They held hands all the way to his car. Aarti couldn't deny it - the feeling she was getting while holding his hand was one of a kind. His hand felt warm wrapped around hers, it felt like his hand was meant to be in hers. The nervous feeling inside her stomach had not left her yet. Perhaps she was being too gullible, going with him, someone she had just met, but she just knew that she could trust him. It was a feeling that she didn't want to fight.
"Where are we going?" she asked, as he opened the passenger door for her. Feeling self-conscious, she tried to clarify her statement. "Not that I don't trust you, I'm just curious... I don't normally go into cars like this. In fact, I don't kiss strangers either... but you're... you're different. "
Blushing, she looked down as he chuckled.
"It's okay, you don't have to explain yourself Aarti. I believe you. We're going for a drive."
When he said her name, she felt herself blush even harder. Her name on his lips made her heart nearly burst with excitement. She couldn't even understand why she was feeling this way for a stranger, but whatever she felt, she felt for real.
As soon as he sat down and turned on the engine, Aarti started to question herself. Was she doing the right thing? Prashant had wooed her in the beginning too... he had taken her heart, and also made her feel like they were meant to be.
"A - Arjun," she whispered, nervously, "Will you ever leave me?"
She didn't want to sound clingy. Prashant had claimed that she was overly clingy but Aarti never trusted him... she always thought that he would leave her one day. He used to constantly flirt with other girls in front of her and he always compared her to them.
"No," Arjun muttered before backing out of the parking lot.
Aarti wanted more. She felt like no wasn't enough. She didn't know what else she could expect, but Aarti knew that she wanted more assurance. However, she was worried that she would scare him away. And that was not what she wanted.
"So do you have any siblings?" Arjun asked her before she could decide to prolong the issue.
"I don't have a sibling but my cousin Sunita lives with my family. She's in India right now though. How about you?"
"Two brothers."
"Oh," Aarti said, feeling a little upset that he didn't elaborate like she did. She wondered if he was always like this.
"How old are you?" she asked
"Twenty two."
"Same here... well almost," she replied.
"I know."
Aarti looked at him, shocked.
Arjun coughed and focused on the road ahead of him. "I mean you don't look older than that."
Aarti still had a weird feeling, but shook it away. There was no way he would know anyways.
"Oh."
"So what happened between you and your ex?" he asked.
Aarti looked at her folded hands that she placed on her lap.
"Prashant... left me. He cheated on me."
Arjun pulled over the car on the side of the road and stopped with a halt.
"He cheated on you and he left you? Why didn't you leave him?" he asked, sounding slightly furious.
Aarti felt tears fill her eyes. After all this time, thinking about Prashant still hurt her.
"I... I confronted him about it and he said he was sorry but he loved her and he couldn't be with me anymore because of this. Before I could even think about it, he left me."
Arjun placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. Don't cry. Jerks like Prashant don't deserve your tears. My ex actually left me too because she said she found someone who would keep her happier. She's getting married next week."
Aarti heard the sadness and grief in his voice.
"That hurts," she whispered, feeling horrible that Arjun had to go through a similar situation.
"Yeah, but hey, life goes on. You've got to move on," he said in a tone that sounded like he was trying to convince himself.
Aarti faced him and breathed in his cologne once again, letting it take over her senses. "You know... my best friend Mansi always tells me to live in the moment. I am not someone who usually follows that motto, but something was different today. I don't know why, I thought I knew you. And you... you attracted me."
She saw his eyes flinch, and suddenly they held a look of guilt... or was it longing? Aarti couldn't tell.
"You don't understand Aarti. Someone could turn crazy in your love. You are beautiful. You really are. I can't say that I want to live in the moment more than I do today."
Aarti smiled, feeling touched by his compliment. "You're flattering me," she told him, reaching out to touch his hand. He held her hand in his and before they knew it, he had leaned forward to kiss her. His lips met hers and they kissed ever so softly, yet the kiss was strong enough to take her breath away.
He ran his fingers up her cheek and into her hair while her hands rested on the sides of his neck.
They broke apart too soon.
"I - I should drop you home," he said quickly.
"Yeah, I guess," she whispered, feeling breathless and embarrassed at the same time.
He started the engine again and drove all the way to her driveway. Aarti made sure to text Mansi and Aman both that she was safe.
"I'll see you again," he told her.
"Sh - Should we exchange numbers?" she asked, desperately wanting to keep in touch with him.
He squeezed her hand. "I don't remember my number, it's new," he whispered in her ear, causing her to shiver.
"Then check," she breathed out.
"Phone's dead."
"What kind of phone do you have, I probably have a charger inside!"
"What'll you explain to your parent's?"
"I don't know... take me to your place and charge your phone then," Aarti demanded, not willing to let him go unless she had a method to contact him with.
"I was kidding," he chuckled. "Here, take note of my number."
He recited a number to her. Pleased, Aarti hugged him and kissed his cheek.
"We'll meet again, yeah?" she said, hoping he would say yes.
"Of course."
"Bye," she said, opening the car door and looking back, blushing.
"Good night," he said with a wave.
He waited until she entered her house before driving away.
She texted his number right away with Hey, it's Aarti.
She didn't get a reply.
A few days later, she texted him again with the same message. She didn't get a reply again.
Aarti felt horrible. She thought that he didn't want to talk to her. She wondered if she was just a time pass for him. She started to believe that he didn't feel the same way that she had. It took a toll on her self-esteem, and she found herself crying herself to sleep that night. She didn't know why she trusted him so easily. She shouldn't have.
Two weeks later, she texted him again out of frustration.
Why aren't you replying to me Arjun? Did what happened between us that night mean nothing to you?
Then she threw her phone on her bed and fell to the ground, crying. She didn't feel this alone since the day Prashant left her.
To her surprise, she received a reply right away. Aarti hurried to retrieve her phone and open the message.
Stop texting me. I don't know an Aarti. I'm not Arjun either. You've got the wrong number.
She broke down crying once more, wondering whether he gave her the wrong number intentionally or was only pretending to not know her. She was hopeful that she noted his number incorrectly. Perhaps it was her fault.
Aarti wanted to meet him again, but she didn't know where to find him.
Then one morning, another week later, Aarti's mom asked her to get married.
"Mom, I'm only 22," she protested.
"You promised you'd meet him Aarti. Plus, your studies are now done. It's time to get you married."
"I need to find a job mom."
"You could do that after marriage too. Now Aarti, I want you to meet this boy. He's coming over tomorrow."
She sighed, exasperated. "Fine."
Shobha smiled and kissed her forehead lovingly. "Good!"
Aarti figured that she might as well make her mom happy by meeting this boy. Her mind couldn't get off Arjun though. She still wondered where he was and where she could find him.
The next day, Aarti tried to looked nice. She wore a traditional suit and put on makeup to enhance her appearance. When the doorbell rang, Aarti couldn't help but feel nervous. Maybe, this would be a blessing in disguise. Perhaps getting married wasn't a bad thing.
She made her way downstairs slowly, feeling her hands shake nervously. Her mother was asking the family to take a seat. Aarti made her way to the living room and stole a glance at the boy.
Her jaw dropped when she saw him.
It was
Arjun.
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Debate Mansion
Anupamaa
