Legacy Unveiled: The Hidden Heir

Chapter 6: The mishap

***Kiran's POV***

I picked up the pace, jogging faster as Tate McRae's "Greedy" blared in my ears through my AirPods. Then, I ran into Kajol Aunty, still yammering away on her phone, standing in front of this massive building. Oh my God, it was enormous! I assumed it was the pool. The building itself was peculiar, with seven stories and this massive tank that could easily pass for another five stories. And the piping! It was like a jungle of pipes, big enough to fit at least ten of me. My jaw practically hit the ground as I gawked at the tanks beside the building. They were a bit smaller, but they still made me feel like a speck in comparison to the sheer size of the structure.

Just then, I heard panting from behind me. "Stop... don't you dare... run like that... again," Pragyan wheezed, practically gasping for air. I shot him a withering look, watching him and the gang trail behind, panting like they'd just completed a marathon. It was payback time for all their scolding and whispers behind my back, so I relished in their discomfort, saying nothing as they received their due.

Kajol Aunty looked bemused by the disheveled state of my friends. "Were you playing tag or struggling to keep up with Kiran? I've been waiting for the past 15 minutes, and Kiran shows up first." My silence spoke volumes as I observed my friends squirm under Kajol Aunty's scrutiny. They knew they were in trouble, and I took satisfaction in letting them stew in it.

Kajol Aunty just stared at them and walked into the building, shaking her head and muttering, "Kids these days." I tried to follow her, but Pragyan grabbed onto me, lying on his back. "Can you chill?" he asked, with this sorry smile on his face. I tried to break free, but he held on tight, and I ended up falling on top of him.

The closeness was weird, and his smirk just made me even angrier. I could feel myself heating up, like seriously hot. He let out a yelp and told me to calm down. "Dude, just relax," he said.

All of this went down in front of our friends, who went from teasing to straight-up freaking out as if I'd burned Pragyan with my touch. What? I was so confused. Then, just like that, my body temp dropped like crazy, and I felt ice cold.

I whispered, "What's happening to me?" My voice shook, and I was freezing, trying to figure out why I was suddenly so cold after being so heated just moments before.

I was freaked out, and before I could even figure out what was going on, I passed out. Later, when I came to, guess who was carrying me? Mr. Privacy himself. I didn't know why, but I just snuggled closer to him, feeling strangely comforted. He glanced down at me and grinned, pulling me in closer as he made his way to the pool.

He gently set me down on one of those long pool chairs, checking around to make sure no one was watching. Then, he planted a quick kiss on my forehead, like he was saying, "Don't worry, I've got you." I smiled back, my expression sort of apologizing for being such a drama queen.

My friends came up from behind, grinning like they had all the answers, though still a bit cautious. "You okay?" Madhu asked softly, sitting next to me and giving my cheek a gentle stroke, almost like my mom would've done.

"Yeah, not sure what went down back there, just me acting up," I explained. Geeta handed me a water bottle, her expression filled with genuine concern. "Here, drink some water. It should help," she insisted, practically forcing the water into my hands. I gratefully chugged it down, draining every last drop until I felt like myself again.

While all this unfolded, Arnav and Shivansh glanced at Pragyan's hand, the one I had supposedly "burnt." Feeling guilty, I admitted, "I don't know what happened back there, but I'm sorry, guys. Especially you, Pragyan. I didn't mean to... um... hurt you." To my surprise, he just laughed it off, saying, "It's all good, Kiran. Don't stress about it." His casual tone made my heart flutter a little, despite the situation.

We bumped into Kajol Aunty, and she was fuming. "Where in the wide world of hell did you vanish off to? And Kiran, why are you so pale?" Geeta swooped in, saving me from having to answer. "She just felt tired after all the running she did, Mom, no biggie," she smoothly explained. I grinned, but as soon as Kajol Aunty turned away to head into the pool, I couldn't help but grimace. "Why am I so hot at the moment?"

Pragyan steadied me, his touch sending shivers down my spine. Arnav, Madhu, Shivansh, and Geeta stood there, looking strangely proud. Happy? Maybe they were delighted that their matchmaking scheme had worked. "You'll be fine once we start swimming around, Kiran. And you were always hot, don't broadcast it publicly because everyone knows," Pragyan remarked, half-jokingly yet nervously. I playfully glared at him, but inside, my stomach was doing somersaults, thrilled by his words.

"Oh, you flirt, cut it out," I teased, giving him a playful punch in the gut before sauntering into the pool, my heart racing with excitement and anticipation.

Whoa, the pool was freaking massive. Madhu and Geeta were going nuts over the diving board, squealing like crazy. But, man, I was shaking just looking at that 20-foot-deep end. I walked over to the other side, where it was a bit less insane-12 feet at the shallowest. I gulped, feeling a bit on edge. I mean, sure, I could rock it as a swimmer, but deep water? That's my kryptonite. I capped out at a solid 10 feet.

Joined my squad and Kajol Aunty. "Set the max to 15 feet and the min to 3 feet," she barked at the controls guy. The dudes were all hyped, ready to tackle the abyss, and even Madhu and Geeta were down for it. Nope, not me. I threw on my swimsuit-no flashing skin from elbows to knees. Madhu went all daring with those back-showing suits, and Geeta kept it low-key in a similar one.

The dudes rocked trunks, showing off their muscles and abs-lean and mean. I side-eyed that action as they headed for the deep. I stuck to the 3 feet, swam to the 6, and cautiously hit the 10-foot zone. No way was I pushing my luck further. Chilled around, swam a bit, and flipped, all good until I spotted a tiny door with "do not touch" carved on it. Uh-uh, not messing with that.

Out of the water, I sat on the edge, checking out couples doing synchronized dives. Pragyan, the lone diver, splashed in with style. He swam over. "Yo, what's up?" he asked, plopping down beside me. I shook my head. "Not feeling the deep vibes, so just chilling here."

"Come on, don't be a buzzkill, scaredy-cat," he teased, eyes gleaming.

"I don't care what you say. I ain't going there," I shot back.

"Not even if I'm with you?" he tossed back, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine, but if I drown, my ghost will haunt you forever. And no ditching in the middle, 'cause that's just not cool," I laid down the rules. He grabbed my hand, pulled me into the water, and we glided along. Suddenly, the deep end didn't seem so scary, and he let go.

"Can I go dive? Just a quick one. Or I can take you to the edge; it'll be safer," he suggested.

"Nah, I'm good. Can handle it myself. It's not as scary as I thought," I replied, and we both swam to the edge. Right when it was my turn to dive, Geeta took a wild leap off the 10-meter platform. Something went south, though. She crashed hard and didn't surface. Without second thoughts, I dove in after her. Found her floating unconscious. Grabbed her by the waist, and kicked hard, but my breath was running out. Pushed her up, and as she surfaced, I blacked out in the water.