8- His Ariel

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Started typing on 08/10/2018 - Finished typing on 10/10/2018

Chapter 8- His Ariel

Do you ever get annoyed at people who judge others by their clothes? It's funny how they can judge someone personality or character by their clothes. If someone is wearing a saree, suit, or Kurta (Indian outfits) she's from a good family. If a girl wears crop tops, shorts, skirts she's most likely the characterless girl, why? How can you judge someone by their look? It's like no one cares about your inner beauty, about your opinions.

That was happening right in front of Jaanvi.

She fisted her hands gulping down her anger. She can't understand why Juhi had to put her nose in everything. She glances at her friend who gave her that, 'ignore her' look. But there was no way Jaanvi would stay quiet hearing her aunty insulting her best friend.

"Really?" Comes her amused voice, "Last time I checked you were fine with Rashi wearing shorts, then what's the issue with Aditi wearing them? And Chachi, Aditi isn't your daughter, so lecturing her is of no use." Jaanvi finishes with a fake smile. Her special smile that she only uses while debating with her aunty.

Aditi bit her inner cheek trying to stop herself from smiling. Jaanvi always pleases and amazes her with her tone unapologetic. The girl could be sassy, sometimes too sassy for her good.

Jaanvi smirks, not before saying, "Plus Chachi, not everyone can wear such clothes. You know, like some try too hard, yet they lack in fashion." She was referring to Juhi's choice of shorts for Rashi. Juhi decided to gift Rashi a red strawberry printed shorts on her eighteenth birthday.

The older women's face falls hearing Jaanvi's bitter words. Day by day Jaanvi was being brutally honest and uptight. Too outspoken. Juhi couldn't wait to kick her out of the house.

Correction, push her out of the house forever.

Jaanvi took Aditi's hand walking upstairs. On their way towards her room, both the young girls heard noises from Jay's room. Opening the door they peak in and see Dhruv, Jay, and Kiaan. Jaanvi's curious face fell into a heavy sigh.

This Kaan again.

She wants to kick him out this instant but not before torturing him with her sweet words. She whirls to glance at her friend, before she could whisper into Aditi's ear to head back. Her friend does the opposite.

Aditi grins shyly, however, with confidence in herself, she walks into the room gaining the three young men's attention towards her. "Hi" She chirps sitting on the bed.

Kiaan passes an acknowledging look to Aditi. His eyes travel over Aditi's head and zoom into Jaanvi who stood dumbfounded by the door frame. She didn't look happy which causes him to smirk. Wanting to ruin her mood, even more, he says, "Hi." And mouths 'Stubborn cat' to her. She frowned.

"Hi Jay, hi Dhruv" She ignores Kiaan completely. She could feel his intense gaze on her, which somehow made her uncomfortable and strange. Trying to maintain her eye contact only on Jay and Dhruv she sat next to Aditi.

"Hi," Dhruv replied with a bright smile, "We were just catching up with Jay. It's been too long since we last saw him."

"It has!" Jay agreed "You guys should stay a little longer." Jay suggests disobeying Jaanvi's eyes warning him to shut up.

"Wait, who's going?" Aditi asks clueless looking at everyone with confused expressions visible on her face.

The girls weren't aware when the Rajput brothers came over today because they left a few hours after dinner last night. "We're going back home," Kiaan decides to answer the question. His eyes glued on Jaanvi to catch some sort of expression. She brusque ignores him by keeping her eyes on Dhruv and Jay. She knows it's better not to see his face or she'll blast.

He keeps looking at her to see her expressions change, to show a hint of sadness for his satisfaction but instead she looks happy with the news. He could sense her trying hard to hide her smile but fails badly.

"Dad has some work," He adds still fixing his eyes on her face, "And I have some meetings." To which she rolls her eyes.

I have some meetings. Meetings my foot.

"Oh come on you just came." Aditi guesses. Her wild guess turns out to be accurate because Jay nods. "You can't leave so early," Aditi says to the brothers.

Jaanvi gapes at her best friend. Her eyes say, 'are you okay?' How could she ask them to stay? She can't tolerate him. His mere presence bothers her. It intimates her a lot more than it should. She didn't like the feeling but she can't ignore it as well.

Dhruv was about to answer but Rashi enters the room wearing a kurta with a tray of food. So everyone in the house is aware of these brother's presence except Aditi and me? She courteously smiles walking towards the table placing down the tray. She passes the coffee to Dhruv first who took it with a small acknowledging nod.

Beside Jaanvi, Aditi shuffles around the bed. She didn't look as happy as before now. Jaanvi brushes her shoulder with her friends to gain Aditi's attention. The girls look at each other questionably. Jaanvi wriggles her brows at Aditi with a, 'what the hell?' look. Aditi shrugs not knowing what to say.

"Uh," Jaanvi clears her throat "Where did the sunrise from today? You and bringing coffee?" She jokes but with a serious voice. This was a sight to watch. She doesn't appreciate her cousin's honey-dripping acts of sweetness. She barely enters the kitchen so why portray yourself as something you're not.

"Di, I thought you all would be hungry so I brought some snacks," Rashi replies biting her lower lip praying Dhruv doesn't pay heels to whatever Jaanvi had just said. (Elder sister)

Jaanvi was close to both the twins but the behavior she was currently witnessing, she did not like it one bit. Rashi wasn't being herself, she was pretending to be someone else and that pissed Jaanvi off. She should be proud of who she is.

"I don't see that much," Jaanvi's words escape harsher and almost growly from her lips as she takes the cup from Rashi's hand, "it's overwhelming." She finishes her sentence and glances at Dhruv who was silently drinking his coffee looking at Aditi.

Rashi eyes her brother for help, seeing his sister plead he changes the topic to save her from humiliation. "So Kiaan, will you be back? To visit us before you get married." The soon-to-be bride gulps unintentionally hearing the word 'married.'

"Why?" Jaanvi asks finding the question baseless. "Why do you want him to visit us? Do you have a thing for him or something?"

"Some people are nice, unlike others." Kiaan shadily says shooting daggers at her. "I might come. Depending on my work hours."

Work, more like free time. She thought looking away from his dark intense eyes.

The whole time they were glancing at each other. While others were talking Kiaan was busy noticing every feature of hers. He noticed her dark brown eyes, her dimples when she smiled, her long wavy black hair. She wore a black and white kurta which reached her ankle with matching small black earing. When she couldn't explain something she ended up biting her lower lip, he noticed everything in just a few hours of glancing at her.

Kiaan was busy talking to Aditi when Jaanvi sets her eyes on him. She observes his deep brown eyes, they were bit lighter than hers. Hers was charcoal brown. His white shirt hugs his body perfectly as if it was made for him. His short jet black hair rests closer to his temple. Breathtakingly unreal.

But then she notices something she never did before.

His smile.

His genuine bright smile showing his perfect white teeth. If his face wasn't enough to attract someone his smile would do the job. That smile made him a hundred times cuter with his clean-shaven face. More reliable too.

It was the kind of smile you'll receive from someone on the road greeting you casually or someone stopping by and offering you a lift. It was that innocent. You could never predict a person with this smile could do any harm. It was the comforting smile that screams, I got you.

She can't believe how handsome her enemy was.

I still hate him. She thought shifting her eyes away from him. Control.

The whole time Kajal was nowhere near to be found. She wasn't interested in spending time with Jaanvi's family. She still couldn't digest the news so she stayed back home.

____

Jaanvi walked out of Jay's room. She eventually got bored listening to Kiaan and Jay talking about sports, she felt like she was in maths class with a horrible teacher who made no sense. She understood nothing about sports. Excusing herself she walked down the stairs trying to find her friend when suddenly Rashi popped up out of nowhere making Jaanvi jump.

"I'll kill you one day for freaking me out!" She grouses placing her hand above her chest trying to calm her heartbeats down. Rashi bites her lower lip giving her an apologetic look.

"Di," She starts uncertainly, "Aditi's mum c-called. T-they are waiting for her to come home. Quickly." She adds quickly without taking a single breath. This task—delivering the message—seems very urgent to Rashi in contrast to her breathing. (Elder sister)

Jaanvi's face was emotionless, she knew something was wrong because Aditi's parents were out of the city. She was supposed to stay at Jaanvi's house for a few days which only the elders knew. She was lying and Jaanvi could smell something fishy.

She kept walking down the stairs looking at Rashi for a few seconds straight before speaking, "Where is Aditi?" Her question seems to shake Rashi unintentionally, "I need to find her Nah, to pass the message." She adds seeing her cousin's expressions.

"Oh yeah," Rashi breaths out in relief, "She's outside. In the garden with D-Dhruv."

Jaanvi's mouth turns into an 'O,' she quickly masked her face. "Ok," and walks towards the garden.

Someone will get hurt for sure. She thought approaching her best friend and soon to be brother-in-law. She could see they were lost in each other's conversation. Dhruv was probably cracking a joke according to Jaanvi because Aditi laughs loudly. They were both smiling, a bit more than expected.

Jaanvi cleared her throat earning their attention. "What's so funny?" She asks folding her arms looking suspiciously at them.

"You," Aditi giggles, "Y-you learnt swimming just to challenge Kiaan?" Her laughter increasing causing her to clutch her stomach.

Jaanvi's face falls, she never thought anyone will bring up this topic or even remember it. She glares at Dhruv who awkwardly smiling scratching his neck.

She hated it how Kiaan use to brag about being a great swimmer when they were young. He loved swimming, he also knew that Jaanvi couldn't swim. Trying to snatch that proud smirk of his face she took swimming class just to challenge him. She wanted to prove to him that she's also a great swimmer.

Of course, she didn't win since he was way better, after all, he had experience. But he was amused seeing the effort she put in that race. He never told her this but she somehow earned a different space in his heart, respect and admiration too.

She earned respect because everyone knew how much she feared drowning yet she overcame her phobia just because of Kiaan.

Sometimes hate and jealously can make us do stupid yet good things.

Ansh pushed her so many times to learn how to swim, to overcome her fear and challenge herself but she couldn't. Jaanvi always changed the topic diverting his attention but Kiaan's one evil smirk encouraged or in other words made her so jealous that she ran towards her swimming teacher.

"And she lost." Dhruv broke her train of thoughts winning a glare from her.

"Shut up," She snaps. "He's been swimming for years! I learnt it in a month. What do expect? I was pretty good though for being new in the field." She defends her honour and shrugs a little at her loss.

Seeing her expressions—upset and dejected—Dhruv felt bad. He was warned by Kiaan to never tell her this but he couldn't hold it in. "Well, he was impressed. He thought you were amazing. He even thought he was going to lose against you that day. Luckily—for him—you needed to catch a breath and he took that as an opportunity to defeat you."

Jaanvi couldn't believe his words. Kiaan, and impressed? That was impossible! She remembers how he rubbed it on her face because she lost against him.

FlashBack

"I'm a way better swimmer, accept it, Ariel," He said picking up his towel from the chair by the poolside.

She moved her hair back, clearing the view. He was getting on her nerves. Rather than appreciating her effort, he was being a total jerk.

"Oh shh!" She growls standing inside the pool, her body covered in water. "And I'm Jaanvi. Not Ariel!" She felt jealously knowing he's probably misaddressing her from one of his girlfriends.

"Defeat is a very bad phase in ones life, I understand. It takes time to recover from it." His lips plaster a smirk mocking her. Putting the towel around his neck as he walks closer towards the end of the pool where she stood inside the warm water. Once he reaches her, he bent down on her level. "You're Ariel to me from now on because Ariel can swim very well, unlike you. So this name would always remind you of losing against me."

She had enough, enough of his words, enough of him. In a split second her anger rose to boil her blood. Not thinking twice she stretches out for his right hand and pulls him inside the pool. He was so shocked that he couldn't even calculate and comprehend what just happened.

"What the—" before he could yell she splashed water on his face to silence him.

"You call me Ariel once more, and I'll murder you right here, right now!" She threatens loudly, her body radiating pure rage and she could see her reflection on his brown eyes.

"I'll say it. Not once, not twice, but forever!" He replied, the smirk still there despite her action.

"Ariel, Ariel, Ariel," his tone was dangerously clear and louder than before as he comes closer to her.

"W-w-what a-are y-you—" The fourteen-year-old Jaanvi asks moving backwards feeling terrified suddenly. Her eyes travel to his chest and watches the rise and fall looking stiffer.

"Let me teach you a lesson." His voice echoes in her ears. Before she could head to the stairs so save herself from his supposed lesson Kiaan lifts her by his strong arms in bridal style. Her hands instantly found their way towards his neck holding tightly. Once her body wasn't touching the warm water—because of his height—he drops her with a big splash.

Her ears, nose and mouth fills with water from the unexpected throw. Her eyes sting and she gasps and screams at the same time from the shock as soon as she lifts her body from the bottom of the pull and holds onto the sides of the pool. Her cheeks flat on pools edge.

She lifts her face a little and pushes her hair back from her face. Her eyes begin to wander around the quiet swimming pool looking for Kiaan.

"I'm here Ariel." She turns her attention to the exit door and finds him standing there casually. His body leaning against the door frame like there's nothing to worry about. If Ansh was there he'd tell her to calm down but he wasn't. Jaanvi's bloodshot red eyes burn in hot anger. "Bye Ariel." Was his smug reply.

She was left all alone inside the pool trying to comprehend what just happened.

Flash Back Over

"So what's so funny?" Jaanvi inquires not understanding why exactly they were laughing.

"I don't know. Should I laugh at your overconfidence of challenging Kiaan or the part where you were shoved inside the water?" Aditi asks laughing. Technically I was inside the pool. He just pushed me to the bottom.

"I think you should laugh at the part where I pushed him," Jaanvi replies glaring at her friend who zips her mouth completely to escape from her wrath.

Married My Enemy

Edited On – 27/04/2020 (3:19 p.m.)

Sorry for the late update. ALSO we hit 3.5K reads on this book with over 500 votes!! Thank you so much, guys.

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