FF - The Mistake#1-Chapter Five *COMPLETED* - Page 38

The Mistake
Part Three

Arnav Singh Raizada did not 'party'.

He did not dance.

He did not get drunk.

And he most definitely did not 'grind up on a sexy ho'.

All things NK had suggested he should go out and do on his last day of 'freedom'.

"NK, it's not like I'm getting married. And even if I do!" he added looking threateningly around at Aakash and NK, "You are not to make my Stag Night one of those ridiculous affairs which end with me passed out in a pool of vomit."

"Bhai," Aakash placed a hand consolingly on his cousin's shoulder, "If ever you decide to get married, then our sole duty will be to ascertain whether or not you forced her."

"And if you didn't," NK finished off, plonking down onto the bed on the other side of Arnav, "Then we'd take her in for psychiatric assessment."

Arnav swatted at them both, and they jumped off his bed. Arnav began fiercely clacking keys on his keyboard so it looked like he was busy- he was in fact just pulling up the Google homepage on several different tabs...

"Pleeeaaassseee Nanav, if you insist on being my teacher this year and must mark all my exercise books and assign me lots of homework, then the least you can do is let me have a memory of you drunk and fun to remember while I spend the rest of my time hating your guts..."

"I'm a Professor, not a Primary School teacher." Arnav threw NK a withering look.

"Professor Schmofessor. You're coming!" Aakash pouted childishly.

"Make me." he countered, just as childishly.

"Just remember Nanav, you made me do this." NK warned, his voice laced with mock-regret. "Hold him down, Aakash."

"Hold him do- what are you?" Arnav's eyes widened as he saw NK pull out his mobile and start dialing. "Are you ringing who I think you- NO!" he struggled fiercely but Aakash had him pinned firmly in position, body-blocking him from reaching NK, who chuckled and ran to the back of the room.

"Hi Di!" he put emphasis on the word and stuck his tongue out at Arnav. "Yeah, I'm fine thanks. So yeah, basically- Arnav's being meeeaaannn. Mm-hmm. Yeah. No of course not. I know. Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Okay, thanks Di. I'll pass on the message." NK hung up and beamed across the room at a defeated Arnav.

"Get ready bro. We're going out!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Where are you taking me?" he asked as Khushi Kumari Gupta continued storming ahead of him. "You know, generally a tour guide stops to explain a few things."

"I am well aware of what a tour guide does. A tour guide usually also happens to know something about the place they're touring."

"I see."

"Right, so if I remember correctly, Reception should be the next left." she powered round the corner before coming to an abrupt stop, causing Arnav to walk straight into her. "Watch it!" she burst out as Arnav took a hasty step back and then looked up.

LADIES

"I don't think this is Reception, Miss Gupta. And while I'm certainly enjoying the view from behind, I'd much rather walk beside you. As this tour is evidently going to wind up much longer than I initially anticipated... I have a few things I'd like to talk to you about." he watched as her expression shifted almost instantaneously from shock to panic to horror to- was that annoyance? "If that's alright with you, of course." he smirked. "We didn't exactly get much of a chance to speak last night."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Khushi was plastered.

Hammered.

Wasted.

Gazeboed.

Whatever you wanted to call it.

She was drunk.

"Excuse me." she tapped the shoulder of the guy perched on the barstool beside her. He turned around and looked her up and down. "Have you washed in the past, I don't know, decade? It's- hic- 20 tweeelllvvve. Showers are like, compulsory."

"What?"

"You, good Sir, stink." she pointed a finger at the man from whom the offensive smell which had begun overpowering her sense of smell even in a crowded bar was emanating. She tried to rise to her feet but swayed on the stool and nearly toppled over. She felt herself tilting when suddenly- a strong hand on her waist steadied her and began speaking. "You'll have to excuse my friend. She used to-" she heard a huge snorting noise and even in her compromised, drunken state, understood that a complete stranger had just called her an ex-junkie to another complete stranger. "It messed up her sense of smell. Tragic story."

"I beg your pardo-" the hand this time clamped around her mouth.

"We'll be leaving now. Hey, guys. I'm taking this one home."

Khushi was vaguely aware of two other men approaching and had been about to say something herself, jumping off the bar stool to do so when suddenly... she felt her stomach lurch.

Oh no.

She tried to swallow it but... nope. Wasn't happening.

And so it was that she came to be disgustingly, colourfully and very, very violently sick all over the man who had just saved her.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"You know, I didn't actually care about the tour. I went to University here. I already know more than you could teach me. I graduated at 20; yes I'm a genius. Then I went and did a PhD at Cambridge. You could learn a few things about giving 'Tours' from the students running the punts on the River Cam. They'd make up complete bulls*** for the poor tourists until, every so often, when a separate punt full of Cambridge students went past and heard the 'stories', they'd yell something like 'LIES, LIES, IT'S ALL LIES!' and give the game away."

Khushi clutched at her head, which was still recovering from the remnants of a tequila headache. "Do you always talk this much?" she asked.

Arnav thought for a bit. "No. Not really. What can I say? You ignite my fire. Light of my life. Fire of my loins. And all that."

Khushi cringed. "I'm not a child so there's no need to quote Lolita at me. And... about last night- I think it's best we just pretend it didn't happen. I think we can both acknowledge it was a huge mistake."

"I don't acknowledge that at all."

"But-"

"We're both consenting adults- as you have just confirmed." he smirked and raised an eyebrow. "You invited me into your home of your own free will-"

"Only because I threw up on you and felt guilty enough to offer you a shower."

"You were very insistent though. I could have just gone back to my own house. It was nearer. But how could I refuse your heartfelt pleas?"

Arnav knew exactly why he was talking so much. Every minute expression, every faintest shift in emotion and every vague shadow of feeling was amplified on this woman's charming young face. Now she was embarrassed and the streaks of pink stroking the cheeks he knew felt as soft as cherry blossoms culminated in a peak of red on the very tip of her nose.

Arnav Singh Raizada did not think things were cute.

He did not 'aww' over kittens.

He did not swoon over romantic comedies on TV.

He did not feel a previously dormant urge to breed overwhelm him at the sight of a baby.

But damn it this was adorable.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"I am so sorry." she blurted again as she handed the man a towel and a large men's shirt she often wore to sleep in. Fortunately, his trousers had remained mostly vomit-free so she rambled something like 'leave them outside the bathroom door and I'll dab it with a damp cloth'.

"Whatever. Just let me shower already." he slammed the bathroom door in her face.

Khushi sighed and rest her head against the door. "Why am I so stupid?"

She heard the soft rush of water through the wood and closed her eyes. The cold felt good against her head. "Mmm." she turned her face so that it was now her cheek pressed against the panels.

Without warning, the door opened inwards and she toppled inside. As she tried desperately to regain her balance, she scrabbled around for something- anything- to hold onto...

Her hands closed around the terry cloth of a large grey towel.

A large grey towel which had previously been around the waist of the man from the bar...

She squeezed her eyes shut immediately but it was too late.

She had seen.

And despite the tiny bit of her brain that wasn't currently running off tequila that was screaming at her to get up, grab the trousers in his hands and get out. Just pretend this hadn't happened...

When competing, tequila always beats reason.

She opened her eyes again.

And looked up.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

A/N: What can I say. It's an honour to be collaborating with these lovely ladies. Hope you enjoy the ride and look forward to the next part 😆

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2yW8KEwfHw[/YOUTUBE]