Poles Apart

Chapter Seven

I look to my side to see Savitri looking at me curiously. Her eyes flit between the figure behind us and me a couple of times. "Is something going on with you two?" she asks, a corner of her lips turns up in a smirk.

I thought Savitri was nothing like Arjun and that should've been a relief, but when I see her smirk, I know I'm wrong. They are siblings, what was I expecting?

"No, no, no." I shake my head, despite the warming up of my cheeks. I can see where she deduced it from, but I honestly don't think there is something. So, Arjun blatantly told me he was interested in me, but I think it's a prank? It's a horrible prank if it is one.

It doesn't faze Savitri. "I heard you impaired his foot," she says secretively.

I look away from her, feeling the heat creep up from my cheeks to the rest of my face. I must be looking like a damned tomato, now. "I did," I admit in a whisper. Learn to be in control of yourself, Arvi. But I usually am, it's Arjun. He always gets under my nerves.

Savitri pats my shoulder comfortingly. "He must have deserved it." I want to believe that he does, but I think going as far as to impair his foot might not have been the best idea.

I avoid looking Savitri in the eye, as I look anywhere but at her. "You look so cute when you're embarrassed," she says, chuckling.

~.~.~.~.~

I sat by Pranathi Vadina with her friend, Rhea as she got her Mehendi done. Pranathi Vadina's hands fill up with intricate Mehendi designs.

"Are you getting Karthik's name written in there?" I ask her, watching the Henna artist fill her hands skillfully. It's so satisfying to watch them do it.

"Yeah." She grins. "It will take him a whole night to find his name in a Mehendi this big."

I chuckled. "I thought couples would want to do more than just hold hands on their wedding night." Pranathi Vadina turns red at the comment and looks down while her best friend laughs with me.

"All day, all night," Rhea sings, making me try to suppress my laughter into chuckles. A red-faced Pranathi Vadina tries to glare at Rhea, but that only causes Rhea to laugh even more.

Sam and Dhriti walk over to us with Mehendi-filled hands. "Hello," Sameeksha greets while Dhriti exchanges a smile with my companions.

"Hey," I say back to Sameeksha and introduce them to Pranathi Vadina. "This is Sameeksha, and that is Dhriti," I point towards both of them. "They're my closest friends."

"Bestest friends," Sam corrects, throwing me a stern glance. Right.

I grin. "The word doesn't exist, but if that's what you think you are..." I shrug sympathetically.

She gives me a look, and I grin cheekily in turn. I notice that both of their hands are covered in Mehendi.

"Show," I demand, extending my palms.

They show me their palms that are covered in Mehendi. The design ends a few inches over the wrist and looks beautiful.

"You should go get your Mehendi done," Pranathi Vadina says, attracting my attention.

I flex my fingers, contemplating it. If I didn't get my Mehendi done my mother would probably be mad at me, but it'll be fine, she has other things to worry about. She'll forget about my Mehendi-less hands.

"I don't know if I want to," I confess, looking from my hands to my sister-in-law-to-be.

She scrunches her eyebrows together in half a frown, a disappointed looks flashes on her face. "What do you mean you don't want to? Go get it done." Her eyes shift to Rhea beside me. "You too, Rhea."