20) Cat got your tongue?

My, my! Am I updating within a week? So soon? Is it really me and not a random ghost? Can you guys believe it?

Kiara's POV

I cut the call immediately and looked at my phone horrified.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

How could I do this?

How could I be such a big idiot?

How could I not see that I had called Arjun instead of Anushka?

"Aaagh." I shouted and refrained from hitting my head on the wall.

Who the hell even put his contact in my phone?

I groaned loudly and fell on the bed with a thud.

I wish that the bed swallows me. At least, that will save me from the embarrassment.

How do I even end up in such situations?

What would he think of me?

I was still thinking about my chances of drowning in the bath tub due to embarrassment when my phone beeped and I found a text from an unknown number.

Open the door.

I stared at my phone for some time. Sitting up, I wondered who that could be. I got a little paranoid before I shrugged it away.

It was probably a prank.

Or a wrong number.

I was about to lay down and continue to think how to kill myself and blame it all on Arjun when the doorbell rang and I froze. Someone was actually out there.

What do I do now?

Should I go and open the door?

What if it was a thief? Or a murderer? Or a gangster? Or a pedophile?

What if he kills me?

I haven't even written my will yet.

Getting up from my bed, I tip-toed towards the main door without making any sound and picked a knife from the kitchen on my way.

What? It was for my safety.

The hair at the back of my neck rose and sweat trickled down my forehead as I moved closer to the entrance.

Reaching the door, I raised my hand that held the knife and opened the door slowly only to find no one outside.

What?

I stepped forward to look carefully.

My heart was beating loud in my chest as I looked to my right.

"Boo." Someone whisper-yelled in my ear and I shrieked loudly. I was ready to stab that person to death before he started laughing. My eyes were screwed shut in fear but on hearing the laughter, I cracked them open one by one and came face to face with a very amused Siddharth.

"Oh, my god." Placing my hand on my heaving chest, I took deep breaths to calm myself.

"You idiot. You scared me." I yelled, hitting him on his arm while he doubled over in laughter.

"Gosh, that was so much fun."

"No, it wasn't." I glared at him. "I was about to get a heart attack."

"Oh, come on, Kia. It wasn't that bad." He gave me a cheeky smile.

"Couldn't you call like a normal person? Or simply ring the doorbell without sending any creepy messages?"

"Now, what fun would that be?" He clicked his tongue.

"Okay, fine. I'm sorry." He sobered when he saw my angry face.

Putting hands on my waist, I narrowed my eyes at him. "I would be the one saying sorry if I had accidentally stabbed you."

He glanced at my hand and his mouth formed an 'o'. He coughed, trying to hide his chuckle.

Why was he laughing?

"With....a spoon?" He bit his lip.

Huh?

I looked at my hand and realized that there was indeed a spoon in my hand.

Wow, my knife had magically turned into a spoon.

I had mistakenly picked a spoon instead of a knife.

Wow.

Just... Wow.

Where can I nominate myself for the 'World's biggest idiot' award?

Excellent job, Kia.

What were you going to do with the spoon if it had been someone else? Play lemon and spoon race with the thief? Or were you intending to feed him chocolate ice cream with your own hands?

"You're so cute." Sid burst out laughing and heat crawled to my ears.

Embarrassing myself in front of Arjun wasn't enough for me. I had to look like a fool in front of his friends too.

"Well? Aren't you going to invite me in?" He asked, leaning on the door frame and raking a hand through his hair.

I mentally face palmed. How rude of me.

I cleared my throat. "Of course. Um. Come in."

"Thank you, my lady." Giving me a dramatic bow, Sid walked inside and I giggled.

Closing the door, I turned to him. "Not to be rude or anything but why are you here?" I asked him politely. I didn't want to come off mean.

He came close to me and slung his arm around my shoulder, giving me a megawatt smile. "Well, I am here to meet my BFF."

My brows knit in confusion. "Uh. But Arjun isn't here. Didn't he tell you?"

Didn't he know that Arjun had gone to Australia?

"Who said I was talking about him?" He wiggled his eyebrows and winked at me.

Then it struck to me that he was referring to me.

I smiled at him and we both went and sat on the sofa.

"Would you like to drink something? Tea? Cold drink? Water?"

"Nah, I'm fine." Kicking his shoes, he propped his legs on the table and made himself comfortable, leaning back on the sofa and placing his hands behind his head. I raised my eyebrows at his act.

Someone is quite comfortable here.

Well, who was I to judge someone when sometimes I myself would be sprawled on the sofa like a dog who had been chasing a cat for the past hour?

"So h-" The main door suddenly burst open and a very happy Rohan entered. "I brought food." He yelled happily.

And...

I forgot to lock the door.

My inner conscience patted my back with a very heavy sarcasm.

With the speed at which I was going, I was surely going to get the house robbed in another week.

"Hey, Kia. How are you?" Rohan asked, settling down on the opposite couch.

"I'm good."

"Here, take this." He handed a burger to me and then to Sid.

Burger! Yay!

"Since that asshole who is unfortunately our friend isn't here, we thought we would accompany you. It must get lonely here." Sid said, munching on his burger like he hadn't eaten for days.

My heart swelled with happiness for those two.

At least, someone cared about me.

"We know it is hard for you, Kia." Rohan said. "Arjun can be-"

"A douchebag. I agree." Sid nodded seriously while Rohan gave him a hard glare to shut him up.

"-difficult sometimes. You should try to talk to him." Rohan continued.

"Are you kidding me?" I looked at him incredously. "He left the day we got married. He can't even stand my face. He himself said that. And you expect me to talk to him? Moreover, do you think he would even listen to me? "

"We could always tie him to a chair and gag him. Then he would have no option left other than to listen to you." Sid suggested with a shrug and I looked at him as if he was asking us to break into the Prime Minister house.

"Sid, when exactly did you lose your mind?" I asked him while he just poked his tongue out and huffed in response.

"What I mean to say is that don't give up on him. He might seem rude but he is a good person at heart." Rohan tried to reason and I scoffed.

Yeah, and I am a secret FBI agent planning on raiding Arjun's home.

"He wasn't always like this. Something... happened and it took a toll on him." Rohan explained. "I can't tell you what happened because it is not my place to tell. Arjun is just hurt and the only way he knows how to deal with pain is to push people away."

"Yeah. We are the only kind souls that have stayed with him since the start." Sid sighed dramatically.

Rohan hit Sid at the back of his head and then turned to me. "I just want to say that don't judge him before you get to know him. I know he misbehaved earlier but that's because he has anger issues. Please give him a chance."

I listened to him patiently and then replied. "Well, I guess I can give it a try. Moreover, I don't have any other choice, do I?" I chuckled humorlessly.

"Enough of this boring shit. I want to do something." Sid whined. "Let's see a movie." He suggested and went towards the TV, searching for a DVD.

"Here." Inserting the DVD in the player, he switched on the TV.

The movie started and on seeing the title, I squealed gleefully causing Rohan to almost fall from his seat.

"What?" He asked me with wide eyes.

"It's Thor." I squealed with a huge, idiotic smile on my face.

He kept looking at me with the same expression for a few seconds and then shook his head, chuckling.

Sid came and sat beside me. "I always knew I made you my BFF for a reason." He winked and we both high fived.

*

I snuggled into the chair and sighed deeply, munching on my chocolate bar. Chocolate always gave me a sense of relief. It worked as a stress buster for me. As I took in the view before my eyes, I inhaled the fresh air and an unconscious smile spread across my face. I was sitting in the balcony and admiring the view. It had become my favorite place here. Since the past few days, I would come here daily in the evening with my books and read, study or simply look around. This place held a strange sense of serenity.

As I looked up at the sky, a cold breeze flew past me and I shivered. It was getting cold and I would soon catch cold with the amount of clothes I was wearing. I was dressed in one of my dad's shirts that I had not so graciously stolen from him before moving in here and some shorts which were well hidden under the shirt. I wasn't the one to wear such clothes as I always felt uncomfortable with showing off my skin but I was alone here and these were the most comfortable clothes in the world. So, why not? Another wind flew and I stood up, pushing the brim of my black nerd glasses on the bridge of my nose.

I must go inside.

It had been 10 days since my so-called marriage and there was no sign of Arjun. But I wasn't complaining.

I don't have any problem as long as he is out of my sight.

Roaming around the hall, I decided to go to my room, putting my hair in a messy bun. I could practically go anywhere in the penthouse but I preferred my own room.

This place was huge. Unsurprisingly, Arjun owned the whole building but lived on the top three floors. The top floor had a terrace which gave a breathtaking view of the city and there was a swimming pool too. Yes, a freaking swimming pool.

The floor below the terrace had a hallway, a large office, a built-in gym and a very big room that was locked. I was so curious as to what was inside and even asked Ritu but she gave me a secretive smile and suggested me to ask Arjun about it. She also mentioned the fact that Arjun never allowed anyone to enter there. This only piqued my curiosity and I spent many hours wondering about the room.

What... What if it was a playroom? Just like Christian Grey had?

I need to stop reading Fifty shades of Grey immediately.

Humming a tune, I jumped on my bed, got inside the covers and started reading a book.

A few minutes passed in peace when the doorbell rang and I groaned heavily. I had just settled in my bed. I didn't want to get up. No one rang the bell when I was hopping around the house like a duck on crack but now when I was in my bed, so warm and so comfortable, someone surprisingly showed up.

I looked at the time and it was 6 pm. Must be Ritu. She always comes at this time to prepare dinner.

Though she has the keys to the house, she never uses them, except when no one is home.

I sat on my bed for a few seconds and realized that the door wouldn't open itself with magic and I would have to stand up.

Stomping towards the main doors with a chocolate in my hand and my head engrossed in the book, I opened the door without looking up.

As seconds ticked by, I realized Ritu hadn't greeted me yet like she always did.

"Come i-" I looked up from my book and screamed loudly, the book flying from my hand in shock and I immediately backed away, trying to get away from here as soon as possible. In the process, my legs tangled with each other and I fell backwards, landing on my butt.

"Ow." I winced and my eyes snapped towards the guest in front of me.

This wasn't Ritu. Oh no, she wasn't. Unless she had taken polyjuice potion and turned into a tall, well built, extraordinarily hot species of male.

I gaped at him like a deer caught in headlights.

What was he doing here?

My eyes slowly travelled up at the person standing on the door. Long legs covered in black pants, followed by a broad, muscular chest clad in a navy-blue button down. And then finally, a gorgeous, angry face. Dark, black eyes regarded me with what seemed to be confusion, irritation and a hint of anger.

Arjun.

He was here.

His eyebrows were furrowed together and he looked rather displeased.

He always looks the same.

His eyes raked over my form and I noticed one of his eyebrows raising a millimeter.

What was he looking at?

My eyes followed his gaze and a surprised yelp escaped my lips. My shirt had ridden up and some of my belly and shorts were on display. I immediately rolled down the shirt so that it reached below my mid thighs.

Leave it to me to turn any situation embarrassing.

What was he even doing here?

It's his house. Of course, he'll be here.

When I looked back at him, biting my lip in nervousness, Arjun shook his head in what I assumed was resignation and after rolling his eyes in annoyance, he leaned forward and gave me his hand.

Okay, this wasn't Arjun. Why was he suddenly behaving like a gentleman? Was he sick or going abroad had an effect on his mental health?

I eyed his hand as if it was some sort of creature which might eat me any second.

"I don't bite, you know." He spoke and I almost jumped at his sudden voice.

Okay, so let's think what would a normal girl do in such situation. She would obviously give her hand to her husband and he would help her stand up. And then, the girl would smile and blush while the husband would kiss her cheek and they would live happily ever after.

Only, I wasn't a normal girl and Arjun was definitely not a normal husband. If I had given my hand to him, he would have picked me up and then thrown me down the balcony.

And I wasn't so keen on dying so painfully.

So, I did the only sensible thing that came to my wonderful mind and something that any other 'normal' girl wouldn't do. I scrambled to my feet all by myself, without any help from Arjun and ran from there not before giving him a petrified look. Yes. I literally ran in the direction of my room. Halfway through my Olympic marathon, I realized I had left my book and chocolate there only.

Oh no, I can't leave my precious babies there with that Devil.

I stopped for a millisecond and weighed my options. I glanced at the entrance where Arjun was standing, disbelief written across his face. This was the first time he had shown any emotion other than anger and he looked comical doing that. I wanted to laugh at the foolish look on his face but I had no time for that.

I had a very important mission right now.

It was a life and death situation.

My head swerved in the direction of Arjun and then my room.

Was it really worth going back?

Yes, it was.

Mustering up the courage, I turned around and rushed towards my babies. Not even sparing a glance at Arjun, I collected my book and chocolate in a hurry.

"Hey!" He started but I cut him off with a scream.

Why was I screaming? I had no idea.

Still screaming, I ran back not before glancing back at him and hitting my head in a wall and then sticking my toe in the table.

As soon as I reached my room, I locked the door. Leaning against it, I panted heavily and thought what the heck I had just done.

Where could I sign myself up for the Guinness world record for the most embarrassing situations?

How the hell was I gonna face him now?

Why the hell did I run away from there?

I got scared.

I think it would be better if I jump from the balcony myself.

Or possibly lock myself in my room.

Maybe I could colour my hair and tell him that Kiara has died and this is her twin sister - Ursula.

I paced around my room, thinking for an excuse as to why I ran as if there was a 50% sale on my favorite chocolate. I needed a proper excuse that would make me appear like a sane person, although I was anything but that. Two hours passed like this and I still didn't know what to do.

A knock sounded at my door and I stopped in my tracks. "Kia. It's me, Ritu. I have prepared the dinner. Actually, I have some urgent work at home so I'm leaving. Is it okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sure. Bye."

"Bye." She said and I heard footsteps of her leaving. I sank in my bed and bit my nails.

I can't stay here forever.

I'll have to get out sometime.

Time for a pep talk.

"Okay, Kia. Calm down." I muttered to myself. "You can do this. All you have to do is walk outside and act as if nothing happened. That's it."

Blowing air through my mouth, I stood up and nodded my head.

I am going to do this.

Hesitantly, I opened the door and peeked my head out. Narrowing my eyes around the hall, I looked for any sign of him.

Nothing.

Okay, the way was clear.

Walking on my tip toes, I made sure not to make a sound and came round a corner. I stopped there and surveyed the way ahead.

Where was he?

"So, whom are we planning to kidnap?" Someone whispered behind me and I screamed loudly for the second time in the last three hours, jumping so high that my head almost hit the ceiling but large hands soon settled on my waist to prevent me from taking a flight in the air. Breathing deeply, I placed a hand on my chest when the same someone spoke, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Uh-oh.

I knew that voice.

I whipped around only to come face to face with Arjun, who was standing there with an annoyed expression. "How do you keep falling here and there every time? Why the hell are you so bouncy?"

Believe me, I wonder that all time.

I wanted to shout 'Because I'm extremely clumsy!' in his face but no way in hell would I agree to my weakness in front of this Devil. Backing away from him, I glared at him with my head high in the air and asked. "What are you doing here?"

You know you're basically questioning the owner of the house what is he doing in his own home?

"Well, hello to you too. Babe." Putting emphasis on the last word, he leaned back on the wall and folded his arms on his chest, awarding me with his famous smirk. My eyes bugged out of my sockets and I stared at him dumbly.

He remembers!

Well, of course, he does. This is Arjun Singhania we are talking about.

"What happened, princess? Cat got your tongue?" He mocked while I stared at him gobsmacked.

Say something back, you idiot.

What?

You can ramble to yourself for hours but can't make a proper comeback to this Devil?

"I am hungry." I spoke all of a sudden.

What a great comeback!

"Let's eat." I squeaked out and he looked at me weirdly and walked past me, not before giving me another annoyed look and an eye roll.

What just happened?

I wish his eyes roll out of his sockets someday.

What's with him and his mood swings?

I slumped against the wall and looked above.

Did I really have to do this?

Was it just me or had someone actually said yes?

Nonetheless, I found my feet taking me towards the dining table and my anxiety reached its peak, dreading this upcoming dinner.