Page 93 of Fixation

Armaan nodded. He looked dapper tonight dressed in a black suit, navy blue shirt and matching tie. Like him, Vedant too was dressed in a black suit, but with a black shirt and black tie.

Their car stopped under a porch.

“I wish Mihir was here,” Armaan said, looking sad. “Navya’s whole family is going to be here for her tonight, and I don’t get to have my elder brother beside me. It just sucks big time.”

“Hey, I’m here for you. Besides, you know how Mihir feels about coming toherhome.”

“Yeah!” Armaan clucked his tongue. “I just wish Ananya and he could set aside their differences for Navya and me.”

Vedant squeezed his shoulder and the two of them climbed out of the car and stepped inside the large mansion. An older couple immediately reached them. Armaan introduced him to Reina’s parents. Anvay and Sara Mehra greeted him warmly and welcomed Vedant into their home. They quickly whisked Armaan with them to introduce him to their guests. Left alone, Vedant wandered inside Reina’s house. The place was buzzing with people. The outer elegance of the house matched the interior furnishings, which were top class, and screamed wealth and privilege.

Glass doors separated the living room from the lawns outside, where he spotted the vibrant blue of a pool. At the corner of which, he saw a live band playing soft numbers.

His heart tugged him forward, and he knew without a doubt thatshewas outside. He began moving in that direction but was accosted by Vogue Arabia’s editor-in-chief. Vedant had met the man before on several occasions. Soon, others from the fraternity joined them, several of whom he knew from before and others he was introduced to. Reina’s family had gone all out to ensure that the most exclusive people from the media were present to take note and mention this event on their news outlets, thus ensuring the buzz around his brother’s engagement continued for longer.

Half an hour later, he finally made it outside to the lawns. He looked to the right, and his eyes zeroed in on her immediately. His heart skipped a beat. Dressed in a silver strapless gown, with her caramel-streaked hair flowing down her back in loose waves, Reina was a vision.

A hand caught her elbow, pulling her closer to whisper in her ear. She threw her head back and laughed. The man next to her said something, and she slapped his shoulder playfully beforeshe caught his arm. Then, the two of them leaned closer to one another, speaking as if they were privy to some great big secret. Raw anger coursed through him, making his vision crimson. The urge to pull her away from the man and claim her as his, right here in front of every single person present tonight, consumed him.

“That is Aditya Wahi,” a voice said from beside him.

He looked to the side and saw Navya standing next to him. He’d been so focused on Reina that he hadn’t noticed her approaching.

“He’s cool, right?” Ananya said, sliding to his other side. Both the sisters watched Reina and this other man.

“She’s crushed on him like forever,” Navya told him.

“What?” Vedant choked out.

“Hmm, and they look so good together,” Ananya added.

Vedant alternated his gaze between them. “Are you saying all this to make me jealous?”

Navya looked at him. “Is it working?”

“What do you think?”

“Good. You deserve to suffer for what you put her through.” Ananya smoothened the folds of her white gown. In front of them, the man, Aditya, held a hand out to Reina. She put her hand in his, and he took her to the dance floor set up in front of the live band. His heart twisted to see Reina,hisReina, dance with another man.

“Yes, I agree, he might just be good for her,” Navya said.

Vedant really didn’t need to stand there and listen to Reina’s sisters voice out why they preferred another man over him for her. But before he could move a step, Ananya said, “Unfortunately, he’s not the one Reina wants.”

He froze, and then shifted to face them.

“Armaan told me that you’re in love with her,” Navya said. “Are you?”

Vedant looked her in the eye. “Yes.”

“He also explained why you behaved the way you did,” Navya added.

“And?”

Navya studied him for a moment before she slowly lowered her chin. “I may not have spent a lot of time with you, and most of our communication has been on the phone, but I do like you.”

Ananya smiled. “And I trust her judgement. So, we are going to help you win Reina back.”

His eyes rounded. “Why would you do that?”

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