Words of Silence: PAGE 202 Oct 25 2006 - Page 56

Chapter Thirty

Kripa looked at Angad with a smile, "So?"

He shrugged, "So? We start the first auction now. What are we starting with?"

"Paintings." She grinned. "I think yours came out much better than mine."

"I think so too! And, I hate this tie."

"Well I'm sure we can fix that since we have time." She unknotted the tie and opened the first button of his shirt, and properly buttoned his jacket. "See it looks perfect still."

"Ok we should start walking over now."

"Wait." She looked at him.

When she looked at him, his eyes, she noticed something there. Something that she saw in Amna's eyes last, but then again that was a lie. The music outside for the dance still played.

She felt his hand slide down her bareback. Her breath caught in her throat and she closed her eyes. It was sensational, absolutely sending unknown currents through her. His touch was marvelous, exotic, and whimsical.

But it was wrong. So very wrong.

"Why are you so perfect?" He finally asked running his thumb against her spine.

"I'm not perfect."

What? I'm not perfect? Kripa was disgusted by her comment. Of course I'm perfect, she reminded herself. I've been perfect since the freshmen year of High School.

Angad smirked at her. His eyes were teasing her. He leaned forward and joined his forehead with hers. "So you're not perfect, huh?" He nuzzled his cheek against hers. "I thought you really were. I believed everything about you was perfect."

Doctor Kripa Kapoor wanted to push him away and yell at him.

The twenty-four year old Kripa Kapoor wanted to pull him closer and make him hers forever.

Doctor Kripa Kapoor was entitled to nothing more than her work, the hospital, and her dream of becoming successful.

The twenty-four year old Kripa Kapoor was falling in love and wanted to be entitled to nothing behind or in front of Angad Khanna. Just him.

Angad reached their mikes and attached Kripa's to her outfit, and then handed his to her. Kripa sighed, Faith was correct he would make an excellent boyfriend if she ever actually dated him.

You are Kripa. Something told her. "I am?" she mumbled as she attached his mike to his shirt. I am.

They were dating, they were engaged, and this man was not in love with her, but he was going to fall any second. He was going to fall in love with her without his will.

The song was coming to an end; the singer was singing his last words on the C.D.

Kripa held his face and pushed it back. "Angad you're making me weak."

He kissed her forehead. Somewhere she had read that kissing someone's forehead was a motherly affection, or a way of telling someone 'I care.' But every time his lips touched her forehead she felt something more for him, more than just friendship. What if Faith was correct? What if they had a future? A good, happy future that they were murdering?

"If I ask you for something tonight will you give it to me?" Again his hand settled on her back sending various currents and emotions thought her.

Kripa looked at him carefully, was his question a double meaning? "We'll talk about this later; we have to start the auction now."

"That's our cue." He left her.

Everyone was clapping when Kripa and Angad walked back on stage, behind the podium, behaving like nothing happened about ten seconds ago.

Behind them there the paintings sitting on the canvas still. All covered with one big white cloth.

"Just to make things clear," Angad said as the white cloth was being removed from the painting. "These painting have been mimicked by Dr. Kapoor and myself so don't think we stole them."

Kripa smiled; there hands were locked behind the podium. He was something, so passionate one second, and a joker the next.

"And nor are we planning to keep the money. So when you are bidding just think that this money is helping save lives. Now don't be inexpensive and loosen those pockets a little. I won't hurt." A few people in the crowd laughed.

The paintings were sitting before everyone, and the audience gasped. There were some very familiar paintings. Painted in such a manner that they seemed real. Painted with the hands of the actual artist.

Kripa and Angad left each others hands. Kripa walked to the first painting in her stunning gown under the spotlight and smiled. "I'm sure I don't have to introduce this painting of Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci. It's close enough." She looked at her painting with a smile and then back at the audience. "Start bidding."

With they started the biddings for the first auction. There were twelve paintings Kripa and Angad had managed to paint.

Two of Angad's paintings were auctioned for five thousand each. While one of Kripa's for five thousand as well.

All in all, they sold all the painting and made around twenty-five thousand. Before the auction ended and they announced the best Father-Daughter pair Kripa and Angad thanked everyone.

"So now for the best Father-Daughter pair for tonight. Well, most of you might or might not know we have the legendary college football player from USC, Matt Liner, with us tonight." Kripa smiled while the crowed cheered. When the cheering and clapping died down she spoke again. "He will be judging the pairs tonight with a few other guests. Angad why don't you tell us since you have the results."

"Well if I was Matt Liner I would have given the award, in fact each award tonight, to the couple who you were partnered with. You look absolutely dazzling."

Kripa wondered where he was getting the different adjectives from. But she smiled. "That's why we didn't give you the job Mr. Khanna." However she was blushing thought her eyes. "But thank you again."

They announced the winner and they collected their awards and left the stage.

"How many times do you sit with your wife or husband having dinner and just ask them for a dance?" Angad paused for a second. "I don't have I've ever asked Kripa for a dance randomly."

"We aren't married yet." Kripa said rubbing on hand on his arm. "I know you're desperate, but you're going to have to wait."

Everyone laughed while Angad cleared his throat. "Well we being married can't stop me for asking you for this next dance because it for all our lovely couples out there." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "And we fortunately are a couple." He looked back at the crowd. "Now if you don't have a partner you should find a pretty girl, or a handsome guy. Things might work out."

"I think we should go now. Enjoy." Kripa and Angad walked back stage and she turned to him. "Stop…" His hand covered her chest quickly. His eyes were wide as he placed his finger on her lips. He took his hand back and took the mike off, and then took his own mike off.

He waited till they were turned off again. "The mikes were on."

She smiled nervously. "Anyways, stop with the silly comments."

"But…"

"No ifs and buts."

"Alright." He pulled her closer. "Dance?"

"Angad." Her hands were on his chest as a defense. "You're not doing right. Think about Amna once."

"Ok, we'll talk about this as we dance. But we have to go. We are the most happening couple here."

She groaned and walked away. The dance has started when they got there. They noticed Amna dancing with Rishab, Neha and Yash, Sahil and Sana, Dev and Kiran. Dev and Kiran looked cute dancing together. It made Angad smile.

He picked up Kripa's hand and closed it with his. "Dad and Mom look cute."

Kripa looked over and smiled, nodded in agreement. Kripa looked back at him with countless emotions swimming in both their eyes.

The dance was slow, the music was slow, and they could talk without having to worry about their steps.

"I want to give us a chance, Kripa. More time if that's what we need."

She took a step closer to him. "And if we give us a chance then what?"

"We'll know if we belong together, if we actually do love each other. I don't want to wake up one day and wonder if I even loved you or was it just a silly crush I was having on a girl who was nearly too perfect for me." He raised his hand from her shoulder to her to her hair and bushed them off her forehead.

"And if we give us a chance and we do end up falling in love then what? What about Amna? Angad," she placed her head on his chest and hugged him. "You guys have done something very wrong. I don't say it was wrong or you should be punished. Maybe you consider it a mistake because you were drunk, but you have a responsibility towards Amna now."

"Come with me." He took her hand and they walked off the stage.

A minute later they were back stage where no one could disturb them. They both sat on the sofa holding each other. "I won't lie to you Angad. I feel something for you that's more than friendship but not as deep as love yet. Maybe respect. I don't know." She nuzzled her head against his chest. "But I can't betray Amna. She's such a close friend. I would hate myself if I did. She loves you a lot."

Then what am I doing so close to him. She shifted but didn't leave him.

He was silent.

She continued. "We weren't supposed to be falling in love Angad. It was never a part of the plan."

"No." He whispered while kissing the top of her head. "It wasn't."

"Then why did it happen? Especially when we have responsibilities towards other people, other jobs."

The music ended outside. Kripa closed her eyes, now she once again had to pretend everything was normal and she was the happiest person alive. "Let's go." She stood and placed her mike back on her dress.

The rest of the night went well. Kripa and Angad spent time together backstage between every dance and back to hosting the event. There was immense passion in what they shared. But they both continued to deny the fact whenever Angad married it had to be Amna unless she decided to break-up.

Angad cursed himself more than often throughout the night for being so stupid. How could he just sleep with someone after getting drunk? What was he thinking?

Kripa saw it clear in his eyes he was regretting but she didn't mention it once. It was a mistake, but then she also thought Amna could have stopped him.

The only dance Angad and Kripa had to be a part of was the Brother-Sister dance. They were caught backstage from Neha and Karan at that point. Reluctantly they danced with their siblings, but neither one of them could pay attention to anything but the conversations they had all night.

With their second auction they made over thirty-five thousand dollars with the autographed basketball and football.

During the ball Matt Liner took pictures with fans for five dollars per picture from where they made a good two thousand dollars as well.

Finally in the end the autographed souvenirs were a hit. They had collected over fifty items singed by actors as famous as Tom Cruse and Orlando Bloom. Singers from Usher to Bryan Adams had autographed c.d. covers.

Lastly the last item they auctioned was a black and white guitar personally autographed by Bryan Adams. Which Karan paid a good amount of money for.

With all the auctions, Painting, pictures, and autographed goods they collected over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Their goal was accomplished perfectly. More donations had also been made of almost seventy-five thousand dollars from various companies and people.

The best couple award was given to Amna and Rishab, which surprised everyone a lot. They only danced because Faith had forced them to. But that one dance bought them closer and they talked throughout the night.

Kripa and Angad received the cutest future husband-wife award which was really awkward for both of them.

Neha and Angad got best sister-brother couple.

There were so many people they knew who got the awards that night.

By twelve everyone had left except the close family and friends helping around the room gathering things.

Kripa was walking around the entire ballroom without her shoes when she bumped into Matt Liner.

"I'm sorry." He was so tall, absolutely gigantic without her heels under her.

"You're tine, Kripa." He smiled at her and she grinned back. "Anyways it was a great night. You both did a great job hosting it. Great prices. Ummm… you looked beautiful." He talked to her like they had known each other for years.

She smiled.

"Tell Angad bye for me. I should get going its pouring outside I would hate to get stuck in a storm."

"Alright. Thanks for coming." He gave her a hug covering every inch of her body. "Bye."

"Bye." She smiled as he walked away.

By one Kripa and Angad had managed to send everyone away except Karan, Faith, and Jason were left. They were all sitting around a round table having wine. Kripa felt like she was getting intoxicated after the second glass, but it was just the fact she was ready to drop dead on the bed.

"Where were you guys the entire night anyways?" Faith asked standing and stretching.

"Memorizing our lines for the most part." Angad lied with a shrug.

"Yeah, we should get our stuff Angad and check-out." Kripa stood up in front of Faith.

"Kripa." She placed an arm around her. "Who picked your dress?"

"Angad did."

"Turn!"

Kripa looked at Faith, "What?"

"Turn," she circled her finger.

Kripa stepped away and turned slowly.

"How come I didn't find it?"

"Let's go Faith." Jason rolled his eyes and walked away. "Bye Kripa and everyone else."

They all waved with grins and left, Karan also left shortly after and Kripa and Angad made their way back to the hotel room.

Hey guys....

I don't have anything to say about this part.

Neha 😭