ArHi FF! Freeloop Chapter 9A, Page 40, 09/Sep - Page 5

hey cynical i lyk ur storyline...do pm me and continue soon

Chapter 2:

"You aren't picking my calls." The signature husky voice of Lavanya surrounded him like pins and needles. "Don't ignore me Arnav I hate that," she said when Arnav turned his back on her.

"I didn't have a reason to call you so I didn't," he replied when he realized that she wasn't going to leave him alone.

"You could have invented a reason." She snapped. "Come on Arnav, it's not as if you are a teenager bumbling to come up with silly reason to talk to a girl."

"Why are you really here Lavanya?" He finally asked dreading her reply. That was the prime reason why he was avoiding her in the first place.

"To pursue your talents, of course," she said serenely. "I am very much impressed with the way you handle your job Arnav. Event management, PR activities aren't the jobs for the non-charming ones or the weak hearted. I love the way you keep your calm even during direst of the situations." Her praises weren't too off the base. He really was all that things that made him look like a typical Gary Stu. But then again, he was a total asshole when it came to his personality and all that nice things Lavanya had just said would be easily whitewashed due to his overtly ambitious and pursuing married woman ways.

Arnav laughed.

"Talent, my ass," he laughed again. "Lavanya, you want me in your team just cause I told you no. You just can't digest the fact that I don't like leaving the job I currently I have," he reasoned.

"Don't be an idiot Arnav. My offer and the perks are unmatched with what you are currently getting," she emphasized on 'perks' just so to rile him up. And she was spot on.

"We stopped dating long time ago Lavanya. You dumped me for an old flame and I was totally cool with that. And now that he has dumped you, you want me back. Isn't that the real story here?" He taunted her. She looked unfazed but he knew her better. Her old flame was everything to her and if he came back in her life, she wouldn't think twice before dumping him all over again.

"It's not Akash," she said softly after a lengthy bout of silence. It wasn't her old flame? "Well in a way it is still due to him but I thought that if he sees some competition, then he might see me in a different light. And I seriously need help in running my company," she said with a ton of hope in her eyes.

"Akash doesn't like you the way you like him. Or he doesn't like you that much. It's best for you to understand it before this obsession of yours consumes you to the point of no return," his voice rose with every syllable. Sure, he had broken up with Lavanya but it didn't mean he couldn't tell her about her insecurities or morally ambiguous decisions.

"Bit rich coming from a man who allows ladies to take him out and pay for the date and night. Do you get paid too in the process?" Her voice had dropped several decibels but the white hot rage was evident in her eyes.

"What is it to you?" He asked in plain nonchalance. "My life, my rules and all that jazz," he shrugged to irritate her further. To his surprise, she just collapsed on the floor.

"Arnav, I am really in lot of trouble with my family. If this business doesn't pick up I will be under shitload of debt, lose my reputation and a huge chunk of inheritance." She babbled. It was odd to see this woman acting like a pushover woman from a third grade drama. Lavanya was much more than that but it looked like it had unwounded her completely for her to behave in such a way.

"I'll think about it," he replied without bothering to help her up. She stood up and dusted her form fitting skirt. "You might want to readjust your makeup before you leave my cabin. I don't want people to get funny ideas," he said as a matter of fact. It relaxed him to see the familiar anger return to her eyes in milliseconds.

He liked anger better than sympathy or pity any day.

*****

"This is for you." A peppy voice chirped on the other side of the threshold. A small bowl was thrust in his face and his eyes were too clouded from sleep to notice or appreciate the sweet smell.

"Who are you again?" He asked the girl rubbing his eyes. For a change he had come home even before the sun had set and had fallen asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He was fully dressed besides shoes and blazer.

"I am Khushi, your new neighbor. I borrowed a bowl of sugar from you last night," the chirpiness reduced a little. Was that girl shining too? His eyes hurt as if they were exposed to bright lights or direct sunshine. He never really liked the light.

"Thanks," he said almost snatching away the bowl from her. His head swam when he turned suddenly and the bowl fell from his hands.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked him when his feet stumbled on plain and clean surface. She held his shoulders before he completely lost the balance. She balanced his head on her shoulder and ushered him towards the sofa.

"What happened to you?" She asked him withdrawing her arms from him and arranging his torso on sofa.

"Just tired I think," he said and closed his eyes.

She halted for a moment before walking inside his room to pick up a pillow. His room was impeccable when compared to hers but she didn't dwell too much on it. However the bleakness and non-personalization of his room did surprise her.

"Here, let me place this under your head you will be more comfortable that way," she said and put her arms around his shoulders to raise his head. He closed his eyes as the fresh soap smell assaulted his senses and before knowing what he was doing he raised himself on his elbows and kissed her.

She gasped in surprise at his sudden behavior and Arnav took this act to his advantage and kissed her deeper. One of her hands bunched his shirt collar and the other held on to sofa. Before she could push herself away from him, he ended the kiss and fell back on the sofa.

The tension between his eyebrows seemed to have reduced but he felt it was too bright in there. He closed his eyes and welcomed the darkness and felt the presence next to him slowly dissolving. Within moments, he was deep asleep.

To be continued