picnic.

Is fate giving us another chance? Will our destinies and paths intertwine, or will we be separated once again? What does fate plan for us this time? What is written in our 'Entwined Destinies'?

I exited the car and looked at the lavish farmhouse. It was a massive two-story black-painted structure with an expansive garden and a poolside at the back. I retrieved my bag from the car and was about to head inside when Aarav came over, took the bag from me, and gestured for me to go ahead. I nodded in acknowledgment and joined my girlfriends, excited for the picnic.

Entering the farmhouse, I marveled at the interior, which was as captivating as the exterior. I glanced at Zoya, who gave me a glare for waking her up in the car. Taking her aside while Deenah was settling her things, I whispered, "You should be thankful I didn't kill you for the car accident, or you would've been dead meat by now. So, stop glaring, sleepyhead." I lightly slapped her head and led her to where everyone was seated, engrossed in conversation. I interrupted, "So, what's next? It's almost 8. What are we going to do all day?"

Deenah jumped in with excitement, "I have everything planned! First, we'll have breakfast. Then, we're going to play a scavenger hunt, followed by a short nap. After that, we'll have lunch and a pool party, then play some indoor games. Finally, after dinner, we'll head home." Everyone nodded, excited for the day's activities.

The maid staff set up the breakfast table, and we sat down: Deenah and Alwaaz, Zoya and Taha, leaving the only remaining seat beside Aarav. I sat down and reached for the last piece of pancake, but Aarav took it before I could. I glared at him and warned, "Give me the piece, or else it won't be good for you."

He laughed and retorted, "Or else what? Are you going to run? Like you always do."

I looked down, feeling a pang of regret, and stopped arguing, settling for a glass of juice instead. Moments later, Aarav quietly placed half of the pancake on my plate without saying a word or looking at me. I smiled to myself and ate it silently, listening to Deenah explain the rules of the scavenger hunt.

"So, no help from mobile phones and no cheating! You have 30 minutes for the hunt, and the winner gets to choose one person and control them for a day," Deenah announced as we all nodded. We each received a chit with a clue, and Deenah, being the smartest, solved her clue first and darted off. I read my clue again, realizing it pointed to a tree. I ran after Deenah and saw her trying to get a box from a tree branch.

Quietly, I approached from behind and threw a stone, knocking the box down. I quickly picked it up before Deenah, she gave me a done look and said, "That's cheating!", I laughed and said, "There's no cheating in love and war, my dear." I grabbed a chit from the box and threw the box far away to buy time.

Opening the chit, I figured out the clue led to the kitchen. I rushed there, opening all the cabinets, and soon found another box. I took the chit out when Aarav came and snatched the box from me. We both quickly read the clue and shouted simultaneously, "POOL!" We looked at each other and dashed outside, diving into the pool to find the star that marked the end of the scavenger hunt.

Not being a strong swimmer, I struggled to find the star but eventually spotted it in the right bottom corner. Unfortunately, Aarav was closer. I reached out for it, but before I could grab it, Aarav seized the star and emerged from the water, shouting, "I WON! I GOT IT!" and smirked at me.

After changing into a black oversized long sleeves shirt and a baggy blue jeans, I went downstairs for the results which was cleared. I went in the hall and took a seat beside deenah and said, "what's this for, we all know who won", deenah stood up and replied, "so as we know Aarav won so he'll get the chance to control a person for the day!", I mentally slapped myself because I almost forgot about this. Aarav clapped his hands and said, "This is gonna be fun so uhm i choose-" he took a break and looked at everyone and stopped at me while I prayed not to pick me when he said, "yes, Shehzal, I'm gonna pick Shehzal", I sighed and closed my eyes before opening then again preparing myself for the day.

After chit-chatting for a bit, it was already 10 AM, so we decided to take a nap before continuing with the day's activities. As everyone headed upstairs, I first decided to get some water. After drinking it, I was about to go upstairs when a voice stopped me. "Where do you think you're going?" Aarav asked, standing there with his arms folded.

"To sleep, of course. Didn't you hear?" I replied.

Aarav chuckled and smirked. "No, my love, you're not going to sleep. Instead, we're going to watch a movie."

I looked at him in disbelief and asked, "And why do you think I would do that?"

He came closer and looked me in the eyes. "Have you developed short-term memory loss by any chance?"

I sighed, realizing he was referring to the game. Reluctantly, I agreed to watch a movie with him at 10 in the morning because I didn't have any other option. What luck I have. To make matters worse, he played a horror movie, knowing full well how much I hate them.

Soon after, the movie started, and I could hear Aarav munching his chips while trying to control his laughter at my pissed-off face. Half an hour passed, and sleep didn't seem to leave me. I stretched my legs on the sofa to find a more comfortable position and continued enduring the torture—watching the movie. Before I realized it, sleep had overtaken me.

I glanced to my side and saw an enchanting view: my butterfly had already dozed off, tugging on my arm. A smile crept on my face as I switched off the TV and gently picked her up to take her upstairs. Upon reaching the landing, I realized it would not be suitable to wake up the other girls, so I took her to my room instead and laid her on the bed. As I was about to leave, she held my hand in her sleep and muttered, "No, please don't go. I swear we'll fix everything." I could feel her panic over a dream she was having. Understanding the situation, I calmed her down, and once she was at ease, I settled myself on the sofa to take a nap as well.

I couldn't sleep; my eyes were fixed on the figure lying in front of me. I wished I could just hug her and never let her go, protecting her from this world. But I knew it wasn't that easy. I finally drifted off, my thoughts consumed by her.

I woke up suddenly and found myself in an unfamiliar room. Looking around, I spotted him sleeping uncomfortably on the couch. I went over and sat on the floor, holding his hand and gazing at his peaceful face, knowing he’d turn into the biggest jerk when he woke up. As I admired him, I heard him say, "If you keep staring at me like that, you'll fall in love with me again." I quickly let go of his hand, stood up, and left, saying, "Everyone is waiting outside. Come soon."

I went downstairs and saw everyone arranging the poolside with snacks and other necessities. It was almost 3 PM, time for lunch. Zoya and Deenah came over and dragged me to the kitchen, looking at me with their arms folded. I raised an eyebrow and said, "What?" They replied in unison, "What?" I looked at them in confusion until they asked, "What happened between you two?" Realizing they were reacting to me probably sleeping in his room, I explained the whole situation to them and then went to set the table for lunch.

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CHAPTER AESTHETICS!