A SENSE OF BELONGING

PROLOGUE

Sweety walks hurriedly along the first-floor corridor of the Guptas’ mansion. It was her friend’s mehendi function tonight. And she is already pretty late in helping Pragati undress for bed. She had to remove her makeup and change her own clothes first before helping Pragati.

It is her responsibility to help her best friend Pragati get ready for bed tonight as her hands are covered with bridal henna.

Prags is finally getting married to her Prince Vikram tomorrow, Sweety thinks, walking along with a grin, feeling thrilled for her friend. Pragati deserves all the happiness she can get. Especially after the tough years she has spent, apart from everybody…having been banished from home by her dad.

“Come on, Sweety, hurry up now, Prags has to sleep early tonight to look fresh for tomorrow,” she says to herself while walking briskly down the wide corridor.

As she passes by the library door, she hears a strange groaning noise inside, stopping her in her tracks. The door to the library is slightly ajar. Sweety glances in that direction and waits for a few seconds, thinking that maybe she had imagined the sound. Just as she starts walking again, there it is…the groaning sound from before.

Sweety stands uncertain for a second and then pushes the door open, walking into the library. Her breath hitches at the sight in front of her, and she rushes forward.

“Vivek, what happened? Are you alright?” she asks, finding Pragati’s brother inside.

Vivek is slumped across the armrest of a comfy-looking lounge chair, looking all kinds of haggard. On further inspection, she finds a half-empty bottle of whiskey on the coffee table beside him.

“Vivek…” she calls him again, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

Vivek looks quite unlike his handsome, well-groomed personality. He is a tall, lean, strikingly good-looking guy, who is always dressed to the prime, usually in his three-piece business suits. He has thick, short straight hair and captivating hazel eyes, that always make Sweety’s pulse shoot up.

She has never seen him so disheveled in all the time she has known him since childhood. He is still in the sherwani that he had worn for the function, the buttons open at his throat and the fabric all crumpled.

He reluctantly lifts his head up, staring at her half-dazed. “It’s you,” he slurs.

“I don’t believe this. You are the bride’s brother; how could you have gotten drunk today, of all days?” she says, scowling at him.

“Hello, to you too, silly little ‘best friend’…” He mock-salutes her with his half-empty tumbler before finishing off the remaining drink in one swig.

Sweety takes the empty tumbler out of his hand and shakes his shoulders, trying to bring him back to his senses.

“Good lord, I can’t deal with this right now,” she mutters to herself. “Vivek, please get a grip on yourself. You have a lot of responsibilities tomorrow. Pragati and Vicky are finally getting their happily ever after,” Sweety reminds him, trying to bring him back to reality.

“Yeah, ‘happy’, everybody is fucking happy, but no one remembers me in their happiness,” he snarls, pushing her hands aside and trying to get up.

Sweety moves a few steps back as he stands swaying in front of her, looking angry.

“Vivek, it was pretty sudden for all of us too, but we can’t blame them. They have already been through so much and waited so long to finally be together,” she says softly, realizing the reason for his drunken outrage.

“No, I was the only one who was out of the loop. Neither my sis nor my best friend thought to inform me,” he snarls at her.

“You are behaving irrationally Vivek. I remember clearly how guilty both Pragati and Vicky felt for what happened,” she explains, trying to calm him down. “They were just so lost in love that they wanted to be with each other as soon as possible, and they deserved it after all they'd faced.”

“Well, silly girl, what do you know about love and relationships?” Vivek snarls at her. “You’re just a little girl who keeps following me around like a lost puppy. You have never been in a relationship yourself to pass such comments,” he taunts her rudely.

Sweety’s breath catches upon hearing him say such a nasty thing to her. She has had a huge crush on him all her life, but now her temper flares. She usually gets tongue-tied whenever she is in Vivek’s presence. Thinking back, tonight must be the first time she has spoken so much to him, and that's only because of the strangeness of today’s circumstances.

“I might be a silly girl and maybe I haven’t been in a relationship yet, but I do understand things like love, unlike you,” she shouts back at him.

“Funny…the girl who hasn’t even been kissed is preaching to me about relationships,” Vivek mocks her.

“How dare you…” she sputters, enraged and embarrassed by the direction this conversation was taking. “You are a self-centered jerk who only cares about himself. I might be inexperienced but I am a hundred times better than a prick like you,” she yells at him, pushing his shoulders in rage.

But before she can stomp off leaving him there, Vivek catches hold of her fists on his shoulders, jerking her forward so that she is nearly touching him. “Well, then let me be magnanimous for once and help you get some experience,” he says before pulling her head to the side and kissing her masterfully.

Sweety’s body goes rigid with shock in his arms at the sudden feel of his lips on hers. His lips feel soft like petals and she feels breathless by the sensory overload to her as yet unawakened senses.

He expertly coaxes her mouth apart, giving her no time to get over her initial shock and sensual pleasure to push him away. His tongue swirls around her mouth in a demanding manner, making her feel weak and sway against him. The unexpected feeling is more than she can handle. He tastes of whiskey and pure man. She moans helplessly, feeling pleasure like she had never felt before. The tangy scent of his cologne mixed with his male musk invades her completely, making her crazy and she winds her arms around his shoulders, holding him close.

But, before she can make sense of what is happening or think of pushing him away, Vivek pulls his mouth away from her. She stares in utter shock at the speed with which he withdraws from her, not able to make out what had just happened between them.

Vivek stares at her intently, his arms still wrapped around her body, supporting her. Breathing heavily, his lips are mere inches away from hers, making her lips tremble in anticipation. She doesn’t know whether only a few seconds or minutes had passed before he pushes her shoulders away with a mocking chuckle.

“Good lil’ girls shouldn’t run around meddling in things that don’t concern them. Better run along, little girl, before you get into more trouble,” he mocks her with a wry grin.

Sweety looks at him, her whole-body tense and shaking. 

“You are such a jerk, I can’t believe I never realized it before,” Sweety tells him scathingly, before turning and running out of there.

She turns a corner and takes refuge in a potted alcove around the corridor, taking deep breaths to calm herself. She feels utterly embarrassed and angry at what had just happened and her own lack of experience in handling such a situation.

Vivek is such an arrogant jerk. Oh! Why did her heart beat for such an asshole? She finally calms herself and runs along towards Pragati’s bedroom.

                                                                         ----------------- X ----- X----- X ------------------

The next morning…

“Prags, look who’s here…” Nik shouts excitedly, entering the hall of Pragati’s house where the entire gang is gathered, having fun while helping with the wedding preparations.

Nik is Pragati’s best friend and Vikram’s younger brother. They have been inseparable since childhood.

Today is Pragati and Vikram’s wedding and so her whole group is assembled here at her home. Her friends, who are more her family than just friends, have taken time off everything else to be here for this highly anticipated day.

Pragati and the others turn around to find Nik walking towards them along with a handsome and suave-looking fellow. The tall, athletic-looking guy is dressed simply in dark jeans and a T-shirt with a leather jacket slung casually on his shoulder. He walks towards them carrying a huge backpack, a teasing smirk on his lips and killer dimples on his cheeks.

Reaching the sofa where Pragati is sitting, he places his backpack on the floor and bends down on one knee. Then, with one palm over his heart and the other raised towards her, he says in a loud voice, “Prags, my princess…how could you do this to me? It’s still not too late to take my hand, my love,”

This causes a stir among the people surrounding them. The whole gang and all the others, including a few relatives and the wedding crew, stare at him puzzled and tense.

The girls, Sweety and Jenny, sitting on either side of Pragati, gasp together and the boys stand up, ready to take charge. Kevin, their rockstar friend, goes up to Nik, who is grinning and enjoying all by himself, to ask him what the hell is going on.

Jenny’s boyfriend Neel and their friend Raj, who is a hotelier, stand watching curiously. Neel had a snobbish personality that has now improved thanks to Jenny’s influence. Raj, on the other hand, is the simple and silent observer of their group.

Vivek, who is instructing the decoration crew in one side of the room, walks up to where the drama is unfolding but, before he can take charge, Pragati says, “Jaz…really, you’re still up to your nonsense. Do you wanna get punched?”

She mock-punches him near his heart, to which he instantly acts hurt and falls in a heap to the floor. Nik hoots with laughter, followed by Jaz and Pragati, and the tense atmosphere lightens up.

Then Pragati and Nik introduce him to everyone as Jaz aka Jasper Walia, from London, who had been their college mate and Nik’s roommate at their university in California.

“Well, love, if you don’t accept me, then don’t blame me if I lose my heart to one of the other beauties over here,” he says flirtatiously, gazing at Jenny and Sweety.

“Sorry dude, but I am taken,” Jenny replies, chuckling.

“Well, how ‘bout ‘Mishti’ here then…would you consider going out with me?” he asks Sweety with a cheeky dimpled smile.

“Wow! Mishti, huh???” Pragati asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Why not? She looks as sweet as her name,” he replies with a shrug.

Sweety flushes pink under his flirtatious attitude and giggles at him while the others cheer Jaz on. She tries to shush her friends, who are pulling her leg mercilessly because of the new nickname Jaz has given her.

She’s hitting Neel and complaining to Jenny about him when her eyes meet Vivek’s searing ones and she goes still. He looks at her pointedly for a second before turning and walking away with a scathing twist to his mouth.

CHAPTER-1

Sweety is working on the final detailing of her designs for the upcoming winter collection at Illyria. About six months back, she had started working with Simi Aunty (Nik’s mother). It was a little after Pragati and Vikram’s marriage. Initially, she wasn’t sure about what to do with herself, but Nik’s constant persistence had worn her down and she joined Illyria Fashion House.

She smiles, remembering how Nik had been totally out of sorts after Vikram and Pragati had left for their long honeymoon within a week after the wedding.

Nik was ecstatically happy when his best friend got married to his elder brother. He was the one who had insisted that his Bhai should go on an extended honeymoon, free from all tensions, promising to take care of all business responsibilities. Nik knew how hard Vikram had been working since their father’s unexpected death a few years back.

He was fully aware of how much both Pragati and Vicky needed to spend time doing all the things couples usually did before tying the knot. They had missed out on all that because of past circumstances.

The same Nik has been inconsolably morose since they left for their honeymoon. It’s a lucky thing that Jaz has been by his side throughout, having stayed back at Nik’s home on an extended vacation after the wedding.

There’s a sudden knock on her office door before it opens and Nik’s head pops in, looking for her.

“Aren’t you finished yet? Come on, we have to go now.”

“All right, I am coming. Let me just sort all the designs back into the folder and keep it properly,” Sweety says, hurriedly arranging everything.

Nik opens the door fully, and slumps down on the sofa, yanking at the knot of his tie frustratedly.

“Damn, I can’t get used to wearing these business suits for the whole day. Wonder how Bhai and Vivek manage it so effortlessly,” he grumbles, removing his tie and tossing it on the side table.

Sweety glances at his tousled look in concern; he was looking exhausted. They had promised to meet up with the gang at Club Xero to catch up after a long time, as everyone had been too busy lately.

“Are you ok, Nik? You are looking really beat up.” Sweety scrunches her brow in concern.

“Yeah, it’s been a tough week and today’s meeting on the new project was very long. The client had some concerns and to say the least, it was quite draining,” he tells her.

“Thankfully, Vivek was pretty well-prepared and took care of it efficiently. I am still not used to such a hectic schedule. Don’t know how Bhai coped without any support after dad passed,” he muses. “He’s amazing, my bro…man, I miss them both.” He smiles ruefully.

“Oh! I do know how much you miss Prags,” Sweety says, smiling at him, “by the way you keep pestering me and Jaz. He must be a saint to put up with your tantrums all the time,” she teases him.

“More like a sinner, you don’t know him…we were both the worst players on our campus, you know.” Nik chuckles with a wink. “Don’t let his charm fool you,” he tells her.

Sweety sticks out her tongue at him and sorts out the belongings in her purse before coming to his side and offering him her hand.

“Talking about Jaz, why isn’t he here? Isn’t he coming?” she asks.

“He’ll join us at Xero directly. I came straight from the meeting to get you,” Nik tells her. “And you are one to complain, as if you don’t miss Prags, with Jenny gone most of the time,” he scoffs, leading her out with a hand on her elbow.

“Yeah, I do miss both my besties. It wouldn’t have been so tough if Jenny had been here,” she replies. “Unfortunately, as you know, her mom needs her, with her grandma being hospitalized and all,” Sweety says sadly.

“Not to worry, dear Sweets, luckily for you, I happen to have a temporary spot available for a best friend.” Nik smiles, nudging her shoulder.

“Yeah…yeah I know…you are just saying that as you are miserable without Prags by your side,” she replies, giving him a side hug.

“I know, I’ve never been away from Prags this long, other than during my school vacations in the past, and those used to be just about a month-long,” he says seriously, opening his car door for her. “I was so excited that my brother was marrying my best buddy and bringing her home as an actual family forever, but now with both of them gone for so long….” He sighs.

“I get it Nik, I really do…you know how things are at my home, so I feel the same with Jenny and Prags gone,” she responds sympathetically.

“Speaking of, how are things now that Sapna’s gone? Is your mom still criticizing you?” Nik enquires.

Sweety had a stifling life at home with her mom always favoring her glamorous elder daughter, Sapna. Her father, being busy with his business, was blissfully unbothered about things at home, leaving everything in her mother’s hands.

“It’s ok Nik, you know how mom is, but don’t worry I am used to the situation at home now,” she tells him dully.

“You should not put up with them Sweets, you are such a happy, vivacious person. How can they put you down and make you so unhappy?” Nik seethes in anger.

“Just let it go, Nik. I think nothing’s ever going to change at my home. I am just enjoying the peace I get from Sapna’s absence.”

Nik harrumphs in irritation and Sweety sits back with a sigh, gazing outside and trying to distract herself from the unpleasant situation at her house—the house that never felt like home.

A few minutes later, they reach the club. Nik gets out of the car and comes around, offering his hand to Sweety. He then tosses his key to the valet and placing her palm on the crook of his arm, leads her inside.

“By the way, I invited Vivek too as I felt bad for the guy. He must be feeling low, just like us, with Bhai gone,” Nik informs her as they reach the stairs.

“Ok, but why are you telling me about it?” she asks, looking puzzled.

“Don’t know, but I’ve been feeling like something’s amiss with you guys since the wedding,” he says, stopping to look at her.

“What could be wrong? We were never that close, to begin with.” She shrugs,

“I know that, still…. I don’t know what, but something seems off. You look quite tense whenever he’s around and I’ve seen him looking at you with more attention than before.”

“Really Nik? I seem tense and he looks at me with more attention. That’s what this is about?” she replies with a shaky laugh.

“Ah, maybe I am just imagining things. You know I’ve been completely off my game, with Prags gone.”

Sweety lets out a deep breath, feeling as if she has just dodged a bullet. For a fun-loving guy with a happy-go-lucky flirtatious attitude, Nik is very perceptive, compared to other men.

The past few months they spent together made her understand him more. Now she can see how lucky Pragati is to have him as her best friend since childhood.

She is not jealous of her friends. Rather, she can now understand the deep love they share much better. Also, after getting to know Nik more closely, she can see that beneath his fun-loving exterior, he is a very caring and understanding guy.

They walk inside Club Xero and immediately find their group sitting on the couches arranged at the far end.

Xero was a recent favorite among the youngsters who wanted to have a good time catching up or relaxing, as opposed to just dancing and partying. The club’s vast interior was amazingly partitioned to provide ample space for not only the dance floor but also seating areas with comfy couches.

The speakers blared with the latest hits that the DJ played, while the dance floor was jam-packed with swaying bodies. The disco lights shifted vibrantly to make up an exhilarating atmosphere.

When they approach their friends, Jenny squeals in delight, jumping up and rushing to hug Sweety tightly. “I missed you like mad, Sweets,” she says in a shaky voice.

Sweety has been missing Jenny more than she can say. She is close to both her girlfriends. And where Pragati is the bold, mischievous, and loyal tomboy, Jenny is the sensible, cool and collected person among them. And, since Pragati had been sent off to her boarding school, Sweety had naturally grown even closer to Jenny.

“Me too…with both you and Prags gone, I don’t know how I would’ve handled it if not for Nik.”

“So mean of you, Mishti; wasn’t I good company too?” says Jaz, walking towards them along with Raj, carrying drinks in their hands. “You Indian girls are so mean, you don’t know how to appreciate a charming dude when you find one,” he says with a mock grimace.

“Yeah…yeah…player, we know all about your charms, don’t we, Sweets?” Jenny nudges Sweety, smiling at Jaz.

Sweety smiles back and punches Jaz in the shoulder lightly so as not to spill the drinks he is carrying and says, “Well, Mr. Charmer, you were also pretty good company, I must concede.”

“Where’s Vivek?” Nik asks the others.

“Oh, he’s on his way. His meeting ran a bit longer than expected. He called me a while ago,” Kevin informs them.

Kevin has an average height and build. His most notable features are his chocolate brown eyes and long hair, which is presently tied in a ponytail. He has also worn a baseball cap and shades to hide his identity. He is fast becoming a sensation as a rockstar.

Nik nods and all of them join the others on a couple of huge couches facing each other, with a coffee table in the center. Raj and Jaz place their drinks on the coffee table and everyone gets settled.

Jenny sits beside her boyfriend Neel, with Raj beside them on one of the couches. Sweety sits on the opposite couch, sandwiched between Nik and Jaz with Kevin at the end.

“It’s been too much this time. We’ve never been apart this long. It was weird for me,” Neel says seriously.

“I know sweetheart, I felt out of sorts too, but what could we do?” Jenny replies, snuggling beside him with her hands wrapped around his biceps.

“Kev, how was your tour in Kolkata and Bangalore?” Nik asks.

Kevin has been doing well since his debut performance about two years back. He is back in town after being on tour for a month.

“It was good. So, Nik, any word from Pragati?”

Before Nik can reply, Vivek reaches them and, takes up the empty place beside Raj on the couch and greets everyone.

“Hey guys, sorry I am late, got caught up with some urgent work,” he informs them, placing the drink he has brought for himself on the coffee table in front of them.

“No worries, Vivek, hope everything went well with the meeting?” Nik asks him.

Vivek nods in affirmation.

“Vivek’s been taking care of most of the burden since Bhai left for his honeymoon, guys,” Nik tells everyone.

“I am just doing my duty, nothing more,” Vivek replies casually, looking around.

“So, where are Vicky and Pragati now?” Kev asks, resuming his earlier inquiry to Nik.

“Well, they are presently in Venice and are planning to go to France next,” Nik says, smiling cheekily. “Been getting a lot of amazing pics from her and almost pity Bhai. He has no idea how she gets when she’s in a new place with her camera.”

“I know what you mean dude, I really pity Vicky right now.” Jaz hoots with laughter.

“Hey, you two, this is not done…. Share the joke,” Sweety pouts, poking Jaz with her elbow.

“Well Mishti, if you really wanna know I’ll tell you all the details but first you’ll have to dance with me,” Jaz tells her mischievously, getting up with a dimpled smile and holding out his hand to her.

“Oh Jaz, you are such a tease,” she says, smiling up at him before glancing around at everyone and excusing herself.

Her eyes meet Vivek’s steely gaze. Feeling unsettled, she avoids his chilly look. Catching Jenny’s eyes she asks her, “Jen, why don’t you and Neel join us?”

Then the four of them walk towards the crowded dance floor where everyone is already thrumming to the music blasting off the speakers.

Jenny and Neel immediately start moving to the fast-paced song booming around them. Jaz pulls Sweety close to him, enveloping her in his arms with a naughty and flirtatious smile. Sweety laughs and swats him on the shoulders saying, “What are you up to? This is not a song meant for a slow dance,”

“So, what? There’s no set rule here, Mishti…we can slow dance to whichever song we want,” he says, taking her hands and putting them on his shoulders before swaying gently to the music.

“So, tell me what was that thing about ‘Prags and pitying Vikram’?” she asks, swaying along with his rhythm.

“Well, one time during a Thanksgiving weekend, a bunch of us decided to take a trip to Las Vegas to chill,” Jaz starts narrating. “While we all wanted to have a long weekend of partying, drinking and gambling at the casinos, any guesses what she wanted to do?” he raises his brow at Sweety.

Sweety shakes her head, highly curious and very invested in the story he is telling her.

“Our dearest Prags wanted none of those things. Instead, she dragged us off to see some museums, the Red Rock Canyon conservation area and some such locales, clicking pics with her camera like someone possessed.”

“By the end of the trip, we were all exhausted and bored beyond belief. Finally, we had to boycott her demands for more sightseeing on the last day, opting to party,” he tells her ruefully.

Sweety bursts out laughing at the expression on his face, remembering the past frustration.

They dance together to a few more songs before coming back to join their group.

“You guys seem to be pretty close together,” Vivek comments as soon as they get settled.

Sweety looks up at him, flustered on finding his eyes locked with hers, a mocking smile gracing his lips. She had been successfully avoiding him since their last encounter the night before Pragati’s wedding when he had kissed her.

That night has been haunting her thoughts day and night since then. Her first kiss, and although it had been with the person she had fancied for so long, it hadn’t turned out the way she had dreamed it.

No doubt the kiss, although brief, had roused many unknown feelings and yearnings in her soul. But the insulting and cruel manner that had led to it had left her with a bitter taste that overshadowed her other feelings.

Sweety looks at him calmly before turning to Jaz with a smile and saying, “Jaz is wonderful and I am lucky to have gotten to know him so much.”

“Mishti is a real sweetheart and I am planning to woo her ardently.” Jaz smiles back, nudging her with his shoulder.

Sweety immediately starts giggling, swatting at his shoulder.

“You guys look so cute together. Sweety I think you should take up his offer,” Jenny says.

The others join in the fun, teasing them and passing comments. Sweety finds Vivek sitting quietly with a strange expression on his face. When he catches her looking at him his mouth tightens into a straight line and he tosses his drink down his throat in a single gulp.