Behind the Mask - ManVeer FF [Ch. 23, P. 36] - Page 16

Manyata was thoroughly annoyed. What does he think of himself? That pompous ass! "Haarne ke liye tayaar ho jao," she mocked as she ripped her kurti off and roughly changed into her workout clothes. Manyata continued grumbling to herself as she recalled Uday's smirks and cocky comments at the breakfast table, informing every one of their duel. She had wanted to smack that smirk off his face, she recalled, as she haphazardly took out her braid and twisted her hair into a bun roughly sticking two hair sticks in to hold it up. Of course once the family had found out they had egged the two of them on which somehow resulted in Manyata agreeing to his ridiculous bet. Ugh, maine maan kaise liya ke agar main haar gayi toh joh voh kagenge main voh karoongi? Jaise voh vaisi unki shart, bilkul jalebi ki tarah taedi! Manyata took deep breaths to calm herself down as she made her way towards the practice room. Relax, unhe bhi toh vahi shart manli thi na? Aur waisi bhi, jeetongi toh tum hi, toh darr kis baat ka, she told herself as she entered.

Manyata took in her surroundings as she continued stepped in. The room seemed even bigger than she had remembered it with various swords and shields adorning the walls. As she glanced around the large room, her eyes fell on Uday who was at the far end practicing various stances with his sword. For a second, Manyata forgot to breathe. Dressed in black trackpants and nothing else, he was the Greek Gods to shame. She stood there mesmerized as she watched the tiny droplets of sweat trickle down his broad, tanned back. How long had he been here practicing? With every twist of his wrist, jab of his arm and slice of his sword, Manyata couldn't help but stare at the flex of his muscles. She hadn't realized he had already noticed her walking in long ago and continued to stare at him even as he made his way over to her.

"Agar tumhaara ho gaya hai toh mooh bandh karlo, warna makkhi ghus jayegi," Uday smirked as he pushed her mouth close. Manyata turned beet red as she realized not only was Uday suddenly standing in front of her but that he had caught her gaping at him. She immediately took a quick step back. "Hum sirf yeh dekh rahe the ke Yuvraj ho kar bhi aap kaise bina kapde bhikhaariyon ki tarah ghoom rahe the. Sharam nahin aati," Manyata bit out as she walked over to wear Uday had tossed his shirt and threw it at him.

Uday couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Tsk tsk, princess. Theekh se jhooth bhi nahin bol sakti. Khair koi baat nahin, tum pehli ladki nahin ho jisse hume dekh kar aisa haal hua, isme sharmaane ki koi baat nahin," he smirked.

"God, how do you get through life with such a big head," Manyata scowled as she rolled her eyes. Uday simply cocked an eyebrow as he drank some water, intently watching Manyata who had picked up a sword at this point and had begun practicing the various forms and stances she had learned years ago. He was impressed, she seemed to remember quite a bit. Uday inwardly groaned as his eyes swept over her from head to toe. It was not that he had never seen her in Western wear; when she wasn't wearing a chudidaar, she wore jeans and leggings but always with a kurti or some type of longer top. This was the first time he had seen her in something so form fitting. The white half-sleeved athletic top fit her like a second skin and he couldn't even begin to describe what the sight of her in dark blue yoga pants was doing to him. It hugged her curves in all the right places and Manyata was certainly not helping the cause moving around like that. His hands itched to grab her and bring her close, feel her pressed against him. Focus Uday, you cannot get distracted. Otherwise you will never hear the end of it, and besides, God knows what she'll have you do if she wins the bet. Let's just finish this off before you do something stupid.

Placing his water bottle down, he stealthily made his way over to Manyata. But before he could sneak up on her, she turned around and brought her sword slashing through the air. He was so caught off guard he barely blocked her strike. His surprised eyes met her taunting and fiery gaze. Oh, it was on…

They stood there, metal against metal as the seconds ticked away, neither backing off, both waiting for the other to waver before attacking. And attack they did. It was as if they were able to sense exactly when the other was about to make his move and simultaneously began striking and blocking blow after blow.

Although he had been initially caught off guard, Uday smiled watching his princess strike him full force. She really was a force to be reckoned with. The fire, the passion in her eyes was mesmerizing. And to add to that, there was that faint flush that once again kissed her cheeks from all the exertion. God, he could just eat her up. With the next swing of Manyata's sword, Uday blocked and used her momentum to swing her around with her back now facing his chest with the swords at odds in front of her. Manyata was forced to use both hands on her sword in order to withstand the pressure he was placing with just one hand. As she continued to push her sword forward and away from her body, she suddenly felt Uday using his free hand grab her waist and gently yet firmly pulled her closer. He held her in place with her curves intimately brushing against him as he leaned in to the side of her neck and rubbed his nose along the length of her neck.

Manyata didn't know what was happening. One minute she was squirming against Uday trying to get out of his hold and the next she stood their frozen to her spot. A jolt ran down her spine and sent every nerve ending on fire as she felt his hot breath and his nose run up her neck. She should tell him to stop, she knew she should, but for some reason she couldn't get her brain to form the words. Her heart was thudding so loud she was sure Uday could hear it. Yeh kya ho raha hai humaare saath? But before she could think any further about what was happening, Manyata felt his hand traveling up her side, across her shoulders and into her hair suddenly pulling the sticks out. In an instant, the long mass of hair came tumbling down. In her shock, Manyata turned around facing Uday; the swords hanging loosely from their hands with their duel momentarily forgotten. With the hand that still held the sword, Uday roped it around her waist bring her closer. Manyata's sword clanked to the floor as she brought both arms up against Uday's chest in a vain attempt to keep some distance. "Have I ever told you how incredibly beautiful you are Manyata," Uday whispered as he ran his free hand through her hair. His eyes had told her countless times before but she had chosen to ignore it then, hearing him say it out loud now stirred new and unknown emotions in her. Emotions she had wanted to feel for a long time and now that she finally was, they were for the wrong man. And yet she could do nothing but be captivated by the intensity of his eyes.

Uday didn't know what was happening to him or what he was doing. All he knew was that he needed to be close to Manyata, he needed to have her in his arms. All he had wanted to was to hold her for a second but somehow one touch turned into countless more, only leaving him wanting even more. His grip on her waist tightened as he thread his fingers through her luscious hair. "Why did you leave me princess? Do you have any idea how lonely I was without you," Uday continued as he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. The smell of jasmines, citrus, and something uniquely Manyata filled his nostrils further fogging his senses. "Promise me you won't leave again, promise me Manyata," Uday whispered harshly has he continued pulling her closer. Equally dazed, Manyata didn't know when the words began slipping from her lips. "I promise Ud—

"DADA!"

In an instant, the trance was broken. Manyata snapped her eyes open as she heard Unnati calling Uday from down the hall. She gave one hard push to Uday's chest as his arms suddenly let her free. She stared at him for a moment, horrified at what had just happened and what more could have happened before abruptly turning around and running out of the room past a very confused Unnati. Poor Unnati could only stare between a rapidly fleeing Manyata and a dazed Uday, more confused than ever…

it was really great...