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Chapter 11- The Seduction…Not So Much (Aye!)
"You ready?" Prithvi asked, cleaning his gun mindlessly. He shot into the dirt floor, smiling.
"Yeah." I said, walking out in my track pants and sweatshirt. I pulled my hair into a pony tail.
"No." He said, looking me up and down. It was unnerving, really. He grinned, "Why don't you look pretty today?"
"I look pretty every day." I said confidently, cleaning my own gun. Slightly smaller it is of a larger caliber, just like me. Small, but powerful.
"Wear something sexy." He replied, pushing me back into the room.
"Why? We're training." I ask, completely confused.
"No." He said, sternly. He grinned at me. "C'mon you own sexy stuff. I've seen it. Pretend it's Angad you're dressing up for." I rolled my eyes, and returned in what he called "booty shorts" and a tank top. Well, it was a halter, sports bra-ish, top. It was white and cute so I bought it, I don't know what it is. I tried to remember the store I bought it at, not the look Angad gave me when buying it. He said that was the sluttiest thing I'd ever chosen to work out in. I tried not to smile at the memory.
"Much better." He said, sighing. "We're training but…a little differently." He explained, trying to find delicate terms.
"Prithvi cut the crap. What am I doing?" He pulled a picture of a man out, setting it on the table.
"You've got to seduce him…at the gym." He said, simply. I examined the picture carefully; he was handsome who I presumed was probably quite the charmer with one single feature amiss.
"He's a Gujraal?" I asked, almost spitting.
"Good work. He is indeed. Ranbir Gujraal, the womanizer." He said nodding as if approving my skill of recognition.
"His eyes gave him away." I explained, staring at the hard steel eyes that I assumed every Gujraal sported.
"Besides the dirty political tactics, that's about all they got from their English descent."
"He's of English descent?" I ask, suddenly sprouting interest. Prithvi chuckled.
"Not for everyone to know though. His grandfather was a British son of a gun."
"Ahh," I said in realization. It explains why they are all such bas***ds.
"Should I do my hair," I asked to him, inspecting myself in the mirror. Prithvi tilted his head and looked at me.
"Your hair looks pretty today," he said dumbly. This was so extremely un-Prithvi. I grinned.
"Sweety your are terrible at giving compliments. I am not sure how Aaliya puts up with you." He blushed at the mention of Aaliya. Then suddenly the sternness returned to his face. This was so terribly un-Prithvi like.
"You're so smitten, Prithvi." I laughed as he glared at me.
"I am not." He replied, indignantly. "I simply do not stay in the company of females very much. You and Aaliya are all I got." I suppose he means that seriously not just in the female sense. We were his family. Sad, but true…we were his broken, strung along family.
"We are all you've got. So we gotta teach you some etiquette." I sighed. "You're so insolent."
"So says the thief." He mused. I smiled sarcastically.
"You never wake a lady with ice water…" I add, scolding. He grinned.
"You never wake a lady with ice water. You're no lady. You're Kritika…" He laughed. I'm glad I'm so highly thought of. I sigh dramatically.
"We're getting late."
"No. Ranbir doesn't show up at the gym till 8. We gotta wait." He said, looking me up and down again. I wish he would stop that.
"What?!" I ask, annoyed. He stopped grinning and glanced at my face again.
"Nice body." He replied, returning to the fascinating task of gun cleaning.
"Men." I groan, rolling my eyes. Prithvi finds my annoyance amusing, though he is fully absorbed in his task.
"Are we going to the range?" I ask, seeing him load 2 bullets into the black chambers.
"Nope." He said simply. Never more in my life had I wished I had the ability to read minds more than then. No body had the power to keep my guessing as to what was going on in their head like Prithvi did. If he wasn't taken, it would be oddly attractive.
But then I remember I'm a married woman….married. There's another thing, he reminds me vaguely of Angad. I miss him so much. I sigh deeply, Prithvi glances at me. "Call him." He sighs, handing me his phone. "You need to hear his voice, then you'll be fine."
How did he do that? Was I that bad at hiding the way I felt? This was what I thrived on, my acting ability. I shouldn't feel offended, keeping in mind that I'm not trying to hide anything from Prithvi.
I take the phone and reluctantly dial the number that I needn't see the phone for. Whenever I touched a mobile lately, my fingers dialed it without thinking. It was reflex.
"Hello." I heard Aaliya pick up. She sounded happy; it pained me to know that she had forgotten me so easily. I sigh despite telling myself not to.
"Hello?" She repeats. I feel near tears, my hand refuses to hang up.
"Bhai. I think it's for you!" Aaliya shouts annoyed. I can practically each footstep though it is muffled.
"Hello…" He asked annoyed and tired. His voice dripped fatigue, he hadn't slept. Guilt moved into me again, the phone was snatched from me. Prithvi put it on speakerphone.
"Is Kripa there?" He asked, obviously.
"No." Angad said angrily. "She's not."
"Where is she?" Prithvi asked, wiping my cheeks. I hadn't realized when I'd started crying.
"She's dead. Who is this?" He asked, bitterly.
"Prithvi. She's dead? Well, I guess that cheater deserved it." Prithvi said, amused. I glare at him but he's rubbing my back for me to stop crying. Another one of his mysteries.
"Is there a reason you called?" Angad asked, nearly fuming. I could hear the anger in his voice and it scared me. His anger was a thing to be feared deeply because it seldom came out.
"Yeah, I wanted to know how Kripa died." He said, seriously.
"I shot her. In an encounter. Do you mind?" Angad answered, annoyed.
"Oh." Prithvi said, fake disappointment in his voice. "You wish she was still alive?"
"Yeah. I do." He said, sighing. The anger left his voice immediately.
"Does Aaliya know what you did?" He asked, gently. Why Angad was talking so freely to Prithvi, that too, on the phone did not quite make sense to me. But I was happy in a way to hear his voice actually talk. Even if it was about me.
"She knows Kripa commit suicide." Angad said plainly. I smiled, despite everything he did what I thought he would. Thought the thing he wanted most desperately was to blame himself, but I knew he'd see it logically.
"Oh. That's…sad. Could I talk to Aaliya?" Prithvi asked uncomfortably.
"Sure." Angad said sternly. Me and Prithvi both laughed since we could hear Aaliya run to the phone.
"Hello?" She asked, excited and breathless.
"Hey." Prithvi said coolly.
"Prithvi? Hi." She said awkwardly.
"You already said hi." Prithvi said, amused.
"Oh." She said awkwardly. "What's up?"
"Nothing. I was just bored so I thought I'd call." Prithvi grinned widely. He smiled at the mention of her name and here she was talking to him. I wish his face would get stuck like that, it would be hilarious. He was handsome when he smiled, but sternness was the normal expression.
"Well, it's early. What are you doing?"
"Nothing just hanging around with a friend of mine." He glanced at me, awaiting me to leave. I sat there to bother him.
"You wanna hang out later?" Aaliya asked, expectantly.
"Sure. How about Friday?" Prithvi asked. Knowing Aaliya, she was probably nodding her head vigorously. I silently laughed at her.
"Yeah. Cool. Same old spot?" Prithvi's cheeks flushed out of embarrassment.
"Like always." He said. "Okay, bye."
"Bye." Aaliya said happily.
"Same old spot?" I asked, amused.
"We went out a few times…" Prithvi said discomfited.
"Few times? C'mon Prithvi. I knew about you guys. Aaliya told me EVERYTHING."
"Everything?" Prithvi's cheeks flushed red. I nodded, and my face went serious, "You cheated on me?" I clutched my heart dramatically and fell to the sofa.
"No, you cheated on me." He said, offended. "I was so pissed when I found out about you and Angad. I was in love with you… a married woman." Prithvi said, seriously.
I stared at him wide-eyed. There was a long pause of silence.
The roar of his laughter filled the room. I glared at him. "God, you're gullible."
"That wasn't funny." I explain. "At all."
"I do love you though." He kissed me on my cheek. "You're my best friend."
"Eh. You're alright too." I said, annoyed. "Just kidding." I laughed. "I love you too." I pecked his cheek. "Thank you for calling Angad."
"It's okay. He's upset." He stated, again.
"I know." I sighed. "He umm…shot me."
"I know. Four times." Prithvi said. He clicked his tongue.
"I told him to, or I'd shoot myself." I defended. He shook his head.
"You're always thinking about that day. It's okay." Prithvi rubbed my shoulder.
"We're getting late." I sighed, wincing at his sympathy. He shrugged and I decided to jog to the gym. It was a stretch but I got there before him.
"Dang girl." He sighed. I panted, hands on knee outside the entrance. We walked in.
"Well Kritika, you know the drill. Just go about the same routine we do every day. Without me. When you see Ranbir….well I think you know how to seduce a man pretty well."
"Puh-lease, I invented the game of seduction. I don't have to…?" My mind wandered.
"No, you don't. After you've got him, do whatever. He's all yours." He sighed.
"Can I kill him?" I asked, seriously. Prithvi shook his head "He's all yours." He pecked my cheek and walked away in all seriousness.
I felt a pair of eyes watching me jab at the punching bag. I turned around to find the tall man from the picture, Ranbir Gujraal.
The famous line comes in, "Are you checking me out?" He chuckled openly as I smiled sweetly.
"I cannot imagine what a beautiful young lady like you is doing here…" He stated. I must admit, he did have charm. Immense amounts of it. It was sickening almost.
"What women can't come to the gym?" I asked, batting my eyelashes innocently.
"Of course they can. You're the only one here though." He grinned.
"I believe in hardcore, serious workout. The body is very important." I recited. I was sounding really dumb but it's okay since it was important for him to not know who I was.
"Yes…" He eyes lingered at my chest, my bare stomach, and my thighs. "The body is very important." I felt like drop kicking him but I resisted the urge.
"Is there something you wanted?" I asked, cleverly. He smirked.
"Well, I want a lot of things but a drink would be great."
"A drink? It's too early in the morning for that. How about coffee?" I asked perkily.
"I know a great hotel around here. They serve the best cold coffee." He said, wiping his sweaty face. He was muscular, I inspected, it was obvious he came her often.
Of course, he was talking about the Hilton where he was staying. His intentions were very clear, quite unlike mine. I would have fun with this. We took his car and drove to the Hilton. We sat in the lobby caf.
"We look like idiots." I laughed comfortably. He nodded.
"It's okay. As long as we're comfy." We sipped on our coffee.
"Oh. My name is Ranbir. Ranbir Gujraal. Pleased to meet you." He put his hand out to shake mine.
"Wow. A Gujraal. The pleasure's all mine." I whisper low but loud enough to hear.
"Your name?" He asked. I gulped some more coffee.
"Kritika." I said, shaking his hand. He kissed my hand, pretending to be a gentlemen. "Your family is sure the elite one."
"My family is just powerful. Nothing more. Tell me about yourself." He smirked.
"This place is a bit impersonal. You know a quieter place?" I smiled seductively.
"My room's upstairs." He suggested. I shrugged. "Let's go."
PREVIEW: What happens in Ranbir's hotel room? What about the other Gujraal's? Angad spots Kripa…What happens next in Dearest Diary?
"You ready?" Prithvi asked, cleaning his gun mindlessly. He shot into the dirt floor, smiling.
"Yeah." I said, walking out in my track pants and sweatshirt. I pulled my hair into a pony tail.
"No." He said, looking me up and down. It was unnerving, really. He grinned, "Why don't you look pretty today?"
"I look pretty every day." I said confidently, cleaning my own gun. Slightly smaller it is of a larger caliber, just like me. Small, but powerful.
"Wear something sexy." He replied, pushing me back into the room.
"Why? We're training." I ask, completely confused.
"No." He said, sternly. He grinned at me. "C'mon you own sexy stuff. I've seen it. Pretend it's Angad you're dressing up for." I rolled my eyes, and returned in what he called "booty shorts" and a tank top. Well, it was a halter, sports bra-ish, top. It was white and cute so I bought it, I don't know what it is. I tried to remember the store I bought it at, not the look Angad gave me when buying it. He said that was the sluttiest thing I'd ever chosen to work out in. I tried not to smile at the memory.
"Much better." He said, sighing. "We're training but…a little differently." He explained, trying to find delicate terms.
"Prithvi cut the crap. What am I doing?" He pulled a picture of a man out, setting it on the table.
"You've got to seduce him…at the gym." He said, simply. I examined the picture carefully; he was handsome who I presumed was probably quite the charmer with one single feature amiss.
"He's a Gujraal?" I asked, almost spitting.
"Good work. He is indeed. Ranbir Gujraal, the womanizer." He said nodding as if approving my skill of recognition.
"His eyes gave him away." I explained, staring at the hard steel eyes that I assumed every Gujraal sported.
"Besides the dirty political tactics, that's about all they got from their English descent."
"He's of English descent?" I ask, suddenly sprouting interest. Prithvi chuckled.
"Not for everyone to know though. His grandfather was a British son of a gun."
"Ahh," I said in realization. It explains why they are all such bas***ds.
"Should I do my hair," I asked to him, inspecting myself in the mirror. Prithvi tilted his head and looked at me.
"Your hair looks pretty today," he said dumbly. This was so extremely un-Prithvi. I grinned.
"Sweety your are terrible at giving compliments. I am not sure how Aaliya puts up with you." He blushed at the mention of Aaliya. Then suddenly the sternness returned to his face. This was so terribly un-Prithvi like.
"You're so smitten, Prithvi." I laughed as he glared at me.
"I am not." He replied, indignantly. "I simply do not stay in the company of females very much. You and Aaliya are all I got." I suppose he means that seriously not just in the female sense. We were his family. Sad, but true…we were his broken, strung along family.
"We are all you've got. So we gotta teach you some etiquette." I sighed. "You're so insolent."
"So says the thief." He mused. I smiled sarcastically.
"You never wake a lady with ice water…" I add, scolding. He grinned.
"You never wake a lady with ice water. You're no lady. You're Kritika…" He laughed. I'm glad I'm so highly thought of. I sigh dramatically.
"We're getting late."
"No. Ranbir doesn't show up at the gym till 8. We gotta wait." He said, looking me up and down again. I wish he would stop that.
"What?!" I ask, annoyed. He stopped grinning and glanced at my face again.
"Nice body." He replied, returning to the fascinating task of gun cleaning.
"Men." I groan, rolling my eyes. Prithvi finds my annoyance amusing, though he is fully absorbed in his task.
"Are we going to the range?" I ask, seeing him load 2 bullets into the black chambers.
"Nope." He said simply. Never more in my life had I wished I had the ability to read minds more than then. No body had the power to keep my guessing as to what was going on in their head like Prithvi did. If he wasn't taken, it would be oddly attractive.
But then I remember I'm a married woman….married. There's another thing, he reminds me vaguely of Angad. I miss him so much. I sigh deeply, Prithvi glances at me. "Call him." He sighs, handing me his phone. "You need to hear his voice, then you'll be fine."
How did he do that? Was I that bad at hiding the way I felt? This was what I thrived on, my acting ability. I shouldn't feel offended, keeping in mind that I'm not trying to hide anything from Prithvi.
I take the phone and reluctantly dial the number that I needn't see the phone for. Whenever I touched a mobile lately, my fingers dialed it without thinking. It was reflex.
"Hello." I heard Aaliya pick up. She sounded happy; it pained me to know that she had forgotten me so easily. I sigh despite telling myself not to.
"Hello?" She repeats. I feel near tears, my hand refuses to hang up.
"Bhai. I think it's for you!" Aaliya shouts annoyed. I can practically each footstep though it is muffled.
"Hello…" He asked annoyed and tired. His voice dripped fatigue, he hadn't slept. Guilt moved into me again, the phone was snatched from me. Prithvi put it on speakerphone.
"Is Kripa there?" He asked, obviously.
"No." Angad said angrily. "She's not."
"Where is she?" Prithvi asked, wiping my cheeks. I hadn't realized when I'd started crying.
"She's dead. Who is this?" He asked, bitterly.
"Prithvi. She's dead? Well, I guess that cheater deserved it." Prithvi said, amused. I glare at him but he's rubbing my back for me to stop crying. Another one of his mysteries.
"Is there a reason you called?" Angad asked, nearly fuming. I could hear the anger in his voice and it scared me. His anger was a thing to be feared deeply because it seldom came out.
"Yeah, I wanted to know how Kripa died." He said, seriously.
"I shot her. In an encounter. Do you mind?" Angad answered, annoyed.
"Oh." Prithvi said, fake disappointment in his voice. "You wish she was still alive?"
"Yeah. I do." He said, sighing. The anger left his voice immediately.
"Does Aaliya know what you did?" He asked, gently. Why Angad was talking so freely to Prithvi, that too, on the phone did not quite make sense to me. But I was happy in a way to hear his voice actually talk. Even if it was about me.
"She knows Kripa commit suicide." Angad said plainly. I smiled, despite everything he did what I thought he would. Thought the thing he wanted most desperately was to blame himself, but I knew he'd see it logically.
"Oh. That's…sad. Could I talk to Aaliya?" Prithvi asked uncomfortably.
"Sure." Angad said sternly. Me and Prithvi both laughed since we could hear Aaliya run to the phone.
"Hello?" She asked, excited and breathless.
"Hey." Prithvi said coolly.
"Prithvi? Hi." She said awkwardly.
"You already said hi." Prithvi said, amused.
"Oh." She said awkwardly. "What's up?"
"Nothing. I was just bored so I thought I'd call." Prithvi grinned widely. He smiled at the mention of her name and here she was talking to him. I wish his face would get stuck like that, it would be hilarious. He was handsome when he smiled, but sternness was the normal expression.
"Well, it's early. What are you doing?"
"Nothing just hanging around with a friend of mine." He glanced at me, awaiting me to leave. I sat there to bother him.
"You wanna hang out later?" Aaliya asked, expectantly.
"Sure. How about Friday?" Prithvi asked. Knowing Aaliya, she was probably nodding her head vigorously. I silently laughed at her.
"Yeah. Cool. Same old spot?" Prithvi's cheeks flushed out of embarrassment.
"Like always." He said. "Okay, bye."
"Bye." Aaliya said happily.
"Same old spot?" I asked, amused.
"We went out a few times…" Prithvi said discomfited.
"Few times? C'mon Prithvi. I knew about you guys. Aaliya told me EVERYTHING."
"Everything?" Prithvi's cheeks flushed red. I nodded, and my face went serious, "You cheated on me?" I clutched my heart dramatically and fell to the sofa.
"No, you cheated on me." He said, offended. "I was so pissed when I found out about you and Angad. I was in love with you… a married woman." Prithvi said, seriously.
I stared at him wide-eyed. There was a long pause of silence.
The roar of his laughter filled the room. I glared at him. "God, you're gullible."
"That wasn't funny." I explain. "At all."
"I do love you though." He kissed me on my cheek. "You're my best friend."
"Eh. You're alright too." I said, annoyed. "Just kidding." I laughed. "I love you too." I pecked his cheek. "Thank you for calling Angad."
"It's okay. He's upset." He stated, again.
"I know." I sighed. "He umm…shot me."
"I know. Four times." Prithvi said. He clicked his tongue.
"I told him to, or I'd shoot myself." I defended. He shook his head.
"You're always thinking about that day. It's okay." Prithvi rubbed my shoulder.
"We're getting late." I sighed, wincing at his sympathy. He shrugged and I decided to jog to the gym. It was a stretch but I got there before him.
"Dang girl." He sighed. I panted, hands on knee outside the entrance. We walked in.
"Well Kritika, you know the drill. Just go about the same routine we do every day. Without me. When you see Ranbir….well I think you know how to seduce a man pretty well."
"Puh-lease, I invented the game of seduction. I don't have to…?" My mind wandered.
"No, you don't. After you've got him, do whatever. He's all yours." He sighed.
"Can I kill him?" I asked, seriously. Prithvi shook his head "He's all yours." He pecked my cheek and walked away in all seriousness.
I felt a pair of eyes watching me jab at the punching bag. I turned around to find the tall man from the picture, Ranbir Gujraal.
The famous line comes in, "Are you checking me out?" He chuckled openly as I smiled sweetly.
"I cannot imagine what a beautiful young lady like you is doing here…" He stated. I must admit, he did have charm. Immense amounts of it. It was sickening almost.
"What women can't come to the gym?" I asked, batting my eyelashes innocently.
"Of course they can. You're the only one here though." He grinned.
"I believe in hardcore, serious workout. The body is very important." I recited. I was sounding really dumb but it's okay since it was important for him to not know who I was.
"Yes…" He eyes lingered at my chest, my bare stomach, and my thighs. "The body is very important." I felt like drop kicking him but I resisted the urge.
"Is there something you wanted?" I asked, cleverly. He smirked.
"Well, I want a lot of things but a drink would be great."
"A drink? It's too early in the morning for that. How about coffee?" I asked perkily.
"I know a great hotel around here. They serve the best cold coffee." He said, wiping his sweaty face. He was muscular, I inspected, it was obvious he came her often.
Of course, he was talking about the Hilton where he was staying. His intentions were very clear, quite unlike mine. I would have fun with this. We took his car and drove to the Hilton. We sat in the lobby caf.
"We look like idiots." I laughed comfortably. He nodded.
"It's okay. As long as we're comfy." We sipped on our coffee.
"Oh. My name is Ranbir. Ranbir Gujraal. Pleased to meet you." He put his hand out to shake mine.
"Wow. A Gujraal. The pleasure's all mine." I whisper low but loud enough to hear.
"Your name?" He asked. I gulped some more coffee.
"Kritika." I said, shaking his hand. He kissed my hand, pretending to be a gentlemen. "Your family is sure the elite one."
"My family is just powerful. Nothing more. Tell me about yourself." He smirked.
"This place is a bit impersonal. You know a quieter place?" I smiled seductively.
"My room's upstairs." He suggested. I shrugged. "Let's go."
PREVIEW: What happens in Ranbir's hotel room? What about the other Gujraal's? Angad spots Kripa…What happens next in Dearest Diary?
Love Friendship Dating and Relationships
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