IPKKND: The Bet {Chapters 1-6} - Page 63

Chapter 5: Something New

Khushi sucked in her cheeks and felt a pit of anxiety forming in her stomach. He hadn't looked up yet, he was busily punching the buttons on his phone. But it was only a matter of seconds before he would notice her.

Notice her half naked in the middle of the night.

She tugged on the shirt she was wearing as she quickly whizzed past Arnav and towards the guest room. She heard his distant "What the!" and prayed to God that he hadn't seen her.

But he had.

She threw herself towards the open door as if fleeing from a huge mob of Justin Bieber fan-girls. Right when she scurried off the floor and tried to close the door to her new room, he put his hand against it, pushing it open with force and walking inside. "What are you doing?" He asked while looking around the dark room. The only source of light was the moonlight filtering in through the open drapes, but it was enough for them to see each other.

She tried covering herself as much as possible with her arms, but it seemed like a vain effort. His heated gaze made her feel naked and the fact that she kind of…liked it was making her question her sanity.

"Get out!" She hissed bitterly while her face heated up in embarrassment.

"Why are you wearing my shirt?" He demanded while taking a step closer. She looked around wildly, and grabbed a vase off the vanity table behind her, pointing it towards him as if it were a gun. "Don't come any closer." She whispered threateningly.

His eyes glinted in the moonlight. She couldn't miss the savage glint hidden behind those pools of honey, threatening to form a precarious storm that would surely be the end of her one day.

"Are you forgetting," he whispered dangerously while taking another step, "that you are under my roof?"

She gulped as he snatched the vase out of her hands and threw it across the room. She flinched as she heard the glass crash against the wall and turn into thousands of small pieces, the sound ringing in her ears.

Just like that, she forgot the need to cover herself up and took step towards him, poking him in the chest and glaring up at him with revulsion.

****

"Don't come any closer." She said while pointing the vase at him as if it was a gun and he was a thief that had barged into her house in the middle of the night. Her eyes were wide with horror, while her lips were quivering in a delectable way that almost made him want to take her then and there in a bruising, breathless kiss.

"Are you forgetting," Her eyes widened even more as he took another step closer, making her back hit the vanity table behind her, "that you are under my roof?"

He snatched the vase out of her hands and flung it across the room as if it was a mere coin. She flinched as the glass broke into thousands of small shards, the pieces glistening under the moonlight.

It was eerily quiet for a few seconds, with them staring at each other until she blinked and took a step closer, poking him in the chest while glaring up at him adorably.

He blinked. Had he just thought of her as adorable?

"What is your problem?!"

Her arms were now hanging limp by her side and her long, ravenous tresses were still damp, cascading her form in gentle waves that gave him an irresistible urge to run his fingers down the silky mane.

His eyes raked down her form on their own harmony, pausing at her feminine curves before letting his gaze linger on her soft, creamy legs for far too long.

She visibly shivered, and he snapped out of his reverie, his eyes widening the slightest bit before putting on his indifferent mask yet again.

He turned around. "You are my problem." He said in an emotionless voice and walked out of the room.

****

She studiously tried to avoid his gaze during breakfast but it seemed her eyes had a mind of their own; they would steal glances at him every 5 seconds. She could even feel his eyes boring into hers without even looking up. Whenever he looked at her, she felt a strange sense of contentment take over her, as if he was relaxing her jumpy nerves with just one simple look. But at the same time, it made her feel tingly and hot all over, as if her skin was dancing in happiness. It made her want to pull her hair out and jump up and down in glee at the same time.

I have officially gone crazy. She thought to herself.

"Arnav bitwa, don't forget to go and pick Aryan and Rahul up from the airport tonight." Nani ji spoke up while Khushi looked at Reihana curiously. She put her hand up, as if to say I will explain later.

"Bhaiya, can we come too?" Ree spoke up while slurping on her cereal. Khushi choked on the orange juice she was in the middle of gulping down and looked at Arnav horrified, who looked equally revolted.

Just when Khushi was about to say a loud and firm NO, Nani ji quipped about that being a great idea since they were going to a wedding tonight and could just pick up Rahul and Aryan on their way there.

Khushi sank back in her seat, disappointed while glaring at Arnav discreetly.

****

She lifted the lehenga she was wearing while walking towards the dresser. Reihana had given her one of her expensive, heavy lehenga's to wear to the wedding tonight and while it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever worn — with a red scarf and a dark blue skirt, blue border & intricate embroidery all over — she felt a little overwhelmed for some odd reason.

Maybe it was because she was going to a wedding where she didn't know anyone, her mind tried to reason. Or maybe it was because she was going with Reihana and Arnav to pick up two boys whom she'd never met before.

After breakfast, as Khushi and Reihana were leaving for college, Ree had filled her in on who exactly they were going to pick up at the airport tonight. Rahul and Aryan were apparently Arnav, Anjali and Reihana's cousins, and visited once a year. That could be it. Maybe she was just nervous about meeting new people. But her heart somehow knew the real reason. After what had happened last night, she didn't think she could ever look at Arnav Singh Raizada the same way ever again.

And she didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

"Khushi, are you about ready?" Reihana knocked on her door.

"Almost!" She called back while applying some eye-liner and taking one last look at herself in the mirror. Satisfied, she grabbed her clutch and made way towards the door. Apprehension formed as she realized he was just downstairs, but she quickly shook those crazy thoughts out of her head. She loved weddings and she was going to make sure she enjoyed herself tonight.

"Let's go." She chirped brightly after opening the door and linking her arm through Reihana's. She could clearly see Arnav as they made their way down the stairs and tried not to think about how handsome he looked with a bowtie on.

She could feel his intense gaze on her but she ignored him like the whistle of the wind, but she still couldn't help as a blush made way to her cheeks.

"About time." He grumbled and walked off. Khushi and Reihana shared an amused look while following him outside silently.

"I think I wanna rest my legs for a bit. Khushi do you mind sitting in the front?" Reihana asked innocently while opening the back door and sitting her derriere down on the plush leather seats, leaving her no choice but to sit in the front.

As Khushi buckled up and Arnav pulled out of the stone driveway, she thought back to that night when he had blamed her of keying his car, and then unzipped her top mercilessly, as if she was a rag doll. She thought back to the kitchen, when he'd pushed her against the counter, making her cut bleed all over again. She thought back to when he had called her trash, told her she was not worthy of sitting in his fancy car.

And here she was. Living under his roof, sitting in that same car that had started it all.

****

"Aryan! Over here!" Arnav yelled while waving his arm in the air. Khushi saw a man, maybe in his early twenties, say something to another man next to him before they started towards them. The other one, whom she guessed was Rahul, was walking as if he has something stuck inside one of his shoes, and for a second she wondered if there was something wrong with his limbs. But then Reihana said, "Rahul's got his swag on," and sniggered.

Arnav turned to look at them as they burst into a fit of giggles, shaking his head and muttering something about girls under his breath.

"Greetings cousin." The man with the swag drawled out while taking Arnav in what looked like a suffocating, painful hug. Aryan gave Khushi a curious smile which she returned before walking towards Reihana and hugging her.

Khushi shifted her feet as the four of them made small talk, feeling awkward by the minute until Aryan cleared his throat and looked at Khushi and Reihana with interest. "Why do you look like you're going to a wedding?"

"Because we are." Arnav replied drily.

Rahul only then seemed to notice Khushi because he hollered a loud "Woah!" and walked up to her. "Hi." He said.

"Hi."

"I'm Rahul."

"Nice to meet you Rahul ji! I'm Khushi." She shook his outstretched hand with a smile on her face as Rahul beamed back at her.

Khushi was slightly surprised when Rahul draped an arm over her shoulder and started steering them towards the baggage claim area, talking about how India is great and how it has pretty ladies all over.

She smiled. A month didn't seem like such a huge torture anymore.