench and splashed some water on my face. I shook my head, letting the droplets drench my jersey. I took a hand towel to wipe my face, when my eyes landed on her.

Wearing a pale yellow chudidar and white dupatta, sitting in the corner row, scribbling something in her notebook so furiously, she looked breathtaking. Not that I haven’t seen pretty girls before, but there was something special about this one. I could sense something familiar about her.

Not at all mind the crowd or the noise or me, she continued her work by opening another notebook, making notes of some sort. Why would she try to study here of all places?

In the indoor stadium in the midst of all these noise and disturbance would definitely make it the last place on earth to study. Hmm... must be a fresher. A Newbee, I concluded.

The girl sitting beside the newbie was shouting on top of her lungs. She caught me staring at her friend and her eyes became the size of a coin and her jaw dropped.

I smirked. Yes, babes. The king of the college, star basketball player, Raghu, is ogling your friend. Take that.

She nudged her friend in the gut and got her attention. She pointed towards me and wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive way. The Newbee turned her eyes towards me. A look of recognition crossed her eyes after a second. Did she know me? I gave her one of my charming smiles and she looked at me for a minute, without smiling back. She definitely isn't one of my flings, 'cause I definitely wouldn't forget such a pretty face.

That beautiful face, looked so pretty and natural. Even from twenty feet away, I could easily tell that there was nothing fake in that beautiful face. She isn't here to impress anyone. She didn't even spare a second on me before she turned back to her books and continued with scribbling her notes as if she never saw me.

What the fu*k? What's her problem? The exams are far away so why the hell is she acting as if she has to give her finals tomorrow? Pathetic bookworms! I hate such girls, I huffed and turned back towards the game.

The whistle blew and the match restarted. I couldn't help but look back at her now and then. Nor once did she look in my way. I couldn't help but wonder if the book was much interesting than the match?

And Basket. Told ya! It’s a piece of cake.

One more basket was all I needed to win the bet which would be nothing but a piece of cake. I decided to take it slow from here. Five more minutes were left in the match and we were already leading, to top it off, just one more basket for me to win the bet. The stars were on my side.

I looked at the newbie who was still working on her notes. Never in the twenty-one years of my life, has a girl ignored me when I was paying her attention. What the hell does she think of herself? I ran a hand through my hair and let out a frustrated growl.

Just like that, an idea popped into my head. I smirked and removed my sweat-drenched black vest, leaving myself only in my basketball tracks and black Nike shoes. I threw the vest on the bench and the crowd erupted into fits. The girls screamed on top of their lungs and the guys who were with girlfriends were shooting glares at me as I flashed my well-sculpted abs and six pack. But the interesting match that I gave them calmed down all the protests that were erupting.

The girls screamed and ogled my abs like hawks would, to their next meal. But this show wasn't for everyone. It was for her, the newbie who thought of herself as all high and mighty, only if she knew who I was. I smirked and turned towards her.

The girl beside the newbie was staring at me with her eyes as wide as saucers. She started slapping the Newbee on her shoulders continuously until she got her attention. The newbie glared at her but saw her looking at somewhere else, precisely, at someone else. She followed her eyes and her eyes landed on me.

Finally! I sighed mentally but maintained the smirk on my face. As I said, the stars were on my side and someone passed me the ball. I dodged the ball skilfully, without breaking my eye contact, giving a full show of my muscles and abs. Dodging, bluffing and enjoying the nerves of the opposing players and finally, Basket.

I raised my hands up in the air in victory. The bet's mine and so is the..... girl?

I turned towards the crowd and she was nowhere to be seen. Not even the girl who was sitting beside the Newbee. What the hell? Where did she go? Where the hell is she?

Somewhere in the background a whistle blew signalling the match was over. Suddenly I was lifted off the ground by my friends and again somewhere in the background, my name was being cheered.

But my focus was on the crowd, which was now cheering and also leaving the indoor stadium. For them, it was a good match and nothing more. If only they knew how important it was to the players.

She was gone, even before the match ended. If she saw the attention that I got, she would know who I was.

After a couple of minutes they put me down and I turned towards the scoreboard, St. Joseph 10 points Elite university 36 points. I smirked. It would be funny to see Benji lose a bet. He thought it would be next to impossible to beat the Joseph's by 25 points, because they were one of the finest teams in Hyderabad. But he didn't know, I am known to achieve the impossible.

We shook our hands with the opposite team, almost everyone patted my back saying, "Well played" even the coach of the other team. I just nodded at him in acknowledgement. I walked back to the bench and took my track jacket and shrugged it on.

The crowd started disappearing into the classrooms. We walked back into the locker rooms and dumped our bags into our lockers. The guys were all loud and happy that they won. Even I should be, hell! I not only won the match but also a bet worth 10 lakhs. According to the laws of psychology I should be flying on cloud nine but... my mind or rather heart was not concentrated on my victory.

I know her. Those chocolate brown eyes... I have seen them before. But where?

God! I ran a hand through my hair and sighed with frustration. I banged the locker closed.

Suddenly, Sameer, a.k.a Sam, a fellow teammate, jumped on my back, "dude! PARTYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he yelled out loud, making me close my eyes as a reflex to the loudness.

"PARTY PARTY PARTY" soon the entire locker room resonated demanding a party. Being the star player of today's match, I had to throw a party.

I smirked, a great way to spend my money.

"Hold on people!" I raised my voice gaining everyone's attention. Everyone fell silent, waiting for me to continue. "Party at Cubic Zone tonight" everyone roared in acknowledgement. I high fived a few of my teammates and the shouts kept increasing.

I grabbed my phone and texted Benji, CUBIC ZONE@8 TON8. DONT FORGET TO BRING THE CASH. I JUST GOT A BETTER IDEA TO CELEBRATE MY VICTORY. ;)

I smirked, imagining the pissed off look on his face. Tonight was going to be a long one. But still, my mind was on something else, well someone else.

Next Day

I groaned at the noise. I fluttered my eyes open and the sunlight was streaming through my curtains. I shut my eyes and covered them with my hands on reflex. The light was doing nothing to lessen the pain. Definitely the party on the previous night showed its effect. I carefully adjusted my eyes to the light and opened them. I stretched my arms out and removed the green covers that I was tucked under.

Wait a minute. Green? I don't have green covers in my room.

I turned around and looked at the room I was in for the first time. Whoa! this is definitely not my room. My room doesn't have a window with double doors. Mine have sliding doors and they are definitely not made of wood. And the bed!! mine is a king-sized not dwarf sized. I snorted at the thought. Whoever slept on this bed was definitely small.

What have I done this time? And why the hell don't I remember anything?

Sure, I did go to the Cubic Zone. We had a few beers. A couple of girls tried to throw themselves on me, then Benji came in with the liquid cash. We had a few shots and then...? Then what happened? I don't remember.

Did Benji drive me up here? or was it one of my teammates? or did I end up with some chick after I got drunk? Damn! I looked around. This definitely looked like a girls room.

Walls were light green in colour, contrasting with the dark green bed covers. The bedside table had a bed lamp on and beside it was a bottle of water and a painkiller pill. I quickly took two tablets out and drained them down my throat with the water. I didn't bother with asking the owner of this room for permission, considering the fact that there was none present at the moment. I looked around and Certificates of some sorts, which I didn't even bother to take a glance at, were neatly framed and hanged on the wall. Beside it, was a wooden shelf filled with trophies and shields.

Who the fu*k did I end up with. I groaned in frustration and ran a hand through my hair.

Suddenly a moment outside the room startled me. Someone was outside. No No No. I don't want an early morning confrontation right now. That's the last thing I wanted with a migraine and bed head. I hate to deal with the girls I slept with, in the morning. They are so... cry babies and definitely fake. I mean what did they expect after a one-night-stand? That I would marry them?

I frantically looked around searching for someway, anyway to get out of here without being noticed. Window! Bingo!

I quickly sprinted towards the window and pushed them open. Credit goes to my stars, the lock on the window was broken, so I didn't have to struggle hard to get them open. I looked down, I was like twelve feet above the ground. A piece of Cake.

I pulled myself through the window, holding onto the rail with my hands, I removed my left hand and grabbed the pipe beside the window and let go of the window so that I was now holding the pipe with both my hands, I slowly slid all the way down and landed on my feet.

I fist thumped in the air, some might consider it childish but it was quite normal for guys.

"Could've used the stairs son" an all familiar voice from behind made me jump up. I turned around and saw the one person who was my all-time saviour. Mr Sharma.

"Sir!" I rubbed my neck in embarrassment.

"Son?" he mimicked me, "Care to explain why were you sliding down the pipe while you could have walked through the doors?" he asked crossing his hands over his chest. If I didn't know any better, I might mistake him to be in his late thirties, not late forties. He had that charm in his face that attracted everyone.

My father and he have been friends since childhood. My dad considered him his advisor, philosopher, his auditor, everything. When my mom died, I was just four and was too hard to take care of. Mr Sharma practically raised me. He was like the father that my dad could never be. After my mom's death, my dad kind of immersed himself in business and work that he barely had time to raise me. Mr Sharma played the father part mostly. He was the one whom I took to the principal's office whenever I got in trouble. It is his number that is saved as my emergency contact. He is my guardian, my teacher, my idol. I always wanted to be like him, a man of values. A man full of morals. A family man, who loves to spend his Sundays with his family rather than the golf fields.

'i...I was..." I stammered. I couldn't lie to him. Nor could I admit that I was having a migraine and doesn't remember how I ended up here. I was too ashamed of it. If it had been my father or someone else, instead, I wouldn't care a damn. But it was the man who always had my back. I couldn't look in his eyes and answer him.

"Drunk. You were drunk and you passed out in front of my house" he sighed.

"What?" my voice was barely above a whisper. How on earth did I end up here? The club was up north and my house was somewhere in the east and his house was located far south of the city. How?

"Raghu!" there was so much affection filled in his voice that tugged at my heart. "You shouldn't be so drunk that you don't even remember what happened" he walked towards me and draped his arm over my shoulder. I felt... comforted.

"Your friend Benji, he drove you up here. He told me you won the championship and you were celebrating your victory" he said. I nodded, letting him continue. "Son! I won't lie, I'm worried about you. Your friends... they are so... I don't expect boys of your age to be utterly responsible and all. I understand that this is your age to enjoy and have fun. But you could've shown some maturity, Raghu! What were you thinking, getting so drunk? God forbid, you could have been robbed, or even killed for god sake" there was so much worry in his words, not hatred or remorse, which was what I often heard in my dad's voice when he spoke to me in such situations. Even though, his low defeated voice did nothing but made me feel much guilty.

"Be careful next time," he said and I nodded. "My daughter will drive you home since you are not in the condition to get yourself home in one piece", he sighed again.

Daughter? Must be a migraine that I couldn't process the words properly. Mr Sharma's daughter, the words felt so familiar yet distant. Who is she? Do I know her? I do, but how?

"Pari", he yelled, a faint coming came as a reply, "You remember my daughter Pari, right? Paridhi?" he asked. Pari? Not exactly. He chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, it been a really long time, so it’s okay to forget," he said.

And there she walked towards me. The newbie. So her name was, Pari. It meant, Angel, beautiful name for a beautiful girl. She wore a light blue half-sleeved kurta top and dark faded jeans which were doing no justice to her model-like figure. Her long dark hair was pulled into a ponytail and a few strands were falling on her face, a face which was so natural with no makeup. Her lips were so full and kissable that with just a mere thought of it, and my migraine was long gone. Her big brown teddy bear like eyes landed on me and a cold empty look, that I was not familiar with was directed to me.

Then it hit me like a freight train. Fu*k, she is Mr Sharma's daughter.

"Pari! You know Raghu right?" he asked turning towards his daughter. His daughter. I shouldn't forget that. After she nodded, her answer, he continued giving my address and asking to drop me off.

She shot me a last cold look and walked towards my car.

"You do have a license right?" I asked breaking the silence. We have been sitting in my car for the past ten minutes and there were not even pleasantries exchanged between us. She concentrated on the road as if I didn't exist. I continued to stare at her so that I could just get on her nerves and maybe get a reaction. But all the reactions that I got were sudden breaks that constantly made me bump with the window.

No answer.

"I usually don't let anyone drive my baby. You are the first one to ever drive my car. Guess you are lucky" I tried the usual flattery which always worked.

No answer.

"So, you single" I used the regular old pick up line which never works. BEEP. Uff! Some reaction I got. A horn is something compared to the silence.

I didn't speak for the rest of the way. I did stare at her. Since she verbally didn't oppose me, I took that as a green card to stare at her.

Her hands were long. Her fingers that gripped the wheel right now, we're not that long and were thin. I wondered how they would feel in my large hands. She had perfect curves that drove any man crazy. A creepy smile crept onto my face.

Smile? I don't smile.

I mentally shook my head.

Soon the car turned into the familiar neighbourhood with the same old (new) buildings that emit power and richness, just with the way they looks. Middle-class people don't even dare to lift their head and take a peek at this house. That is how much they intimidate them.

"So, this is goodbye I guess," I said and was greeted by silence. Hard-headed b***h.

This is... Unbelievable. I am not ignored. Especially not by girls. Credits to my looks or my charm. They don't ignore this charmer. And she.... what the hell does she think of herself? She isn't that beautiful anyway. Okay, maybe a little. But she is a damn arrogant b***h.

A soft humourless chuckle broke my train of thoughts. Only if it wasn't so humourless, this sweet sound would have passed as the best thing to be ever heard. Only if it wasn't so... fake. It almost sounded hurt.

"You seriously don't remember me, do you?" she asked as if she already knew the answer to that question.

She turned towards me and again, those beautiful chocolate brown eyes, stared into mine, locking me in its depth. There was an intense look in those eyes. She gulped visibly, as if swallowing something, a sob, maybe? And she diverted back her eyes to the road. What did I ever do to her? Who is she? This stupid hangover has blocked my mind halfway.

The car screeched to a stop and her silence was shouting at me, 'GET OUT'.

"Who are you?" my voice turned husky unintentionally. Silence. "Tell me how do you know me?" I asked. I know her father and my dad were best friends, so she obviously knew who I was. But there was something else in her eyes that said that she knew me in some other way too. She knew me in a way no one ever knew. And the question is, How?

"I know you. Because you are the bad boy who left me alone" with that she turned to face me with those chocolate brown eyes glaring me. She got down the car, without breaking eye contact with me and walked away.

Bad boy? Only one person calls me with this nickname - the one who gave it to me. And the one who made me an actual bad boy.

"Pari….. Sweetheart?" my voice was a bare whisper, but I was sure, she heard me. The silence was so thick that, I bet, she even heard my heart skipping a beat.

She is .... My sweetheart?!