Very well written dear..
Preeta taking help from Karan.. Nice idea..Karan worried for Preeta.. That was quite cute actually.Specially that date.. He readly concented to help her.. Such a sweetheart..Preeta.. Wear something nice.. He want it to be a proper date. Waiting impatiently for the date..You're a brilliant writer and I just loved it..Thank you
Beautifully written - loved Preeta's reply that it worked for him!
You have portrayed the characters like the show... their physical pull / mental battle - eagerly waiting for the next update - hope it's a passionate one😛
Originally posted by: 3dancelover
This is excellent writing! And I love the story; please continue soon😊
Originally posted by: manu.krissh
Excellent!! I would love to watch if this is implemented in kdb😊
What happens next??
Originally posted by: SunshineMk
This is awesome! Waiting for the update.
These to are so freaking adorable!
Okay I planned on updating this sooner but got so caught up! Thank you for the response to the first part! This one features alot more of PreeRan and I hope you'll enjoy it. :) Also, do check the absolutely gorgeous header that ZumSRK made for me for this fic! It's posted on the first page!
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Just For Tonight: Part 2
Preeta couldn't help but feel slightly ridiculous as she looked at herself in the mirror. She had told Shrishti something about the Luthras having an event at the hotel Deepak had mentioned in his message and asking her to come too lest her patient's feet trouble her again. It was possibly the lamest excuse ever but somehow Shrishti had believed her. Ofcourse then she had forced Preeta into the only nice saree she owned, declaring that she must look nice. Preeta had sighed, too nervous about the 'date' to argue and had given in after 10 minutes. Karan was going to have a field day with this, she thought with an inward wince.
He was surprisingly punctual she thought as she read his message, asking her to come out. Part of her had been convinced it was all a prank and he wouldn't show up at all. Yet, here he was. Looking at herself in the mirror once again, she exited her room. She had told Shrishti that the Luthras would be sending a car. Her sister would have insisted on walking her to it but she had chosen that moment to use the washroom, allowing Preeta to escape without any further questions.
Karan was leaning against the front of his car, busy on his phone as she approached. He looked up and stiffened as he saw her. She nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes fixated on the ground as she waited for him to say something snarky. She really shouldn't have let Shrishti have her way. He still hadn't said anything though so she finally managed to look up.
"You look... beautiful." He said softly. She felt a blush creep up at his words, suddenly aware of the intensity in his eyes as they bore into hers. It was moments like these that he made her feel vulnerable. Preeta was warm, kind & fairly easy-going as a person. She could talk to strangers easily, something that helped her deal with her patients too. But inspite of all that, not many people actually knew her. She was an intensely private person that way, not letting anyone see more than she wanted. Karan Luthra however had a way of looking at her as if he could see into her soul. It made her feel bare, naked. And she wasn't sure how much she liked that.
He seemed to have realized that he was still staring because he finally looked away and she muttered thanks. The atmosphere in the car was tense and awkward as they drove to the hotel and neither of them felt the need to ease the tension. If only they could get through the rest of the evening without actually speaking to each other, it would be great. Preeta thought drily.
"We're here." Karan finally spoke after a good 45 minutes as he unbuckled his seatbelt. To her surprise, he went around and opened the car door for her too.
"Shall we?" He said, offering her a hand as she got down.
Trying not to think about what lay ahead she grasped it, his fingers surprisingly warm and reassuring.
"Let's go."
*
Her ex had welcomed them as they entered, taking them to their table as he indulged in pleasantries. Karan hoped he wouldn't be joining them. There was something slimy about the guy that he wasn't sure he could tolerate through an entire evening. How had Preeta almost married this man? He found himself wondering. She tapped his arm lightly, bringing his attention to something Deepak was saying.
"I'm sorry, what?" He asked, trying to focus. Deepak looked a bit offended but nevertheless repeated himself.
"I was saying how I'm really sorry once again about yesterday. I had no idea you two were together." He said with an edge to his voice. Karan smiled in much the same way Preeta had whilst introducing him as her boyfriend the other day. He stepped closer and gripped Deepak by the arm a little harder than required.
"Oh no, no, no." He said, still smiling as his eyes glinted dangerously. "I should be thanking you."
"Me?" Deepak asked, too slow to catch on the trap Karan had laid for him.
"Ofcourse, you. If you hadn't left Preeta I would never have met her. Does that make me selfish, baby?" He said turning to look at Preeta. She seemed to be repressing a smirk and he grinned.
"And now you've arranged this beautiful dinner for us too!" He said, the sarcasm in his tone impossible to miss.
"I just..." Deepak mumbled, a muscle working in his jaw.
"So we'll take it from here?" Karan interrupted, extending a hand towards Preeta again, his grin widening even more as her fingers slipped into his.
"Ofcourse," Deepak said stiffly. "Have a lovely evening."
Turning his back on them he left but Karan called out to him again.
"Hey Deepak?"
"Yes?"
"The exit is that way."
Even in the dim lighting, he could see Deepak's face flush as laughter escaped Preeta's mouth and she tried to disguise it as a cough. He squeezed her fingers as Deepak crossed them and left the restaurant, letting go of her hand when he was finally out of sight.
"Should we keep this up or is he gone?" Preeta asked finally.
"He could still be watching." Karan shrugged. Preeta simply nodded and made her way to their table. The low dip of her blouse made his breath catch and he forced himself to look away even as he remembered the time he had let his fingers gently trail across... Stop it Karan. This isn't a real date. He said firmly. You're just here to... But really? What was he doing here? Even Preeta hadn't expected him to agree to come with her and yet he had. He wasn't sure who was more surprised when he had stopped her, the realization causing him to act like an absolute idiot until Preeta took pity on him.
He couldn't say he regretted it though, as he seated himself across her. She looked even more beautiful if possible in the candle light. The whole thing felt incredibly intimate. He watched as a mix of light and shadows played across her face, highlighting her eyes the most and making her appear almost ethereal.
"Karan?"
"I'm sorry, what?" He asked for what was the second time in the past ten minutes. She was going to think of him as hard of hearing at this rate.
"Should we order?"
"Ahh yes. I haven't eaten anything since lunch." He declared.
"Isn't that normal?" She asked, shooting him a quizzical look.
"How are you my girlfriend when you still don't know of my eating habits?" He said in jest.
"So you..."
"I need to eat atleast 5 times a day." He shrugged.
"But you seem so..." She began to say before catching a hold of herself. Too late.
"Fit? Lean? Ruggedly handsome? I knew you were checking me out when you caught me in my room the first time." He said, his eyes glinting mischievously.
Her cheeks colored at the memory of it but she managed to hold his gaze.
"I'm a Doctor. I notice these things." She said pointedly.
"That's not fair. I paid you a compliment earlier. It wouldn't kill you to give one back." He teased, enjoying himself as she squirmed in her seat.
"You... you clean up well." She finally admitted. He made a face and was about to retort when a waiter approached the table.
"Are you ready to order?" He asked Preeta, looking up at the waiter. She shook her head. The man still stood there however and cleared his throat nervously before speaking, "Today's dinner is by Mr. Deepak. He told us to prepare everything beforehand so you wouldn't have to wait." Karan shot a surprised look at Preeta but didn't say anything. "Sir, may I?" He asked and Karan simply nodded. The man beckoned to someone behind them and a couple of waiters came forward to place the dishes on their table as the head waiter rattled off the names. Karan saw Preeta's eyes widening a bit but didn't say anything until they were alone again.
"What?" He asked.
"He... he ordered all my favorite things." She said a little weakly. So he was marking his territory, Karan thought irritably. He thought if he could remind her that only he knew and loved Preeta best then she would leave Karan and go running back to him. Not pausing to reflect on the fact that they weren't actually together and she wouldn't be leaving him, he cast a dark look around the restaurant. Karan would have betted anything right then to know Deepak had most likely bestowed someone here with a very generous tip to keep an eye on them.
He reached across the table and squeezed her hand at that, smiling warmly. Preeta looked taken aback but didn't wrench her hand away and speaking in a hushed undertone, lest they be overheard, he told her that they were potentially being spied upon. She frowned but what he said seemed to make sense to her so she simply nodded.
"So what are we waiting for? Let's dig in."
*
"How did you even discover the combination of pizza with curry let alone find it tasty?"Karan made a face and Preeta laughed. She was having fun. They had made their way slowly through all of the food, Karan's eyes occasionally widening in a comical way as he saw some of the items that were supposedly her favorites, but he seemed to enjoy most of them. He had asked her about his Grandmother's latest reports later. To her surprise, he actually kept track of the progress she had made. He just made a point of asking his brother about it instead so she had had no idea. She could see he loved his grandmother very much. She was his best friend, he declared. He had also admitted how they had teamed up to get rid of her initially. Considering that they hadn't actually gotten around to doing anything, she had simply laughed good-naturedly and thought she sensed relief in his eyes that she wasn't upset.
She asked him a bit about Cricket but maybe he could tell she wasn't as interested in the game as her sister was because he quickly changed the subject. They had been there for over an hour now, she realized with a start as the waiter cleared the table once they had finished eating. The car drive had been so agonizingly long but sitting here with him, listening to him talk while occasionally poking fun at him and answering all the questions he had, she hadn't realized how time seemed to have flown by.
"Oh, you've got something on your mouth." He said, reaching out. She couldn't help but stiffen a bit as his fingers grazed her lips. He let them drift now, caressing her cheek before going to tuck a stray lock of her hair behind her ear, all the while smiling softly at her. She knew it was only for show but he had that look in his eyes again, that look that made her feel slightly hot and shivery and far too aware of his presence. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the waiter approach them again. Holding his gaze, she reached out to stroke his hand in what she hoped was a romantic way. Something flickered in his eyes then and as they continued to look at each other, the world seemed to slip away, so much so that it took an extra loud cough from the waiter for them to finally look away.
"Sir? Ma'am? If you may." He said, gesturing to what seemed to be a small dance floor at one end of the room.
Preeta glanced nervously at Karan now. Dinner was fine but this felt a bit too much. And especially after what had just happened she wasn't sure if she could trust herself to dance with him. She had been so worried about him being completely intolerable tonight that she hadn't paused to consider the alternative. He simply nodded slightly and she saw him shift a bit before turning to the waiter and saying "Give us 2 minutes please." Preeta tried her best not to look puzzled at that. She thought he would decline and tell the man they were about to leave.
"So where were we?" He said. She was still holding his hand.
"Why did you...?" She started but his phone chose to ring then and he excused himself.
The next thing she knew he had stood up quickly, his yell startling her.
"WHAT? What happened to Dadi?" He asked urgently. Preeta gasped at his words but he didn't look at her.
"We'll meet you at the hospital. It's an hour's drive from here I think. She's going to be fine. She has to be." He finished dramatically before cancelling the call.
"Preeta, Dadi has fainted. They're taking her to the hospital. We need to leave now." She was already gathering her things. He beckoned the waiter to give him his tip, telling him that they had to leave in a rush because of a family emergency. It felt like over-sharing but Preeta didn't comment on it, simply taking his hand as they exited the restaurant at a run.
"Which hospital?" Preeta said as soon as they got into the car. Karan didn't reply and simply put the seatbelt on before starting the car. "Karan?!" She said, tugging at his jacket in urgency. He had looked so panicked earlier but now he looked completely calm as if the phone call had never come. He turned to look at her finally and she saw the mirth in his eyes. "What...? She asked, completely confused now and he let out a short laugh. "I was lying. Dadi is completely fine."
"Why would you do that?" She asked angrily.
"Because you didn't want to dance." He shrugged. "Deepak might have suspected something if we straight up declined."
"But that call?"
"I texted Sameer to call me. He's always on standby to bail me out when a date isn't going well." Preeta made a face, partially grateful for his fast-thinking and partially mad for giving her such a scare. She had grown very fond of his grandmother in the short time that she had known her. Shaking her head now, she relaxed back into her seat and closed her eyes. "Let's just go home." She said wearily.
"Whatever the lady wants." He quipped making her smile. He really could be quite charming, she found herself admitting. Maybe all those girls weren't insane after all.
*
"We're here." Karan announced as he stopped the car. Preeta however continued to stare dolefully into space.
"Preeta?" He asked prodding her a little. Most girls didn't look that miserable after going on a date with him. "Oh, I'm sorry." She said, waking out of her reverie.
"What's wrong?" He asked inspite of himself.
"Nothing."
"You won't tell your boyfriend?" He said dramatically, one hand going to his heart making her smile. "I was just thinking about the lengths I went to, tonight, to escape him." She said. He stared in confusion. Was she thinking of going back to Deepak? For some reason the idea made his skin prickle. "He was my Father's choice." She said looking at him now. "My Father never asked much of me but I couldn't fulfill his last wish." Emotion welled up in her eyes now. "I'm a terrible daughter." She said throwing her head back in frustration.
"You're not." He said, instinctively reaching for her hand. She looked down at that. "I know. He was so terrible. All he wanted was our house and what little money we had. He didn't care for me and yet... and yet..." She struggled to find words.
"You keep wondering if you did the right thing." He said softly and she nodded.
"You did. I know..." he cleared his throat, "I know what it's like to be used." He said. She looked surprised at that. He was Karan Luthra, the Prince after all. "One of the downsides of being a local celebrity." He said in what he hoped was an offhand manner. In reality, his insides were clawing away at him making it painful to share. He wasn't very good at sharing. He never had been. She didn't say anything but continued to look at him curiously, expecting him to continue. He was used to attention. Used to having girls drink up his every word but this felt different. It was more raw and honest.
"What I meant was, you never really know what someone's after. You don't know if they actually do care for you, actually do like you, or are they just latching onto you because they are looking to get something in return. Half of my girlfriends go out with me in the hopes of my brother casting them in my next ad shoot." He said drily. Her eyes seemed to widen in realization at his words and he continued "That's why I... why I keep harassing you about getting close to me." He admitted. "I love my life though." He said firmly. He wasn't looking for sympathy here. "But?" She asked. "But... if there was one thing I could change, it would be this." He sighed. She took his hand in hers now and smiled. "Well not to trigger your alarm bells again..." She said, making him laugh, "But if you're ever looking for a friend, I'll be there for you." She was still smiling at him and he found himself smiling back. "Thanks Preeta." He said. "And as far as your fiance is concerned, you can definitely get someone better than that guy!" He declared. "I mean not Karan Luthra ofcourse but..." She laughed now, all traces of sadness gone and he couldn't help but feel particularly pleased with himself.
"I know, I know. The great Karan Luthra is far beyond my reach." She said sarcastically before unlocking the door.
"I'll walk you to your door." He said, getting down himself.
They were almost there when Preeta turned around to look at him.
"Thank you Karan. For tonight." She said.
"You're welcome. You got to live the dream huh? Getting to date me." He said, straightening his jacket smugly so that she slapped him on the arm lightly.
"I have to ask this though." She said, eyeing him curiously.
"What?" He asked, edging closer.
"Why did you do it? You could have said no and left me to deal with it alone."
He made to say something funny again but changed his mind at the last second and stepped closer.
"Do you really want to know why?" He asked leaning in,
watching as her eyes widened. She simply stared, looking a little speechless at
their close proximity, until he brushed his cheek lightly against hers, making
her gasp.
"I said yes, because you're beautiful. And beautiful girls should always be
made to feel special." He whispered in her ear, feeling her breath quicken at
his words. And then just as quickly, he stepped away.
"Goodnight, Preeta." He said before turning around and making his way to his car. She seemed to be shaking her head as if coming out of a trance when he looked at her again and he couldn't help but smirk before driving off into the night.
*
Preeta was still tracing patterns into the sheets as the clock struck 1. It had been a couple of hours since she had come home yet she couldn't sleep, her head still full of all that had happened tonight. If someone had told her a month ago that she would enjoy going out with Karan Luthra so thoroughly she would have told them to get themselves checked into a mental asylum. She had expected him to be tolerable at most but he had been so much more. He had been kind, he had been protective, he had been warm and friendly and so caring. She remembered how he had made her feel better towards the end of their 'date'. After everything he had admitted to, his paranoia finally made sense. He hadn't taken the slightest advantage of the situation either and had been so respectful of her wishes. He had been nothing but a perfect gentleman, if she were to be honest with herself.
And then that moment when he had chosen to walk her to her door... She could feel her heart beat faster as the memory of it came flooding back for the tenth time that night. He had been so close. For a moment she had thought he was going to kiss her but just his voice in her ear had almost sent her to her knees. She had been fully aware of how long she had stood in the same spot even as he said goodnight and drove away.
She had never imagined him like this. So sweet, so thoughtful, so open, so vulnerable and so... sexy. She shuddered at that last one but she could accept it to be true now. Preeta wasn't the kind of girl to hope for love. She knew that the idea of a Prince Charming was just that... An idea. It did not exist. As she thought about that her own words came to back to her, "The great Karan Luthra is far beyond my reach. She had said. It was true. One night doesn't change anything, Preeta, she told herself sternly. He'll probably go back to being completely awful tomorrow and after a while, all this would be nothing but a dream. She wouldn't let herself fall for this man. He had been nice tonight but she still didn't know him. They were little more than strangers passing in the night and she knew that was all they would ever be. Not every person you meet is of consequence. She knew that. And yet, she couldn't help but feel an irrational twinge of sadness anyway. Sighing in frustration, she buried her face in the pillows trying to close her mind to everything and sleep but the sound of her phone buzzing woke her up again and keeping one eye closed, she looked at the screen.
It was a message from Karan. Her throat suddenly dry, she opened and read it. It was just one line and yet it set her heart aflutter again.
"You owe me a dance.
*
And that's a wrap to my first fic on these two! I had planned on breaking down this story into 2 parts and I hope you liked what I tried here. Also, I know they haven't shown anything related to Karan's paranoia and why he is the way he is but this explanation made sense to me so I just went with it. I hope they do show this in the actual story too. There is a depth to Karan that I feel they'll explore once he and Preeta come closer and I hope I'm not disappointed.
Anyway, let me know what you thought of this part! Feedback is always welcome!
Cheers,
Maham
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