Chapter 3
The Holi party was in full swing, a riot of colours filling the air as friends gleefully smeared powdered hues on one another. Laughter rang through the crowd, and the scent of festive sweets mingled with the smoky aroma of bonfires. Tally and Abigail were having the time of their lives, chasing each other with fists full of colour, their faces already painted in a kaleidoscope of shades.
Raelle, too, was enjoying herself—or at least, she was trying to. But her mind was elsewhere. More specifically, it was full of her.
Scylla.
No matter how much Raelle tried to distract herself, she found her gaze constantly scanning the crowd, seeking out a particular blue-eyed beauty. She had never felt this kind of pull toward anyone before—this raw, undeniable attraction that unsettled her in ways she didn’t quite understand. Raelle wasn’t someone who randomly stalked girls. She was careful, reserved when it came to romance. But all her usual logic and sensibilities had flown out the window the moment she met Scylla.
It didn’t even matter how she was in Scylla’s life—as a friend, an acquaintance, even in the damn friend zone—she just needed to be near her.
And then, finally, she spotted her.
Scylla stood at a distance, her long wavy curls cascading down her shoulders, framing her breathtaking face. She wore an off-shoulder white dress, and even amidst the chaotic bursts of colour, she looked almost untouched—like something ethereal, out of reach. Raelle actually forgot to breathe for a second.
But before she could fully process the moment, she saw Scylla Walk up to him.
Porter, Her fiancé.
Raelle’s stomach twisted and the word fiancé tasted like an ash. She needed a distraction—fast.
"Collar, what’s wrong with you? Snap out of it!" she muttered to herself, shaking her head as if that could dislodge the overwhelming emotions threatening to drown her.
"Abs, Tally! Let’s hit the pool!" she called, forcing herself to focus on something—anything—else.
But, of course, fate had other plans.
“Raelle! Can you come here for a sec?” Damn it. Not now.
Raelle clenched her jaw as she turned around, already knowing who had called her. Karan. And standing next to him? Porter. And her.
"Raelle, meet my friend Porter and his intended, Scylla," Karan said cheerfully, oblivious to the tension brewing beneath the surface.
Raelle forced a polite smile "Hi, nice to meet you both. Again."
She didn’t miss the way Porter’s expression darkened.
"Karan, had I known she would be here, I wouldn’t have agreed to come," Porter muttered, loud enough for Raelle to hear.
Her jaw tightened Oh, so we’re doing this now? She thought.
"What happened?" Karan asked, confused.
"It’s nothing serious," Raelle said quickly, not in the mood for unnecessary drama.
But Porter, apparently, was.
"Oh, come on. Feeling ashamed, are we?" he sneered.
Raelle’s fingers twitched at her side, but before she could respond, Scylla turned to him sharply.
"Stop it, Porter. Why are you making a scene?" Her voice was cool, but there was an edge to it that even Porter seemed to register.
Raelle met his gaze head-on, her voice steady, "I am not ashamed to own up to my mistakes or misunderstandings. And I have already apologized."
Porter opened his mouth, but before he could say anything else, Scylla cut him off.
"Porter, that was reckless and completely unnecessary. Learn to respect people for who they are." She turned to Raelle, her blue eyes softening "I’m sorry, Raelle."
For a moment, Raelle just stared at her.
Then, she simply nodded, keeping her expression unreadable, and without another word, turned on her heel and walked away.
Behind her, she could hear Karan sigh in embarrassment, but Raelle didn’t look back.
She had to get out of there.
Before she did something reckless.
Like letting Scylla see just how much power she had over her.
The rest of the day, Raelle did her best to avoid Porter and his fiancé. Not because she was afraid of him—Scylla had stood up for her, after all, and they barely even knew each other. That had touched Raelle in a way she wasn’t used to. Aside from Tally and Abigail, no one had really ever stood in her corner.
But more than anything, she didn’t want to cause more trouble for Scylla.
As the chaos of Holi finally settled, most of the guests had left, leaving only a handful behind—Porter, Scylla, Raelle, Tally, and Abigail among them.
"Alright, people!" Mr. Khanna called out, clapping his hands together. "It’s been a long, hectic day. Go rest up, and we’ll meet again later in the evening—the celebrations aren’t over yet!"
The girls were heading back to their rooms when—
"Raelle, can I have a word with you?"
Raelle barely had time to react before Abigail practically pounced on Porter.
"What do you want, Porter?" Abigail snapped, standing protectively between him and Raelle.
"It’s okay, Abs," Raelle sighed, placing a hand on her friend’s shoulder.
Porter shifted uncomfortably "I just wanted to say... I’m sorry for earlier."
Raelle gave him a small, polite smile, unsure what else to say.
Abigail, on the other hand, was not about to let it slide so easily. She took a step closer to Porter, leaned in, and in a low, sharp voice, said, "Next time, watch what you say. You were really rude to Raelle, after she had already apologized." She pulled back and smirked. "Now that we’ve cleared the air, let’s move on. Come on, girls."
As they walked away, Raelle exhaled a deep breath.
Once inside their room, she turned to Abigail, “Abs, how do you even know Porter?"
Abigail flopped onto the bed and stretched, "Well, Porter’s mom and my mom are close friends, so I’ve known him for a while. I knew he was engaged to Scylla—he posted about it on social media. My mom even went to their engagement party back home. You won’t believe this, but she was all praises for Scylla after meeting her."
Raelle blinked, "Queen Petra actually complimented someone?"
"Right? I was shocked too," Abigail said, shaking her head.
Tally grinned, "Wow. That’s saying something."
___________________________________________________________________
By 8 p.m., the group gathered in the garden area, where another bonfire was already crackling to life.
Uncle Khanna greeted them warmly, and soon, the atmosphere turned musical. With a mischievous twinkle in his eye, he began singing old Hindi love ballads, making Mrs. Khanna blush like a teenager. Raelle, Tally, and Abigail burst into laughter, occasionally joining in with him.
Who would’ve thought they’d pick up Hindi so quickly?
The night was filled with music, laughter, and warmth, but despite her best efforts, Raelle’s attention kept drifting. No matter how much she tried not to look at Scylla, her eyes had a mind of their own.
Across the bonfire, Scylla sat with Porter and Karan, the flames casting a golden glow on her features. She was smiling, clearly enjoying the singing session.
And yet, Raelle’s mind refused to shut up.
There’s something about her.
Raelle exhaled, rubbing her temple. "Goddess, help me," she muttered under her breath.
"Rae. RAE!"
She jumped, startled as Abigail’s voice yanked her out of her daze.
"What? Why are you shouting?" Raelle grumbled.
"It’s your turn, shitbird," Abigail smirked, holding out a guitar.
Raelle’s eyes widened, "Ahhh… No, no, not tonight," she said quickly, holding up her hands like a shield.
"You play?”
The voice was soft, curious.
Raelle turned her head—and froze.
Scylla.
Raelle swallowed, "Uh… yeah," she admitted, scratching the back of her neck.
Scylla smiled, "Why don’t you sing for us? Just one song, please?"
Raelle hesitated, “mm… no, not tonight. I’m a bit out of practice."
Scylla tilted her head, studying her for a moment before softly saying, "Please?"
Raelle felt herself slipping—falling into the depths of those impossibly blue eyes.
Then a sharp nudge to her side broke the spell. She turned with a scowl—only to see Abigail staring at her with raised brows.
"Stop staring, shitbird," Abigail whispered, grinning. "Porter is watching you."
Raelle clenched her jaw, but sighed in surrender, reaching for the guitar.
"Umm… since you asked so nicely," she said, smirking. "How can I refuse?"
She strummed a few notes, tuning the strings, before beginning a Hindi love song she had always loved.
🎶
"Hum tum kitne paas hai kitne, door hai chand sitaare"
(We're so close to each other, but the moon and the stars are far from us)
"Sach poocho toh mann ko jhoothe lagte hai yeh saare"
(To tell you the truth, they all seem fake to me)
"Magar sacche lagte hai"
(But what seems real to me are…)
"Yeh dharti, yeh nadiya, yeh raina... aur... aur tum"
(This earth, this river, this night... and... and you…)
🎶
The last note lingered in the air.
Raelle looked up—and her breath caught.
Scylla was watching her, her blue eyes filled with something Raelle couldn’t quite name. Longing? Admiration? Something more?
Raelle’s heart pounded.
"Awesome, Raelle!" Uncle Khanna’s voice broke the silence, followed by a round of applause.
"That was beautiful," Scylla said, her gaze never wavering.
Raelle felt heat creep up her neck, "Thank you," she managed weakly.
Uncle Khanna clapped his hands together. "Alright, everyone! It’s getting late—let’s have dinner!"
As the group got up, he turned to Porter.
"Oh, and Porter—it’s late, so you and Scylla are welcome to stay the night. Porter, you can crash with Karan." He turned to Raelle with a knowing smile. "Rae, I hope you and your friends wouldn’t mind if Scylla stayed in your suite. There are two bedrooms, so there’s plenty of space."
Raelle opened her mouth—closed it—then opened it again.
Tally and Abigail? They were grinning like Cheshire cats.
And Scylla?
Scylla’s gaze lingered, warm and unwavering, Raelle swallowed hard, her pulse betraying her.
Yeah… surviving the night was going to be the real challenge.