|the naive rebel|
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xxvi| I cannot dance
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word count- 2184

Don't forget to tell me how you find the chapter ...

it's kind of my favourite chapter

just saying

winks and smirks

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INAAYAT
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I am terrified. Even though, I act being brave and all that shit but from within I am scared to my core.

Ishaan and I stand before the noisy, posh club with security and many other souls desperate for alcohol.

He is standing beside me, our hands clashing and rubbing whenever either of us move. I bite my lip trying to cheer or calm myself down but that is pretty impossible. And then suddenly, I feel a presence too close for my liking. I peek from the side of my eyes to see Ishaan bent a little, his mouth near my ear.

"I forgot to tell you one thing." He slowly starts.

Now what? Was there something else I should have known?

"You would have to pretend-"

"Continue!" I screech impatiently.

"Like an escort." His voice is low and deeply coated with utmost seriousness. I jump back and a shrill sound leaves from the back of my throat.

"What the-Are you-Shit! Why didn't you tell me before? Oh God, I-I. What? How-" I panic moving before him. My heart is palpating with fear and anxiety.

I spend three entire seconds ranting and talking and rumbling and walking when he wraps his fingers around my wrist and pulls me towards him and bringing my walking marathon to a stop.

"I was kidding." His demeanour changes and I stand there with my mouth open, my eyes wide. I blink once and then twice. Staring at him trying to find one serious crease on his face which will reappear as he pokes my relief's bubble by saying -no, I was serious.

"You fucking owl." I sneer at him, my inner lioness ready to pounce and tear him apart with my claws-my nails, I mean.

"What," he titters but continues, "Have you seen yourself, your face screams 'I AM NERVOUS. BUT I WON'T FUCKING AGREE TO IT' relax Inaayat. Everything will go just fine. Just make sure, you don't let your cover fall even once, whatever happens inside..you aren't going to expose your true identity, get it?"

I hum in response trying to calm myself down. Will I get coffee inside? Who the hell made the bar menus, and why the heck didn't they add coffee in it.

Coffee is a basic necessity, more useful than alcohol.

According to him, all the illegal work happens in the cover of such posh areas which have the legal stamp.

Lesser risk, Higher profits.

"Let's go?" He asks and I chant a quick prayer and we finally enter the drunken den.

.

.

.

The inside is humid and warm but cool at the same time. It smells of sweat and alcohol, stinging my nostrils. I scrunch my nose looking at the crowd inside. I feel a hand on my lower back which pushes me through the crowd, guiding me to the bar counter.

The bar counter is less crowded than the dance floor and the corners which are being used for other purposes.

Ishaan stands there running a hand through his hair, subtly glancing at all the corners.

I stand with my back leaning on the counter, trying to copy his movements-just a little clumsier and disoriented than his.

With a swift motion, I am caged against the counter. His tall figure pushing against mine and I am confused with our sudden position.

The counter digs at my back and it pains, but my gaze is stuck on his orbs, which holds a determination I haven't noticed before. My hands itch on either side of my waist, confused as to what exactly they should be doing.

His hands snake around my waist and he leans forward, towards me.

I have no idea what is happening.

Can somebody please tell me whether I was here for the case or -

My eyes are probably as wide as saucers and I am certainly not breathing when I feel his beard scrub my cheeks as he moves past my face, moving to rest on the slope between my neck and shoulders. His beard pricks my collar bone and suddenly, his minty cologne is the only thing I can breathe.

His hand on my waist suddenly traces a path up my back, not leaving the black surface of my cloth for even a second. The portion of my hair is swept to rest on my right shoulder in a quick motion. His hand stays on the back of my neck with a tight grip and I am blank.

"I am going to look around for the gate, stay here and don't go anywhere." He breathes so softly that I doubt he even said it. The warmth I was engulfed in suddenly leaves me and I am now just cold.

I see him taking a step back and then he vanishes somewhere in the crowd.

And it all hits me at once, the reason he had done that was to make sure nobody doubts us. Because who comes to a club to just talk and be serious and investigate.

I stand there acting normal moving my gaze from the dance floor to the other parts, seeing people dancing, drinking, sloppily laughing and making out.

Trying to act as normal as I can, I decided to order a drink.

No, I am not dumb to drink it. I would use it as a show.

I am not that dumb, okay?

Keeping the rim of my 'Virgin Mojito' (which I also doubt is non-alcoholic) pressed to my lips, I hear a wolf whistle. Turning to my side, to confirm if I heard it or not I find a man leaning on the counter sideways, looking at me as his next prey.

His eyes are red, and his movements aren't steady.

God, I didn't sign up to handle these drunkard bastards now, did I?

"Ssup," He sensually slurps, trying to act charming but unfortunately for him, he only resembles a chimpanzee trying to fight for a banana.

Before I reply to him, a hand snakes around my waist and I am pulled a little back, hitting a hard torso. I would have revolted against the movement but the familiar cologne stops me from attacking the person.

I crane my neck a little to perceive Ishaan glaring at the man. If I wasn't aware of our circumstance, it would have appeared that his glare had a possessive hold.

The man gets the memo and he slowly backs away leaving me and Ishaan against the counter, again.

I sigh seeing him go and finally turn to face Ishaan who is looking at me with a perturbed look. I raise my eyebrow questioning his gaze and his eyes narrow further.

He is thinking something so deeply and I try deciphering the thoughts running in his mind but his eyes and face are blank, giving away nothing.

"Come with me," he says pulling me into the sweaty crowd, dancing shirtless on the floor. The fluttering disco bulbs falling on those swaying frames.

He guides me to the centre platform and I look at him horridly.

"What are you doing?" I grit my teeth in a whisper yet loud enough for him to hear.

"I got a lead." He informs bending to my height.

"But why here?"

"To dance?"

The dark lighting makes it difficult for me to pass the angriest look I can muster at him. Has he ever actually seen me walking?

I stumble more than I walk, I have tripped more than I have ever walked and let's not even get into falling or slipping.

"I.CANNOT.DANCE." I spell my words for him.

"But I know how to." Comes his quirk reply, and on accord his hand snakes around my back, tugging me closer. His other hand lightly clasps my left one, intertwining our fingers-his longer ones in my comparatively smaller ones.

All this while, I have the petrified look adorned on my face as I stare at his face, befuddled.

He sways us along the tune echoing in the dancing area. The flittering lights almost blinding my sight as I can't even see the people surrounding us. While I think about the lead, Ishaan tilts a little aligning his face with my ear.

"There's a door behind me and in front of you. See," he pauses and my gaze flickers above."You see the red bulb?" He questions and I slowly nod observing the only still light.

"There's a gate there, which takes you to the lower ground. The exchange of drugs takes place there. And if our luck favours us, we will find the leader there today." He whispers huskily. My gaze is stuck on the door when I have twirled around and my back hits his chest.

My hands are crisscrossed on my front, as he whirls us around so that we both are facing the gate with the red light. His mellow words melt into my ears as he tells me how we are supposed to escape to the lower ground as soon as the guard standing before it, moves away.

I hum in response, while we continue to move with the music. The faintest of movement, causes the weirdest shiver to run down my spine. I gulp and shake my head a little-putting my entire concentration on the guard and that gate and everything, just except him.

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"Silently," he whispers as we let the door behind us close without making any noise. The room on the other side of the gate leads us to a darkened passage. His rough hands clasp my mine, as we move blindly fighting against the darkness.

Slowly, tip-toeing we reach the end, leading us to another metal door. The passage has two more rooms but the metal door is bigger than the others and I can hear some faint noises from behind it. The door is dusty and the passage smells awful. I wait for Ishaan's lead but he just tucks his hand inside his pocket, removing something.

"Keep this with you. I am going inside if anyone-I repeat anyone comes even this close, don't hesitate to ambush him. I'll go inside, you stay here. Don't go anywhere." He orders.

"But, I will-"

"No. I don't know what is there behind this door. You stay here."

"Ah-okay."

He starts to leave when he stops and turns around quickly facing me again.

"Please take care of yourself." Before I reply, he already is on the other side. I stand there, tapping my foot waiting for him, patiently. I am nervous and anxious, hoping that he finds the leader-he was in search of.

I glance at the metal knife, he gave me before leaving. As I wait, I hear a loud thud from the other door. Contemplating, if I should see what is happening or not-the irrational side of my brain wins and I take a step forward towards the door. Pushing it a little and peeking inside from the little gap.

The same awful smell, the same scene. The same injection. The smoke. The haze inside the room. The yellow bright bulb illuminating the activities taking place inside. The man injecting himself with the white powder liquid. The man lying on the floor unconscious, the other one snorting the white powder.

My hands shake, my breathing fastens as I am suddenly shivering. I step back, my steps faltering. The door closes. I take support from the wall while my eyes close.

'If you move back, Ina, I will tell them how bad of a girl you are. So bad. If you make any sound, I will tell them how you cheated in your test, how you throw your food. They will throw you out, too.'

It is soon I realise, that my cheeks are now stained with the fresh warm stream of tears. My eyes are still closed as I hear his word ringing in my ears.

His voice, the knife, the pain, the screams, his red eyes, the pool of blood-

Him angling his knife-

"Inaayat. Inaayat." I hear someone calling me, tugging my shoulders.

'It reliefs your stress-'

I open my eyes with a jerk. Heaving and gasping for air I look at the person in front of me. My eyelashes are wet, my voice is clogging and I am shivering.

"What happened? Did someone-" before he completes his sentence I do what my hazed mind suggests me. Searching for clumsy commiseration, I lash myself on him wrapping my arms around him.

The fears of my past haunting me.

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