24. TRY ME
Aarvi stood by the window, her fingers fidgeting with the curtain’s edge, twisting the fabric over and over. She didn’t even realize how restless she looked until a low voice reached her.
“You always do that.”
She froze, glancing back. “Do… what?”
Vivan’s eyes were fixed on her hands. “When you’re nervous. You can’t keep your fingers still.”
Her breath hitched. She quickly let go of the curtain, pressing her palms together to hide the trembling. “I-I wasn’t nervous.”
A faint curve touched his lips. “You’re a terrible liar,” he said quietly, and for the first time that evening, his tone wasn’t sharp or distant. It was almost gentle.
Aarvi’s chest tightened. She lowered her gaze, afraid her face might betray too much.
Vivan looked away too, clearing his throat. “Anyway… sleep early. Tomorrow’s going to be long.”
And just like that Aarvi quietly laid herself down on the couch, pulling the thin blanket over her.
Within minutes, she drifted into sleep. Vivan, however, lay awake on the bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling. No matter how much he tried, sleep refused to come. Thoughts kept running, unsettling him more.
Then THUD
He shot up instantly. His eyes darted toward the sound, only to find Aarvi on the floor, half-asleep, rubbing her back with a little wince.
“Ahh…” she groaned softly.
She fell from the couch in her sleep.
Vivan’s brows knitted, and before he even thought about it, he was already at her side. “Are you okay?” His voice was sharper than he intended, worry laced in every word.
Aarvi blinked up at him, and nodded, though her hand kept rubbing her sore back. She tried to get up, fumbling, but her body betrayed her she sank back with a small groan.
“You wait,” Vivan said firmly, his tone leaving no space for argument.
And before she could even protest, she felt herself lifted. Her breath hitched. Vivan had bent down and took her into his arms in a bridal style.
Aarvi froze, stunned. Her mind went blank, her limbs stiff. She could only look at him, wide-eyed, unable to process what was happening. Her hands instinctively pressed against his chest for balance only to feel the rapid thud of his heartbeat beneath her palm. It wasn’t steady. It wasn’t calm.
Vivan, carried her across the room with gentleness, as though she were something breakable. He placed her carefully on the corner of the bed, adjusting the pillow behind her head, his movements were gentle.
When she finally dared to look up, she realized just how close they were. His face hovered near, sharp jawline, his straight nose, those dark, unreadable eyes. For a second, everything around her blurred. There was only him.
Then his gaze met hers. Their eyes locked, then vivan immediately looked away, cleared his throat and broke the silence, his voice low. “From now on, you’re going to sleep on the bed.”
Aarvi blinked, startled. “And you?” she whispered.
“Of course, on the bed,” he replied casually, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Her eyes widened. “What?” she nearly
screamed.
While moving to the another side of the bed, he said with no expression on his .
“I am not hearing anything Aarvi, sleeping on couch is uncomfortable, you're sleeping on bed. That's it, end of conversation.” he settled on the bed.
Aarvi sighed & instantly began dragging herself toward the farthest corner of the bed, trying to create as much distance as possible.
He looked at her actions from another side of the bed. He sighed & shook his head slightly before shifting to the corner to not make her feel uncomfortable.
And just like that they both drifted into sleep.
The first rays of sunlight slipped into the room, painting it in soft gold. Vivan stirred awake, blinking at the ceiling before turning his head slightly. Aarvi was still curled up under the blanket, breathing slowly, hair spread across the pillow like she had no care in the world.
“She never wakes early,” he muttered with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. Shaking his head, he pushed himself out of bed and disappeared into the bathroom.
When he returned, freshened up and dressed for the day, his eyes immediately fell on her again. She hadn’t moved an inch. Still fast asleep.
Vivan frowned, half amused, half annoyed. She said she wants a job… and she’s sleeping like she’s on vacation. Crossing his arms, he stood at the edge of the bed, watching her with raised brows. “Is she serious about this interview?” he muttered under his breath.
With an slow huff, he walked closer. For a second, he debated how to wake her.
Then slowly “Aarvi,” he called, his voice deep but calm. No response.
He tried again, louder this time. “Aarvi, get up.”
Nothing.
Vivan leaned down slightly, narrowing his eyes. “Unbelievable…” he murmured, and then, without warning, tugged at the blanket.
Aarvi instantly curled tighter, clutching it to her chest with a muffled, sleepy protest. “Five more minutes…”
Vivan almost laughed. Almost. Instead, he smirked, tilting his head. “Five more minutes? You do realize it’s your interview day, right? Or should I inform Papa that the new employee would prefer sleeping over reporting?”
That made her eyes snap open. She sat up hurriedly, hair a complete mess, eyes wide in panic. “W-what? Interview? Now? I’m late.”
Vivan stepped back, arms crossed, watching her. “Relax. You’re not late yet. But at this pace…” His eyes flicked to her messed hair, “…I’ll need to convince security to even let you in.”
Aarvi blinked, realizing he was enjoying this far too much. “You could’ve woken me earlier,” she muttered, grabbing her pallu to cover her face.
“I tried,” he said smoothly, shrugging. “But you were busy negotiating with your dreams.”
She groaned, half embarrassed, half flustered, and rushed to the wardrobe. Vivan lingered near the bed for a moment longer, his lips twitching at the memory of her panic-stricken face. He cleared his throat, masking the smile, and grabbed his files.
“Ten minutes,” he said shouted as he walked toward the door. “If you’re not ready by then, I’ll leave you behind.”
Her head whipped around. “You wouldn’t dare”
He paused at the doorway, glancing back with a raised brow. “Try me.”
And with that, he walked out, hiding the faint smirk tugging at his lips.