44) Push him away

I know you guys have a love-hate relationship with this chapter. This probably was one of my favourite chapters to write. Apart from the scene where Kia gets drunk.

P.S.- To my lovely re-readers, try not to give any spoilers for the first time readers in the comments.

Kiara's POV

"Are you sure you're not taking me to an abandoned place and planning on killing me there so that no one will ever find my dead body?" Arjun asked as I helped him out of the car.

Yes, you read that right. I helped him out of the car. This clumsy idiot had sprained his ankle.

.

.

.

Kidding.

We had blindfolded him.

I rolled my eyes even though he couldn't see me. "And then you say I should stop being dramatic."

His shoulder raised in a shrug. "Guess you're rubbing off on me."

"As if." I scoffed.

"Aww, don't they look cute while flirting?" Sid sighed dreamily, a hand on his cheek as he gazed at us with heart eyes.

We decided to ignore him and walked hand-in-hand, past him and Rohan as they gushed over us like we were their children learning to walk for the first time.

I casted a glance at Arjun, my conscience aggressively fanning herself while marveling at his side profile. I was tempted to slice my finger against his sharp jaw just to see if I would get a cut.

Next time someone asks me what a 120-degree angle is, I'm gonna show them a pic of his jawline.

The best part of him in a blindfold was that I could ogle at him for as long as I wanted without him knowing.

I was so engrossed in my Arjun-is-so-handsome-session that I stumbled on a pebble and nearly lost my footing. I yelped when I felt myself falling but Arjun held my forearm and pulled me upright, quickly steadying me.

"Careful!"

I whipped my head to him in shock. He wore an angry scowl on his face.

How did he do that?

"I'm the one with the blindfold here." He snapped. "Can't you see where you're walking?"

"Sorry." I winced lightly, my lips jutting in a pout as I stood up properly.

"Stop gawking at me and focus ahead."

I gasped. "I wasn't staring at you." But my voice cracked, making it painfully obvious to everyone that I was lying.

"Right." Arjun deadpanned. "You were downright drooling at me."

I gasped even louder, wishing nothing more than to run a car over him.

Sid and Rohan just stood there, admiring us like we were a Picasso's painting.

Arjun let out an angry breath, muttering something inaudible but I didn't miss the fact how he tightened his hand around mine after that. I barely restrained a smile at the small yet sweet action.

From the corner of my eyes, I spotted Anushka making her way towards us silently and I turned to her. She gave me a thumbs-up and nodded towards Sid and Rohan.

They climbed the steps to the orphanage. Yes, we had come to the orphanage for Arjun's surprise.

I cracked a grin when I saw Sid giving a peck on Anushka's cheek and she blushed in response.

Aww.

My lips dropped in an unimpressed straight line when I shifted my gaze to the giant oaf beside me and rolled my eyes at his special talent of expressing emotions as good as a frog.

Where was he when God was distributing emotions to humans?

Probably in a meeting with Satan.

Instead of following them, Arjun and I took a different route and entered the back garden.

"You can remove it now." I tugged on the blindfold when we came to a halt and he slipped it off.

He winced at the bright sunlight, shielding his eyes with a hand and blinking fiercely to get adjusted to the brightness but froze when his eyes landed on the scene in front of him.

I grinned widely as I saw the dumbfounded look on his face.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Arjun's parents, my parents, Tina, our friends and the children from orphanage were standing there with big smiles on their faces, except from David who stood there like a pillar, having learnt this art of monotony exclusively from his boss.

Rohan had told me that Arjun used to celebrate his birthday in the orphanage when his mom was alive. He had stopped going to the orphanage altogether after her death, let alone celebrating his birthday. I just wanted him to relive his happy memories.

Arjun blinked slowly, his jaw hanging on the floor as he took in the scene while I gazed at him expectantly, feeling extremely nervous of his reaction.

Seconds passed but Arjun didn't react, not moving an inch and I grew wary of him.

Say something, you giant rock.

I had started to regret my decision of this whole surprise when Kriti came running to us with wide arms. Arjun snapped out of his trance when he saw her charging towards us at full speed and bent down to pick her up when she collided with his legs.

"Happy birthday, Arjun." She squealed in her baby voice, throwing her hands in air and placed a kiss on his cheek.

His lips slowly spread in a soft smile, dimples carving in his cheeks as he gazed at her with soft eyes, his expression full of adoration.

My heart clenched at the sight of them and I barely contained my happy tears.

"Thank you." He said as Kriti wound her tiny arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder.

Someone hold me, I'm soft.

"Wait! I'm also here." Raj hurtled his way among the crowd, nearly tripping in his haste to reach us.

Arjun squatted down and made Kriti stand beside him as Raj approached them.

"Happy birthday dude." Raj raised a fist and Arjun bumped his fist with his own, chuckling softly.

"I wished him first." Kriti stuck out her tongue at Raj while he pouted at her.

"That's because you cheated." He mumbled.

"Oops." She covered her mouth, mocking him and then rolled her eyes a second later.

Damn, she was a good actor.

"Too bad you're a stupid moron." She flipped her hair sassily and I nearly choked on air.

"Kriti!" Mrs. Mehra, the manager who was there too, exclaimed in shock. "Who taught you that word?"

Arjun's gaze shifted to me and he cocked an amused brow at my too-innocent smile.

Well...

I might or might not have yelled the same word at Sid thrice the last time we visited the orphanage.

In my defense, he had nearly dropped a child in the fountain while tossing him in air.

A loud giggle from Kriti cut short our staring session and I turned to see Raj frowning at her.

"What's a mo-ron?" He asked, his brows pinching in confusion.

Sid opened his mouth to answer. "It means a -"

Anushka elbowed him in his ribs with a stern glare and he shut up in an instant, wincing.

"Say sorry to him." Mrs. Mehra ushered an arguing Kriti and Raj to a side while rest of the people came forward to wish Arjun, his dad being the first. Mrs. Singhania stayed away, smiling nonetheless and talking to my parents.

I tried to ignore the little twinge in my chest though I was immediately distracted by the scene my friends created. They made sure I had my share of embarrassment when they sang 'Happy birthday', Sid and Rohan joining them, nearly turning us deaf when Sid and Nandini tried to hit the high notes.

Times like these, I wonder why haven't I disowned them yet.

Five more seconds like that and my ears would have started bleeding if they didn't stop.

They proceeded to make plans on starting their own band and Nandini even offered to ditch her studies to pursue her true passion, singing.

I'd rather drown all my money in a river than pay even for a single ticket of their concert.

They walked away, arguing about the name of the band and Rohan told them about a friend of his in London who happened to be a music composer. Either Rohan had turned deaf and couldn't hear how horrible they sounded while singing or he wanted to kill the composer by making him hear them sing.

"You have turned them all of them mad." Arjun commented as we gazed in the direction in which they left.

"I did not!"

All I got in response was a scoff and a stare that clearly stated what he thought of me.

Tina, my sister, came next with a jovial smile on her face and what seemed to be a scrapbook in her hand.

"Many, many happy returns of the day and all the best. You signed a lifelong subscription to chaos and madness when you decided to marry her." She jerked her chin towards me.

"Excuse me?"

She ignored me, something at which she had become an expert by now and handed him the scrapbook. I managed to catch what was written on the cover-

'101 ways of dealing with Kiara'

My mouth hung open and she winked, smirking at me.

Arjun looked really impressed as he read the title aloud. "This is the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me. Thank you so much. I definitely needed it."

He opened the book and I peeked a look at the first page. There, in bold letters, was written-

'Joking, there's no escape from this torture. I'll pray for you.'

Arjun flicked through the pages and I gasped loudly. Tina had pasted some very, very embarrassing pictures of me in the scrapbook.

I whipped my head to her, gaping like a fish out of water. "You didn't."

"Oh, I sure as hell did." She let out an evil laugh and ran away before I could strangle her to death.

Good move.

"Well, well." Arjun drawled with a smirk, distracting me from my thoughts of hunting her down. "What do we have here?"

I groaned in protest, hiding my face in my hands.

I didn't even want to see what he was looking at.

"I'll get rid of it for you." I lunged for the book but he stepped back and raised it away from me, probably knowing very well that I would attempt to snatch it away from him.

"No need." He smirked at my foul expression. "I think I'm gonna enjoy this."

He summoned David and gave him the book with strict instructions of not letting me have it. David being the perfect bodyguard he is, nodded and vanished God knows where.

"Kia!" I heard my dad's voice and looked at my right to find my parents strolling towards us.

Nearly missing a girl who ran past us after her friend, I smiled widely as Mom opened her arms in greeting. I was going to engulf her in a tight, bear hug when she walked past me and hugged Arjun instead.

What?

Both Arjun and I looked equally surprised with her action. My surprise turned into incredulity while he grinned like an idiot and stuck out his tongue at me.

Why is everyone teaming up against me?

Wait. Go back, go back.

Arjun stuck out his tongue at me?

When did my husband become this playful? And why did no one inform me of this sudden change?

I managed to close my open mouth and huffed, making a face at Arjun.

"Uh hello? Your own daughter is standing here." I said a bit loudly as my parents gushed over him.

They didn't even turn towards me.

Why is everyone ignoring me?

"Happy birthday, honey." Mom said and dad patted his back affectionately.

"Thanks, mom." Arjun replied in a daze and I let out an inaudible gasp. His own face froze as he realized what he said but mom just smiled at him, not bothering to correct him and steered the conversation in a different direction quite smoothly.

Gosh, I love you mom. Thanks for not making it awkward for him.

Arjun had a warm smile on his face all the time while talking to my parents and my heart melted on seeing him interact with them.

"Time to cut the cake." Rohan announced and the kids cheered, steering Arjun away from me towards the table where the cake was. He looked a little lost among the swarm of kids but a miniature smile seemed to be glued on his face.

I stood at a side with my parents and saw Raj being excited about the cake more than everyone else.

"He's your twin." Dad said with an arm around my shoulders as we saw Raj dancing on his toes on seeing the cake and I laughed out loud.

Sid handed Arjun a knife and everyone cheered for him but his eyes roamed around the garden and stopped at me. He beckoned me closer and I shook my head politely. It was his day and I wanted him to enjoy it.

He gave me a look that said get your ass here right now or I will carry you myself or something like that.

I sighed and Dad gave me a slight nudge towards Arjun. Rolling my eyes, I walked to him and he looked smug as I stood beside him. Finally, he cut the cake and like last night, offered me the first piece.

"Don't look so flattered. I'm only checking the cake for poison."

I rose a brow. "What am I? A guinea pig?"

"No, you are my guinea pig."

I didn't know whether to be offended or flattered by the statement so I settled with making a weird face.

"Wha-" He stuffed the cake in my mouth gently and my eyes widened at the sweet taste that exploded in my mouth.

"This is so tasty."

He chuckled, licking the remaining cream on his finger and let's just say I was aggressively sprinkling holy water on my not-so-decent conscience.

"My turn." Raj yelled, tugging on Arjun's sleeve. "I want cake!"

Arjun offered him the cake and then it was chaos. All the kids started chanting for cake and I saw Maahi and Sid hyping them up. The workers distributed the cake among the children and everyone settled down, eating peacefully.

I sat on the steps of the big room that overlooked the garden with Arjun by my side and Kriti sitting between us.

"Steer clear of the fountain." I yelled at a few children who were running around it.

I hope no one else drowns in that death trap.

"Do you remember me?" Kriti asked when she finished her cake and Arjun wiped some of the cream smashed on her cheek with a tissue.

He flicked her nose. "Of course I remember you, princess."

Something twisted in my gut and I frowned slightly.

I thought only I was his princess.

Kia, can you stop being jealous of a 5-year-old?

She smiled shyly and then perked up. "I made something for you. Stay here." Standing up, she climbed the steps to the room and ran away as fast as her tiny legs could take her.

My eyes caught Arjun's gaze but I quickly averted my eyes from him.

He slid closer to me, his arm touching mine. Leaning towards my ear, he whispered conspirationally. "Don't worry. You're my only princess."

I whipped my head towards him. "Wh-what?"

He smirked. "Would you look at that?"

"What?"

He poked my cheek. "You're blushing."

"I'm... not." My own body betrayed me as blood rushed to my cheeks and my face warmed at his comment. I stared at a tree stubbornly, trying to look anywhere but him.

"I love it when you blush because of me." He confessed and my cheeks heated even more, my heart skipping a beat. It felt as if someone had set my face on fire.

"I am here." We heard a voice and I looked back to see Kriti rushing towards us with a paper in her hands.

God bless this little angel.

She sat on Arjun's lap and he welcomed her with a warm smile.

"Look what I made." She showed us her drawing.

"Arjun, this is you." She exclaimed at the male figure she had drawn. She had coloured his shirt blue and his pants red but the most striking feature was his hair.

"Nice spikes." I commented, glancing at him. He stared back with a blank face and I giggled.

"And this is Kia." Kriti pointed at the girl who was holding hands with the boy. She was wearing a frock and her hair were styled in two pigtails.

I looked cute.

"You drew us?" I asked and she nodded excitedly.

"You are my favate people." She answered, struggling with 'favourite'.

I pressed a hand against my mouth.

Excuse me while I cry.

"And what's this?" Arjun asked, pointing towards the boy's hand.

"Flowers." She clapped her hands. "You brought flowers for Kia."

"Aww." I cooed and then leaned towards Arjun, whispering. "At least the 'picture you' is nice enough to bring me flowers."

"Oh." He arched a brow. "And the endless number of chocolates I bring you almost every day? Do they count for nothing?"

I smiled sheepishly and kissed his cheek, laying my head on his shoulder and squeezing his bicep in gratitude. Kriti immediately covered her eyes and I laughed as her cheeks tinted red.

"Okay I will go now." Without looking at us, she speed-walked to Raj who was playing with his friends.

"She's so cute."

Arjun hummed in approval, smiling.

As I was looking around, David gave me a fright when he appeared out of nowhere and I yelped loudly. Snickering at my frightened state, Arjun gave him the drawing and he disappeared again without making any sound that made me wonder if he was a ghost.

"Where's Sapna and Aditya?" Arjun asked one of the workers and she informed us that Aditya had gone to visit his relatives while Sapna was sleeping since she was sick.

I stayed at Arjun's side the whole time and he didn't seem to mind my company. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, our parents talking to each other, children running around screaming as if the world was on fire and I didn't miss how Maahi and Rohan were playing hide and seek with their eyes.

Gosh. They are worse than teenagers.

Just kiss already!

There were times when I would catch Maahi making heart eyes at Rohan when he wasn't looking or simply drooling at him. Whenever Rohan would glance at Maahi, she would look away giggling.

Who was she and what happened to our old Maahi?

When did she start acting like a blushing bride?

"You're stupid."

"No, you're stupid."

The voices broke me out of my thoughts of ways of setting them up and I looked at my right to see Kriti and Raj fighting.

"You're not my best friend anymore." Kriti announced with a huff.

"Fine!" Raj crossed arms over his chest and looked away.

What happened to them? They were alright a minute ago.

Kriti came to Arjun and raised his hand, tying a band on his wrist passive aggressively.

"He is my new best friend." She announced proudly, peeking a glance at Raj from the corner of her eye.

Poor Raj.

He looked betrayed while Arjun was highly amused with the drama unfolding in front of him.

Raj took turns in staring at Kriti, Arjun, me and then back at Kriti.

He opened his mouth to say something but then closed it, pouting.

His head snapped to me and he pointed an accusing finger at Kriti's newly found best friend. "Leave him."

It took a lot in me to not burst out laughing at the grave expression on his face.

He walked towards me and slung an arm around my shoulders, his tiny hand struggling to come around my other shoulder.

"Hope you don't mind." Sparing a glance at Arjun, he spoke as if Arjun might object but then realized he was talking to his rival.

Raj narrowed his eyes at my husband who seemed to be having the time of his life. "Even if you do, I don't care. She is my new friend."

Kriti stomped her foot in anger and her lower lip started trembling as she ran away from there.

"No, Kriti. Wait. I was only joking." Raj rushed after her, leaving his new friend alone with his new rival.

"They are definitely going to be married in future." I grinned and Arjun rolled his eyes.

The workers told us that they were always like this, fighting and then patching up.

Finally, it was time to leave and even Kriti and Raj had made up by then. We bid everyone goodbye and Kriti let us go only after we promised to bring her gifts the next time.

Suppressing a yawn, I sat in the back of the car with Arjun at my side while David drove back home. I was tired as hell and my eyes kept drooping. All the planning and preparations had taken a toll on me.

A hand held mine and I glanced at Arjun who smiled at me, entwining our fingers. My insides warmed at his soft smile and all my tiredness vanished in a second. I smiled back at him and his thumb stroked my knuckles.

"Thank you." He whispered, bringing our joined hands near his lips and kissing the back of my hand.

He averted his eyes, staring out of the window and I placed my head on his shoulder, sighing softly and closed my eyes.

*

The last thing I expected next morning was Mrs. Singhania paying me a visit.

I was busy dreaming about how blue Chris's eyes are when the doorbell rang and since Arjun was in the bath, I was the unlucky soul who had to get up and see who was at the door.

Yawning monstrously, I opened the door with half-lidded eyes but froze when I saw my mother-in-law standing there with a sweet smile on her face.

"Hey." My eyes snapped open as she hugged me. Closing my gaping mouth, I wrapped my hands around her tentatively.

She broke the hug soon after and I raked a hand through my unruly hair, trying to make it look presentable.

"Please come inside." My voice came out croaky and I cleared my throat, blinking to clear away sleep from my eyes.

Let's hope I'm not drooling.

"No, I'm good." She smiled hesitantly, toying with her purse.

"I insist."

"Uh..." Reluctance flashed on her face and I could see her debating with herself. She agreed at last and came inside, her eyes surveying the place.

She noticed my gaze on her and pursed her lips in a rather apologetic manner. "I've...never been here."

My brows raised in surprise. "Never?"

"Arjun isn't really.. fond of me." She chuckled and I don't know why but my heart sank a little.

She wasn't wrong here, the situation was. If she had met Arjun in other circumstances then maybe he wouldn't have been so hostile towards her. Maybe he would have accepted her.

She took a seat on the couch and I sat opposite her.

"I didn't want to disturb you this early in the morning but I was passing by and thought of inviting you to a family dinner next week."

I nearly slipped from the couch.

God, no!

Another party?

One glance at my horrified face and she burst out laughing. "Relax. It will just be the five of us. You, Arjun, Riya, Rajveer and me."

I breathed a sigh of relief as she explained to me.

"You don't like parties, do you?" She chuckled.

"I don't do well with crowd."

Mrs. Singhania nodded in understanding. "When I first host-"

"Who the hell allowed you here?" A voice roared in the hall and I stood up startled, whirling around to face a raging Arjun.

Shit.

His dark eyes were fixed on Mrs. Singhania who, too, rose from her seat.

"Arjun..." I hesitated when his furious eyes shifted to me.

"What is she doing here?" His cold, hard gaze pinned Mrs. Singhania in her place with such intensity that I could feel dread settling in my bones.

This isn't going to end well.

"I... I will go."

"No, Mrs. Singhania." I glanced back and forth between them, puzzled with Arjun's behaviour. "Wait -"

"Leave." His loud voice rang in the air and I was left speechless at the raw anger and hatred in his voice.

"Arjun..." I tried again, my heart hammering in my chest but he didn't pay any attention to me.

"I said," He took a small step towards her. "LEAVE."

I flinched at his booming voice, cowering away in fear. Mrs. Singhania looked shocked and walked out of the door silently while I couldn't find it in me to stop her.

"What-" I was still gazing at the door. My throat clogged up and I turned towards Arjun. "What did you do?"

He didn't answer, just stood there glaring at the floor.

I walked towards him, my anger fueling. "You have no right to talk to her like that."

"Why did you call her inside?"

"Because that's how you treat guests!" I yelled.

"I... " I shook my head, placing a hand on my forehead. "I can't believe you did that."

He looked away, his jaw set tight.

Pointedly ignoring him, I marched to my room, well aware that he was following me.

"Kiara."

I tuned him out but he held my forearm, effectively stopping me.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Leave me. I don't want to talk to you."

He turned me around. "What?"

"I said I don't want to talk to you."

He had the audacity to look incredulous.

The nerve of this man!

"You're angry on me because of that woman?"

I shrugged out of his hold and poked his chest.

"That woman is your step-mom." I emphasized on the last word and his bafflement turned into anger pretty quick.

"You can't throw her out of the house like that."

"This is my house." He took a threatening step forward. "I can do whatever the hell I want." His sharp voice cut through me but I held his stare.

"Oh." I gave him a sarcastic smile. "So, we are back to 'your house'. I see."

He closed his eyes briefly and let out an annoyed sigh. "Kiara."

"No. What you did was wrong and totally unreasonable."

"What do you want me to do then? Host a party for her?"

"I just want you to give her the respect she deserves. Fine, not as your step-mom, I understand. But at least as your father's wife."

"She is no one to me." He forced out every word from his mouth, advancing towards me.

"Just like I was." I said quietly.

He froze in his place, shell-shocked.

"I.." He rubbed a hand over his face.

"Don't." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Please don't."

He ran a hand through his hair, cursing under his breath and looked at me, his jaw clenching. "You don't know how hard it is."

"Try me." I crossed arms over my chest, levelling him with my glare.

When he didn't say anything, I continued. "You know what your problem is, Arjun? You think that you're the only one who has suffered. Well news flash Mr. Singhania, life isn't unicorn and rainbows for everyone else."

"You are always quick in judging people. Have you ever tried being civil to her?"

He gritted his teeth. "I don't want to."

"Right. Because you are a selfish jerk who only cares about himself."

The moment the words escaped my mouth, I realized how wrong they were and immediately regretted for saying them aloud.

But the damage was already done.

My heart broke into a million pieces when I registered the hurt expression on his face.

Dammit.

"Arjun, I.." I shook my head worriedly and tried to explain myself. "I'm so sorry. I... I didn't mean-"

But he ignored my rambling as he stormed out of the room, shutting the door behind him loudly.

Shit.

Kia, what did you do?

I ran after him to his room.

"Arjun please-"

He spun around, his face livid with anger. "No, you're right. I'm a selfish jerk and I only care about myself. Thanks for reminding me."

"You know I didn't-"

"I'm sorry for looking out for my father in his low time and deciding not to trust Roshni." He mocked. "I'm sorry for having trust issues and not making friends with every second person I meet." His voice rose with every word.

I gulped, tears ready to leak from the corner of my eyes.

"You think I didn't try?" He asked. "Didn't try to mend myself after everything with mom and Meera fucked me up badly? Well, I'm sorry for not being able to move on from the death of the single person I loved the most."

A single tear trailed down my cheek.

"But why am I even bothering to tell you all this?" He scoffed, chuckling sarcastically and shook his head.

He walked towards the door and I wanted to stop him, to apologize but no words formed in my mouth and I kept mum. He paused at the threshold, glancing back at me.

"I'm still trying. Every fucking day." His voice was small, a mere whisper and I would have missed it if I wasn't listening carefully. The words sliced my heart as I registered the pain in his voice.

Only when he left the room, I let my tears fall.

*

"David, where are you?" I asked into the phone, my eyes scanning the place for him. It was half past 6 in the evening while I had asked him to come at 6.

"I won't be able to make it today, ma'am. I have already informed Arjun sir and he is on his way to pick you up."

"Oh." I frowned. "Uh... okay then. Bye." I cut the call, biting my lower lip.

I hadn't seen Arjun since morning, when he stormed out of the house after our fight. After that, I had gone to college to attend the annual function which had served as a good distraction but I couldn't shake off the heavy feeling in my heart. I wanted to apologize to him but I didn't think I was ready to face him yet.

"Well?" Saumya asked. "What did he say?"

My friends didn't trust me enough to get back home safely without any adult supervision so they had decided to stay with me until someone came to pick me up.

As if I'd intentionally get kidnapped.

"Arjun is coming." I told them.

Thankfully, they didn't question my sour mood throughout the day. I was emotionally drained and my brain cells were screaming for some ice-cream and sleep.

I pondered on going alone but it was getting dark and I would never hear the end of it if I got into some trouble this time.

Nandini nudged me. "Look. It's Varun."

I followed her gaze and saw him walking towards the college gate.

Varun was a famous choreographer who had performed in today's function. I would've marveled at his dancing skills if my mind wasn't preoccupied with the thoughts of a certain angry devil.

Maahi being Maahi, waved at him and shrieked loudly. "Varun!"

Even if he was miles away from us, he would've spotted Maahi swaying like a flag to catch his attention.

He smiled politely as he crossed the parking lot and approached us.

"Hi." Maahi bounced on her toes, giggling. "We saw your performance today. And you danced so well."

"Well, thank you." He gave a dazzling smile in return.

He was quite handsome with brown hair and a tall, lean build.

Not even close to Arjun though.

See, that was the problem. Whenever I thought about something, I would find a way to relate it to Arjun somehow. I looked at the blue curtain and thought how good Arjun looked in that blue shirt he once wore. I looked at French fries and thought about how Arjun hates eating his fries with ketchup.

Tell me I'm doomed.

I had tried calling him quite a few times but he had simply cut my call and then switched off his phone.

The fight with him had left me upset. With him, with myself. With both of us. I was considering throwing him in a river full of crocodiles for not picking my calls and then jumping after him in the river for my stupidity.

"Kia." Saumya shook my shoulder and I snapped out of my thoughts.

"Yeah?" I asked in a daze.

She silently pointed towards Varun and he chuckled. "I was just saying that you look really pretty."

"Oh. Uh... thanks." I smiled awkwardly.

Nandini asked him for some pictures and he agreed. Then started a session of lots of pictures and selfies.

Five minutes later, a black Mercedes stopped right in front of us and we didn't pay much attention to it but I did a double take when Arjun got out of the car, adjusting his suit.

How he managed to look so fine after a whole day of work was still a mystery to me. He strode towards us as if he was walking on ramp and I couldn't keep my eyes off him.

Someone tell him it's not a photoshoot.

Was it just me or was everything happening in slow motion?

His eyes were fixed on Varun who was standing quite close to me and I immediately stepped away from him.

"Oh, look. Arjun is here." Maahi said.

Yes, Maahi. We can see that. Thanks for the commentary.

Arjun stalked closer with a charming smile but I knew better. I could see the tightness around his eyes, his rigid stance and the tension in his shoulders.

He was pissed.

At whom, I didn't want to find that out.

He wrapped an arm around my waist as he came to a stop beside me, kissing my cheek and I froze, my eyes widening.

What was he doing?

"Mr. Singhania." Varun exclaimed in surprise. "Nice to meet you again."

Arjun merely nodded and shook hands with him.

"You guys know each other?" Nandini asked.

"Yes. We met at a party a few months ago." Varun explained. "And I must say you've got quite a beautiful companion with you." His eyes slid to me. "Miss?" He trailed off, glancing at me.

"Mrs. Singhania."

Surprised, I looked up at Arjun as he answered on my behalf, a certain edge to his tone. A red hue spread on my cheeks and I smiled nervously, sub-consciously shifting closer to Arjun.

"Well, I'd love to chat with you," Arjun started and I nearly snorted. Right, and I'm an alien from Saturn. "But I'm afraid we're getting late. See you later."

He glanced at me. "Shall we?"

I nodded meekly and he noticed my friends staring at us creepily.

"I can drop you guys home too." He offered politely. They didn't need to be told twice as they made a dash for the Mercedes.

I sat in the front as Arjun started the car. Varun waved at me from outside and I waved back. Arjun sped the car quite unexpectedly and Saumya nearly smashed her face in the back of my seat due to the sudden momentum.

I scowled.

Why was he behaving like this?

Unless...

Unless he was jealous of Varun?

Whom was I kidding? Arjun didn't get jealous of random people.

But... Could it be possible?

"Boy, I'm tired." Maahi sighed loudly.

"The function was boring." Nandini grumbled and then grinned. "But I loved Varun's performance."

"True." I agreed and from the corner of my eye, I saw Arjun tensing at my approval.

"And when he took off his tee." Saumya fanned herself.

"Oh my gosh, yes!" They squealed.

I stole a glance at Arjun, his knuckles had turned white due to his tight grip on the steering wheel and I stifled a grin.

I know it was a very stupid and childish move but it was the only way I could get a reaction out of him because he seemed too adamant on ignoring me.

"Agreed. He is really, really hot." I pretended to sigh dreamily and gauged my husband's reaction. His face was stone cold as he made a sharp turn and I clutched my seat tightly.

I just hoped no poor soul decided to cross the road in front of Arjun today.

"And he's definitely better than that Rishabh who attended the function last year." Nandini clicked her tongue in distaste and I widened my eyes.

"Remember when Kia couldn't stop gushing over Rishabh?" Maahi laughed.

"That was almost a year ago." I squeaked, blushing. "Can we not talk about that?"

I agreed on teasing Arjun over Varun but Rishabh was an entirely different story. I had a tiny crush on him in the past.

"My brother is still friends with him, by the way." Saumya said. "And he asked for your number a few days ago."

What?

My eyes turned into round saucers.

Why did she say that in front of Arjun?

Was she doing it on purpose?

I caught her staring at me through the rear-view mirror and her left eye dropped in a sly wink. I gaped at her smug face, horrified.

Did she want to die?

Judging by the look on Arjun's face, one more word about Rishabh and he would run the car into a pole.

"But I told him that you're already married." She said.

"Good." I said and kept quiet after that.

Arjun ignored me for the rest of the ride. We dropped everyone home and reached the penthouse an hour later.

"Who's Rishabh?"

I jumped when Arjun's deep voice reverberated in the elevator.

I took a deep breath.

"A guy." My voice was sharper than intended.

Two can play the game.

His jaw clenched harder and I was surprised his teeth hadn't turned to powder judging by the way he was grinding his jaw.

The elevator opened and I stepped out in a hurry, eager to get to my room.

I guess Arjun had other plans as he caught hold of my wrist as soon as we entered the apartment and spun me around to face him.

"That wasn't the answer to my question." He hissed.

I looked him dead in the eye. "I'm not obliged to answer you."

"No, you're not." His gaze darted between my own, his eyes burning with an emotion I couldn't place my hands on. "But I want you to answer that question."

"Why?"

His eyes turned into slits. "You wanna know why?"

In a flash, I was pinned against the nearest wall, my wrists enclosed in his hand and my hands locked above my head.

"What are you do-" I couldn't complete my sentence because Arjun had silenced me. With his lips.

The suddenness of the kiss knocked all breath out of me.

He pressed his lips firmly against mine and I jolted in response, hyper-aware of my senses.

How dare he? How could he do that and..and..and..oh, those soft, petal lips, working their magic on me and his taut, hard body against mine and.. and...

What was I saying again?

I resisted for about 0.003 seconds and ended up kissing him back with equal fervour.

There was a voice at the back of my head trying to tell me something but my mind was infiltrated with Arjun's thoughts and how good it felt to kiss him.

Push him away.

What? Ravish him like a beast? You don't have to ask.

I moved my lips against his, matching his fast-pacing rhythm. His touch casted a little spell around us and we were lost in our own magic world, trying to consume each other.

He cupped my cheek while his other hand left my wrists and glided down my arm, his knuckles leaving a burning trail as his hand traced down my side. Reaching my waist, he snaked his arm around my back pressing me into him.

What was I supposed to do with my hands?

Push him away.

Hold him close to me? On it.

Entangling my fingers in his hair, I tugged on his silky locks while he pressed me further into the wall, groaning against my lips.

The unholy sound from his even unholier mouth stirred something in me and I reveled how perfectly our lips molded against each other.

His hands got bolder as he sneaked a hand under my top, his fingers lightly skimming along my waist and setting my skin on fire.

He pulled away after... How long had it been? Seconds? Minutes? Hours? I didn't know. I was too busy reviving my dead heart back to life.

"Because I hate the thought of someone else with you." His chest vibrated with a growl.

Heat pooled in my stomach and I sucked in a sharp breath as he kissed my neck, my pulse throbbing violently and my breathing growing heavier.

"You," His words were a slow, torturous drag against my skin. "are mine."

My mind stopped working.

My heart gave out.

My lungs forgot what they were supposed to do.

And my eyes decided to gawk at him as if I had encountered an alien.

Blood rushed to my ears and all I could hear were those three words ringing in my head above the loud beating of my heart.

You are mine.

Did... Did he just say that?

I panicked and blurted out the first thing that came to my malfunctioning mind. "You can't kiss me like that."

"But I just did." The smile he gave me sent chills down my spine. The only problem was to differentiate whether they were the good kind or the bad kind.

"You... You can't do that."

He placed his arms on the wall on either side of me, caging me effectively. "Why didn't you push me away then?"

Because I didn't want to. Because I loved every second of that kiss. I wanted to scream at his face.

Rather, I collected the bits of my sanity after that mind-wrenching, soul-shattering kiss.

Arjun leaned towards me and I almost collapsed on the floor when his lips brushed against my earlobe. "Mine. Remember that."

Pulling back, he walked away, not before sending me a heated glare that had my insides burning with... something while I was plastered against the wall as if someone had glued me there.

It took a lot of effort to separate myself from the wall and trudge to my room. I plopped on the bed, staring at the ceiling and lost in my thoughts.

Today was definitely a bizarre day.

So, we had a fight and Arjun ignored me for the rest of the day. Then he picked me from college, losing his shit when I mentioned Rishabh and kissed the hell out of me, nearly sending me to heaven. He claimed me as his (I wasn't objecting at all) and now he was back to his you-can-die-for-all-I-care attitude.

How can someone be so infuriating?

What was a girl supposed to make from that?

"Aaaaaah." I screamed into the pillow, trying to imagine strangling him to death but my traitorous brain kept replaying those three words like a broken tape and I couldn't help but recall the kiss every time I thought about Arjun.

He makes me switch my moods faster than Maahi gobbles down a slice of pizza.

After much contemplation and a lot of daydreaming, I decided that I wasn't going to back down this time.

If he was hot-headed, then I was also stubborn.

I would apologize to him but he had to talk to me first.

I will make him talk to me.

I slept in my own room at night and he never came to check up on me. Not even once.

The next morning was no different. I was in the dining room when he emerged out of his room with a big frown. I noticed, a second later, that he had already made his tie. We didn't talk during the whole breakfast and Arjun Singhania was back to being Mr. Grumpy.

I didn't make an attempt at a conversation either. Partially because I wanted him to break the ice first and partially because I was still lost in my vivid dreams that I had last night.

I had no classes today so I waited in the living area while he got ready for office to see if he would try to talk to me. But Mr. I'd-rather-die-than-speak-a-single-word didn't spare me a single glance as he left and I slumped in defeat.

Screw that gorgeous, irritating devil.

I decided to watch a movie to keep myself occupied so that I didn't end up marching to his office and demanding answers from him.

While I was halfway through the movie, the doorbell rang and I got up in excitement, running towards the door.

Maybe it was Arjun, maybe he had brought chocolates.

But I was disappointed on seeing two courier guys standing there, one with a large box in his hand and other with a notepad and a pen.

"Yes?"

"There's a delivery for Mr. Arjun Singhania."

"Oh." I looked back and pointed at the space near the big vase. "You can keep the box here."

The guy nodded and stepped inside, struggling with the heavy box while the other asked me to sign on the sheet. "If you could sign here, please."

"Okay." I took the pen from him but frowned when I saw the empty sheet.

"I think there's a-"

I stopped as soon as I looked up.

He was pointing a gun at me.

I froze.

"Where are the papers?" He asked.

I turned numb, not being able to understand what was happening.

He repeated himself, pressing the gun against my forehead.

"Wha-...what papers?"

"I said where are the damn papers?" He yelled again and I shrank away from him.

Fear got the best of me and I stammered. "I...I don't know ab-about any...any papers."

Who were these people? What did they want?

He advanced towards me menacingly. "Stop lying."

I backed away, trembling. "N-no. I'm not...not lying. I don't know what you're ta-talking... about."

What do I do?

I couldn't even scream, no one would hear me. I would be dead before I could open my mouth.

Where was the other guy?

I gulped and took another step backward, my back colliding with a drawer. I kept my hands on the drawer to balance myself but my hand touched something. I probed around and found out it was a scissor as the guy continued to yell at me, demanding for papers.

This was my only chance.

My heart was beating violently and I gathered some courage to look him in the eye. Willing my face into an impassive mask, I grabbed the scissor without him knowing and stabbed him in the wrist. He screamed and the gun fell from his hand.

"You bitch!" He howled in pain and I pushed him away with full strength and ran to the coffee table to grab my phone. But before I could reach there, someone grabbed hold of my hair and yanked me back.

I whimpered as I was forcefully turned to face the second guy and he slapped me across the face.

My head turned to the side due to the force of his slap and he pushed me on the couch.

"Stay the fuck where you are." He was going to walk away but I extended my leg and he tripped on it. It bought me enough time to pick my phone from the table but the first guy knocked it out of my hand and wrapped his hand around my neck, choking me. I clawed at his hand as he squeezed hard. I gasped for air, fighting hard to keep my eyes open. With every ounce of strength left in me, I kicked him between his legs and he immediately released me, doubling over in pain.

I dropped on the ground, coughing.

"I'm gonna fucking kill you." He screamed, looming over me.

"Leave her." The other guy yelled. "We will be in trouble if someone finds out."

I was shaking badly, my throat and cheek paining like hell. I could hear voices but it was getting hard to focus.

"This bitch doesn't know about the papers."

"Dammit. There's a safe in the room but I can't open it without triggering the alarms."

"We don't have time for that. We need to leave before the guard wakes up."

"The girl?"

"Leave her as she is."

.

.

.

"You're overreacting, Dhruv. He just wanted to have coffee with me."

He scowled. "You're not allowed to have coffee with anyone except me."

"Stop being so over possessive." I snapped.

"I'm not being over possessive." He yelled. "I'm looking out for you."

"Then stop! I don't like it."

He held my arms, shaking me. "What is wrong with you? Can't you see that I'm trying to keep you safe?"

I shut my eyes closed, fearing his wrath. I was terrified of his behaviour.

When I didn't say anything, he yelled. "You know what? Rot in hell!"

He left me with a jerk but I didn't dare open my eyes. Seconds passed and when I finally gathered the courage to risk a look, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Dhruv?" I turned around. "Dhruv!"

He...he left me. He left me alone in the dark alleyway.

.

.

.

I gasped loudly as the memory flooded my mind unannounced and the panic kicked in.

The two men were nowhere to be seen but that was the least of my concern right now.

My breath came out in short pants and I started trembling. I closed my eyes to steady myself but it didn't help. Tears streamed down my face and I sobbed loudly.

Arjun.

I need Arjun.

My phone! Where was my phone?

I looked around hastily and spotted the phone near the table. I crawled towards it and picked it up, the screen was broken but I could still use it. Tears blurred my vision as I dialed his number with shaking hands and the call went straight to voicemail.

I felt coldness seeping into me.

Was he... Was he still angry with me?

I'm sorry, Arjun. Please pick up. I need you.

I tried again, sobs escaping me as the call went unanswered for the second time.

"I'm sorry." I sobbed as I kept trying but in vain. "Arjun please."

I was slowly losing consciousness and it was a struggle to keep my eyes open. I heard footsteps and curled myself in a ball, thinking they had come again.

"Hey why is the- KIA!"

The voice sounded familiar. I looked up weakly and a face appeared in my line of vision.

Rohan?

"Kia? Kia! KIAA!" Someone was yelling my name but I was already being pulled into darkness.

Next update will be soon!

Till then, love me some Lucifer ❤️