The farewell night stretched on, wrapping the cold air of Shimla with faint echoes of laughter, music, and the bittersweet scent of endings.
The moon hung heavy in the sky, casting silver streaks over the open garden where students danced, clicked selfies, and tried to capture the last fragments of their college life.
But hidden in the shadows... something darker was brewing.
Someone darker...
Reyansh Singhania.
He stood at the farthest corner of the party - away from the blinding fairy lights and buzzing crowd - half hidden beneath the dense canopy of trees.
A cigarette dangled lazily between his fingers, the smoke curling around his sharp features like a secret whispering against the night.
His honey brown eyes traced every inch of the place - calculating, observing, controlling.
He wasn't supposed to be here this long.
The meeting with the college chairman regarding the land deal was already done.
He should have left by now.
But there was something...
Someone...
His gaze flicked across the garden - searching, hunting - until it found her.
The walking, talking storm who had been crawling under his skin from the moment she opened that stubborn little mouth on the hill road.
He didn't even know her name yet... but somehow, that nameless hurricane had been messing with his mind for days.
The scratch on his car had long been fixed - barely worth his attention.
But her face?
Her voice?
Her fucking hazel eyes?
They refused to leave him.
Why?
He didn't understand it.
And Reyansh Singhania hated not understanding things.
His fingers clenched around the cigarette, his jaw tightening as he watched her laugh - bright, carefree... completely unaware of the storm breathing down her neck from the shadows.
"Annoying little brat..." he muttered under his breath.
He should leave.
He should turn around, sit in his car, and drive away without sparing her another glance.
But his feet stayed glued to the ground - as if they had grown invisible chains tied straight to her.
Even the devil couldn't fight the pull of his own obsession.
Meanwhile, Amaira was busy chatting with her college friends, the glow of the farewell night reflecting in her wide hazel eyes.
Her blood red dress hugged her soft curves perfectly, making her effortlessly pretty.
Every now and then, her laughter would burst out - bubbly, chaotic, completely unaware of how many eyes it was drawing towards her.
But there was only one pair of eyes that mattered.
And they were burning holes into her from the dark.
She felt that familiar unsettling sensation again -
Like someone was watching her.
But every time she turned around... no one was there.
Maybe she was just imagining things.
Maybe not.
"Oi, Amaira!" Riya's voice broke her thoughts, waving a glass of mocktail in her direction.
"Come on, dance floor waiting for you, madam!"
Amaira grinned, brushing away the strange feeling.
"I'm coming, drama queen!"
With that, she skipped towards the dance floor, swaying her hips lightly with the music, completely lost in the rhythm.
---
Reyansh's POV
Her smile.
Her hair flying around her face.
The way she twirled with that little carefree laugh...
It was fucking infuriating.
What the hell was so funny?
Why was she dancing like there was no worry in the damn world?
Didn't she know how dangerous it was to look that...
Happy?
Innocent?
Desirable?
Reyansh's fingers twitched around the cigarette - barely noticing how it had already burnt down to the filter.
And then it happened.
Some random college guy walked up behind her - offering her his hand with a stupid smile plastered on his face.
Amaira giggled... and took his hand.
Reyansh's eyes snapped to the guy's arm wrapping lightly around her waist.
What the fuck?
His entire body stiffened, the blood in his veins turning ice cold in one second and boiling hot the next.
Why the hell did it feel like someone just put their dirty hands on something that belonged to him?
He didn't even know her name... but the sudden wave of possessiveness crashing through him was so intense - so raw - it almost scared him.
Almost.
Amaira twirled again, completely unaware of the silent storm raging in the shadows.
Her feet stumbled a little, making her bump into the guy's chest.
"Oops... sorry!" she giggled.
But before the guy could open his mouth -
A sharp, cold voice sliced through the air.
"Careful, sunshine..."
Amaira's entire body froze.
Her heart skipped a beat.
No... it can't be...
Slowly... very slowly... she turned her head.
And there he was.
Reyansh Singhania - standing just two feet away, half hidden in the shadows... watching her like a predator ready to sink his teeth into his prey.
Her heart started thudding in her chest.
Why was he here?
How was he here?
And most importantly...
Why was he looking at her like that?
Like he was one second away from dragging her out of the crowd and doing very... very bad things to her.
Amaira blinked, trying to play it cool.
"Oh, great... Mr. Rolls Royce is stalking me now."
Reyansh's lips twitched - the tiniest flicker of amusement.
"You wish."
Her nose scrunched up, trying to cover the shiver crawling down her spine.
"How about you stop lurking like a creepy vampire and go... I don't know... bite someone else's neck?"
A breath of laughter escaped his lips - dark, low... sinful.
"Trust me, sunshine... if I ever bite anyone, it won't be their neck."
Amaira's eyes widened, heat rushing to her cheeks.
What the hell kind of man says things like that?
But she recovered fast - too fast for his liking.
"Oh God, you're like those weird monsters from horror movies... what should I call you? Umm... Count Broodula?"
Reyansh's smirk froze.
Count... what?
Amaira's eyes twinkled with mischief, enjoying the slight crack in his icy mask.
"You know... with that creepy staring problem and grumpy face... or maybe Grumpy Dracula?"
Reyansh's jaw clenched.
Fucking hell... this little brat was going to be the death of him.
"Call me that one more time, princess... and I swear I'll-"
"What? Bite me?" she cut him off, sticking out her tongue.
Reyansh's fingers twitched dangerously.
God help this girl.
He had killed men for breathing wrong around him.
But her?
He wanted to choke her...
Kiss her...
Break her...
Worship her...
All at the same time.
The heated tension crackled between them - sharp, electric, and completely out of control.
Neither of them noticed the crowd around them anymore.
Neither of them noticed the whole damn world fading away.
There was only him...
Only her...
Only the madness pulling them closer with every breath.
"What's your name?"
The question slipped out of Reyansh's mouth before he could stop it.
Amaira blinked, caught off guard.
Her lips parted... but something mischievous flickered in her eyes.
"Why? Planning to write it on your tombstone, Mr. Grumpy Dracula?"
His jaw clenched... but the corner of his lips curved.
For the first time...
He felt like laughing.
Fucking hell.
He was losing his mind.
"Amaira..."
Her voice was soft... but it sliced through him like a bullet straight to the chest.
Amaira Malhotra. She said again.
Now he had a name.
Now she was officially his to belong.
The night had turned colder...
But the heat between them was slowly... dangerously rising.
Amaira.
Her name echoed in Reyansh's mind like a forbidden melody he had no right to know - yet couldn't stop repeating.
He rolled the taste of it on his tongue...
Amaira Malhotra.
The name felt soft. Sweet. Almost... delicate.
Not for him.
Not for the man who stained his hands with blood and played with people's lives like puppets on strings.
But fate never asked for permissions, did it?
---
Amaira shifted awkwardly under his scorching gaze, biting her lower lip - completely unaware of the effect that small, innocent gesture was having on the man standing in front of her.
His honey brown eyes darkened, trailing down to her lips... lingering there a second too long.
Fuck.
That little mouth was going to be the death of him.
"Uh... hello?" Amaira snapped her fingers in front of his face, breaking his trance.
"Why are you staring at me like a psycho killer?"
Reyansh's eyes slowly flicked back to hers - sharp, predatory.
"Because I haven't decided yet..."
Amaira blinked, confused.
"Decided what?"
His lips curled into that slow... dangerous smirk.
"Whether I want to kill you..." he leaned in closer, his breath brushing against her ear...
"Or keep you."
Amaira's heart skipped a beat - heat rushing straight to her cheeks.
Okay... what the actual hell was that supposed to mean?
Her brain screamed at her to push him away.
Her body?
It stayed rooted to the spot like an idiot.
But Amaira being Amaira - the walking disaster herself - obviously couldn't let him win that easily.
"Oh please... as if anyone would want to keep Count Broodula in their life."
Reyansh's smirk vanished.
His eyes darkened into something... terrifying.
Possessive.
In one sharp move - so fast she didn't even see it coming - his hand wrapped around her wrist, yanking her body flush against his hard chest.
Amaira gasped, her hazel eyes widening as her soft curves collided against the cold wall of muscles.
Her breath caught in her throat.
"Careful, sunshine..." Reyansh's voice dropped lower - a rough whisper that sent a shiver straight down her spine.
"You keep calling me those stupid little names..."
His fingers trailed up her wrist, his thumb brushing against the pulse point where her heartbeat was thumping wildly.
"...I might actually keep you locked up... just to shut that pretty little mouth of yours."
Amaira's heart was practically doing bhangra inside her chest at this point.
But she plastered a fake smile on her face, trying to hide how much he was affecting her.
"Aww... are you trying to threaten me, Mr. Grumpy Dracula?"
Reyansh's eyes flicked down to her lips again...
God... she was testing his patience.
"You think I'm joking?" he murmured dangerously.
Amaira's mouth opened to throw another snarky reply -
But before she could, Reyansh's fingers suddenly slid under her chin... tilting her face up until she was completely trapped under his burning gaze.
Amaira's breath hitched.
Okay... now this was definitely not funny anymore.
His thumb brushed over her bottom lip - slow... teasing... like he was silently claiming what belonged to him.
Without even realising...
Amaira's lips parted slightly under his touch.
That one small mistake.
That one small surrender.
It broke something inside him.
"You talk too much, sunshine..."
His voice was pure sin now - rough, low, and addictive as hell.
"But I bet that pretty little mouth could be put to better use... don't you think?"
Amaira's entire brain short-circuited.
Did this man just...
Was he actually...
Her heart was hammering inside her chest like crazy, her breathing uneven - but the stubborn little devil inside her refused to back down.
So instead of blushing like a shy little girl...
Amaira tilted her chin higher, her hazel eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Oh really?" she whispered breathlessly.
"Better use... like calling you Grumpy Dracula again?"
Reyansh's jaw clenched so hard, she could literally see the muscle ticking beneath his sharp jawline.
This girl...
This little brat...
She had no fucking idea how dangerously close she was to being thrown over his shoulder and carried out of this damn party - straight into his car.
Where no one would hear her scream.
"You really like playing with fire, don't you?" he growled under his breath.
Amaira smirked - completely unaware that she was pressing all the wrong buttons of the devil standing in front of her.
"Maybe..." she whispered, leaning a little closer.
"Or maybe... you're just scared that I'll burn you."
A deadly silence stretched between them.
The tension was so thick... it was suffocating.
Reyansh's eyes flicked down to her lips again.
He could taste the challenge in her voice...
The madness beneath that sunshine exterior.
His madness.
Suddenly, someone from the crowd accidentally bumped into Amaira - making her stumble forward.
Her small hands automatically clutched onto Reyansh's shirt...
And that's when he lost it.
Without thinking, his arm wrapped around her waist... locking her against him in one smooth, possessive grip.
"Don't..." his voice was dark, dangerous.
"...touch what's mine."
Amaira's hazel eyes widened in shock.
What the hell did he just say?
Mine?
Oh no.
Oh hell no.
This was not happening.
This man had officially lost his mind.
But before she could even open her mouth to protest -
Reyansh leaned down until his lips brushed against her ear.
"You have no idea... how badly I want to keep you, sunshine."
Amaira's heart stopped.
Hey bhagwaan...
What the hell had she gotten herself into?
Amaira's knees literally turned into Maggi noodles at that point.
What the hell was this man?
"Y-you're insane..." she stammered breathlessly.
Reyansh smirked, finally releasing her - like a predator letting his prey run... just for the t
hrill of chasing it later.
"You have no idea, sunshine."
As he turned around and walked away into the shadows...
Amaira's heart was still beating like crazy inside her chest.
Her legs felt weak.
Her cheeks were burning.
And the worst part?
Her mind whispered the one thought she never wanted to admit out loud.
I want him to chase me.
---
Some obsessions start slow...
Some start with fire...
But theirs?
It started with madness.
......
To Be Continued...
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