Gauri stared at her reflection in the mirror.

An incomprehensible satisfaction filled her when she saw herself standing in the yellow salwar suit.

"I love black."

Gauri shook her head to get rid of the incessant voice. Raising her eyes, she looked again.

Long black hair secured with hair clips, splayed down her shoulders, reaching her mid back.
Her eyes linned with a streak of kohl, spoke thousand unsaid words. Face devoid of makeup, yet the faint touch of blush on her fair skin, marked the evitable.

Gauri frowned.

"I'm blushing a lot these days."

Finally, she could go back to the campus. It had been two days since that fateful night. She was glad that the faint bruises on her face had faded, except the ones on her wrists.

Gauri's gaze dropped on her wrists. They were no longer embellished with the turquoise bangles. No longer, did she hear the soft clinking sound of the mellow colliding of the glasses.

Now, her wrists were marred with scratches and faint red marks.

Heaving a long sigh, Gauri settled with her wrist watch and few of her old bangles.

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.
.

Laughter, smiles and a bunch of colourful balloons.

The balloon seller handed over red, green, yellow, to mention a few, coloured balloons to the children around. His own face reflecting their smiles and happiness.

Filling the balloons with helium and a little affection, provided these children a whole lot of happiness. This was what made his day even though with a low income.

How ironic! People living in the world, be it engineer, doctor, businessman, sought a few moments of happiness.
Some of them, had already set off in a journey to find these moments in the vast world. How many did, actually, find it? Probably, very few.

Yet, these glittering eyes and vivacious smiles recited a different story, just like the second face of a coin.

Perhaps, finding happiness wasn't so tough. One could find it even in cheap rubber inflated with helium.

A little change in perspective could cast spells of enchantment.

The light breeze touching the face could bring thousand murmurs of sweet love.

The intoxicating fragrance of flowers could be a mail from faraway wellwisher.

A heartwarming greeting of the new dawn could lit up even the darkest of faces.

A kind-selfless act could relieve one's conscience.

These moments.

Maybe, these were the moments we needed to conserve. And happiness could be sought even in the unreasonable of times.

A bright smile flittered across Siddharth's face on its own accord, as if, the neurons started responding to the heart instead of the brain.
As if, the heart was the one pulling the strings of his control system.

"Want an ice cream?" Rudra asked, drawing all of Siddharth's attentions to the half-nibbled ice cream cone.

"What is left for me to eat?" Siddharth raised an eyebrow.

Rudra shrugged carelessly and completed his ice cream.

That, did settle his hungry stomach. After all, boarding the plane from Delhi after an urgent meeting and landing all the way long, infront of JIT's entrance did take a toll.

"Rudra," Siddharth addressed seriously.
"What on earth are we doing infront of JIT?"

Like every other working day, the entrance was crowded with students and random people rushing out and some flocking together in groups.

Rudra's eyes unconcernedly, roamed all over. Girls and ladies didn't hesitate to blatantly ogle at him.

Rudra's lips curl into a smirk.

"Not bad," he mused.

Siddharth had an itching desire to whin and bang his head upon the surface of his jeep.

Almost instantly, his gaze snapped upon his red jeep. Its immaculate red surface shone like a diamond under the bright sunshine. That was a bad idea, very bad.

"Listen," Siddharth spoke.
"Rudra, you... wait. Did you, did you just wink?"

Rudra blinked twice, innocently.

"Wha..." Siddharth was cut off short.

"Objection m'lord," Rudra raised his hands in surrender.

"In my defense, I want to state that, the girl winked at me first. As courtsey, I returned her gesture," Rudra pointed over a group of girls.

They were squealing and giggling. Frequent glances were thrown at Rudra.

Siddharth gaped like a fish.
"Gauri."

"Don't speak of Gauri," Rudra smiled bashfully.

"My imagination runs wild when it comes to her. I couldn't help but savour it, layer by layer." He said with a brazen intensity.

Siddharth whined mentally.
"To hell my jeep! I am gonna bang my head."

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.
.

Gauri and Radhika walked towards the gate. Radhika kept speaking animatedly but Gauri was far from hearing it. After the classes, they had submitted their dissertations and were on their way out.

"Ma'am, Gauri ma'am."

Someone called from behind.

Radhika muttered something under her breath which oddly sounded as 'Here comes the Romeo'.

Gauri glared at Radhika and turned around to acknowledge the owner of the voice.

Shourya with his group backing him, stood infront of her. Each one of the group members, adorned a knowing smile.

"Yes, Shourya. Can I help you?" Gauri asked politely.

Shourya blushed a bit,
"Umm... Actually ma'am, thank you so much for helping me with that topic. It really helped a lot. Your voice... I mean your way of putting everything was awesome.

You know what? You are the best here."

Radhika cleared her throat.

"You too ma'am," Shourya added hurriedly.

Gauri smiled, "Thank you, Shourya."

Shourya scratched the nape of his neck nervously.
"I... I wanted to say," he trailed off.

Gauru looked at him expectantly, wanting him to continue.

"I wanted to say..."

"My darling!"

Gauri's eyes widened.

Radhika spluttered a laugh.

Shourya blinked twice.

A pair of strong arms embraced Gauri.

"Missed me?"

The identifiable husky voice sent shivers down Gauri's spine.

Shourya and his group gaped while witnessing their favourite professor being embraced by a tall, handsome man.

Rudra's hardened eyes glared at Shourya, making him and his group, take off in an instant.

"We are in the campus," Gauri muttered shyly.

"Does it matter?" Rudra tightened his grip.

"Aww, how romantic! Get a room, please." Radhika grumbled and shot a glare at Siddharth.

The latter again, had an insane urge to bang his head.

Severely mortified, Gauri quickly broke their hug.
Raising her eyes, she stared at Rudra only to lose herself in his dark brown oceans.

"His eyes met mine. Once again, my heart holographed another mind, vehemently protesting against the real one. I, despite being myself, am secretly cheering my heart.

Every nerve, every fibre, has come alive. Why is it so? Just because of his touch. Is that what I demand? Or perhaps, it's just him, his very presence infront of me, reminding me how truly I have fallen in love.

How painfully, I have fallen in love..." Gauri blinked continuously, the familiar sting returning to her eyes.

Radhika and Siddharth looked at both, Rudra and Gauri who, without a care of world, were losing themselves in each other.

Gauri broke the eye contact, dropping her gaze to the ground. She could feel her cheeks turning red.

Rudra smirked, a strange satisfaction adding fuel to his inner demonic self.

"Why are you here?" Gauri asked.

"Should you even ask that?"
Rudra replied.

"I don't want to ask, I don't want to know. All I want to do is, go home. Come Rads," Gauri attempted to walk only to halt when a hand enveloped her wrist.

Gauri hissed a bit when Rudra's rough skin rubbed against her raw-sensitive skin.

A dark expression dawned on his face. Raising her wrists, Rudra's fingers traced the marks.

Gauri jerked off and slid the bangles down, shutting the view

Rudra clenched his fist, knuckles cracking in process.
Gauri, once again, witnessed the animosity covering his features and feral tide of rage swirling in those deep oceans.

Gauri stepped forward and held his fist. Her touch, acting as a salve, tried to provide remedy to the unknown scars.

Rudra's palms cupped her face. His fingers waltzed across her velvety skin.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! I can't breath. Someone freakin' give me a CPR," Radhika exaggerated, causing Gauri to retreat a few steps.

Rudra and Siddharth blandly gazed at her.

All of a sudden, a brazen smile lit up Rudra's face.

"What?" Radhika asked.

Rudra smile brightly,
"What 'what'?"

"Why are you staring at me that way?" Radhika questioned.

"Which way?"

"Ugh! The way you are," Radhika said irately.

"Oh! You asked for a CPR," Rudra paused.

His gaze snapped towards Gauri.
"Had Gauri been the one to ask, I would've gladly complied."

Gauri's jaw fell off the hinges and almost touched the ground below.

No one. Absolutely, no one could describe her mortification at the moment.

"You..." Gauri uttered pointedly.

"I..." Rudra whispered, further flustering her.

Siddharth stepped in between.
"Ok cut! Packup now."

Gauri huffed audibly, puffing up her red cheeks.
Radhika was almost rolling on the ground in laughter.

Siddharth rolled his eyes at her.
"Stand straight, spine erect, chin raised and eyes focused. Clear Rads?"

Radhika growled at him,
"Who are you, our coach?"

And they stared their bickering.

Rudra sneaked towards Gauri.

"Can I get a kiss?"

Gauri shot daggers at him.

"You...," she glowered.

"I..." Rudra smirked.

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.
.

"Ignore, ignore," Gauri kept chanting inside her head.

But how could she, when those golden tinged-vortex like brown eyes, stretched invisible hands to grip her attention?

No, she couldn't

As usual, she sighed in defeat and faced him.

"What do you want?" Gauri asked.

"I want you to spend the time with me until, you see, evening? By the way, Siddharth and Radhika will be accompanying us. Do I make myself clear?" Rudra said curtly.

The non-dismissible regal power radiated off of him.

Gauri stared at him. This was the real Rudra. This was him. A prince, a royal. Considering his status both in the nation and foreign, one of the strongest too.

Rudra's eyes mystified with an extraordinary darkness.

Feeling a sudden drop in the temperature and nerve chilling sign at the back of her head, Gauri's insides recoiled abruptly.

Rudra's hands deliriously loomed over her cheeks, not even touching a part but leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake.

He cracked a painfully devilish smile.

"What do you say, my Gauri?"

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Savitri kept the phone on its receiver. She sauntered back to the living room.

PP sat comfortably with a bowl full of ghee.

"Thank you, Savitri. I never realised that we were short on our supplies," PP screeched out a laughter.

Savitri smiled politely.

"Gauri called?" PP inquisited.

"Oh yes, Gauri called. Apparently, Rudra and Siddharth showed without a news, so she and Radhika would return a little late," Savitri explained.

"Rudra! What a sweet boy he is," PP exclaimed.

Suddenly, a cunning smile lit her face.
"Speaking of which, Rudra and Gauri are very close, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are. Very close friends to be precise," Savitri replied with a smile.

"Nice, nice. Just be careful, Savitri," PP said.

Savitri frowned in bewilderment.

"You must have heard of Sheela's niece. Poor Sheela, brought her up like her own but what did she get in return? Disgrace.
That wh**e of a girl, oh lord Krishna! I feel shame while speaking of it.

How does that girl even roam around with the abomination breathing in her womb?" PP exasperated.

Savitri's face lost all the colours.

"What are you trying to insinuate, Parmeshwari?"
Savitri asked, enraged.

"Oh no! No, no, not at all. I know Gauri," PP said nervously, trying to cover her slip up.

"Gauri, practically grew up in front of me. What I want to say is, we must be careful. You never know, Savitri. This age, it's very risky. Friends don't take time to become more than just friends. Do you get it?" PP spoke cautiously.

"I will only have Gauri's best interests. Think over it," PP smiled and walked out hurriedly.

Savitri sat still, pondering over PP's words. Her face was pale and eyes, faraway, stared out of the window.