[unedited chapter]

'What surprise?' Lily and Himani asked Harry simultaneously.

It was nearing 8 o'clock; the temperature had dropped to almost 17 degrees in Dharamshala, and the traffic had also decreased.

'We're going to the Radisson Blu.' He said with little to no interest in revealing the surprise.

'What for?' Lily asked, clueless.

'That's where the ICT stays.' Himani stated, ignoring Lily's question.

'What?' Lily asked, with her jaw dropping to the floor. 'Really? Are we going to see them? Agastya too?' Lily squealed, clutching Himani's arms tightly.

'Of course. They're having a small after-party, and I've managed to get all of us invited.'

'I can't believe this. Thaaaank yooooou...' Lily said, leaning a bit and embracing Harry tightly, almost choking him.

'Leave me, or else you guys will have to go without me.' Harry said, trying to catch his breath.

'Oh, sorry, sorry.' Lily sat back after apologising. 'It feels like I'm in a dream. If it is, please God, don't let the alarm go off.' She said, looking up.

'How did you manage to do that?' Himani asked, raising an eyebrow, being sceptical about the party invitation.

'Uh... I...' He scratched his head, hesitating. 'I asked Kedar.'

'What the f-' Lily quickly covered Himani's mouth with her hand before she could swear. 'Why would you ask him?' She asked after forcefully removing Lily's hand.

'I'll do you one better. How did he agree to this?' Lily asked Harry.

'I've got my ways. And we're friends.' Harry boasted.

'Since when?' Himani enquired.

'Oh come on, you barely interact with him.' Lily rolled her eyes.

'You're jealous because I've got friends other than you two.' Harry sneered
'Areh, stop bickering!' Himani hollered, which made them look at her. 'Are we really going to a party wearing this?' She gestured to the blue Indian jerseys they were wearing.

'Oh...' Harry trailed off. 'That's a problem.'

'Well, you should've at least told me about your brilliant plan.' Himani said, sarcastically.

'See, I don't care about my outfit right now. All I want is to meet Agastya. Nothing can stop me. You both stay here arguing about whether to wear Sabyasachi or Manish Malhotra to the party. I don't care; I'll go wearing this jersey.'

'Ok, fine...' Harry sighed, agreeing to her.

It was past 8 at night when they arrived at the resplendent Radisson Blu Resort. Two guys at the entrance wearing a suffocating black suit with a gray neck tie stopped them as they walked in.

'To where?' One of them scanned them from head to toe.

The three looked at each other, and finally Harry spoke. 'We're invited,' he said with a stupid grin.

'Oh really?' He said and let out a mocking laughter, and the other one looked up and down at their outfits.

'Really. We're invited by the prince. We're his friends.' Harry tried to defend.
'Oh, then I'm his uncle.' He laughed at his own joke.

All three of them were getting exasperated at his remarks.

'We've seen a lot of pea-brained, obsessive fans like you. Always trying to squeeze into high-end parties.' The other guy said.

'Oye, we don't have any reason to lie to get in.' Lily snapped at them, and Himani grabbed Lily's arm, trying to console her.

'What's going on there?' Someone shouted from behind, which made them all turn their heads towards the man in a navy blue suit carrying a walkie-talkie.

He walked up to them and asked for Harry's ID. 'Let them through,' he said after examining his ID.

'You should've called me before you asked them to leave.' The man, who seemed to be their head, said furiously, which made the two guards bowed their heads in embarrassment.

'Come on, kids.' He gestured them inside. As they were walking in, Lily turned back and showed them a cutthroat gesture.

The man led all three to the VIP lounge, where the party was happening. A loud wave of electric music hit them as the man pulled open the door to the lounge. There was a comparatively huge champagne tower present in the centre which invited everyone's attention. The room was dimly lit in yellow and white lights, which reflected on the shiny marble flooring, and was filled with both a list and b list celebrities, models, team staff, and friends of the team members. From the looks, it was more like a social gathering than a crazy after-match party, and to their surprise, most of the team members were still inside their rooms, and the man informed them that they would come down after a while. He led them through the flock of people who kept staring at the three of them wearing vibrant blue jerseys to a party.

'I think I spotted Anushka Sharma?' Lily whispered near Himani's ear.

'Where?' Himani said, looking back. 'No, that's someone else,' she said after examining.

The man had now taken them to the far end of the lounge, where Agastya Panwar was, wearing a red t-shirt with a black spiderman symbol and holding a flute of champagne. He stood there, leaning against the bar counter, conversing with Kedar, who was wearing a black, collared t-shirt, sipping what seemed like orange juice.

'God! Catch me if I pass out!' Lily whispered in excitement as she grasped Himani's hand tightly.

Harry waved at Kedar as they walked up to them, and Kedar also waved back at him.

'Your royal highness.' The man said.

'Thank you for bringing them.' Kedar said, and the man left.

'Are these the ones you've mentioned before?' Agastya asked with a smile on his face, to which Kedar nodded.

'Oh, my god! It's literally you! I still believe it's real.' Lily started to speak all of a sudden.

'Oh, so it's you who has a crush on me, haa?' Agastya asked, which made Lily squint her eyes at Harry for revealing it to Kedar, who might've passed it on to Agastya.

'No...' She said, drowning in embarrassment. Her cheeks were already a warm shade of red.

'So you don't have a crush on me? Am I that ugly?' He raised his eyebrows.

'No... It's just... I've been a huge fan of yours since the beginning. I mean, my dorm room is literally filled with your posters and pictures. And you've got a phenomenal sense of fashion. The kurta you wore to Shiv Ratri pooja was amazing.' She said in one breath.

'The green one?' Agastya said after trying to recollect his memory.

'No, that's last year. The blue one, this year.' She clarified, which made everyone raise their eyebrows.

'So not obsessed...' Harry whispered to himself.

'I hope you don't have a collection of my hair stashed away.' Agastya's eyes were wide open in shock.

'Bro, stop your awkward jokes.' Kedar said.

'I'm impressed by the way. I don't even remember what I ate for breakfast.' Agastya said. 'Well, who are these two?' He asked, looking at Himani and Harry.

'This is Harry and Himani, my best friends.'

'Oh...' He said looking towards Himani. 'Bahut suna hai apke baare main.'
('I've heard a lot about you.')

She was taken aback by Agastya's remark, thinking about what Kedar might have said about her to his cousin.

'Why don't we take a selfie?' Agastya said and placed his champagne flute on top of the counter.

'That'd be lovely!' Lily exclaimed, pulling Harry and Himani to pose for the selfie, while Kedar scooted away to somewhere else.

After posing for selfies as if four of them were childhood besties, Lily gasped as she spotted Yuvraj Singh walking in.

'Is that Yuvi?'

'It is,' Agastya replied.

'Let me talk to him, please...' Lily pleaded politely.

'Of course. Come on.' He said. Lily had asked Himani to tag along, which she refused by saying she was tired.

'When will Virat Bhai come?' She heard Lily asking as three of them walked away.

Since she hadn't had anything after afternoon, Himani ordered a mocktail from the bar and settled on one of the corners, silently sipping her cranberry sangria without drawing much attention to her inappropriate outfit for a party.

'Great choice of outfit for a party.' A raspy, familiar voice made Himani turn her head towards the origin of the voice.

Aryan Panwar stood, towering over her, holding a glass of whiskey. She was too stunned to find the heartthrob of many, in front of her, trying to strike up a conversation.

'We didn't have time to change after the match.' She replied, trying to understand why Aryan was even talking to her.

'But it suits you.' He said as his eyes travelled from her head to toe. She tried to look away for a moment. She was repulsed to have his eyes on her body. The fact about Aryan being a womaniser in the industry trotted back to her mind, which made her creep out a little more.

'You said we. Who are you with?' He asked.

'My friends. They're over there.' She pointed towards them, taking to Yuvraj Singh.

'Oh.' He said and took a sip of his whiskey while holding eye contact with her. 'I haven't asked your name yet.'

'Um... Himani.' She said with hesitation.

'Well, you seem too hot to have a cold name like that.' He smirked a little. All the blood drained out of her cheeks, and she wanted to run out of that room right away.

'Oh, I'm just joking.' He laughed. 'Well, I'll see you around, Himani.' He said and winked at her as he walked away.

Himani downed her drink in one go and walked towards the balcony to get some air-more than that, to get away from Aryan Panwar, who had made her weirded out. There was nobody there except a girl at the end of the balcony smoking a joint who seemed to be seeking peace, just like Himani. The air was cold, and it made Himani shiver even though she had lived her whole life in Dharamshala and was used to the weather. The thin fabric of her jersey did nothing to prevent the crisp air from penetrating her bones. She looked down; the whole, tranquil Dharamshala town was visible from atop, tiny lights from the houses arranged like pearls in the necklace adorning the hills. Minutes had passed when she heard two familiar voices from the opposite side of the sliding door opening to the balcony. She had no doubt about recognising Zara's and Ehan's hushed whispers.

'How many times do I have to tell you that I didn't invite her?' Ehan said. It was clear that he was getting worked up.

'Then who the hell invited her?' Zara asked. It was easy for Himani to guess that they were talking about her, and it was shocking for her to know that Zara had found out about them.

'How do I know? Maybe Kedar did. Why would I invite her?' Ehan said coldly.

'Seriously? You still think I don't know about you two? I've caught you two several times alone. You still think I'm that stupid? But I haven't broken this news to Mahi or Akshat. If this news leaks to Akshat, you know that hell would break loose, and it'd hurt Mahi. You know she likes you.'

Ehan was silent for a second, taking in everything Zara had said. After a pause, he said, 'Okay, I admit. We had a thing going on. But I didn't invite her here. Do you think I'll invite her here to the place where Samara would be? No way; she'd call my father right away. Himani is not worth pissing off my father.' He scoffed.

The air around Himani felt too hot for her, too suffocating.

Worth.

She's worth nothing.

For Mama, for Mahi, for Ehan. She's not worthy.

Just a piece of paper that you'll crumble and throw away when you make a mistake.

Nothing more.

Hot tears rolled down her cheeks. The outside air had its hands around her neck, choking her.

Home. She wanted to go home to Papa, where she's safe. Where she valued. Where she feels worthy.

She ran inside, trying to hide her tears. But they were like stubborn little children, not obeying. She pushed past the people swaying to the music, trying to find the exit. The music was throbbing inside her head, and her vision was all blurry from the tears. She didn't know if she had pushed some A-list actor while trying to walk away, but she did not care, all she wanted was to go home.

She almost bumped into someone coming against her. She lost her balance while trying to save both of them from bumping into each other, and she fell into the table where the champagne tower was set. The whole tower collapsed to the floor with a loud noise. The whole room fell silent except for the music playing from the speakers. It was embarrassing as the silence made way to the hushed whispers. Himani was the object of everyone's stares. She felt like she was skinned alive, standing amidst the most image-conscious people after creating an embarrassing scene.

She wanted to go home. But she cannot move her legs. They are frozen.

Someone grabbed her ice cold, shivering hand, and walked through the exit.

Kedar's grip on her hand loosened once they were in the empty parking lot. Before he could open his mouth to speak, she had broken down into a puddle of tears, covering her whole face with her palms.

It wasn't the first time he saw her crying, but it was the first time he felt a pang of sadness upon seeing her cry.

'Hey.' He called gently, to which she didn't respond.

'Hey.' He called again. 'Are you okay?'

She nodded 'yes' to his question. He pulled out a tissue from his pocket and handed it to her. She turned her face away from him to wipe away her tear.

'It's gonna be okay. Accidents like that can happen to anyone. It's not a big deal. Don't take it to heart.' He tried to console her, and she nodded again.

'Why are you being nice?' She asked without looking at her. Her voice was unrecognisable from all the crying.

He remained silent, trying to find an answer.

Empathy you feel towards a human?

'Because you help me study.' He said.

Was there more to it than just helping to study?

'Do you want to go back to your place?' He asked.

She turned to look at him and nodded yes.

'I can drop you.'

'My friends. They're excited about the party. I don't want to spoil their fun. I'll wait outside.'

'I'll drop them off after the party. You can go home now if you want to. You seem like you need a nap.' He said, looking into her teary eyes.

'Mani... what happened?' Himani saw Lily and Harry running towards them.

'We looked for you everywhere after that.' Harry said. 'We even thought you went home. You scared me.'

'Are you okay?' Lily's voice was filled with concern as she touched her face, seeing Himani's state.

Himani nodded her head. 'I'm okay now.'

'She wants to go home. I'll drop her.' Kedar said to Lily and Harry.

'Okay, then we'll come with you.' Lily said.

'No.' Himani replied. 'Lily, you've been waiting for so long to meet your favourites. I don't spoil it. If I let you come with me, I'll regret it forever.'

'Nope, I don't want to hear any reasons. You're more important to me than anything else.' Lily stated.

After five minutes of conversation, Lily had to agree to Himani, as she said she would wait in the cold if Lily and Harry didn't go back in.

'Take care, Mani.' Lily hugged Himani before she got into Kedar's car.

'Is it okay to drive after drinking?' She asked as Kedar ignited the engine.

'I'm sober. I'm not allowed to drink right now.' He replied, eyes on the roads of Dharamshala.

Throughout the drive, Himani was silent, leaning against the window, inhaling the sweet, fresh air.
The car halted in front of her home.

'Thank you.' She said.

'Can I ask you something?' He said, hands still on the steering.

'Yes.'

'Was all of it because of Aryan? Did he behave strangely toward you?'

She was stuck for a second, trying to find a perfect reply. What would happen if she told him that his brother, who was nearing thirty, had behaved inappropriately toward an eighteen-year old schoolgirl? That would create a ruckus between them.

'Coz I saw him talking to you. Were you uncomfortable?'

'No.' She blurted it out. 'It was just a casual conversation.'

'Fine then.' He nodded his head. 'So, this is your home?' He said peeping through the car window.

'Yes, do you wanna pop in?' She asked.

'No, I need to get back quickly. I can't be seen driving this car. My grandfather wouldn't like that.' He chuckled.

'So you're grounded?' She smiled a little.

'Yes,' he said.

'Thank you for the drive.' She said as she opened the door.

'See you in school.' He responded. 'I'll drop your friends home once the party is over.'

'Thanks again.' She said as she walked away.

He waited in his car even after she went inside and steered away after a few seconds.