Author's POV
The main door creaked open as Rishi stepped inside the abandoned house. He swallowed hard as he looked around, his heart beating rapidly with fear as he took in the surroundings with wide eyes. Before he could take a step forward, he felt something move beside his foot. He jumped in surprise, clutching his heart as he looked down, only to find a mouse moving around.
He sighed in relief, "Just a little mouse. No bhoot." He started moving towards the closest hallway, the left one. He took slow steps towards the kitchen, being extra cautious. As he walked towards the kitchen door, looking around for his friends, dogs started barking outside the house.
He jumped up, whining, "Mummaaaaaa!"
He took a deep breath, already regretting all his life choices. Raj, who was hidden behind the counter, bit back a laugh as he glanced at Rishi. Rishi sensed a presence and frowned.
Rishi moved towards the kitchen counter, his steps careful. Raj sensed this and got on all fours, ready to move away before he'd get caught. Rishi slowly moved behind the counter but before he could catch him, Raj had already crawled to the other side of the counter. He moved to the other side, only for Raj to go back behind the counter. Rishi narrowed his eyes, he thought there was someone.
They continued this back and forth until Rishi couldn't take it anymore and gave up. Giving the counter one last glance, Rishi moved towards the laundry.
Radhika was still hidden inside the wardrobe when she peeked out, only to find Rishi entering the laundry. She immediately closed the door and moved back in the small space.
Rishi looked around the laundry room, taking in the wardrobes and washing machines still placed as it is, covered with dust. He moved towards the wardrobes, determined to find at least someone. He clutched the handles of the wardrobe, gathering some courage, he flew the wardrobe door open.
Empty.
His shoulders slumped.
He moved towards the next one, only to find it empty too.
Next, empty.
After finding another one empty, he sighed. With no hopes, he turned to the last wardrobe.
Before opening the door, he mumbled, "Koi to mil jaye!"
He pulled the door, but it didn't budge. He pulled with more force, but the door refused to open, as if someone was pulling it from the other side.
He frowned and pulled the door with maximum force. The door flung open, and someone crashed onto his chest with a gasp, resulting in him to stumble and fall, with her above him.
Her fingers fisted the fabric of his kurta, her eyes were closed due to the shock as she lay on his chest. He looked down at her with wide eyes, taking in her face. Her brows were slightly furrowed, her eyelashes resting on her cheeks. Her cheeks, they were painted with a soft hue of pink. His eyes drifted from her cheeks to her tiny nose and then - her lips.
He felt a warmth spreading in his chest as his eyes settled on her soft pink lips. His heartbeat fastened again but this time, it was not out of fear. His own lips unconsciously parted as he stared down at hers. He felt himself unable to look away, as if there was some magnetic pull that was drawing his eyes towards her face.
Radhika slowly opened her eyes and looked up. Her breath hitched when she saw him already staring down at her. Her pink cheeks turned red as she felt the intensity of his gaze. A similar warmth spread in her chest too as she looked up at his perfect face.
Her eyes wandered over his face, before landing on the small mole just below his left ear. She hadn't noticed that before, and for some reason, she didn't like the fact that she didn't know about that mole until now. Her free hand moved towards the mole before she knew it.
As soon as he felt her fingers against his mole, he inhaled sharply. Their eyes met. Time stopped. Her hand dropped on his shoulder. He exhaled. She felt his breath on her face, her eyes fluttering close. He finally pulled his eyes away from her, his head tilting back to rest against the floor.
She rested her head on his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat against the ear. Both of them stayed like that, not wanting to move away.
Suddenly, Rishi felt something weird touching his fingers, he turned his head to the side, only to find a mouse nibbling his fingers. His eyes widened and he let out a scream, "Mummaaaaa!" He jerked his hand away from the mouse. Radhika jumped up, her own eyes wide with shock as she scrambled to her feet.
Rishi wasted no time in standing up. The mouse roamed around, trying to find an escape, which only made Rishi jump in his place.
The mouse finally wandered away, making Rishi sigh in relief. They stared at each other for a few seconds, then burst into laughter, their voice echoing in the laundry room.
As the laughter subsided, the awkwardness took over. They avoided eye contact, seemingly finding the cobwebs more interesting. Rishi cleared his throat awkwardly, "Ahm...We should...find the others.", he said, his voice slightly hoarse.
Radhika nodded, still avoiding eye contact.
Suddenly, she saw a figure behind Rishi. Her eyes widened as she pointed behind him.
Rishi's face went pale, "Wh-what?"
"Behind you...", she said, her eyes wide with fear.
Before Rishi could turn around, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He shut his eyes tightly, "Aaaaaaa! Bhoot! Mummaaaaa!", he screamed, and then started chanting Hanuman Chalisa in a single breath, "JayHanumanGyanGunSagarJayKapisTihunLok-", he paused when he heard someone giggling.
He slowly opened an eye, only to find Radhika struggling to control her laughter. He opened both his eyes and frowned. He heard the person behind him chuckle. He blinked in confusion. Slowly turning behind, he found no ghost.
It was Raj.
Rishi's jaw dropped as he looked back and forth from Raj and Radhika, who were now having a full-blown laughter. He narrowed his eyes at Radhika, "You!", he stepped forward to get hold of her, but she ran away before that, still laughing.
They ran around the laundry room like kids, the earlier awkwardness gone. In order to save herself, Radhika rushed behind Raj, using him as a shield.
Rishi paused in front of Raj, who was grinning, clearly enjoying their game of tom and jerry. Rishi glared at Radhika, "You can't hide like that!"
Radhika mockingly stuck her tongue out, "Told you, I've got back up!"
Rishi playfully glared at Raj, "Move aside!"
Before Raj could respond, Radhika said, "Raj no!"
Rishi narrowed his eyes at her, "Raj yes!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
"No!"
This continued until Raj was finally tired of the back and forth and raised a hand, "Okay, that's enough!"
Radhika remained hidden behind Raj as he turned to Rishi, "Don't you have to find the others?"
"Not before I've got my revenge!", said Rishi, his voice mischievous.
Radhika huffed, "Why are you after me? Raj was also involved in scaring you!"
Raj raised an eyebrow, "Here I am, trying to save you, and you are throwing me under the bus? Very bad, Radhika!", he clicked his tongue in mock disappointment, only to receive a smack from Radhika.
"Raj move aside already!", Rishi almost whined impatiently.
Radhika exclaimed, "No way!"
Raj chuckled, "Relax, Radhika, I am here.", his back facing her as he winked at Rishi, who smirked in response.
Before Radhika could relax, Raj betrayed her and moved aside, giving Rishi complete access to get his revenge.
Radhika's eyes widened, "Haawwwww! Raj! How can you do this to me?!", she said in disbelief and started running as Rishi moved towards her.
Raj only chuckled as they continued to run like tom and jerry.
Radhika ran for her dear life, laughing as she managed to move away before he could catch her, while Rishi followed her grinning, determined to catch her.
Radhika found herself trapped in a corner, with Rishi walking towards her with a playful smirk. She looked around for an escape as Rishi inched closer with every step. In an attempt to run, she dashed towards the side, but Rishi was faster. In one swift motion, he circled his hands around her waist from behind, trapping her against his chest. Radhika gasped as she felt her feet leaving the ground. Rishi spun her around once, before putting her down. He still didn't let her go, his arms still wrapped around her, caging her.
Radhika didn't dare look up at him, her heart felt like it would burst out of her rib cage any moment now. She swallowed hard, trying to control her nerves. Her chest heaved, not from the run, but from their proximity. Rishi looked down at her, her gaze downcast, her cheeks slightly pink - and he wasn't sure if it was from the run or him.
"Ri-rishi...", she managed to whisper. Rishi's smirk widened at her stammer. He leaned closer, she could feel his breath near her ear, which only made her shiver.
Rishi enjoyed the effect he had on her, his lips almost brushing against her earlobe as he spoke, his tone a teasing murmur, "Won't you laugh now, honey? Or... are you too breathless for that, huh?"
Radhika squirmed as she felt his breath against her ear, her face now a deep shade of red. She felt a thousand butterflies taking off in her stomach, all because of him.
"Rishi...let me go.", she whispered.
Without saying a word, he unwrapped his arms from around her and took a step back, the smirk still dancing on his lips as he said, "Go."
Radhika opened her eyes, blinking at the sudden absence of his warmth. She didn't dare look back and left the laundry room, her eyes downcast as she hurried out of the room without glancing around. She didn't know why, but she felt disappointed. Disappointed that he let her go so easily, even though she was the one who asked him to. She couldn't quite place the strange feeling, so she brushed it off.
Inside the room, Rishi's smirk softened into a small smile as he watched her scurry away. He sighed, feeling a strange warmth spread through his chest. He had never felt this way before, didn't know what it was, but whatever it was, it felt...good.
Raj cleared his throat loudly, grabbing Rishi's attention. He had a knowing smirk playing on his lips which made Rishi look away, scratching his head sheepishly. He started walking out of the room, mumbling, "I should...umm...find others, bye."
Raj chuckled as Rishi left the room while avoiding eye contact with him. He shook his head as he walked out of the room, knowing exactly what was happening between the two.
While Rishi and Radhika were busy in the laundry room, Isha, Aditi and Naman were still in the same room, with Aditi and Naman stealing glances at each other every now and then. Isha, noticing the exchange of glances, smirked.
Clearing her throat, she said, "I will hide in the next room, so that we all don't get caught together, you know. Bye."
Before anyone could say anything, she teasingly winked at Aditi and walked out of the room, leaving the two of them alone. Naman noticed the wink but acted like he didn't. Aditi bit her lip, glancing at Naman, who seemed to be busy observing the room. Aditi walked to the other side of the room, near the window.
She looked out of the window at the empty sky, lost in her own world. Suddenly, she felt something in her hair, she tried to turn around, but Naman placed a hand on her shoulder, making her stand still.
Naman skillfully placed a flower in her hair, tucking it with the hairclip she used. Aditi's heart skipped a beat as she realized what he was doing.
Before she could say something, "Beautiful.", he said, his voice barely a whisper. Aditi reached back to feel the flower he just tucked in her hair, she felt the soft petals against her fingers, her lips curving into a small smile as she identified it - a rose.
Naman swallowed hard as he gently combed her hair with his fingers, setting the loose strands back in place, "Suna tha baalo me gulaab lagane se baalo ki shobha badhti hai, par yaha toh tumne gulaab ki he shobha badha di.", he said, his voice one of sincerity and admiration.
Aditi's breath caught in her throat, her lips parted, eyes widening slightly. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Naman, sensing her speechlessness, moved to stand beside him, staring out of the window. Aditi bit her lip, her throat bobbing as she swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous.
Naman's lips curled up as he took in her nervous form. He ran a hand through his hair, sneaking a glance at her before looking back at the empty sky.
Wanting to break the silence, Naman spoke, "Chaand ke bina kitna sunaa lagta hai na?"
Aditi tilted her head to look at him, "Par mera chaand toh mere paas he hai.", she said, her voice so low that he had to think twice before believing she'd actually said that. Naman's head snapped at her words, his eyes widening at her words, heat creeping up his neck.
The girl who was just biting her lips nervously was now directly flirting with him. He thought that she'd get shy, avoid eye contact after flirting like this, but she stared back at him, her eyes reflecting the sincerity of her words. She wasn't just flirting, he realized, she meant what she said.
He parted his lips to speak, but before any words could come out of his mouth, the door to their room burst open, revealing a mischievously grinning Rishi, with Radhika and Raj tagging behind him.
Naman and Aditi immediately moved away, creating some distance between them. Rishi's eyes narrowed, a smirk forming on his lips, "Oopsie! Did I interrupt something?"
Naman's face turned red, "Wh-what...would you interrupt, huh?", he said, trying to play cool.
Radhika giggled at his stuttered response and immediately took Aditi out of the room, already thinking of thousand ways to tease her.
Rishi wrapped his arm around Naman's shoulder, dragging him out of the room, "So, what was happening behind closed doors, huh?"
Naman smiled shyly, "We were just talking."
Rishi laughed at his friend's shy response, "Even a newly wedded bride does not get this shy, idiot!"
Raj smirked, "So, what were you exactly 'talking'?"
"Uh... Just the moon and the sky and.. all that stuff, you know...Nothing much.", Naman half lied.
"Hmm hmm...sure sure!", Rishi said sarcastically.
They decided not to tease him and continue the game. Rishi found Isha in the next room.
Now, only Siddharth and Ruhi were left.
The basement was filled with silence, both of them remained quiet the whole time, not wanting to fight again. Siddharth, though, wanted to ask her about the prank, hesitated.
Ruhi occasionally clicked her tongue, making the 'tch' sound, getting bored. She wasn't the one who could remain silent for too long. That little sound only irritated Siddharth.
Ruhi clicked her tongue again, this time whining, "Ugh! Did they forget us or what?!"
Siddharth ignored her whining, but he couldn't agree more. They were standing there for so long, and yet, no one came to find them.
Ruhi again clicked her tongue in annoyance. Siddharth now had enough of that sound, snapped, "Will you stop that?!"
Ruhi rolled her eyes, "You might love this silence, but I'm annoyed and very much bored right now. So, I'll do whatever I want."
Siddharth sighed in frustration, muttering, "Crazy girl.", which only infuriated Ruhi. She suddenly started clicking her tongue continuously, purposely annoying him even more.
Siddharth ran a hand through his hair in frustration, "Stop!"
Ruhi smirked, tilting her head up and leaning a little closer, still clicking her tongue. Siddharth glared down at her, but Ruhi didn't stop.
"Last warning.", he said, trying not to get any more irritated.
"Or? What will you do, huh?", Ruhi's smirk widened.
She continued the 'tch' sound, enjoying it way too much now. Siddharth clenched his jaw, he didn't know why he was getting so annoyed by such a small thing, but the way she enjoyed annoying him did something inside him, something he couldn't place.
Ruhi giggled as she saw his reaction. She was getting on his nerves, and she loved every bit of it. Siddharth narrowed his eyes at her giggle.
Before she could blink, she was pinned against the wall behind them, his one hand gripping her jaw - firm but not painful - and the other resting on the wall beside her, effectively trapping her between him and the wall.
A soft gasp escaped her lips as she looked up at him with wide eyes. Siddharth tilted his head slightly, a slow smirk forming on his lips, as he whispered, "Tch, what Ruhi? You act as if you don't know what I can do."
"Wh-what? You can't do anything.", she murmured, his hand still gripping her jaw.
Siddharth raises an eyebrow at her, his smirk widening. He bent down to her eye level, looking directly into her soul. Ruhi swallowed hard as she stared back in his eyes, her chest heaving with each breath she took.
"Seems like you are underestimating me, Ruhi. Don't forget, I know a certain someone under whom you are going to work from tomorrow.", he said calmly, as if he wasn't just threatening her.
Ruhi blinked a several times, taking a few seconds longer than necessary to contemplate his words. As soon as she realized that he was practically threatening her, her jaw - which was still in his grip- dropped. She stared at him and blinked a few more times, as if making sure he'd actually said that.
"What happened? Not giggling anymore?", he said teasingly.
Ruhi glared at him, "You monster! Don't you dare do something like that!", she tried to shout at him, but her voice came as a murmur due to his grip.
Siddharth almost laughed as she said that. His lips twitched in amusement, "You think you are in a situation to say something like that right now?"
Ruhi scoffed, "You are saying this as if you are someone so close to Avinash Verma! I know you both don't get along."
Siddharth opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He didn't know that she knew that. "Who told you?", he inquired.
Ruhi rolled her eyes, "I am not blind! I saw how you left that day after you met Avinash."
Siddharth sighed, but before he could say anything, she continued, "So stop giving me empty threats, I'm not going to get scared."
Siddharth looked away, not knowing what to say. His lips pressed into a thin line, thinking of a comeback, but found none. That was the only thing he knew at the moment that would shut her up, but it had failed.
Ruhi, noticing his speechlessness, laughed, "What? Cat got your tongue?"
Siddharth's grip on her jaw tightened slightly, trying to intimidate her, but it was of no use. He glared at her, "You enjoy annoying me a lot, don't you?", he sighed.
Ruhi grinned up at him victoriously, "Very much!"
Siddharth rolled his eyes. He would never admit it, but he himself was enjoying this right now. He let go of her jaw and took a step back, while Ruhi finally relaxed slightly.
After a few minutes of comfortable silence, he spoke, "So, umm...Raj, boyfriend, huh?", he smirked slightly.
Ruhi giggled, "God! That was so much fun! Your reactions were priceless!"
Siddharth shook his head in disbelief, "You really are crazy."
Before Ruhi could respond, they heard footsteps approaching the basement. Ruhi placed a finger on her lips, signaling him to keep quiet as she leaned out from behind the painting to see who was coming.
The whole group, except for Isha, entered the basement, with Rishi cautiously looking around. The basement was still dark, but unlike others, Ruhi and Siddharth were now accustomed to the lack of light and could make things out even in the dark.
A mischievous idea formed in Ruhi's mind as she observed Rishi walking around fearfully, half expecting a ghost to appear out of nowhere. The others were still standing by the entrance of the basement, chatting amongst themselves. She turned back to Siddharth, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Listen, I am going to do something, and you are going to help me.", she said.
Siddharth raised an eyebrow at her ordering tone but didn't interrupt her as she gave him a task and told her what she was going to do.
As per her plan, Ruhi tiptoed to the other side of the room, careful not to make a sound. With her dupatta draped over her head, she transformed into a playful ghost. The fact that she wore a red dress just like the ghost in the stories was the cherry on the top.
She snapped her fingers, signaling Siddharth to turn on the flashlight. As soon as the flash turned on, Rishi's head snapped in her direction. The flash flickered for just a second before Siddharth turned it off, darkness taking over the room again.
Rishi's eyes widened in panic. Screaming, he ran back to where the others were standing, "Bhoooooooooot!"
The others turned to him with raised eyebrows. "What happened?", Radhika asked, her voice filled with concern.
Rishi gripped her arm for his dear life as he pointed at the spot where Ruhi was standing, "There! The red dress ghost! I saw it!", he exclaimed, "I told you guys this was a bad idea!"
The others shared confused glances, clearly not buying it. Naman said, "Relax, Rishi. There's no ghost here."
"Exactly! We will go and check if you want.", Raj said.
"No way! Do you guys have a death wish or what?! I think we should head back!", Rishi panicked.
Aditi said, "We have to find Ruhi and Siddharth first."
Rishi swallowed, clearly scared. Radhika noticed his distress and said, "Relax. We will go and check, okay? I am sure no one's there."
Everyone agreed to Radhika except for Rishi, who was certainly not pleased with the idea. Naman suggested, "You can stay here if you want, we can check and come back.", saying this, everyone went ahead. Not wanting to stay alone, Rishi ran behind them and clutched Radhika's dupatta like a kid.
Just as they neared that area, Ruhi snapped her fingers again. This time, Siddharth flickered the flashlight on and off, giving them just a glance of Ruhi. He continued doing this.
The group's eyes widened as they saw a figure. There, wearing a red dress, was a lady. They hurriedly took steps forward, no voice coming out of their mouths. Suddenly, the supposed ghost let out a high pitched, eerie giggle. Shivers ran down their spines as they all screamed in sheer panic and turned to run away.
Rishi was the first one to run, but instead of running out from the exit, he ran into the wall beside the exit, his forehead bumping into a switch, turning the switch on. "Ow!"
Suddenly, light flowed through the room, the tube lights flicking on, making everyone pause. Everyone froze in their place as the lights turned on. Siddharth, who was busy playing with the flash of his phone, paused. Ruhi's giggles died out.
The group's jaws dropped as they saw Siddharth peeking out from the corner, the flash of his phone still on. They turned to Ruhi, now recognizing her under proper light.
Just as Ruhi removed the dupatta from her head, smiling sheepishly, she was attacked by Aditi and Radhika. They started smacking her while simultaneously cursing her.
"Kutti!"
"Kamini!"
"Harami!"
"Sharam nahi aati kya!?"
"Do you even know how scared we were?!"
"Saali aisa mazak kon karta hai?!"
"Let me turn you into a real ghost now!"
"Ow! Ow! Enough! Ouch! Stop it!", Ruhi tried escaping them. Just as they finally stopped, a chuckle escaped her lips before she could stop it, followed by a full-blown laughter, "Oh God! You guys! Hahahaha! That was so damn funny!"
Rishi put a hand on his chest dramatically, "You think that was funny, Ruhi?! I almost had a heart attack!"
Naman turned towards Siddharth, who stood in a corner, a smirk plastered on his lips as he watched the scene in front of him. Naman dragged him towards where everyone was standing.
Everyone turned towards Siddharth, their arms crossed. Rishi spoke exaggeratedly, "Siddharth, you too?! I can't believe you could do something like that!"
Siddharth opened his mouth to defend himself, but was interrupted by Radhika, "Exactly! And weren't you both supposed to be enemies? How can you both team up suddenly?!", she inquired.
Ruhi sighed exasperatedly, "God! Stop making such a big scene, guys! It was just a small prank!"
"Yes! And it was her plan.", Siddharth pointed an accusing finger at her, throwing her under the bus.
Ruhi gasped dramatically, "Haawww! Don't act as if you weren't involved! You agreed to this plan too!"
"I didn't agree. You ordered me to do it!", he defended himself.
"And you obeyed your enemy?!", she argued.
Suddenly, Rishi gasped, "Siddharth!? You listen to your enemy's orders about scaring me and you didn't listen to me when I said not to come here?! I am heartbroken!"
Raj chuckled, "This is so much fun to watch!"
Aditi raised a hand, trying to gain everyone's attention, "Umm...Guys? Don't you find it strange for an abandoned house to have a power supply?"
That's when everyone realized it. This house is said to be abandoned for years, there should be no power supply available. They looked around the basement, their eyes widening.
Empty bottles of liquor, cigarette boxes, crumbled snack packets, playing cards scattered around the floor, graffiti, scribbles and curses covered the walls of the basement, everything in the room screamed danger. In one corner, there were plastic bags filled with wallets and jewelries of different types. There was no doubt that this place was used a hideout by some goons or burglars.
"What the hell is all this?!", Radhika exclaimed.
"Seems like some thieves are using this place as their hideout.", Siddharth explained.
Naman spoke, "I think we should leave."
Aditi agreed, "Yes, this place definitely isn't safe!"
Suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching the basement. The footsteps were hurried. All heads snapped towards the entrance of the basement.
A second later, came in Isha, her eyes wide, her breath ragged from running, she spoke hurriedly, "Guys! Some men are coming towards the house... They seemed dangerous and were furious when they saw the lights were on!"
Ruhi, always the one ready for some action, picked up a metal rod that was lying around, her eyes sparkling with something that none of them liked.
She spoke, "Get ready to fight, guys!"
No response. Everyone just stared at her as if she'd gone mad.
She blinked at the lack of response, "Guys! How's the josh?!", she urged.
Still no reply.
Siddharth finally spoke, "We can't do anything stupid! We don't know how dangerous they really are!"
Isha agreed, "Yes, they looked really scary from afar!"
Raj said, "The best option is to get out of here before they come!"
Everyone agreed, while Ruhi huffed but still nodded.
Cursing under their breaths, everyone took off, climbing the stairs as fast as they could. They ran towards the main door, only to find the men getting closer.
They couldn't risk taking the front door. Everyone looked at each other in panic, not knowing what to do. Siddharth ran towards the other side, trying to find an alternate exit.
The men were still a few steps away when he found a back door.
He shouted, "Everyone! Come here!"
They sprinted towards the back door, not even glancing back. Siddharth stood there with the door open as everyone rushed out of it. As soon as the last person was out, Siddharth closed the door behind him.
There was a moment of silence as all of them stared at each other, before Raj spoke, "Where is Ruhi?"
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