37) This is a bad idea

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*dancing around*

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Kiara's POV

"Kiara?"

I looked at the girl in front of me.

What the hell was Shruti doing here?

Clad in a black crop top and white mini-skirt, she tried to walk towards me, losing her balance every now and then because the dumbass was wearing 4-inch pencil heels in sand.

She's as smart as I remember.

"Who's she?" Arjun's question snapped me from my trance and I immediately turned around, pulling Arjun with me so that we were facing away from the walking crab.

"What are you doing?" He asked as I held his shoulders, not letting him turn back.

"Look." I pointed above, looking at the sky and pretending to be fascinated as I exclaimed loudly. "Clouds!"

"And the sky. It's so... blue. Wow."

Arjun stared at me like I had suddenly turned into a snake and started hissing at him.

"Kiara? Is that really you? Hey!" We heard another loud call and I closed my eyes in frustration, stomping my foot and mumbling curses.

Guess I have no other option.

I looked back at the witch, who was still walking towards us, almost face planting in the sand due to her amazing cat walking skills.

"Judging by the way she's walking; I would say she is your friend."

"No!" I almost shouted at Arjun. "Don't you ever say that. She is not my friend."

"Then who is she?"

Clucking my tongue in distaste, I made a face. "A blood sucking witch."

On his amused yet questioning look, I explained further. "She was my classmate in school and I hate her. I never did anything to her yet she always found a reason to pick on me."

Leaning over to Arjun, I whisper-yelled in his ear. "Let's run away from here."

He shrugged out of his life jacket and I grinned, copying his actions, happy that I didn't need to face the lunatic but he surprised me by taking my life jacket from my hands.

"I'll go and give them back to Sam. Till then, stay here and have fun with your friend." He winked and I gaped at him.

"What? No! Wait." I tried to stop him but he walked away, leaving me alone to deal with that crazy hag and I scowled at his retreating back.

Every time I think that he's changed or he isn't as evil as before, he does something that makes me want to stab him first and then myself.

Or sometimes kiss him but that's not the point.

I need to focus.

What do I do now?

If I lie down and cover myself with sand, will she be able to spot me?

What if I go and jump in the water?

Drowning seemed a better option than to face Shruti.

"Kiara Sharma. What a pleasant surprise!" Removing her sunglasses, she screeched like a bat when she came to a stop in front of me and I flinched at her shrill voice.

Where are my ear muffs?

"Hi, Shruti." I wrung my hands together and gave a forced, tight-lipped smile in response.

"So good seeing you here." She chirped in her fake voice, coming forward to hug me.

Really?

Wasn't she the one who declared on the last day of school that she would rather have her eyes clawed out than to face me again?

Now, would you do it yourself or should I do the honors?

I fake-laughed and tried my best not to cringe when she hugged me, my hands itching to wrap around her throat.

I swear if she continues talking like that, my ears will start bleeding.

"So," Flipping her hair back, she glanced at me, her eyes roaming on my figure and I could see the judgement in her eyes. "What brings you here?"

I shrugged. "Actu-"

"Forget that." She cut me off excitedly, placing a hand on my arm and my eyes widened at her huge nails.

My goodness! I only used to joke about her being a witch. Was she really one? What did she even do with these nails? Claw out people's hearts?

"I'm here on a vacation with my boyfriend."

Really? I thought you were here for another plastic surgery considering your last three went horribly wrong, making you look like a plastic doll.

"Good... for you."

"And guess who my boyfriend is?" She squealed, now holding both my arms. I was getting a little scared of her now.

I'm not some psychic, for God's sake!

She didn't even let me ask who and answered her own question. "Raj Mittal!"

Her smile vanished when she noticed my lost expression. "You don't know who Raj Mittal is?"

I didn't even know who Arjun was when I first met him. How would I know this Raj guy?

"Uh...no?"

She gasped, covering her mouth like I had suggested something as heinous as shaving her head bald.

"He's the son of the businessman Ajay Mittal."

And...

Who's Ajay Mittal?

Squinting my eyes with my mouth part open, I wondered what was I supposed to do with this information when I realized I wasn't going to get out of her clutches anytime soon. So, I smiled widely instead, faking excitement. "That's great!"

"I know right?" She hooted, actually hooted like an owl, making me jump in fright.

Where was Arjun?

"What about you?" Her face twisted in a sinister smirk and I could already see that she was dying to insult me. "Did you find someone as crazy as you or are you still sulking alone?"

Her words wiped the smile from my face and I narrowed my eyes at her tone, barely keeping my anger in check.

I was about to thrust my ring finger in her face when I spotted my devil in shining armor from the corner of my eyes and an idea formed in my head. Glancing back at Shruti, I smiled slyly as she rambled on how perfect and rich her boyfriend was.

It's showtime, baby.

Arjun walked up to us, engrossed in his phone and I batted my eyelashes at him, pulling on my best dreamy face. It wasn't hard considering he already looked like a model walking on ramp. He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling them slightly and let's just say my conscience fainted at the scene. Coming to a halt beside me, he looked up and I scooted closer to him, cooing in the sweetest voice I could muster. "Hey, babe."

I looked at him with doe eyes and a loving smile, hoping he would get my signal and surprisingly he did. His arm went around my waist in no time and he pulled me to his chest, not even trying to hide his smirk.

I have never been so happy in my life to see him smirking.

Ignoring the rapid beating of my heart, I placed a hand on his cheek and raised on my tip-toes to press a lingering kiss on his jaw. Pulling back, my eyes clashed with stunned black ones and I felt heat rising to my neck.

Yep, I just did that.

Averting my gaze from him, I looked back at Shruti who had suddenly turned mute and her face looked as if someone had force-fed her a raw lemon.

Ouch.

"Honey," I started in a sugary-sweet tone, a lovesick smile on my face. I peered up at Arjun, his own eyes shining with amusement as if it was the most entertaining show he had ever watched in his life. "This is Shruti, my ex-classmate from school and Shruti, this is Arjun."

Shruti came out from her initial shock and cleared her throat, smiling like someone was pulling her cheeks forcefully.

"Well, hello, Arjun." She spoke in a sultry tone, forwarding her hand for a shake as her eyes trailed on him longer than I liked and it took a lot of self-control to not claw out those beady eyes.

Arjun eyed her hand for a moment, his gaze darting between her hand and face. Without a word, he pulled me closer to him. My heartbeat went berserk at his little action and I couldn't help the genuine smile spreading on my lips.

"Hi." He said, not bothering to shake her hand and my conscience did a victory back-flip in my mind.

Shruti pulled back her hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, coughing subtly to hide her humiliation. Putting on an arrogant smirk soon after, she cocked her head. "So, you finally managed a boyfriend, huh?"

"Sorry to interrupt you but I'm her husband." Arjun answered for me, his free hand in his jeans pocket and by this time, my conscience was already performing cartwheels.

Take that, bitch.

"What!?" She froze, her mouth agape and eyes wide.

Damn. Where's my camera?

I sighed, the stupid grin plastered on my face as I laid my head against his shoulder, wounding an arm around his elbow and Shruti almost had a coronary aneurysm on seeing that. "Yes. He is my husband- the apple of my eye, the love of my life."

Revenge is so sweet.

"O-oh." Shruti suddenly looked dehydrated as she pursed her chapped lips and swallowed a bit harshly.

"And do you know who my husband is?" I mocked.

"Huh?"

"Arjun Singhania." I squealed excitedly, just like she did earlier and horror washed over her face.

"Y-you?" Her hand trembled as she pointed towards Arjun who nodded, his smirk widening with each passing second.

"But... but h-how..." She trailed off, unable to understand what was happening around her.

"I think you need some water." I commented, biting my lower lip to prevent the laugh that threatened to bubble out of my mouth.

I'm ready to pour some sea water down your throat.

"No, I'm fine." She nodded and composed herself, the over-confident look on her face back as she puffed her already puffed hair and put on a fake smile. "Congratulations to you both. I must say you got very lucky, Kiara."

"I don't think so." Arjun interrupted again but I didn't mind it at all and the creepy grin seemed to have stuck on my face. "If anything, I would say I'm the lucky one in our relationship." He squeezed my waist, smiling down at me and I looked down, my smile faltering for a moment, a tiny part in me wishing for all this to be actually true.

Getting a hold of my emotions, I glanced up and the look on Shruti's face was priceless.

She tried to hide her jealousy but I saw right through her mask.

"Aww. Look at you. You guys are so cute together." She almost spat the words, gulping as if it was physical paining her to praise me. "By the way, I have something to tell you. Raj owns a club nearby and we are celebrating its second anniversary this Tuesday. Wait." She searched through her handbag and gave a card to me. "Here is the address. It's going to be a grand party and you both are invited."

I took the card from her and smiled, wishing nothing more than to throw her in a pool of killer sharks. "We would love to come."

"Now if you will excuse us, I need to take my beautiful wife to dinner. See you around." Without waiting for her reply, Arjun towed me away from there and I sent a last look at Shruti who was eyeing me like I stole her latest designer dress. Sending a wide, innocent smile her way, I waved merrily.

When we were out of her sight, I enveloped Arjun in a bear hug, squealing madly. "Oh my god. Did you look at her face?"

His hands settled on either side of my waist as I continued to squeeze the death out of him. I got out of his hold, bouncing on my toes and he shook his head, his lips curled in a tiny smirk.

"What was she saying? 'Did you find someone or are you still sulking alone?' " I mimicked Shruti in a nasal, high-pitched voice and Arjun laughed at my impression. "How about now, you evil hyena!"

"Ha! I bet she's going to have another plastic surgery, shift to Netherlands and change her name so that she never has to face me again." Raising my head high, I strolled beside Arjun like I was some sort of an ancient warlord who just conquered the whole world.

Unable to contain my glee, I wrapped him in my arms once again, side hugging him, my cheek squished against his bicep. "You are the best husband ever!"

Leaning back, I flashed him a wide grin, entangling my arm with his and my heart soared with happiness when he didn't pull back.

"From the devil to the best husband." His eyes casted down as he kicked a random pebble and then looked up, the dimple making a rare, star appearance on his cheek. "I made progress." He muttered lowly, smiling to himself and I swear I melted right then and there.

We walked to where the jeep was parked, arm in arm and I kept stealing glances at him. He caught me ogling him a couple of times but didn't say anything about it.

Strange.

Climbing in the jeep, we settled in our seats and Arjun revved the engine but turned it off the next second. "Wait."

"What?" I asked, baffled as he leaned towards me. Snaking an arm around my waist, he pulled me to him and my hands came to rest on his shoulders at the sudden movement. My lips parted open in a silent gasp, my eyes roaming on his face as I tried to comprehend his behaviour.

Nearing my face, his lips found my cheek as he pressed a feather soft kiss, almost near my jaw. His lips lingered there for a moment, creating a burning sensation on my skin and my eyes fluttered close.

He pulled back, just enough to look into my eyes, his dark, black ones darting between my own.

"Now we're even." He whispered, his eyes momentarily flickering to my lips and I stopped breathing altogether.

A loud hiccup left my lips as I gawked at him wide-eyed, unblinking and a small smile grew on his face. He leaned back in his seat, his eyes never leaving mine and started the jeep.

"Princess?"

"Yes?" I blinked in a haze.

"Seatbelt."

Seatbelt? What's a seatbelt? Have I ever heard of this word before?

"Oh yeah. Right." I slung the seatbelt across my chest, fumbling with it for the next 2 minutes since my trembling hands couldn't seem to get it right while Arjun sat there patiently, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel and enjoying my flustered state.

When I was finally done after a number of embarrassing moments, Arjun drove away from the beach while I sat stiffly beside him, the red hue on my cheeks slowly fading away.

"Kiara?"

"Hmm?" I hummed, glancing at Arjun.

"You look cute when you blush."

*

"Are you kidding me?" I sent my denim jacket flying around the room and it landed somewhere on the bed along with a bunch of other clothes but I paid no heed to the mess I was creating and continued scrounging through my bag.

After another 2 minutes of muffled screaming and colourful curses, I gave up and dropped on the bed with a loud thump. "I can't do this anymore."

I hadn't gone through my clothes this morning, just picked out the first outfit that my hands fell on and didn't even bother to look at the rest of them. And amongst all this, I completely failed to notice that all my night clothes, the loose t-shirts and pajamas, were gone and replaced by the same lingerie that my friends had brought for me.

Searching for my phone, I dialed the only number that I knew was solely responsible for this.

"Hello?" My very excited best friend answered the call and I already had a bad feeling about this.

Uh-oh. I know this tone very well.

"Where are my night clothes, Anushka?" I growled into the phone.

She giggled. "I guess where they belong. In your closet in the penthouse."

What?

"But...how? I packed again after you guys left. How did you manage to replace them?"

"Cause there are traitors in your house who work for me." She whispered conspirationally.

Rolling eyes at her words, I rubbed my face tiredly. "Cut the bullshit."

"Okay, okay." She chuckled. "I know you were going to do something like this so I might or might not have asked Ritu to swap your clothes before you left."

"You WHAT?" I screamed at her, shell-shocked that she actually managed to pull off something like this. "I can't believe you did that."

"I sure did." She replied in a smug tone.

"Why?" I cried out aloud.

"Because I'm waiting for Arjun junior to grace the Earth with their presence." She exclaimed in a duh tone, her voice casual and demanding like she was asking for something as simple as a new dress.

"I-...you...wh-. You know what? Forget it. I don't have the energy to discuss this with you."

I whined, gazing at the mess I had made. "What am I going to wear to bed now?"

"You can wear the lingerie that we ga-"

"No."

"Or you can ask Arjun for his clothes."

"Right. And say what exactly?

'Hey, Arjun. Guess what? My psychopath friend desperately wants us to make babies because she thinks our babies will look very cute. And to make sure it happens; she switched my clothes with some sexy lingerie. So, can you lend me one of your t-shirts or else I will have to sleep naked. How was your day though? And don't worry, I have already registered Anushka in a mental institution.'

How does that sound?"

She burst into loud giggles and the sound made me want to strangle her through the phone.

"Hey, that's a good idea. You can sleep nak-"

"Okay, thank you very much for your help. Bye." I cut the call immediately before she could complete the sentence.

Great!

Now what?

I looked around helplessly when my phone rang again and I picked the call without looking at the caller ID, speaking in a harsh tone. "What?"

"Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today."

A weak smile spread on my face and I slumped against the headboard. "Sid. How are you?"

"How's paradise with Mr. Grumpy?"

"Not you too." Letting out an animalistic groan, I closed my eyes and covered my face with a pillow.

"That bad?"

"No, it's actually been a good day. We went jet skiing today and I had a lot of fun."

"Wow. He must be totally smitten by you if he took you jet skiing." He muttered and I scoffed at him.

"Seriously, Sid?"

"If you haven't noticed yet, Arjun isn't exactly what you call a friendly person. He likes doing things alone. The friendliest he's ever been was to glare at the guy who once tried to initiate a conversation with him during college and he kept glaring at the poor guy until he left."

His answer shut me up.

"Soo..." Sid trailed off, his voice suggestive and my eyes squinted at the phone.

"So what?"

"Did anything happen?"

I face palmed. "No, Sid. Nothing happened and nothing is going to happen."

"That's what everyone says." He recited in a sing-song voice. "But who knows what happens behind those closed doors?"

Why do I even bother with these morons?

"And do you know what they say? What happens in Maldives, stays in Maldives."

"I'm pretty sure it is Vegas, not Maldives."

"Hey! Don't ruin the moment." He huffed like a stubborn child. "I want a baby to play with."

I looked at the phone incredulously. "Then have your own!"

"Let me rephrase my sentence. I want a godchild to play with."

I face palmed for the millionth time today and exhaled heavily. "Bye, Sid."

"Bye, have fun. Though I have an idea you're already having tons of it."

Pointedly ignoring the teasing tone in his voice, I cut the call and found two unread messages on my phone.

'Hey.'

'Missed me?'

I frowned at the random texts.

Might be a wrong number.

My eyes caught a black tee lying beside me and I threw my phone aside, cheering when I realized that it was Arjun's t-shirt that he had given to me at the orphanage and I had never returned it. Nor do I intend do. I had packed it for Maldives and Ritu might have forgotten to take it out.

I couldn't be any more happier.

Hugging the T-shirt close to my chest, I sighed in relief. My stomach growled in hunger and I quickly changed into it, walking out of the room to look for something to eat as it was almost dinner time. There I found Arjun sitting on the couch with his head engrossed in his laptop.

God, he's always working.

I never thought I would be jealous of a laptop.

"Look, here's the love of my life." I exclaimed loudly in a dramatic voice, opening my arms as I went to stand in front of him.

"Hello, o-dearest-wife-of-mine." Arjun replied in a loud, monotone voice, not looking up from his laptop.

Smiling cheekily at his response, I sat in front of him. "Someone is in a good mood today."

He looked up, his eyes zeroing on my t-shirt.

You mean his t-shirt?

Shut up.

"I think that belongs to me."

Crossing arms over my chest, I positioned myself in a defending stance. "So?"

He shook his head, smiling to himself. "Nothing."

"Good. You can forget about it. It's mine now."

Arjun hummed along, not really paying attention as he furiously typed on the laptop, his face turning serious with each passing second. I was surprised he hadn't broken the keyboard yet.

I leaned forward, supporting elbows on my knees and placing hands on my cheeks. "Why are you always working?"

"Because I love my work."

Typical answer.

Why is it so difficult to talk to him?

"How was your meeting today?"

He sighed, nodding. "Everything went good. I'm signing the deal tomorrow and we are going to one of John's private islands."

"A private island?"

"Yes. We are planning to open some resorts there."

"Can I come too?" I asked excitedly.

"You don't have a choice. John's wife has specially asked for you."

Hell yeah!

"Great!" I grinned and then squinted my eyes at him. "By the way, even if you had said no, I still would have come along with you."

"I know. You never leave a chance to stay close to me."

I scoffed. "Oh, please. I love it when you're away for work."

Liar.

"Is that so?" Cocking his head to a side, he raised an amused brow. We both knew I was lying. And whom was I kidding? I loved the time we spent together.

But we didn't want him knowing that now, do we?

I effectively changed the topic, saying I was hungry. We had our dinner and I went to bed early since tomorrow was going to be a long day.

The next morning started with our normal routine that involved my favourite alarm waking me up- my darling husband shouting at someone on call. I stomped out of the room like a zombie to glare at him with half-open eyes so that he would stop torturing the poor soul. We had a glare match of another 2 minutes and I won as Arjun rolled his eyes and apologized to whoever was on the phone.

Wait, let me repeat that.

Yes! He apologized. As in, said sorry. S-o-r-r-y.

Didn't think I would live to see this day.

We spent rest of the morning bickering on what tasted best with bread - jam or butter. When neither of us was ready to back down, Arjun announced it was time to leave and we got ready.

Around 11, we were already on a private yacht owned by John and Arjun had introduced me to him and his wife, Maria. She was a sweet lady in her early 50s and I had taken an immediate liking to her.

I had never travelled in a yacht before so it was a new experience for me. A bit scary, yes, but enthralling. I enjoyed the journey a lot, loving the feel of cool breeze against my cheeks and having a mini heart attack every time the yacht started swaying. Arjun would silently laugh every time I clutched the railing tightly, scared of falling over and inviting the whales to come and eat me. After sometime, he quietly slipped his hand into mine, squeezing my hand whenever the yacht would tilt, making me feel like we were going to drown anytime.

After that, I got a bit more relaxed and would occasionally peek in the water to search for any fishes. I was pretty sure I saw an anaconda too but Arjun didn't believe me.

We reached the island in an hour and Arjun was helping me out of the yacht when me being me, lost my footing and stumbled on him, my cheek smashing against his chest. He steadied me, his arm around me and helped me stand upright while Maria awwed at us. "Look at them, John. Don't they remind you of our old days?"

Oh wow. So, even you two were ready to poison each other at the start of your marriage?

A woman, nearly Arjun's age or slightly older, welcomed us at the shore. John introduced her as his assistant, Susan and she ushered us to God knows where.

John and Arjun were busy discussing the sites where they would build the resorts, Susan giving her inputs every now and then while I walked with Maria as she told me about the time when John brought this island for her birthday and my eyes nearly popped out of my sockets at the information.

You give surprise parties at birthdays, not whole freaking islands!

After a five-minute walk, we stopped in front of a resort where Arjun and I were supposed to be staying. John and Maria bid us goodbyes while Susan stayed back to show us our way around the place.

We went inside and my mouth dropped open as soon as we entered the living area. It opened into a wooden platform, giving a breathtaking view of the sea.

Oh. My. God.

"Nice place." Arjun sat on the sofa, keeping our duffel bags aside and nodded in approval, his eyes roaming around the place.

"I can live here forever." I mumbled, mesmerized by the view in front of me.

"I guess you liked it then." Susan stood in the corner with a small smile on her face.

"I loved it!" I laughed, twirling around.

"There is a beach party in the evening nearby. Why don't you join us?" She asked.

"Uhh..." My eyes flitted to Arjun who shrugged in response and I smiled at Susan. "Sure."

"Great." She grinned. "Okay, so that's your bedroom." She pointed to our left. "And this is the kitchen." She gestured towards the right. "You'll find all necessities here. If you need anything else, call me."

"Thank you."

"I'll see you in the evening then." She left and I smiled at her retreating figure.

A few seconds later, a bulb went off in my head and my forehead creased in confusion. "Wait. Did she say our bedroom?"

Arjun looked in the direction of the bedroom and then at me. He threw a cushion at me that I barely managed to catch and smirked. "Guess you are sleeping on the sofa tonight."

"What!?"

*

"This is a bad idea. This is a bad idea. This is a bad idea." Wiping the sweat beads on my forehead, I paced the length of the room, nervously chewing my bottom lip.

My eyes caught my reflection in the mirror and I rubbed my palms anxiously, checking myself out.

"This is a very bad idea."

I slid my hair to the front to hide the amount of skin my pink bikini top was showing, which I had paired with denim shorts.

Running a hand through my hair, I took in a deep breath and walked out of my room, oops - our room, with my head held high.

5 seconds later, I came rushing back inside, shutting the door closed behind me. Leaning my back against the door, I kept a hand on my forehead while the other was still resting on the doorknob.

"This is such a bad idea."

There was a knock on the door and I jumped away from it, expecting it to burst into flames any second. "Kiara?"

"Y-yes?"

"Are you ready?" Arjun asked. "We have to go."

I gawked at the closed door like I could see straight through it. "You go there. I will come after some time."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Will you be able to find your way?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not a kid, Arjun. I got it the first time when you told me it's the same way we came from."

"Is that so?" His voice turned amused and I could imagine the stupid smirk that now adorned his stupid face. "What about the time when you got lost in the penthouse?"

"First of all, the penthouse is huge. It's a miracle I didn't get lost there more than once. And secondly, I was sleepy when that happened. You can't blame me for that."

A few days ago, I had woken up at 2AM due to my midnight cravings and wandered off to the kitchen. I was in a half-asleep, half-dead state so I didn't see where I was walking and ended up in the corridor leading to Arjun's room. Assuming the wall to be the refrigerator, I kept trying to open it for a few seconds and was about to cry when it wouldn't open. That's how Arjun had found me- looking like a homeless person and banging the wall, demanding it to open so that I could eat my damn chocolate and go to sleep.

We both learnt two things that day - a sleepy Kia is completely useless and crazier than normal Kia.

"Fine. Don't blame me when you end up in the middle of nowhere surrounded by seals."

"Fine!" I yelled at him and heard the sound of footsteps leaving.

How am I going to face him?

I was considering my options of bailing out on Arjun when there was another knock on the door and I nearly screamed in shock.

When did he come back?

When you were busy planning hiding under the bed for the whole night.

"Wh-what?" My voice cracked and I cleared my throat, maintaining my composure.

"If you can't find your way to the party, call me. I'll come and take you there. Okay?"

I smiled at his words, leaning against the wall beside the door. "Okay."

I heard his receding footsteps again and this time, I opened the door and peeked out to make sure he was gone.

Now you must be thinking why was I so anxious to go to the party?

Well...

I had accidentally blurted about my feelings for Arjun to Sid over call, realizing my mistake a second too late but the damage was already done. For a second, I thought he had cut the call as there was complete silence but I almost lost an ear when I heard loud screams. My poor fate, all my friends chose the same time to hang out together and the phone was on speaker, so apparently everyone heard my confession. Also, I had to endure a good 10 minutes of 'I knew it' and 'I told you so' along with some excited gibberish and another 5 minutes of exchanging the money they had betted on Arjun and me.

I was surprised the whole country didn't know about it yet.

They had somehow filled my head with stupid presumptions that Arjun had a soft corner for me and he, too, liked me.

And this wasn't it, the insane thing was that a huge part of me wanted the same.

I'm so screwed.

So, my friends gave me this stupid idea to dress up to see how Arjun would react.

If it couldn't be any more cliché.

They didn't stop there. Those idiots FaceTimed me and made me wear this dress even after I had denied them a hundred times. I had been threatened by Maahi that she would chop my head off if I didn't do as they said.

And my life is very precious.

So, here I was, dressed in these ridiculous clothes that seemed to keep getting smaller every time I looked in the mirror.

Giving myself a final pep talk, I stepped out of the resort, breathing in fresh air.

All the way from our resort to the beach, I had a mental war with myself on what to do. I was still considering running back and locking myself in the room.

Unfortunately, before I could execute my master plan, I had already reached the place and found the party in full swing. Loud music blasted from huge speakers near a makeshift counter where a bartender was serving drinks. Tables and chairs were arranged near the counter while people chatted and danced around.

My eyes searched for the familiar face that had started haunting my dreams and I spotted Arjun sitting with some people on a nearby table.

I began to walk towards him, my eyes shifting to the figure sitting on his left. Susan laughed heartily at what Arjun said, placing a hand on his arm and I frowned, a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I didn't like the subtle looks she was throwing at Arjun every five seconds.

Arjun picked a beer can from the table, drinking from it when Susan noticed me. She raised a hand and waved at me and I smiled in return, giving a small wave back.

Arjun caught Susan's action and followed her line of sight, craning his head in my direction. His eyes fell on my approaching figure and he did a double take on seeing me, spilling the drink all over himself. My steps faltered for a moment as I tried to stifle my laugh at his expression. My nerves calmed down and I found myself at ease, strolling towards Arjun with confident steps who was busy wiping his drenched shirt with a tissue.

I reached the table and Arjun looked up at me, his pupils widening a millimeter as his gaze trailed down my figure. I crossed arms over my chest, my lips forming a sly smile and he blinked out of his trance, standing abruptly and gathering the table's attention.

Clearing his throat, he placed an arm on my back and I shivered at the feel of his warm touch on my exposed skin. "Everyone, this is my wife, Kiara."

There were three more people other than Arjun and Susan. One of them was Sam, the guy we met yesterday during jet skiing and a couple whom I didn't know.

"Kiara, this is Jai and his girlfriend, Kim." He gestured towards the couple and I smiled at them. "And you met Sam yesterday."

"Nice to meet you again." He chuckled and I shook hands with him.

"I can't believe you agreed to marry this douchebag." Jai joked which earned him an Arjun-special-death-glare.

Same, bro, same.

"Settle down, everyone." Kim announced, clapping her hands loudly. "We have lots to talk about."

Everyone sat down, Susan sitting on her previous seat beside Arjun, leaving only him and me standing.

I scowled at Susan's behaviour and was about to go to the empty chair next to her when Arjun stopped me, holding me by arm. He looked at Susan.

"Susan, can you shift?"

She looked surprised at the question and gave a short nod, smiling reluctantly as she stood up and shifted to the next chair, her expressions not pleased.

Arjun pulled out the chair for me and after making sure I was comfortable, he sat beside me.

"My, my. Look at him being all chivalrous." Kim teased, leaning forward and everyone laughed except for Susan who now carried a sour expression on her face.

She excused herself on the pretense of an important call and left.

What's wrong with her?

"Kiara, dear." Kim spoke and I directed my attention to her. "You are gorgeous. I am so happy that Arjun found you." Her eyes flitted to him. "You hit a jackpot, Arjun."

"Thank you." I smiled, turning to him with a smug smile and he rolled his eyes at me.

"If I wasn't committed, I would have definitely made a move on you." Jai winked at me, taking a sip from his drink and Kim hit his shoulder, laughing lightly.

"I am single though." Sam intervened, giving me a boyish smirk. "What do you say?"

"I am sorry. You are a couple months late, Sam. " I sighed, faking sadness and he banged the table playfully, pretending to be frustrated.

I giggled, my gaze flickering to Arjun who didn't look happy.

He almost seemed...pissed.

Why? I didn't know.

Time passed by very quickly and I had a lot of fun with them. Sam kept trying to flirt with me every now and then but I think it was just to rile Arjun up because every time Sam would compliment me, the vein on Arjun's forehead would nearly pop out and his hold on the beer bottle would tighten to the point of almost breaking the glass.

Was he jealous?

The thought alone gave me butterflies.

Sometime during the evening, my phone beeped and I checked to see another message from the previous number.

'You look hot in pink, doll.'

I froze.

A sudden fear gripped my heart and I looked up from my phone, my eyes hastily wandering around, searching for that familiar face.

He was here?

But it couldn't be.

There's only one person in the world who calls me doll.

Tears welled up in my eyes and I found it hard to breathe, my lungs constricting in my chest.

I can't be here.

I need to go.

"I'm leaving." I stood up abruptly and everyone's eyes snapped to me. "I-I don't feel so well. I'm going back."

Arjun stood up, his face reflecting confusion as he asked me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." My voice wavered and I avoided looking into his eyes. "I just need some rest."

I turned around without waiting for his reply and hurried away, my vision blurring as blood rushed to my ears, only one thought revolving in my mind.

He was here.

In my haste to get away from the crowded place, I bumped into someone. I blinked, trying to will away the tears and looked up to find a blond guy smiling at me. "I'm sorry. I didn't look where I was going."

"No worries." He smiled again, his eyes crinkling at the edges. "Hi, I'm Trevor."

"Kiara." I tried to walk away but he blocked my path, raising a glass in his left hand.

"Would you like a drink?"

"No, thanks. I'm in a hurry." I stepped left, trying to walk past him but he didn't let me as he stood in the way and didn't budge from his place.

"Come on, how can a beautiful girl like you say no to a drink?" He smiled sloppily, his voice slurring in the end.

Okay, so he was drunk and flirting with me.

"I don't drink." Saying this, I tried to step aside when he interrupted again and I groaned internally.

"If not a drink, then how about some brownies?"

My ears perked up at the mention of brownies.

I would love some brownies to cheer me up.

Even if I'm dead and someone offers me chocolate, I will rise from my grave to eat it and then die again.

I stopped in my tracks as he picked a small basket full of brownies from the table beside him and even in my present state, my eyes twinkled at the delicacy.

One brownie wouldn't hurt anyone. And maybe he'd stop pestering me after that.

My plan was to take a brownie from him and run away from there like my pants were on fire. I was about to jump into action when someone came behind me and draped a shirt over my shoulders.

I know this shirt. I also know this someone.

"Hey, babe." Arjun's arms came around me in an embrace and he kissed my temple.

My face turned hot and I found myself at a strange calm in his arms. My heart raced again, but this time due to a weird, fluttering feeling in my tummy. I breathed in deeply, Arjun's musky scent invading my senses.

"Sorry man." Trevor raised his hands in surrender, eyeing us with a queer glint in his eyes. "I didn't know she was taken."

Arjun raised his head to shot a death glare at Trevor, his face hardening. "Now you know. So, fuck off."

I gasped at his foul language.

"Hey." Trevor stepped forward, his nostrils flaring in anger. "Watch your language."

Leaving me, Arjun walked to Trevor, folding arms over his chest and his biceps bulged. My mouth dried at his naked upper half, my eyes running along the veins on his arms and my fingers itched to skim along them.

Not the time to drool over him!

"What if I don't?"

It was obvious who was stronger and Trevor must have realized it because he stepped back, maintaining the scowl on his face.

"Whatever." He stalked away and Arjun kept glaring at his back until he left.

When he was gone, Arjun looked back at me, his face set in a cold glare and I frowned.

What did I do?

Holding my wrist in a rather tight grip, he dragged me away from the party and I followed him pouting, my free hand struggling to hold his shirt around me.

"What were you thinking?" He snapped his head to me, his face covered in an angry scowl and his fingers tightened around my wrist.

"What do you mean?" My brows pulled together in bewilderment.

"You were going to going to eat that brownie."

"So?"

"So?" Arjun stopped walking and faced me, his voice cold and harsh. "So? You didn't even know the guy. Those brownies could have been drugged, for all you know!"

He left my wrist and raked a hand through his hair. "God, you're worse than a child."

"How can you be so careless?" He was yelling at me but my mind didn't register the rest of his words as I swirled down the path of an old memory.

How can you be so careless?

How can you be so careless?

.

.

.

"How can you be so careless?" He roared at me and I flinched at his loud voice.

"I...I" He cut me off by holding my arms in a harsh grip.

"What?" His hold tightened on me to the point where it started hurting and a whimper escaped my lips. "I told you not to talk to him."

"Dhruv. Stop, you're hurting me." My eyes filled with unshed tears. He had never done this before. "I told you he is my friend."

"And what about me? Am I not your friend?"

"The way you are behaving, I'm rethinking my decision of befriending you." I spat the words, despite my pain and he grew furious at my words.

"Shut up!" He raised his hand to hit me and I let out a startled shriek, shutting my eyes tightly.

.

.

.

"Kiara? Kiara!"

I gasped loudly, blinking heavily as someone shook my shoulder, snapping me back to reality.

My vision blurred and I held onto my head, a sudden pain shooting at the back of my skull.

Oh god.

My eyes flitted to Arjun who stood there with a confused look as he placed a hand on my shoulder.

My anxiety kicked in and I started trembling, my breathing getting heavier and a cold feeling rushing over me.

And that message...

The thought of him anywhere near me terrified me to no end and I found myself jumping in Arjun's arms.

He stiffened in his place, stunned with my actions but then, I heard the softest whisper, the gentlest tone I had ever heard him used.

"Kiara?"

I tightened my arms around his neck, not saying anything, my face buried in his shoulder and slowly, his arms wrapped around me, pulling me to his chest. I stifled a sob, my hands clenching into tight fists as I desperately tried to fight the horrible memories. Pulling back seconds later when I had gained control over my emotions, I sniffled quietly, my voice coming out as a croaked whisper. "Let's go back. Please?"

His eyes darted between my frightened gaze and I could see a hundred questions swimming in those black pools.

"Sure." He answered, his voice as gentle as before. The cold, blank look on his face was replaced by something tender, his gaze soft as if I was some fragile glass doll that might break even if he as much as raised his voice.

I know he was curious but he didn't ask any question and I was grateful for that.

Threading his fingers with mine, he began to walk but I stopped him.

"Wait."

He looked back, his brows scrunched together in question and a scowl marring his handsome face.

I kissed his cheek, my lips curving in a small, teary smile.

"Now we're even."

WHO'S EXCITED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER?