32b - Smooth operator(S1)

"Ah, I'll come later! Or maybe this collar pin suits me best," Abhi spoke, breaking the gaze Prithvi was holding on the girl.

"Suit yourself," Abhi said, lightly hitting Prithvi's arm.

Niharika continued to look down, nervously fidgeting with her fingers and the tips of her nails in an attempt to overcome the sudden surge of nervousness overwhelming her. Prithvi's eyes keenly observed her actions. Her fingers seemed to move aimlessly, sometimes scraping against each other before folding in on themselves, as if they were no longer under her control. Strangely, this behavior intrigued and even intimidated him. Her attempts to regain control over her hands, and then suddenly clutching her saree fabric, struck him as both odd and endearing. He was so enamored with her that even her minor quirks had a profound impact on him.Yet, he was not fully aware of the depth of his feelings for her.

"Ahem! You there," Abhi addressed the helper standing beside Niharika, waiting for any orders."Excuse yourself and step outside with me. Let the couple have their own space." he announced.

The word 'couple' was enough to make Niharika grow more anxious and modest all at once.

The helper nodded and left Niharika's side.

Abhi started to leave with her, but not before muttering or whispering to Prithvi's side, "Do the work for God's sake, keep your slay fox act aside or then I dare you-"

To which Prithvi replied quietly in a calm voice, "Abhi, get the hell out of here."

Soon, they both were gone, leaving Prithvi and Niharika alone in the room, enveloped in an abnormal silence.

Prithvi glanced at the closed door and let out a deep sigh.

His eyes again fell on her, this time with no distractions. He gazed at her, taking in more details as he looked. He seemed quite lost in silently admiring her, his expression revealing his feelings even if he couldn't put them into words.

She looked like a natural, untamed beauty, in her red Zari saree-the perfect choice of color to accentuate her beauty. Her saree perfectly embodied her, highlighting her slender figure that resembled the delicate grace of lilies.

As for her makeup, it was on point, capturing her innocence flawlessly. Her nervousness was evident in every shy glance or move she made, from pushing her hair back to the escalating redness of her face under his gaze.

Her bangles made playful sounds with every small act or movement she attempted.

Niharika mustered up all her courage and looked up, tucking a few stray hair strands behind her ear.

'The way Prithvi's face conveyed his desire to tuck those few hair strands behind her ear was evident. He wanted to perform that small gesture for her, and it showed on his face.'

She tried her best to maintain eye contact However, she faltered and looked down again in a modest way.

With sudden intent, he advanced toward her.

She noticed his action & finally looked up at him , as she realised he was coming near her, her throat tightening as she gluped hard.

Her eyes widened & she took a hestitant step back in a decent response .

He advanced further and now more quickly.

Her breath quickened as she speak " i..ii..what" she had no idea what to say , but to just want to stop him. Her face flushed enitrely & sweat began to form near her forehead & insticnetively took steps backward .

But prithvi seemed committed , he didn't stop nor take his eyes off her. unaware of her actions, he quickly closed the gap between them with an intense gaze fixed on her.

He took a deep breath as he left no gap between them, and her back collided with the dressing table. As she looked behind, she realized there was no space left between them, and there seemed to be no way to escape his presence.

Then he leaned in, lowering his head to her level. As if he was not content with merely stirring Niharika's heart, as if he wanted more. She leaned back in response, placing both of her hands on the dressing table to seek support and to keep a distance from him. His face was now dangerously close to hers. She looked into his eyes, which were intensely serious. Beads of sweat began to trickle down her face as she realized she was cornered. Seeing him move his hands toward her, she surrendered.

She tightly squeezed her eyes shut, holding her breath. As he leaned in closer, she felt his hot breath fanning over her, redolent of freshly brewed coffee beans.

But minutes passed, and she didn't feel the anticipated intensity. Instead, she felt his hands lightly touching her hair, and he finally spoke, "This thing!" She opened her eyes to find him still very close but seemingly preoccupied. "Haan?" she said, puzzled.

'This strand of fur from your pet was on your hair," he said, showing her the evidence with a deep voice and pointing forward with his hands.

She mentally cursed herself for imagining something far more intense-something completely different, only to discover it was just a strand of hair (from her pet).

"Oh," she said, her facial muscles relaxing as she realized her mistake, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

He looked into her eyes again, perhaps trying to understand why she was so scared.

Then he realized she was uncomfortable with the intimacy of him being so close. He began to move back slightly, but his eyes fell on her hands resting on the table, and then on the 'mangalsutra' (nuptial necklace) placed beside her hand. He looked at her with a sense of realization; her neck was bare. Despite being adorned with heavy jewelry, it seemed incomplete. He met her gaze again and asked, "Should I?" pointing towards the 'mangalsutra.' She looked at him and gave a barely visible nod in agreement.

He moved his hand, took the mangalsutra from there, then moved his hand toward her, eyeing her, gently brushing his finger against her neck skin, and placing the mangalsutra on her neck.

He then leaned closer to her neck to secure it with the clasp. His hot breath directly fanned over her neck. She clutched her saree tightly, finding it hard to stand under his breath, feeling her knees go weak.

When he was done accomplishing his task, he again looked into her eyes, returning to his previous position, facing her.

They both were so close; this time the eye contact they had was much longer to be called a normal one.

His gaze followed her actions; her hands. She couldn't stand it anymore. Under his gaze or mere inches away, she started moving her hands in between them and finally placed both of her hands on his chest, gently pushing him back.

She pulled him away from her.

"T..h..hanks," she muttered, escaping to move into a more open space from the cornered place, taking steps back, and looking around nervously.

He turned to follow her actions with his eyes. She started acting weirdly again, fidgeting with her saree from one corner, more nervously avoiding him.

He sighed again, then a smile crept into his eyes. Yes, he was smiling with his eyes, noticing her silly actions.

He moved toward her again; she noticed his feet moving toward her on the floor.

Suddenly, she snapped her head up, defending herself, "W..what? There is no...nothing n..now," waving her hand in the air and hastily brushing her hand through her hair, with a careless motion.

"I h...ave no fur... I... why?" she came to the direct question after making an excuse, while he was moving toward her again.

He didn't listen.

And took more steps forward.

She took steps backward to create an appropriate distance between herself and him.

"I'll... ask, do y..o..ou w..a..ant so..m..mething?" she asked.

But he ignored her again, taking steps forward, gliding his shoes.

As she backed away, her feet collided with the bed, and she sat back on the bed in reflex, with no escape left for her.

Her whole face flushed; she nervously wiped her forehead, forgetting her makeup. She didn't care if it got ruined; she just wanted to escape the situation she was in. She wiped her face more with the opposite side of her left palm. Her ears started to turn red; the heat they were producing couldn't go unnoticed, sending shivers down her spine.

He stood there, examining himself briefly, before pulling a box from the left side of his blazer pocket. Then, he lifted his pants slightly and gracefully knelt down in front of her, bringing himself to her eye level. She gulped, looking at him in utter shock as he opened the box and took out a ring, discarding the box beside him.

Her eyes followed his every move, trying to comprehend what he was planning.

Finally! He looked into her eyes after perfectly positioning himself on his knee and began, "Let me borrow your hand. Let me place this ring on your finger," he said, his tone gentlemanly as he sought her permission to use her hand.

She continued to stare at him innocently, mirroring his confused expression. Her actions were unintentional but born out of confusion, trying to figure out what he was up to all of a sudden.

He waited quietly for her to extend her hand, but she didn't.

So, he took her hand himself and placed the ring on her left ring finger.

She remained silent, offering no protest.

He softly muttered after successfully accomplishing his task, "Now, this completes your look."

Then he sat there, waiting for her to reciprocate the gesture by extending her hand.

She looked at him with a mixture of confusion and questioning, raising her eyebrows.

Seeing her cluelessness, he muttered, "Do the same, put the ring on my finger," instructing her.

Realizing his intent, she gradually extended her hand towards him, took the ring from his palm, and slowly and modestly slid it onto his left ring finger.

Then he murmured, gazing at her, "Now we are a real couple." She snapped her eyes to meet his, making deliberate eye contact. "Indeed," he said, as she pulled her hand back abruptly, overwhelmed by a rush of emotions.

"Now, this will serve as proof of our commitment, hmm?" he said with his deep, intense voice, making her flush even more. Then he got up, her eyes following him as he left without saying another word, letting out a soft chuckle.