88.
[The last day of the trip]
Aarav and the others were outside. Aarav and Yug lay side by side on a mat, sunbathing. Yug pushed his sunglasses down slightly and glanced at Aarav.
"Bro, are you seriously drooling right now?" Yug asked.
Aarav hastily wiped the corner of his mouth. "I can't help it, alright? Just look at him." He nodded toward Shaurya.
Shaurya stood a little distance away—shirtless, hair messy, wearing only shorts. Effortlessly handsome. Ravi happened to glance in his direction too.
"Hey, don't look at him like that," Aarav warned.
Yug shook his head, amused.
"I still remember you had a crush on him. Remember the day you met him, you were all upon him when you were still drunk".
"Crush would be an exaggeration. I admired him," Yug replied. "He was literally the prince charming of this country. I still remember when his photo was everywhere online—2014 or 2015?"
"2014. Forbes magazine. Young billionaire from India," Aarav said, smiling proudly.
"Yeah. Some girl reposted it on Instagram and suddenly everyone lost their minds. I was still in college then. And the next thing we knew, the magazine was banned in India for months. Wild," Yug said, laughing. "Didn't know he was such an asshole though."
"Hey!" Aarav shot him a glare.
Yug shrugged, chuckling.
Aarav sighed, then hesitated. "Hey... can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Are you still mad at me for kissing you? I feel really weird about it."
Yug looked at him sideways. "So what, you're saying I'm a bad kisser now?"
"No—absolutely not," Aarav said quickly. "I just feel bad because it might've given you some kind of hope. I honestly didn't know what was going on in my head. I'm sorry. I don't even know what else to say—I'm kind of crazy."
"Yeah," Yug replied lightly. "I know."
Aarav fell quiet after that, staring up at the sky as the sound of the waves filled the space between them.
"Aarav, I get you," Yug said gently. "You were angry at Shaurya back then, and you probably didn't think much before doing that.
And honestly, when you kissed me, it did feel a little forced.
But I wasn't innocent either—I tried to pull you away from him.
You set your boundaries, and I kept crossing them, trying to make a move.
So... I guess it evens out." He patted Aarav's arm reassuringly.
"I could never make you happy the way he does," Yug added after a pause. "And also... I'm really liking this trip. Being with you guys, living together like this—it feels nice. Aarohi is really cool, I must say. But Veer is kind of... distant. He was never like this when I worked with him."
"I don't really know what happened with him either," Aarav said, taking a sip of water. "It's funny—I don't even recognize my best friend anymore."
He sighed, then looked at Yug more seriously. "Anyway, if you like being with us, you know you always have a permanent place at the mansion. You're family to me. I want you close, and I want you to trust us. If something's bothering you, you can tell us—anything, alright?"
"I trust you," Yug said quietly. "There's just... one person I don't."
"Who?" Aarav asked.
Yug hesitated, then lowered his voice. "I want to tell you something, but please don't tell anyone. Not even Shaurya. At least not yet."
Aarav nodded.
"I don't trust Shaurya's bodyguard," Yug continued, glancing toward Ravi. "That one."
Aarav frowned slightly. "Ravi?"
"He's scary one moment, and the next... I feel like he's trying to make a move on me," Yug said.
Aarav blinked. "Uh... well. That's unexpected."
"Unexpected?" Yug frowned. "Why aren't you shocked?"
"I am," Aarav said quickly. "Ravi? Really? But... is that a problem for you?"
"Yes. Absolutely," Yug said firmly. "It just doesn't feel right. He's very different from me, and I don't know how to explain it properly."
"Okay—first, relax," Aarav said calmly. "And second, this is something you should talk to him about. Ravi can be strange, I won't deny that, but he's a good guy. He might understand you if you're honest."
Yug didn't respond, his eyes fixed on his phone.
"How do you know he's making a move, though?" Aarav asked carefully. "Did something happen on that little... outing you two had?"
Yug looked up sharply. "How do you know about that? And it wasn't a date, okay? I just wanted to go out."
"Sure," Aarav said lightly, raising an eyebrow.
"Oi, Aarav!" Ravi called out. "Wanna try something?"
Aarav looked toward him. Shaurya was there too, waving enthusiastically for him to come over.
"What are these idiots up to now?" Aarav muttered as he stood. Yug followed him.
"We'll talk about this later," Aarav whispered to Yug.
Yug nodded.
"Lie down," Shaurya ordered far too cheerfully.
"Honey, both of them are here," Aarav protested. "We can't do anything in front of—"
"Why did you even bring him with you?" Ravi interrupted, pulling a face. Before Aarav could react, Ravi grabbed his ankles and yanked.
"You bitch!" Aarav yelled, startled.
Yug stood there, watching the chaos unfold with open amusement.
Shaurya and Ravi immediately got to work, shoveling sand over Aarav until he was completely buried. Aarav rolled his eyes as Shaurya laughed like an overexcited child. Yug couldn't help himself—he joined in, grinning.
Ravi shaped a dramatic mermaid tail at Aarav's feet, while Shaurya carefully drew scales along the sides.
When they finally leaned back to inspect their work, Ravi tilted his head. "Nah. Something's missing."
Yug stepped forward thoughtfully and added the final touches, sculpting two small sand domes over Aarav's chest.
"Now it's perfect," Yug declared.
Aarav snorted. "I feel sexy."
All three of them dropped to their knees beside him to take pictures.
"Perfect," Ravi said, admiring the photo on his phone. "I'm showing this to everyone." Yug took photos of the three of them, Shaurya and Ravi messing with Aarav.
"I'm so alright now". Yug said looking at them smiling.