"Vihaan."

Nakul's voice snapped him into reality and before their eyes could meet, he turned to face his cousin, giving her his back.

This ended her concentration and her right foot twisted up, causing her balance to slip from beneath her feet and she hissed as she landed directly on her injured ankle.

"Ow...ow...."

Everyone still on their positions at her pained squeak and they gasped at the sight of her locked position, struggling to sit up.

"Arshi, Oh my god....." Her aunt, Shivani and the other girls of the class were quick to rush to her aid and they together helped her disentangle her locked legs.

Shivani looked at the swollen ankle with a contorted expression and looked up at Vani.

"Vani, bring the cleaning wipes and some ice. I need to check if we need to see the doctor."

Vani nodded and immediately rushed past the barricade of the girls and out of the studio, to buy ice and cleaning wipes, while Shivani was hyperventilating, thinking of the worst.

"I am fine, massi (aunt)" Arshiya tried to calm her down and Shivani ignored her and pressed her fingers on her feet to find the source of the swelling.

"Does it hurt?" Shivani asked softly, and Arshiya shook her head with an amused grin.

"What?" Shivani glowered at her and Arshiya put her hand on her mouth to prevent the giggles that bubbled inside her from peeping out of her lips, while she innocently shook her head.

"Nothing."

"I brought ice, spread up guys." The girls parted on hearing Vani's voice and Arshiya watched her emerge out of the uneven barricade of girls.

Vani tore open the lining of cleaning wipes and handed their teacher plain wipes.

Shivani carefully wrapped the ice in wipes, before carefully wiping at the infected skin and at the same time, pressing on the redness, giving her the ice treatment.

"I have a feeling, that it's a holiday tomorrow." Arshiya fist-pumped the air, only to receive a smack on the head by Vani and Arshiya winced.

"Ow."

"Fortunately, it is alight sprain but still she had to cease unwanted movements." Shivani pressed spot at the same time and Arshiya flinched slightly.

"Massi!"

"You are such a troublemaker," Srishti commented and Anu couldn't help but roll her eyes at her hypocrisy.

Arshiya sighed taking bliss in completely ignoring the irony and frowned as her stomach jolted with hungry butterflies.

"I am hungry." She whined like a baby and Shivani sighed at her niece's childishness, but didn't comment on it and glanced at the wall clock. It would be dark soon, so she dismissed the girls and then pulled out his phone and dialed her best friend aka Arshiya's mother Anita's number.

"Shivani?"

"Anita, there is a problem." This caught Anita's attention and Shivani heard the dropping of utensils in the background as she wailed loudly.

"Shivani, Are Arshiya's teeth hurting? Oh my god that's why you called, didn't you. I will call Varun Bhaiya to get there as soon as possible and check her teeth and..."

"Anita! Anita!" Anita continued her rambling, ignoring Shivani. "Anita, her teeth are fine!"

"Oh my god! What kind of mother I am...Wait, what?" Anita asked, confirming the truth and Shivani sighed in relief as her wailing squeaks stopped.

"I said her teeth are fine... It's just she sprained her ankle and-" Shivani was cut herself off she heard yet another utensil drop-in background, that sounded like the spoon holder.

"Oh no, I am coming there... Shivani, how can this happen..?"

"Anita..."

"My baby is hurt. I am coming there..."

"Anita, Shut up and listen to me." The sudden increase in her voice note caught the attention of the four best friends and they shared knowing looks, before giggling. "Arshiya is fine and is staying with me today since Rajiv is out of town."

"But Shivani....."

"Bye." She hanged up on her, mid-sentence and muttered in the line of something including 'drama queen'.

"I am hungry."

They ignored her and Vani dived back into topic. "How are we going to take her to the car?"

"Pick me up." Arshiya opened her arms wide, like a baby and they glared at her making her withdraw her hands back with a sheepish smile.

"But I can't walk."

~

"You are exaggerating!" The unfamiliar voice caught their attention and Vihaan glared at Nakul.

".....I am being rational."

"Hey, you," Shivani called, catching his attention and Srishti and Anu' curious expressions turned dreamy, and they let out collective sighs due to his swoon-worthy features while Arshiya looked at them like they are patients of a mental hospital.

Vihaan pointed his index finger at himself and Shivani nodded. "Yes you young man, now come inside."

She reminded him of her mother so he obeyed and jumped in through the window. Nakul followed suit, but his calculated landing failed and he winced as he rubbed the portion of his back, where the window's frame had managed to hit him and Arshiya giggled taking in his slumped form, while Vani glowered at him.

"Ice pack?" She asked holding the sleet of wipes containing, now half-melted ice and the girls scowled at her.

"Fine." She grumbled childishly, throwing it back on the ground and Vihaan's grey eyes brightened slightly with amusement at the sight of her inflated cheeks. Nakul glanced at Vani, to find her glaring at him and he smirked mischievously.

Shivani shook her head as if she had enough now and wanted to end this disastrous night by sleeping it off.

"My niece has sprained her ankle, so please can you help us take her to our car."

"But I am hungry...." Arshiya muttered, audible enough for the two girls to hear and they scowled at her in unison. Again, Arshiya looked at them like they had gone crazy.

Vihaan nodded like a true gentleman and her friends whispered something amongst themselves before they squealed like the stupid teenagers and Arshiya glared at the two.

"Great, I'll bring the car then." She smiled thankfully as he nodded politely and walked out of the studio, shuffling through her handbag to find the keys of her car.

"He is so hot," Srishti muttered with a sigh and Anu agreed, bobbing her head repeatedly and giggled like a bunch of idiots, while Arshiya continued sulking, not catching their talks, and clearly, not noticing Vani's sudden quietness.

"I think I am going to faint." Anu fanned herself and Arshiya had enough now, so she takes a handful of ice chips in her hand and chucked it at them.

"What the...." As if someone had dropped ice on Srishti, her words trailed off in a dreamy sigh and her eyes sparkled with mischief.

Vani nudged her warningly and Srishti winced slightly, as her mirage disappeared with the appearance of the reality and Arshiya frowned in confusion. Is anyone going to tell her what's going on?

Before Arshiya could voice her confusion, a deep voice resonated through the air, still her to the core and Arshiya looked up to meet the lovely shade of coal grey eyes staring at her, more like intimidating her and she squirmed uneasily.

And what did he say?

'May I?' May I what?

"She is all yours." Vani nodded at him in greeting and he returned it and Arshiya blushed sensing the double meaning in her friend's sentence. The three girls hurried towards the locker room to get their stuff, Anu and Srishti still giggling like teenagers and Vani just walked straight behind, ignoring the gaze of one insolent man on her.

He kneeled own in front of her, dropping from his towering beastly form to her level and slowly put his arm under her knees while the other curled around her torso.

Her beautiful brown eyes peered at him from under the lashes with uncertainty as she put her arms around his broad shoulders cautiously.

"Don't drop me." She whispered out her fear softly and he looked at her brown eyes, before carefully picking her up in his arms without taking his eyes off her.

She whimpered as her swollen ankle burned with the sudden momentum and almost immediately her head burrowed in his chest as she tried to fight the pain.

Her eyes closed as a tremor of pain passed through her as she felt him stand up to his full height and took in a deep breath in an attempt to ease the pain.

After a few tremors, she felt the pain residing and she slowly opened her eyes, only to be mesmerized by those grey eyes staring at her with concern.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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