17 ~ Jealous Kartik #2
Chahat's expressions changed with every lyric, her eyes glinting with mischief, her smile carrying a challenge. She lowered her veil slightly, just enough to hide... but not enough to conceal.
The moment stretched, suspended in time as the lyrics echoed.
'Meri salaami karle... meri gulaami karle...'
Her foot lifted gracefully and came to rest against Ishika's thigh, who stayed on her knees, completely surrendering to the act they were playing out. It was playful for the crowd... entertaining for everyone watching...
But for me?
It was something else entirely.
The courtyard exploded into whistles and laughter, claps echoing from every corner. Someone hooted loudly, others cheered, completely taken by the boldness of it.
And then Ishika took it further.
She caught Chahat's hand and, with exaggerated drama, bowed her head pressing a kiss to the back of her hand like a man pledging himself to a queen.
A queen.
My lips curved before I could stop them.
"Of course..." I muttered under my breath, the smirk settling deeper.
She loved attention.
No...she commanded it. There was a difference and she deserved every bit of it.
My eyes didn't leave her face...the way her lips curved into that knowing smile, the way her chin lifted just a fraction higher, as if she expected that reaction... as if she had already claimed it before anyone even gave it.
I exhaled slowly, my gaze trailing over her again, taking in every detail I shouldn't be noticing this closely.
A slow smirk tugged at my lips before I even realized it.
And the most dangerous part?
I admired it. More than I should have.
My eyes remained fixed on her.
I should have looked away. Instead, I found myself noticing every little thing.
The way the bangles on her wrists chimed together whenever she twirled. The way a loose strand of hair repeatedly fell over her face before she impatiently tucked it behind her ear. The way she threw her head back while laughing, completely unconcerned with how anyone perceived her.
She looked...Alive.
I frowned.
Why was I even noticing these things?
A group of girls joined her, and soon everyone was dancing together. Some relatives cheered them on while the older women clapped in rhythm.
Normally...I hated this. I hated women dancing publicly.
Growing up, I had always believed such things attracted unnecessary attention. I preferred grace over display, restraint over spectacle. In my mind, a woman didn't need to become the center of everyone's gaze to enjoy herself.
That belief had never changed.
So why...Why wasn't I irritated?
Why wasn't I looking away?
Instead...I found myself admiring her.
Admiring how unapologetically happy she looked. Admiring the confidence with which she occupied the space around her. Admiring the freedom in her laughter.
The realization hit me so suddenly that I stiffened.
What the hell...?
My gaze dropped for a fraction of a second...just enough to notice the curve of her waist as she turned, the effortless sway of her hips with the beat and I clenched my jaw harder, forcing my eyes back up.
I dragged a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply, trying to pull myself back to regain some control over whatever the hell this was.
But it wasn't working.
Not when she was right there.
Not when every move she made felt like it was testing my restraint... pushing it further, breaking it piece by piece.
She wasn't even looking at me.
She didn't even know I was here.
That thought alone was enough to make my pulse spike.
I clenched my fists again, forcing my gaze away for a second but it came right back to her.
That was the most dangerous part of all.
Mukti's soft refusals blended into the noise of laughter and teasing.
"I don't know how to dance..." she kept saying, her voice shy, almost withdrawing into herself despite everyone insisting.
And strangely... no one pushed her beyond a point.
But Chahat? She wasn't given that choice.
Ishika and Ina circled Chahat like conspirators, giggling, and before she could even react they tugged at her dupatta, pulling it away from her head.
For a second... She hesitated. I saw it clearly.
That tiny pause... that flicker in her eyes.
And then she let it go. Maybe because it was all women around her.
Maybe because she didn't care.
My jaw tightened as my gaze dropped uninvited to the line of her waist now left bare. The soft curve, the subtle movement as she shifted her weight, laughing it off like it meant nothing.
"Yaar... Chahat..." Rivan's voice came out low, almost husky, dragging my attention toward him.
(Man... Chahat...)
And the moment I saw his face. Something in me snapped tight. His eyes were fixed on her like he had forgotten everything else around him. Including the fact that she wasn't someone to look at like that.
My expression hardened instantly.
"Ishika ko zara si bhi tameez nahi hai," I muttered under my breath, my tone edged with irritation as I looked at Ayaan.
(Ishika doesn't have even a bit of sense.)
He barely reacted.
"Ladies function hai... masti kar rahe hain wo log," he shrugged, like it was nothing.
(It's a ladies' function... they're just having fun.)
Like it wasn't a big deal.
The way she stood there...unaware, laughing, talking so freely.
The way her waist remained exposed, catching the light every time she moved.
She pushed her hair behind her ear, tilting her head slightly as she laughed at something Ina said, her hand coming to rest on her waist so naturally... so confidently.
I shifted slightly, my eyes cutting back to Rivan and just as I thought he was still staring.
Still stuck on her like he had every right.
My fingers curled into fists.
A slow, controlled breath left my chest, but it did nothing to ease the heat rising under my skin.
"Behave..." I snapped quietly, my voice low but sharp enough to cut through.
Rivan blinked, finally breaking his gaze, looking at me with mild confusion... then annoyance.
"Kya?" he frowned.
(What?)
I held his stare for a second longer than necessary, letting the message settle without spelling it out.
His jaw ticked slightly.
Then he scoffed, shaking his head. "Mukti pe dhyaan do na," he threw back casually, almost mockingly.
(Focus on Mukti instead.)
The name hit wrong.
Everything about this moment hit wrong.
My expression darkened, something dangerous flickering beneath the surface but I forced it down.
I looked away before I did something unnecessary, before I made a scene or before I proved something I wasn't ready to admit yet.
My gaze returned to her again like it had no other place to go.
She stood there, still smiling, still lost in her world, her fingers brushing through her hair again as she leaned closer to Ishika, completely unaware of the storm she had stirred outside that circle.
I don't know what exact moment it was...maybe the way Rivan's eyes lingered too long... maybe the way his gaze traveled without shame... or maybe it was just the fact that I had been holding myself back for far too long.
But the second I saw his eyes roam over her again my patience snapped.
Before I could think, before I could stop myself, I grabbed his collar, fisting the fabric tightly in my hand and yanking him away from there.