ArHiK::Wicked::Ch6-The Casualties[Pg -30] - Page 19

Originally posted by: archa2810

OMG... This is so good.. N the reference of Potter series and twilight series is very apt 😉

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W I C K E D

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Chapter Six - The Casualties

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She hung up on him.

Her father.

The man Amna had spent over two decades carefully avoiding, so as not to antagonize or arouse any form of disapproval or censure from.

And today - because of this idiotic excuse for a Professor, she was lying to him, and hanging up on him in the same breath.

"Hey," his voice was softer than she'd heard before, calming, comforting even - or at least it would have been if she could actually think of anything other than how difficult this was going to be to explain.

Oh God, this was going to cost her.

She had had to fight tooth and nail to be allowed to move into a dorm on campus, hanging up on her father in the middle of the night was not going to help her cause.

*

Eight Months Ago,

Indian Embassy, Perth.

"Absolutely not." The cool amusement in the response, not only underscored how futile her request had actually been, but also highlighted exactly how difficult the rest of this conversation was going to be.

Her hands clenching involuntarily as, she steeled herself to voice an explanation she knew he would never consider an explanation. "Abba, I spoke to Ma about this. Last night, was not just about - "

"I know exactly what last night was about. I knew before you came crawling back home like the child you are."

She flinched.

Child.

A decidedly indelicate phrasing of the situation - and yet, it astounded her that she had ever expected anything different. This was the same man who had been thankful just five years ago, when his own son had been posthumously awarded the Sarvottam Yudh Seva.

And yet -then in that moment, she knew she had to take her stand. She wouldn't survive another night like tomorrow. Her hands still trembling, She carefully extracted a delicately folded sheet of paper from her deerskin Armani satchel, that hung off her shoulder, and placed it very carefully on the crystal ashtray, in front of her father.

"You will let me go." Her voice was gentle, and yet there was an edge that even the hardened diplomat before her recognized, she knew by the way his jaw clenched involuntarily, as his eyes, went carefully from the folded sheet of official paper in front of him back up to her own matching gaze.

"Are you threatening me?"He asked, his voice silky soft, all trace of amusement gone.

If she wasn't so bloody terrified she'd actually be amused. Threatening? Her? Someone somewhere was having a field day over the irony in this situation.

But she was. And he knew it. She was simply hoping he wanted the new arms bids to go through without a hitch. Or more to the point, that he wanted them badly enough not to want to risk even a whiff of scandal.

And a pregnant, unmarried Ambassador's daughter, was definitely scandalous.

*

Present Day,

Amna's Hallway.

There was no way she was moving back into that house.

Just the thought was enough to make her knees buckle.

Pure panic drumming through her veins, Amy felt her jaw clench instinctively as she turned her attention back to the walking talking problem child at hand. Unfortunately for her it was already too late - it had started the second she heard that particular ringtone. The slight wave of nausea, the deafening buzz in her ears - and then almost instantly, pitch black.

*

Okay then.

It usually took quite a bit to surprise Aryan Singh Raizada.

To be absolutely honest, he was usually in the other end of the shock/surprise routine - as his mother would be happy to testify to, with a monstrous batch of jalebi's no doubt. It also, helped to be trained in years of commando training, once he joined the military court circuit.

However, he had to admit, he had not seen that Ekta Kapoor worthy swoon coming.

Not that he'd totally missed it. He had caught her after all - but that was more reflex than anything else.

Little Ms. Prim and Proper, was turning out to be a delightful mass of contradictions. He had been quite enjoying her disjointedly sputtered questions, as he needled her with his charming if slightly risqu banter.

And then she's gotten that phone call.

He'd noticed the way her spine stiffened the second the ringtone went off.

She picked up.

Her father.

Interesting.

And then, before he'd really had time to process that thought, she'd turned back to look at him, as if finally registering what he'd just said, halfway through her conversation with her father.

He'd been pointedly amused when she gaped at him, obviously still registering the fact that he'd just said what he'd just said, and like any good operative, he'd taken that opportunity to deliberately make himself heard to his mark, ensuring that at the very least her father would send out a few men to check out the specimen of male perfection that just happened to be talking to his daughter about red lace and panties - the insinuation impossible to miss.

The more the team could uncover about the men loyal to the Sahib, the faster they were going to be able to root out his reign of treachery.

And then she'd hung up. The damage however had been done, he was sure.

Raizada: 1 Little Miss Muffet: 0

He'd just been about to tease her about her, uncharacteristic silence, after hanging up, when he'd noticed her sway.

Everything after that had been instinct. His eyes had shot to hers, instinctively - even with his hand steadying her at her waist, the rich amber shot eyes, were as dilated as a child's just before they'd fluttered shut, while she all but collapsed against him.

For the briefest of moments - Aryan could hear her heartbeat against his own.

Interesting.

A soft smile touched the corner of his lips, as casually lifted her up - this was going to be decidedly, interesting.

*
Born the only daughter to a high-level diplomat, the one thing Amna had been conditioned with even before she had been introduced to the Pleasantville version of social hierarchy her Father adhered to, was the importance of being circumspect.

Fainting, in a hallway - only to wake up to the chiseled jawline of the most inappropriate man she'd met in her entire life, was not circumspect.

Jerking upright, almost reflexively, once she realized who was hovering over her - Amna suddenly found herself much to close to said chiseled jawline, flinching back, instantly.

He swore softly. As if he knew, that it was the proximity as much as his presence that had caused her to flinch.

"Easy," he said quietly, backing away just enough to keep her from feeling claustrophobic again.

She'd looked like a caged animal for a second when she'd woken up. And the thing about that look of sheer fear in a person's eyes was, that it had to be learned.

She was quick, he'd give her that.

It took her less than twenty seconds, to look around her, before she realized what the fact that she was propped up against her favorite pillow meant.

Someone had let him in, and since for obvious reason's it wasn't yours truly, she'd asked rather hesitantly, "Did Linda let you in?"

Immediately she was wishing she hadn't - if only to prevent the smug, smirk that attached itself to the corner of his mouth, "Actually, Linda gave me a key."

*

Author's Note:

Hello Peeps! You know the drill!

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