29) That's what she said

Yup it's a double update! Woo-hoo!

Arjun's POV

Walking side by side with our arms occasionally brushing each other, my eyes fell on our joined hands and then at Kiara.

"You sure you are not going to fall this time?"

She groaned, palming her face with her free hand and shaking her head. "Why did I even let you meet mom and dad?"

"Your mistake." I smirked as we sauntered in the hall at a lazy pace and Kiara came to an abrupt halt.

"People are staring at you." She leaned towards me and whispered like she was confessing that she had murdered someone.

"I know." I could feel eyes on me, this was nothing new. Wherever I went, people came running after as if I was some sort of a king. They didn't love me, they craved my power and money. All they wanted was a name in my good books. I was used to this. If I even as much as sneezed, they would come running after me with handkerchiefs like lapdogs.

And the stunt that I pulled half an hour ago, people were bound to stare.

"Some of them are staring at me." Kiara blinked, sounding surprised.

I know that, too.

"Arjun!" Dad rushed to us, his forehead creased and his eyes reflecting worry. "What happened? I heard Sid saying about you being angry over something."

"It was nothing, dad." I brushed it off.

"But I saw you and Riya ta-"

"Dad." I stressed. "I told you it was nothing."

"If you say so." He didn't believe me, I could see it as he pressed his lips in a thin line and his face expressed disapproval.

It was then he noticed Kiara beside me and his eyes flashed in surprise as his gaze fell on our hands. Though he quickly recovered, his face putting up a blank mask but I didn't miss the small smile playing on his lips.

I rolled my eyes, groaning internally. Removing my hand from her hold, I shoved it inside my pocket. Her eyes fleeted to me for a second, bewildered and anxious, and she wrung her hands in front of her awkwardly.

"How are you, Kiara?" Dad asked, the smile never leaving his face.

What did he find so amusing?

"I'm good." She nodded politely, trying to smile just for the sake of it.

"Did you like the decorations?" Dad's eyes wandered around the place.

"Yeah! The mansion looks really beautiful." Kiara exclaimed.

"Courtesy to Roshni." He grinned. Someone called his name and he excused himself. "I'll go and attend our guests. Enjoy the party."

As much as I hate to admit it, if it wouldn't have been for Kiara, I would've definitely lashed out on Riya.

I didn't know how she did it but somehow through her awkward rambles and useless rants, she calmed me down. It wasn't hard to forget what Riya said cause when Kiara started blabbering, it took all my brain cells to focus on what she was saying. And if it wasn't enough, I had no fucking idea what she talked about. Unicorns and wings.

As soon as that spoiled brat of my sister opened her trash mouth, I lost it but the moment Kiara held my hand, I controlled myself. One look in those startled eyes and my mind went back to our engagement when the same eyes held unshed tears and fear. Fear of me. As if I was some kind of a monster. I didn't know if it was guilt or something else but I stopped. I didn't want to see the same fear in her eyes again.

"Just look at them!" An annoying, loud screech hit my ears, snapping me out of my thoughts and Kiara jumped beside me. A short, plump woman came into my view, her cheeks flushed and a wide, scary smile on her face. She looked the kind of woman parents usually warned their children about. And if I remembered carefully, she was my relative. One of dad's cousins maybe.

"I was searching for you two." She clapped her hands, gazing at us as if angels have descended from heaven.

She placed an arm on my shoulder and gushed. "Look at you, all grown up."

My gaze burned at her hand and then at her as I silently judged her, my sour face reflecting my displeasure. On receiving no response from me, she removed her hand as her smile faltered and cleared her throat awkwardly. Not letting my silence and foul mood ruin her enthusiasm, she moved to Kiara.

"And what a beautiful bride you have, Arjun!" She held Kiara's hands in her own, her eyes twinkling as if she found a hidden treasure.

She might have guessed the look of utter confusion on Kiara's face when she explained to her. "I'm Arjun's aunt. Rajveer's cousin."

"Oh. Nice to meet you." Kiara bowed her head in respect as I snorted. I was about to tell her not to bother with this lady but then decided against it.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come in your engagement. I was a little busy." She sighed while I cocked a brow at her.

We didn't even invite you.

"But as soon as I got the invitation for this function, I told my husband that I wouldn't miss it for anything. After all, it was my favourite nephew's wedding." She beamed at me.

She wouldn't even know when my birthday is.

"You know honey," She told Kiara, "when Arjun was little, he was such a mischievous child. Always getting into trouble." She cackled loudly like a crow on crack, scaring off a few people nearby.

"Let's hope your children won't be as naughty as you." She pulled my cheek, giggling like a high school fresher who just made a boyfriend.

What the fuck?

I swear if another person tells me how good we look together or how cute our babies will be, I'll hurl a champagne bottle at them.

"Just so you know," She nudged Kiara, smirking. "I already have the baby names ready."

Kiara's horrified eyes met mine and a plan formed in my head.

Let's have some fun.

"You don't know?" I asked my aunt.

"Know what?" She looked at me, resembling an overripe pumpkin.

"We already have twins out of wedlock."

"Wh-What?" She sputtered in shock, putting a hand on her chest.

"Yeah. Why else do you think we got married so fast?"

"Bu- Wh- Oh lord." She clutched her forehead with other hand, looking like she was about to have a cardiac arrest. I heard a snicker beside me and from my peripheral vision, I noticed Kiara placing a hand over her mouth, trying to muffle her laughs. It took a lot of restrain to smother the grin that threatened to form on my lips as I looked at the old witch's horrified face.

"In fact, we are ready to have our third child." Kiara said, playing along.

"Already?" She gasped.

"Yeah, we went for a test this morning." Kiara answered casually and my dear aunt looked ready to fall in a coma.

"Not many people know about it." I whispered to her. "Only family. And now, you. After all, I'm your favourite nephew."

"So, baby names?" Kiara suggested.

"I... I... uh... I need to f-find my husband." She swallowed and rushed away from there not before sparing us a terrified glance.

I think we scarred her.

As soon as she left, Kiara dissolved into loud giggles and an unwilling grin cracked on my face.

"And I thought I was the only one weird here." Kiara wondered aloud, chuckling as we both watched the lady waddle away in search of her husband.

I scoffed. "Believe me, there are a lot like you. And my life is full of them."

"Then you should be thankful that you're surrounded by amazing people." She glanced at me. "And you know why they are all around you? So that you can show emotions other than the dead-person-look that you love to carry around. Else someone would have mistaken you for a zombie and shot you dead long ago."

"Oh please." I muttered.

While I was busy cursing my fate for being stuck in this annoying party with an even more annoying human being on my side, I found John Walter, one of our business associates, making his way towards us. He was an Indian businessman residing in US, currently on a tour to expand his business in other countries.

"Arjun!" He exclaimed, shaking my hand.

"Hope you're enjoying the party, Mr. Walter."

"No need to be so formal, lad." He rebuffed slightly. "And to answer your question, yes, I'm having a great time. Lovely people around." His eyes roamed around, taking in the place.

Lovely wouldn't be the adjective that I'd use to describe them.

His eyes shifted to my right. "And this pretty lady must be your wife."

Unfortunately. "Yes. Kiara, this is John Walter, our business partner. And John, this is Kiara Singhania, my wife."

The name sounded strange on my tongue.

"Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine." Kiara replied.

John and I made some small talk, Kiara giving her input whenever necessary. Surprisingly, she can be sensible if she wants to. Everything was going good but then-

"I hope you remember our meeting next month." John spoke out of blue.

"Of course, I've started working on the project already."

A thoughtful look crossed his face. "How about you bring Kiara with you? I'm sure she would like to visit Maldives."

What?

"I don't think -" Before I could deny his proposal, Kiara spoke up.

"I would love to." My head snapped to her. "I mean we haven't had a proper holiday since we got married." Scooting closer, she placed a hand on my chest as my eyes narrowed at her. "And it's about time we get a break from our daily lives."

"Right, honey?" Batting her eyelashes at me, she tilted her head, her face mocking me.

"Yeah, why not." I gritted out, my fist clenching. "We would love a holiday together."

What else could I say in front of John?

I'm sorry I can't bring her with me cause this marriage was fucking forced on us and we fight like dogs and cats at every chance we get. And to top that, my wife is crazy! Though if you want to set your office on fire, you are more than welcome to invite us.

I think her only mission in life is to vex me.

"Wonderful! I'll see you both in Maldives then." He exclaimed, picking up his phone that started ringing and trudged away.

"You are not going." I declared when John was out of sight.

"No one asked you." She shrugged, rolling her eyes. This girl loved testing my patience.

I faced her. "I said, you are not going." My voice low and sharp as I pronounced every syllable slowly so as to make it clear.

A taunting smirk pulled on her lips as she raised her head, looking at me. "Try telling that to Mr. Walter."

Calm down, Arjun.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go and socialize. And you can go and book our tickets to Maldives. Honey." Sinking into a dramatic courtesy, she strode away.

Sometimes I think that she is a ploy set up in my life by my rivals so that I turn insane one day and they get my company all to themselves. The more time I spend with her, the more I am convinced of this theory.

I watched her as she turned around, winking at me. She was about to face forward when her gown got tangled under her heels and she stumbled, bumping into a woman.

As if on instinct, my hand shot out and then stilled abruptly as she balanced herself, brushing imaginary dust from her dress.

This girl is a walking disaster!

Why was she even wearing those heels? I've seen her tripping on a plain surface more times than we have properly talked to each other.

Rubbing my temple, I sighed and looked around.

I need a drink.

Stopping a passing-by waiter, I picked a glass from the tray and gulped down the drink in one go. I grimaced slightly as the drink went past my throat leaving a burning sensation behind.

"One more." I ordered the waiter, running a hand through my hair. Closing my eyes for a second, I sighed deeply, trying to regain my strength to go through the whole party without stabbing anyone or shooting myself. I opened my eyes, expecting another round of drink but my lips pressed in a thin line as I found the waiter too busy staring at someone. One thing I hated about people was their tardiness. When my eyes followed his stare, my hand tightened into a fist, anger bubbling inside me as I realized that he was gawking at Kiara. More like at her exposed back. Fucker.

Narrowing my eyes, I stepped forward, catching his attention. "I think you are paid to serve, not to stare at girls." My steel, sharp voice snapped him out of his ogling session.

His eyes widened as he realized that I had caught him checking out my wife.

"I-I'm s-sorry, sir." He stuttered.

"You better be." My eyes flitted to Kiara and then back at the waiter, my voice lethal. "And if I find you staring at her again or in fact any other woman, you won't like the consequence."

Nodding his head frantically, he rushed away, almost dropping his tray in the process.

Idiot.

I was going to go out in the garden for some fresh air when Rohan came and introduced me to some people. Some of them were dad's friends, some simply business partners but being the host I had to entertain them. By the time they left, I was mentally exhausted.

If somebody gives me a mattress, I'll just lie down here.

My eyelids felt heavy and I was having a hard time trying to keep them open. On their own accord, my eyes searched the room and froze at the person for whom this whole party had been planned.

What's wrong with me?

Maybe I had spent too much time with these lunatics around me.

I'd rather hear Sid singing like a dying seal for hours rather than stay here.

"Thank God you are her husband. Else the police might arrest you for staring at her like a creep."

Speak of the devil.

"I think the police might arrest me, but for a murder. And I wasn't staring at her." I turned my eyes to him standing on my right, grinning like the idiot he was.

"Sure." He drawled, ignoring my first statement with the stupid smirk plastered on his face that made me want to run a car over him. "And I'm a goblin."

"I always knew there was something wrong with you."

"Shut up." He scoffed.

"Riya is still breathing, I see." He chuckled, casually locking hands behind his back.

"So?"

"Nothing." His shoulders raised in an indifferent shrug. "I just thought that she won't make it alive today considering the things she said."

I kept quiet.

"You were quite angry." He spoke cautiously, his voice hesitant.

"Yeah, but I'm learning to control my anger."

"Right." He snorted, unable to hide his smirk. "Says the one who was almost about to fire his employee yesterday only because his office couch had three cushions instead of four."

I raised my forefinger. "About to. I didn't though. The same way I controlled myself today."

"Uh-huh. I'd like to believe that it's because of a certain brown eyed human being with whom you share your penthouse." That creepy smirk was back which he usually wore around in high school whenever he suggested one of his amazing ideas to woo a girl. In which he always failed, by the way.

"So, what happened?" The smirk was on full force now. "You know, when you walked out of here like a caveman with Kiara?"

"Werewolves happened." I shook my head, chuckling lightly and replaying her rant in my mind. When I glanced at him, I found him looking at me with astonished eyes, his lips stuck in a bewildered smile.

"What?"

"You are smiling."

"Nice observational skills, man." I rolled my eyes. "I hope you know I'm a human. And I smile too."

"Yes, once in a light year."

"Light year is a measure of speed, not time."

He ignored me.

I don't know how I survived 13 years with him being my friend.

"Well, I'll go and have some wine." Running a hand over the crease on his coat, he looked up. "And please stop ogling at her. It's embarrassing."

"Just because there are people around doesn't mean that I'll hesitate to punch you."

"You heard that?" He furrowed his brows, pretending to listen to something. "I think someone's calling me. I'll talk to you later, okay." He vanished in a blink. Moron.

He should pursue a career in acting.

A total drama queen.

I turned around and my gaze zeroed at Kiara, again, her back facing me. All that I could make out was the nod of her head at something the woman beside her said. Every few minutes or so, she would shrug uneasily, something that I had noticed earlier too as her back muscles tensed. I could see that she was uncomfortable in this dress. Why did she choose it then?

God knows if I'll ever understand women.

Wait, weren't those strappy things at her back supposed to be attached to the gown? Then why was the lower end of one of them free?

Fuck.

My eyes widened in realization and I speed walked towards her. That's when she bent down to pick a fallen mobile and I almost froze in my place.

FUCK.

(That's how Kiara's gown looks from the back. The actual picture of the gown is in the previous chapter.)

Kiara's POV

Forcing a laugh on my lips, I tried to hide my grimace on hearing the women around me cackle like hyenas. For the past 15 minutes, they had made it their ultimate mission to tell me about every possible gossip in this whole world.

If I stayed here one more minute, my ears would start bleeding.

How did I even get stuck here?

I had bumped into a lady (big mistake) who had recognized me and pulled me along to meet her friends. Since then, I had been hearing them talk nonsense. This stupid idea of socializing was probably the worst decision I've ever taken, including the one when I agreed to marry the human version a huge, plain rock. I had suddenly grown an immense liking to the introverts and was about to turn into one.

"And that's how he ended up there." In her process of clapping like an excited chimpanzee, Mrs. I-can't-and-don't-want-to-remember-her-name accidentally dropped her phone as it landed near my feet.

I was going to bend over to pick it up when someone came behind me and I gasped loudly, jumping at the sudden movement.

"Hey, princess." He whispered against my ear, the rasp in his voice sending a shiver down my spine. Resting his hands on my waist, he pressed himself against me as all breath knocked out of my lungs. I blinked in a daze.

Arjun. What was he doing?

"Relax, it's just me." His hands loosely encircled my stomach while he rested his chin on my shoulder making me freeze in my place.

What possessed him all of a sudden? He seemed alright when I left him some time ago.

My head started spinning and my body grew weak, almost collapsing in his arms.

I agree we've had our own share of random moments of close proximity but we've never been this close before.

May my poor soul rest in peace.

And why was he suddenly behaving like this?

What happened to him?

I knew we decided to act like a real couple in front of people but this was a bit too much.

Did he lose his mind?

Was he drunk?

Or did one of his multipolar, psychotic personalities suddenly come into action?

My eyes bored into his to search for any sign of intoxication. Instead, I found something that made me inhale sharply. His eyes held a certain warmth, a warmth that I never thought he was capable of as a soft, small smile danced on his lips.

I think I'm hallucinating.

Yes, I was hallucinating. I haven't had any chocolate in a while. It must had been a side effect.

All the hyenas around me were shocked into silence as they drooled over my husband.

"We'll just excuse you." Mrs. Malhotra giggled along with the others and they moved a little away so as to give us privacy.

My limbs were paralyzed as my heart slammed in my chest and I tilted my head at him.

"Do you need to see a doctor?" I whisper-yelled at him.

He just smiled in response.

Something was really wrong with him.

"The strap at your back is hanging loose." He spoke so quietly that I would have missed it if I hadn't been so hyper aware of my senses. "If you had bent down, the front of your gown would've fallen off."

My mouth dried up, dread washing over me.

"What?" My voice came out as a small, scared whisper, all colour draining from my face.

"You are not joking, right?" I spoke in a frantic whisper.

"Why would I lie about something like this?"

Yeah, why would he?

Oh lord.

Before I could hyperventilate, my brain going into a frenzy, his arms came to my sides, his fingers tightening their hold on my waist as he leaned forward to utter in my ear.

"Don't worry, I got you."

My heart skipped a beat.

Five words.

Five simple words that made my breath falter and my heart go wild.

My brown orbs roamed on his solemn face while his cautious eyes were busy scanning the crowd around us.

For a millisecond, everything else was forgotten as I stared at him, transfixed. And then, when his eyes snapped to my own, I came out of my trance, blinking heavily.

He gave me a questioning stare but I shrugged it off with a small shake of my head and looked away.

"What do we do now?" The sudden turn of events had given me a pounding headache and all my brain cells seemed to be dead.

"Be casual. Behave as if nothing happened. If anyone gets to know what happened, it won't take long for the news to become a headline." If I was scared before, I was petrified now.

I don't think I'd like anyone reading about my wardrobe malfunction tomorrow morning during breakfast.

"Put a smile on your face and relax."

I tried to uplift my lips in a smile but it was easier said than done. My nerves were getting the best of me and my body parts weren't functioning properly.

"Not like that. You look like a kidnapper luring a small kid for a candy."

"You're not helping." I snapped.

"Why can't we just simply walk from here?" I groaned after all my efforts of smiling without looking like a creepy stalker went in vain. "It's just a thin strap. No one will notice it. And even if they do, it's not that of a big deal."

"Not for you. But the media will love this."

I couldn't deny that he wasn't wrong.

That's what media does, right? Make a huge deal out of something as insignificant as this.

A couple passed by, sending smug glances at us and I smiled back at them hoping I didn't resemble a toothless, evil witch trying to offer Snow White an apple.

"What are you doing?" I squeaked when I felt Arjun's hand in my hair.

"I'm trying to open your hair so that they will cover your back." He poked my bun, his focused, deep voice igniting a strange sensation in me. "What is it, a crossword puzzle? Why the fuck is it so hard to open this bun?" He growled lowly, frustrated.

"Don't you even dare." I swatted his hand away. "It took Shreya half an hour to make this complicated bun."

"Are you being serious right now?" He hissed from beside me.

"Yes. And moreover, there are at least a thousand Bobby pins in my hair. By the time you take all of them out, it will be morning."

Ignoring the curse word that left his mouth, I looked around, trying to make it as casual as possible although I was freaking out from inside.

"Of course. How stupid can I be." Arjun muttered all of a sudden, blowing out a frustrated breath.

"Very." I answered him and his eyes snapped to mine. His glaring eyes settled on my face and something about them made me shiver.

"You cold?" He asked and I shook my head.

I wasn't cold, no. How was I supposed to tell him that it was him who made me feel like this?

"Here. Take my coat." I could hear movement behind as he probably shrugged off his coat, still keeping close as I could sense the body heat that radiated from him.

My lips parted in understanding as he draped the coat over my shoulders and the girls near around awwed at us. I swear I saw a girl cleaning drool from her mouth from the corner of my eye.

Making sure that my back was well covered, he glanced up and noticed the small group of women that were watching our every move like hawks eyeing their prey.

More like him being the prey and me being an obstacle.

"Well, if you ladies don't mind, I would like to steal my lovely wife for a second." Flashing them a charming smile, he snaked a hand around my waist.

Was it just me or had a girl just swooned and fallen into her friend's arms?

As he turned, his facade dropped and he became serious, a sullen look resting on his face. "Let's go."

With his arm around me, I walked out of there for the second time this evening. I had a very strong urge to throw my heels at someone. My feet were aching badly and I wanted nothing more than to go home, eat some chocolates and sleep till a comet destroyed earth. Yes, I was that tired.

Now, you would assume that my clumsiness would've left me in such a critical situation and I would've simply walked away like a normal human being. Lol, jokes on us all. I could have walked away, I would have if my body parts had cooperated with me. Long story short - My heels and my feet had a fight with each other. Heels got angry and decided to punish my feet which resulted in me almost planting my face in the ground. Thankfully, my unwilling knight in shining armor came to my rescue at the moment. Arjun held me as I tripped, his arms around me.

"For fuck's sake!" Huffing, Arjun pulled me upright. "You're worse than a hopping rabbit."

Not someone, I wanted to throw my heels at this devil.

Just imagine the level of my exhaustion that I didn't even try to throw an insult at him.

A minute later, we found ourselves in another unknown room. How many rooms did this mansion had?

Quickly shrugging off the coat, I went to stand in front of the mirror, my back facing it and my neck craned to look at my reflection.

"How did this happen?" Arjun asked, standing behind me.

"I... I don't know." I pressed a palm over my forehead helplessly. "I didn't even know that it had been torn before you told me."

Arjun's face seemed conflicted as his eyes focused on the floor.

Meeting my eyes, he ran a hand through his hair, the other propped on his waist. "We'll discuss this later. Come, we're leaving."

I turned to face him. "And the party?"

"You want to roam around like that?" He gestured at my outfit raising his brows.

"No. I mean we can't just... leave like that."

"Of course, we can." He ridiculed.

"But what about all the guests?"

Arjun looked at me deadpanned. "Do you think I give a damn about them? I just wanted a reason to leave this horrible place. And now we have one. Come on."

"Wait." I called out to him, forwarding my hand that held his coat. "I think you should take it back. What if someone mistakes you for a waiter in your outfit?" I pursed my lips, amused. I was just kidding. Only a blind person or a fool would mistake him for a waiter. The way he carried himself in public, his presence demanded attention. His every move seemed calculated and molded with perfection, the air of authority and superiority surrounding him.

Sending me his famous unimpressed glare, he snatched his coat from my hand and before I could step away, he got hold of my elbow and tugged me closer to him. He, then, proceeded to hold the coat high behind me while I blinked, confused and when it dawned on me what he was doing, I gawked at him like he had just told me that he liked to play with barbie dolls. When it was confirmed he wasn't going to budge, I unwillingly put my arms through the sleeves, grumbling about him being bossy as hell. Effectively ignoring my words like he ignores my presence at home, he adjusted the lapels and buttoned me up while I stood there still as if I was a small child who needed to be dressed for school.

There was a strange flutter in my chest as I peered up at him, noticing the simplest and smallest of things. The small V that would appear between his brows whenever he would crease his forehead. His lips pressed in a thin, straight line and his long lashes brushing his cheeks whenever he blinked. And that stupid, stubborn frown that wouldn't leave his face. I was growing accustomed to it.

And he was being nice. Not the typical nice. This is Arjun we are talking about. The nicest he could get was not to drown you in a pool if you asked him for a second glass of water.

What I meant to say was that he didn't seem as bad as before.

Wait, what am I thinking?

"I know you find me hot. Try not to make it so obvious." A very amused face greeted me as my eyes met black pools lined with smugness. His stupid, handsome face held that annoying, infuriating smirk that he seemed to wear around me whenever he wasn't frowning or glaring.

Just remind me to put a tape on my mouth the next time I come in front of him.

Trying to turn the conversation in a different direction because I knew I would never win if he continued, I looked down at his coat that had completely engulfed me. "You are huge."

"That's what she said."

My jaw hung open as my huge, round, unblinking eyes regarded him, my face stunned.

Did he... Did he just make an inappropriate joke?

Arjun Singhania can joke!

I didn't know he was capable of that.

He leaned closer. "My, my. Have the pigs started flying? Have I done the impossible? Have I made the famous Kiara, the one who couldn't keep quiet to save her life, speechless?"

I closed my gaping mouth, my cheeks tinting pink.

"I must say, I like you better when you're quiet." The courage that I had somehow built up to retort left me as I heard those words.

A very inhuman sound escaped me, my mind suddenly forgetting all the words that I had learnt since childhood.

He stepped back, a lopsided smirk adorning his face.

"Shall we?" He opened the door and I exited the room with my cheeks on fire, him following close behind.

"Wait!"

I turned around. "What?"

"We'll use the back door." He tilted his head to right and this time I followed him as we both made our way out. The back door opened into the garden and as soon as I stepped out, a breeze flew by and I sighed contently while Arjun talked to someone over phone. I hadn't even bothered trying to hear what words came out of his mouth.

By this time, my feet had completely turned numb so seeking out the only reasonable option, I removed my heels, moaning in relief. Holding my gown, I wiggled my toes and exhaled heavily.

"You'll be able to walk to the main door?" I straightened up on hearing his voice as he gave me a weird look.

"Why, are you going to carry me to the car if I can't?" I scoffed, enjoying the feel of cool grass beneath my feet.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself, princess." He started walking.

"That's what I thought." With each heel in either of my hands, I matched his steps.

In no time, we reached the driveway where a servant was standing beside Arjun's car. Taking car keys from him, Arjun got inside and I copied his actions. The first thing I did was to search for my phone that I had somehow magically forgotten in the car during our ride to the mansion.

Putting on the seat belt, I looked for any notification while Arjun started the car.

There was just one message, from Anushka. I opened it. She had sent me the address of the place where she was going on her date on Monday.

I grinned mischievously.

Well, this is going to be interesting.

Protective Arjun can step on me and I'll apologize to him CAUSE WHY IS HE SO HAWT?