Chapter Nine
"Morning."
She gave him a tentative smile, rubbing the lotion into her warm skin. Their gazes locked as she slowly stood up, a soft blush quickly filling her face. He watched her nervously brush a wet tendril behind her ear, her skin still slightly moist from her shower.
She was wearing his old shirt again, her wet hair pulled up into a towel. He occasionally snuck glances at her as he brushed his teeth, his eyes lingering on her longer than strictly necessary.
His admission a few weeks ago had been unprecedented. He hadn't intended on revealing that he did the dishes for her because... he cared. As a friend, of course.
He could admit that to himself now. And he had admitted it to her.
Anonymously.
As far as she knew, IFaraq69 was just some random guy who wrote fanfiction that wasn't gay.
He couldn't have her finding out otherwise.
He glanced back up at her, only to see that she was sneaking a glance at him as well. She immediately colored at being caught, swiftly turning around and busying herself in drying her hair. He held back a smile, and he could hear her berating herself underneath her breath for getting caught.
She was about to leave the bathroom when he called out to her, stopping her. He could hear Geet's voice in his head, telling him to ask her to be his... companion at the premiere of Perceptions.
But for some reason, he felt nervous. As if this would make it real. He had been putting it off, only to realize that it was at the end of this week and he still hadn't asked her.
Wait. Make it real? Make what real? There was nothing to make real... was there?
He realized she was waiting expectantly, and hastened to come up with a response.
"Um... I... Are you making breakfast?"
He knew the words sounded ridiculous as soon as they left his mouth, and winced at her confused expression.
"Me? Make breakfast? Are you looking to get poisoned today?"
"My edited manuscript is late, and I'd rather not face the wrath of Geet."
"If you actually got your manuscript in on time, maybe Geet wouldn't have to yell at you."
"Don't wife me."
"Don't what you?"
"I- never mind."
She walked away, muttering something about men and being complicated.
***
Khushi was avoiding Arnav.
The man was insufferable.
Despite his confession earlier, he was acting exactly the same way as he had been before. He always had a sarcastic remark at the ready, and continued to make fun of her constantly.
I hate doing the dishes. But I do them. Because she hates doing it
Hmph. He says that, and then acts completely different to my face. Men.
She cursed loudly as the hot chai spilled on her hand, wincing in pain.
She quickly grabbed a towel to clean up the mess, holding the burnt hand away from everything. The chai was beginning to drip down the counter, and she groaned when she realized it was spilled over the floor as well.
"Khushi? Tum theek ho- Khushi, why is your hand bright... oh my god, why are you cleaning the spill right now? Forget the damn spill, treat your hand first."
He grabbed her wrist, ignoring her protests as he pulled it underneath the tap. He turned on the cool water, allowing it to soothe the burn.
"Stop squirming!"
"There's chai all over the floo-"
"Forget the chai, damnit! Don't you realize that you've been burned?"
"It's not even that bad, Arnav! It'll be fine in a bit, I can afford to wait."
He turned to her furiously, his eyes flashing in anger.
"Afford to wait? Can't you do anything properly? What if this had been a worse burn? What would have happened? What if something had happened to you?"
"So what?! Why do you care?"
"Because I do! I care about you, okay? So shut up, and stop treating everything with such a f**king blase attitude."
He hissed, tightening his grip around her wrist. She cried out in pain, her eyes tearing as she tried to tug her arm away.
"Shit, Khushi. Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry, I'm sorry Khushi- I didn't mean to. Here, wait, let me just-"
"I'm fine, Arnav, it just hurt a little."
"A little?! There are tears in your eyes. How can you just say that you're fine? See, this is the problem with you. You don't take anything seriously. Let's go to the hospital."
"Arnav, I'm fine!"
"No, you're not."
She ripped her hand from his grasp, wincing slightly.
"Oh yeah, really fine you look there. Especially with that wince."
She glared at him irritatedly, hating his sarcasm.
"Just give it a rest, will you? It'll heal on its own. There's no need to-"
"Damnit Khushi, for once, can you just do something without argui-"
"You guys fight like an old married couple."
They whipped around at the new voice. Geet was leaning against the doorframe, a satisfied smirk on her face. She watched as both of them flushed in embarrassment, immediately jumping away from each other.
"How did you even get in here?"
"I have the spare key, remember? I rang the doorbell at least five times, but I guess you were too involved in each other to realize."
"We were not involved in each other. Arnav is simply being ridiculous."
"I am not!"
"Anyway, I came here to talk to Arnav."
She gave him a pointed look, and Arnav looked away.
"I'll do it, okay?"
He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Geet raised an eyebrow, unamused.
"Really? You've been telling me that for weeks now. Just ask her."
"Ask who?"
Khushi looked between the two of them, ignoring the green eyed monster that threatened to raise its head and plastering a smile on her face.
"Nothing. Geet is just..."
"He told me that he would ask you to be his date to the premiere of Perceptions weeks ago. And he's still doing it."
Arnav narrowed his eyes, his cheekbones highlighted in a deep flush.
"You wanted to ask me?"
"You are my phanki, aren't you?"
He attempted to cover up his embarrassment with a sarcastic retort, smirking to hide the nervousness. She simply looked at him, a small smile on her face.
"Don't get too excited. It's not a date."
She rolled her eyes, her smile fading slightly. Arnav mentally kicked himself for ruining the moment.
Damn it Arnav, what are you in, high school? Just ask her to be your date. Why did you have to clarify?
Shut up! It's not a date, medulla. We're just friends.
Denial isn't just-
Oh, go away!
"Fine. I'll go with you on this non-date. I wouldn't want to date you anyway."
"I wouldn't want to date you either"
"I didn't realize that we were still in high school."
They turned away from each other, scowling. Geet sighed exasperatedly.
These two would never grow up.
***
Khushi walked into the apartment later that week, completely exhausted. She and Arnav had been at each other's throats the entire week, both of them unnerved.
She groaned, rubbing her forehead. The premiere was tonight, and she still didn't have a dress.
She would have to call Geet and...
Her thoughts trailed off as she walked into her room, her eyes falling on an innocuous brown box resting on top of her bed. She walked over to it, picking up the note. It was scrawled in the familiar, messy handwriting she had come to recognize.
Wear this tonight.
A.
She opened the package, her mouth falling open. She lifted it out carefully, laying it out on the bed.
It was scarlet, the material falling over hands in soft waves. It had a deep v-neck, but was still classy. The sleeves came down to her forearms in intricate lace, but the modesty was belied by the slit that went far up her thighs. There was a pair of simple red stilettos to go with it, packaged neatly.
She lifted the tissue paper to find dark red lingerie, a small note tucked in.
KKG, for god's sake, use this. You can't wear your auntyji bras with this one. He picked the dress himself, by the way.
G.
Arnav had picked her dress?
She smiled secretively, running fingers across the delicate material,
She winced at the size of the lingerie as she lifted it up, realizing that it was incredibly, incredibly small. She found herself wondering what Arnav would think if he saw her in-
She cleared her throat, cutting off that train of thought.
She chose to leave her hair down in loose waves, only wearing a simple diamond bracelet and her watch. She glanced at the clock, knowing that he would be back any minute.
She grabbed perfume, spraying it on just as she heard the lock click.
"Khushi?"
"Coming!"
Don't trip, don't trip, don't- goddamn it, Gupta, why do you always trip?
She felt his hands on her skin, holding her up with a gentle grip. She looked up into his warm gaze, scanning her face. She could hear the soft piano playing in the background, and could feel the heat of his fingers through the thin fabric of her dress.
"Tum theek ho?"
She hastily stood up, nervously fiddling with her fingers.
He was in a well-fitted black suit, his hair lightly gelled. His tie matched her dress perfectly, the dark shirt ironed perfectly. He had the light layer of stubble that emphasized his sharp jaw, and she looked up to see his gaze sweeping over her appreciatively.
He met her eyes, and she immediately saw him flush at being caught staring, his eyes dark. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, looking away.
"You look... fine."
Fine? I look fine?
He saw her face fall, her jaw tightening in irritation.
"You would think a romance novelist would have better word choice."
He didn't miss the sharpness behind her statement, and cringed mentally.
Shit. She wasn't pleased.
"Khushi-"
"We should go. We wouldn't want the guest of honor to be late"
She smiled tightly, slipping her arm into his. He sighed heavily, knowing that he had already screwed up.
Damn women.
***
Khushi sipped the champagne, leaning against the bar. Arnav had been dragged off by Geet for publicity, and she could see him smiling and playing his role to perfection.
She glowered as another woman stepped up to him, shamelessly thrusting her chest in his face. He smiled warmly at her, taking a pen out to sign her book. She saw him place a hand on her shoulder, murmuring something to her.
Hmph. It wasn't like she cared anyway. He could do whatever he wanted. This wasn't a date anyway.
"Have I seen you somewhere?"
She turned to see a man standing by her side, a small smirk playing on his lips. She glanced over to see Arnav watching them, his eyes narrowed.
It wouldn't hurt to have a little payback...
"Maybe. I'm Khushi."
She smiled brightly at him, sticking out her hand. The guy was clearly pleased that she had responded to his horrible pick up line, and held her hand for a second too long.
"Well, Khushi, the dance floor seems empty, and I was wondering if you'd care for a-"
"She's with me, Rohit."
She heard Arnav's hard voice behind her, his hand slipping around her waist possessively.
Oh sure, remember now that you have a date.
Rohit smiled at Khushi before turning to Arnav with a wry grin, reaching over to shake his hand firmly.
"Congratulations on another sure bestseller, Arnav. Your date is beautiful, by the way. Would you mind if I stole her for a dance?"
"Actually, I would mind. I was just about to ask her myself. Khushi?"
He held out his hand for her to take, and Khushi glared at him, before turning to Rohit with a smile.
"Can I take a raincheck on that? I owe my date at least one dance, don't I?"
She saw Arnav grit his teeth, taking her hand and leading her out on the dance floor.
"Khushi, I won't bite. You don't have to stand six inches away from me."
"Did you ever think that maybe I wanted to dance with him?"
"You're my date."
"I thought this was a non-date'."
He tightened his grip around her waist, pulling her closer. She resisted, annoyed with him.
"I'm sorry. I have to spend time flirting and turning on the charm, since they're my main fanbase. I would have rather been with-"
He broke off, realizing he was about to say too much. But Khushi had heard him, and she couldn't hold back the small smile. She relaxed in his grasp, allowing him to pull her closer.
They swayed back and forth for a while, enjoying the comfortable silence. His hand rested lightly on her lower back, his other hand holding hers loosely. She slipped her fingers between his, resting her head on his chest.
"This is nice."
"Mm..."
Geet looked across the dance floor, glimpsing Arnav and Khushi dancing together, completely oblivious to everyone around them. The song was no longer one suitable for slow dancing, but the two of them hadn't realized.
She smiled as Arnav spun her out, her laughter ringing out across the hall. Khushi collided into him with an oomph, and their eyes met. She could see his Adam's apple bob, their lips just centimeters away from each other. Arnav leaned closer, hovering just above her lips.
Now, would be the perfect time to make an announcement.
Arnav groaned when Geet's voice rang out across the floor, a smirk on her face as she called him up to the stage. He shot her a dirty look as he let go of Khushi reluctantly, making his mandatory statement about being grateful for all the support he had.
But today, his eyes didn't leave Khushi as he spoke.
He saw her flush as he kept his gaze trained on her, ignoring everyone else. As the applause began, he saw a smile spread across her face, her cheeks tinged a light pink.
Geet rolled her eyes at the couple in front of her, their eyes only focused on each other. She had realized as Arnav had made the rounds that he wasn't into it anymore, giving the same polite smile to every single girl that flirted with him.
In previous days, he would have flirted back, asking for their number.
Arnav's fangirls would be devastated when they realized they would never get a chance with him. He's too in love with his roommate now.
***
Khushi sighed with relief as the makeup came off, pulling her hair into a messy bun at the nape of her neck. She was wearing Arnav's black t-shirt and a pair of his sweatpants, the soft, worn fabric feeling incredibly good after spending the entire evening in that dress.
She walked out, finding Arnav sprawled comfortably across the couch. She sank down next to him, leaning her head against his shoulder. She nestled closer, and she felt his arm slip around her.
"I ordered pizza. I hope you don't mind."
"Mind? I'm starving. They give no food at those things. A cube of feta, a cherry tomato, and a piece of lettuce on a stick is not enough to sustain me."
She felt him laugh, his shoulders shaking slightly. She began to laugh too, and looked up at him.
The laughter died on their lips as the air thickened with desire. His other hand pushed a piece of hair behind her ear, cupping her face gently. She could feel his warm breath on her lips, the mint of his chapstick.
She leaned up, and without a second thought, pressed her lips to his.
He responded immediately, tilting her face to give him better access. His tongue brushed across her lower lip, and her lips parted in a low moan.
He lost control of himself, the kiss becoming frenzied and desperate. His lips nipped, stroking her tongue until she was dizzy with need. His hand easily undid her bun, sliding to the back of her neck and sweeping through her hair.
She felt his other hand slide up her waist, cupping her breast. He realized she wasn't wearing a bra, feeling the taut peak through the worn fabric of her t-shirt. He groaned, caressing it more fully as his lips trailed down her neck, biting lightly at the tender skin.
The ring of the doorbell broke their haze of desire, and they split apart, breathing heavily. Her eyes were clouded over and dark, and her cheeks flushed from his ministrations.
He took her lips in a soft kiss, unable to resist her parted, swollen lips, her hair messsy from his hands running through it.
"I should... get the door."
He reluctantly pulled away, raking a hand through his hair and tossing the money at the pizza guy in irritation.
These guys were as bad as Kabir's family in that stupid TV show. Always interrupting at the wrong moments. Hmph.
***
Note: And that's where I leave you for today! I hope you enjoyed it ;)
Khushi's Dress
As always, please follow @ipkchotidesi or buddy me for PMs.
Love always,
Choti
Edited by chotidesi - 10 years ago
Hindi TV Shows
Cricket
Kumkum Bhagya
37