Chanting a silent prayer....

.... Let's start....

"Oh... the legendary lady all-in-all who's considered a maverick of Indian women's cricket... she was the youngest captain of the Indian women's cricket team, and also the most famous cricket presenter after Mandira. Now she is a celebrity commentator and a coach who travels all over the world.... his search results yielded. His phone even notified him that he was her follower on Bookgram, a popular social media platform.

His brow creased with worry. Is this her house? But how does she know me and why on earth did she call me at this hour of the night? Or is it someone from her family, who is suspicious of my late-night mis-adventure?

He was reminded of Ruchi's slap and shuddered to

imagine what would happen if they called the army security

guards.

If they call the cops, I am screwed for life.

He felt a slow chill run down his spine as he thought of all the possibilities. He slowly crossed his fingers and started chanting a silent prayer, "Ram... Ram... Ram..." His dadi had taught it to him when he was a kid. It had become a habit, which he resorted to whenever he was in trouble. Of course, only when no one was around; his friends would've thought it to be too uncool.

"Haha... that's cute," a soft yet deeply soothing voice from behind startled him. Turning around, Anuj saw a pretty woman standing with folded hands, dressed in a red and turquoise embroidered gown.

Aarya was a sight to behold. For a moment, Anuj stood frozen. She was one of the most stunning women he had ever seen, on or off screen. He had seen her on TV, but none of her interviews or commentaries had done her justice.

Aarya had a larger-than-life aura around her that was visible and felt only by those who were lucky enough to stand close to her. Her eyes were large and luminous, capable of holding many secrets, at the same time looking guileless enough to let the other person feel as if they could tell her anything. Her shoulder-length flowing hair, a little untidy perhaps after attending the late-night party, accentuated her sharp features and those big and beautiful eyes.

"I... I did nothing, ma'am," he croaked.

"You didn't? Then why do you sound so defensive? What happened? Why aren't you saying anything?" she asked, bemused. She spoke with the confidence of a woman in her prime with no pretences, knowing fully the kind of effect she had on the opposite gender. But didn't I reply? Didn't my voice come out? He was puzzled, as he did not realise he had frozen looking at her. His