In Love With Pain: AK SS [Chap 7: Page 14] - Page 4

Chapter 4

Baby, It's Cold Outside

'It was a close call. I was a dumbass last night. I should've studied. I just got lucky and I knew the material well enough to pass the exam with a decent mark.' Kripa told Zoya as they walked to their dorm room at the end of the day.

'Yeah, you should have! You decorated the dorm room all on your own. I wanted to decorate too!' Zoya pouted. Kripa laughed and shoved her playfully.

'Too bad. We need to get ready for the hockey game now. Sophia said she'd come to pick us up in an hour remember?'

'Oh yeah! Hopefully there'll be some cute guys at the game. I don't even understand hockey. I mean, I get that a whole bunch of guys run after a puck on the ice.. wearing ice skates.. and using violence..' Zoya trailed off. Kripa turned to look at her with a wary look but chose to keep quiet.

Once the two girls were ready, Sophia texted Zoya and Kripa to come outside where she was waiting in her car. The two got in and greeted Sophia. They talked about Adam's passion for the sport of hockey and Sophia told them a little about his background. They discovered he was an only child, adopted by his adoptive parents at the age of 10.

When they arrived at the arena, Kripa felt slightly better about Sophia and Adam. The two seemed like a couple that was very much in love. Nothing odd stood out to her except for perhaps their choice of friends. Once they passed the entrance, Sophia lead them to a group standing near a corner together, talking.

'Guys, meet Zoya and Kripa. Zoya, Kripa, meet my friends.' Sophia gestured with her hands smiling warmly. Kripa and Zoya smiled at the group and responded to their greetings.

She glanced around at the group and smiled relieved. They all looked friendly enough, except for two people. A tall fair girl with hazel eyes and dark hair, stood beside an eery green eyed man, looking very hostile towards Kripa.

When the group started towards the arena to find their seats, they all froze when someone approached from the back. As Kripa turned to look past the cold hazel eyed girl, she found herself staring into the same pair of dark eyes she'd been dreaming about too much lately.

'Angad? I thought you weren't coming!' Sophia said surprised.

'You don't even like coming to games.' The hazel eyed girl spoke, confusion etched on her face.

Angad shrugged carelessly.

'I felt like coming for this one game. What's the big deal? Everybody should try new things.' He replied, staring directly at Kripa, his lips twitching, trying not to smile. Kripa's face heated up and she nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear licking her dry lips. She became even more fidgety when she noticed Angad's eyes drop to her lips.

The hazel eyed girl cleared her throat, clearly having noticed the interaction between the two. She gave Kripa a steely look before turning to Angad and leading him into the arena.

The group scrambled around, looking for their seats getting frustrated with people pushing and bumping into them. Angad and the hazel eyed girl, Simar, (as Kripa later discovers) are the first to find their seats and as expected, they are seated together. On the other side of Angad is Sophia's seat who, had noticed Kripa's slight annoyance with Simar, and insisted that they switch seats. Sophia claimed that she didn't like to be smothered and preferred to sit on the outside but both Angad and Kripa knew better.

Simar happened to be very unhappy with the new arrangement but continued to give Kripa the cold treatment, pretending as if she didn't exist.

When the game finally began, everyone faced forward and watched with excitement as the players skated onto the ice, hockey sticks in hand. The crowd went wild with deafening cheers and hoots to Kripa's dismay, a person who wasn't a big fan of noise but dealt with it when it came to hockey, the only sport she had the least bit of interest in.

Zoya leaned over and pointed out Adam, who had the number 13 engraved on his hockey jersey. Kripa nodded, excited to see how he played after all Sophia had told them about him and his abilities in the game.

As she watched the game start closely, she felt someone's gaze on her and she knew exactly who that someone was. She turned slightly and glanced at Angad from the corner of her eye. He smiled at her and she blushed, focusing on the game instead.

A couple hours later, the game had ended with the Home Team winning to Adam's joy and the group dispersed, everyone heading off to places of their own. Zoya caught up with Kripa and the two girls decided to figure out what to do next.

'I have homework to do. I think I just wanna head back now.' Zoya said running a hand through her long black hair. Before Kripa could respond, Angad sauntered over to them.

'If you aren't doing anything tonight.. I'd appreciate some company.' He said to Kripa stuffing his hands in his pockets. Zoya bit her lip to keep from smiling.

'Okay Kripa, I'll leave. One of the guys will drop me off. ' Zoya hugged Kripa quickly and headed off, leaving her and Angad alone, together.

The two stepped outside and found themselves standing in the snow. Angad reached out and watched a snowflake land on the dark sleeve of his jacket and melt almost instantly. Kripa watched such a simple act mesmerized. On any other normal day, she would've seeked refuge, away from the snow that she despised so much but today wasn't normal. Today, the cold, wet white substance looked beautiful to her. She finally understood the importance of a 'white Christmas' that people went on about around her all the time.

Without any hesitation, Angad reached over and clasped her small hand in his big, warm hand , brave against the cold. The comfort she felt with his touch could not be described in words. He lead her over to a sleek black BMW parked in the parking lot. They stopped in front of it and he leaned on the bonnet, smiling down at her.

'You cold?' He asked taking her hands again and rubbing them between his. She smiled warmly.

'Nope. I'm not cold.'

'You look cute with a red nose.' He teased, reaching over and tapping her nose with his finger. She laughed, swatting his finger away. A minute later, he pulled out a lighter and a roll. He lit the roll and inhaled. A joint, she realized. He pushed it towards her, offering her some.

'No, I don't smoke.. joints.' She mumbled taking a step back, mixed feelings overwhelming her all of a sudden. He chuckled quietly.

'It's just weed. But I expected you to refuse. It doesn't seem like your thing. You wouldn't have been able to do it.' He smirked, his dark eyes, a soft, beautiful chocolate colour for once, she noticed.

'What do you mean I wouldn't have been able to do it?' She demanded. She had had enough of her parents underestimating her. She didn't want the guy she was so attracted to, to think less of her either. She reached over without thinking and inhaled the way she had seen him do it. She coughed uncontrollably as she handed the joint back to him, an amused expression plastered on his face.

'You hungry?' He enquired squashing the joint under his foot in the snow. She nodded running a hand over the hood of his car. She heard him pat his pockets and pull out his keys. The lights of the car flashed as he unlocked the door. When he went to the driver's seat directly, she wasn't surprised. She didn't expect him to be a gentleman. He definitely wasn't one of those. Slowly, she managed to get to the passenger seat and slid in.

He stopped at a small cafe/bar and the two stepped out, walking towards the steps cautiously, wary of the icy path. Kripa glanced at the small building decorated with red and green streamers and 'Merry Christmas' banners. She managed to get to the door of the cafe first and held it open for Angad. The smell of sugary delicacies and steak permeated the air. 'Jingle Bells' was playing on the radio and several people sitting at a table in the centre sang along to the carol joyfully.

Angad and her chose a window table and ordered themselves medium roasted steaks. While they waited for their dinner, the two sat quietly, staring out the window watching the falling snow, appreciating the comfortable silence between them. Kripa was never the kind that felt awkward with silence and never felt the need to fill the silence with unnecessary small talk so it felt nice to have someone that seemed to like the same.

'You never told me much about yourself.' Kripa said, surprised she hadn't asked this him already.

'What do you want to know? I come from an average family, an only child of my parents. I don't live with them though. I have an apartment of my own. I value my independence and space.' He replied clasping his hands together on the table.

'A guy from an average family.. who owns a BMW and an apartment of his own?' Kripa questioned. Angad grinned.

'I've worked hard, Kripa. Real hard. I know how it is to grow up with financial issues. Once I was old enough to take care of myself, I took up my own responsibility. I refused to let myself be in that situation any longer. When you want something for real, there's nothing that can stop you from getting it.'

Kripa inspected his beautiful face closely, a slight smile of respect on her face. Not only was he a charmer, he was also very determined and passionate she thought. Very soon, their dinner arrived and she talked about her own family. She told him about her parents, her elder sister and the wedding coming up.

'What's your favourite colour?' She asked as he sipped his beer.

'Black. Yours?'

'Red. What's your favourite movie?'

He chuckled.

'Too many to name.' He replied.

Once their dinner finished, the two stood up and noticed people around them begin to whistle. Kripa flushed red despite not knowing why everybody was staring at them.

Angad glanced up at the ceiling and noticed the mistletoe hanging above them. A grin spread across his face as he glanced at Kripa. She knit her eyebrows together, unsure of what to do.

She watched him take a step towards her and felt her breath catch in her throat. Gently, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her close enough that she touched his chest.

Her hands spread across his wide chest and she felt his hands encircle her petitle waist firmly, pressing her closer to him. He bent his head down to her height and brushed his lips against hers. Her eyes closed automatically and a small sigh escaped her lips, and he took that as approval, pressing his lips against hers. She opened her mouth, giving him access and he suddenly let go, pulling away. She watched him dazed as he grinned at her, taking her hand and leading out of her the cafe with people clapping and whistling behind them.

The door closed just as another song played on the radio that matched exactly what Kripa felt at that moment..

'I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

All I want for Christmas, is you.

Oh I won't ask for much this Christmas

I won't even wish for snow

I'm just gonna keep waiting

Underneath this mistletoe'