ch 27 Ang laga de
https://youtu.be/lScOSqmmnF0
Aarav stopped just a breath away from her. His towering frame caged her without touching, his hand coming up to the wall beside her head, droplets of water sliding from his wrist. His eyes bored into hers, unreadable, dangerous, intense.
"Sir?" he murmured, voice low, almost mocking.
"That's all you can say... after drenching me, after laughing at me?"
Ashiana's lips parted, words dying in her throat. Her heart thumped so loudly she was sure he could hear it.
Aarav leaned closer, his voice a whisper that sent shivers down her spine.
"You think you can run, hide behind others, tease me... and get away with it?"
She stammered, clutching her dupatta tightly,
"I-I was just... playing..."
Aarav's jaw tightened, but a ghost of a smirk touched his lips.
"Playtime's over, Ashiana."
Ashiana's back was pressed flat against the wall, her breath hitching as Aarav came closer ..closer until there was barely a breath of space between them. His dark eyes locked on hers, sharp yet unreadable, his presence overwhelming.
Her lips parted, but no words came. She could feel the heat of his breath ghosting over her skin, her pulse hammering.
Then suddenly Aarav's gaze dropped to her trembling hand. The small packet of gulal she still clutched.
A slow, knowing smirk curved his lips. Without breaking eye contact, he leaned in and plucked it from her hand.
Ashiana froze, her heart leaping into her throat.
"S-sir..." she whispered.
But instead of throwing it at her like she expected.
but
Aarav tore the packet open, scooped a fistful of the vibrant red powder then, with deliberate slowness, pressed it against his own cheek. His eyes never left hers as the color smeared across his sharp jawline.
Ashiana blinked, stunned.
"W-what are you—"
Before she could finish, Aarav leaned in, bold and unflinching. He tilted his face slightly, smudging his colored cheek against hers.
The soft graze of his skin against hers.
The bold intimacy of the gesture.
The trail of warm red left on her cheek marking her, claiming her.
Her breath caught. Her hands tightened at her sides, but her body refused to move.
Aarav's lips were close to her ear as he whispered, low and husky,
"If you wanted me to play Holi with you... all you had to do was ask."
''Now look we both are in same colour''.
Then he drew back slowly, his smirk deepening at the sight of her flushed, stunned face her cheek now painted in his color.
Ashiana whisperes : '' s.. sirr..''
but arav without breaking eye contact hovers his finger near her lips.
Ashiana's lashes lowered, her eyes unable to hold his piercing gaze any longer. Heat rushed to her cheeks, her breath shaky as she looked down, trying to hide the furious blush spreading across her face.
Aarav's smirk only deepened at her reaction. He leaned just a little closer, his hand rising slowly—deliberately.
"You missed a spot..." he murmured in that deep husky voice of his.
Before she could ask what he meant, his fingers drags against her shoulder, pretending to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her. But instead, his touch lingered... his palm grazing the side of her neck, leaving a trail of color as he sensually smeared the red gulal across her soft skin.
Ashiana gasped, her eyes going wide as her body froze, every nerve alive under his touch. The streak of crimson burned on her neck, not just with color, but with the boldness of his claim.
He leaned in just enough for his lips to ghost by her ear, his breath warm, his tone dangerously smooth:
"Now... it looks perfect."
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard, her hands curling into fists against the wall to keep steady. She could barely breathe, her heart racing wildly, her mind screaming to move but her feet rooted in place.
And then he stepped back, calm, collected, his eyes dark with something unspoken, while she stood there blushing furiously, her pulse still trapped in his grip without him even touching her anymore.
Ashiana, cheeks burning red, tried to escape the intensity of his gaze. whispering a shaky, "I-I should go..." as she took a quick step to the side.
but as always gods's plan.
But, like always her clumsy feet betrayed her. Her ankle twisted, and she stumbled forward with a startled gasp.
Before she could even brace herself, Aarav's arm instinctively came up to catch her, but the momentum pulled both of them down
straight onto the soft grass.
She landed above him, palms pressed against his chest, the world spinning for a heartbeat before it stopped dead still.
Their faces were just a breath away. So close that she could feel the faint warmth of his exhale ghosting over her lips. His dark eyes locked into her hazel ones, unblinking, unflinching, pulling her into a whirlpool she couldn't escape.
Her lips parted slightly, her breath shaky. His hand, still braced on her waist from catching her fall, tightened almost unconsciously. The playful laughter and distant sounds of Raj's giggles faded into nothing the garden was silent except for the wild pounding of two hearts.
Time seemed to pause. Every nerve in her body screamed awareness, every inch of distance between them charged with unspoken tension.
Aarav's eyes flickered down to her lips for the briefest second before returning to her gaze. The air between them grew hotter, heavier, suffocating and intoxicating at once.
Neither moved. Neither spoke. The world didn't exist only this stolen heartbeat where anything could happen.
inside ashiana's desperate mind.
Aarav's gaze dropped again, lingering on her trembling lips. His breath brushed against her skin, his face inching closer, slower, deliberate... the world holding its breath with him.
ohh no... he is so closeee i cant even screammmm.. my boss is so close but wait h.. he going to kiss me is this a dream... ohh no.. ohh nooo... i will get a heart attaackkkkkk...
Ashiana's lashes fluttered shut for a second, her heartbeat hammering so loud it echoed in her ears. She didn't move away this time frozen, waiting, terrified yet drawn helplessly into the pull of him.
And then—
"DI!!!"
Raj's innocent voice echoed through the garden, bursting the fragile moment like a bubble. The little boy came running, giggling loudly, a fistful of color in his hands.
Startled, Ashiana gasped and scrambled up quickly, her face crimson, brushing imaginary dust from her kurti, unable to meet Aarav's eyes. Her heart was still racing, her lips tingling from what almost happened.
SHIT. WHY ALWAYS AT THESE TIMESSSS
Raj ran straight to her and threw color on her again, laughing, completely unaware of what he had interrupted.
"Di! You're so slow! You couldn't even catch me!" he chirped, tugging her hand.
Ashiana forced a smile, trying to steady her breath.
"Ha-ha... yes, Raj. You win again," she said, her voice uneven, cheeks still burning.
Meanwhile, Aarav remained on the grass, one arm propped under him, his jaw tight, his eyes never leaving her. The storm inside them was masked, but just barely. He pushed himself up slowly, dusted his coat, and slipped his hands into his pockets.
Raj grabbed Ashiana's wrist, tugging her away, but Aarav's gaze lingered on her retreating figure, his lips curving ever so slightly in a dangerous, unreadable smirk.
"Interrupted... for now," he muttered under his breath.
Aarav's POV
"The way she looked beneath me... trembling, breathless, lips just inches from mine damn it, I could've claimed her right there.
She doesn't even know what she does to me.
She thinks she can giggle, tease, and then run away like some innocent little rabbit?
No, Ashiana. You don't run from me."
His smirk curved darker, eyes glinting with raw hunger.
"She's chaos, she's fire, she's pain yet I crave her like an addiction I can't shake off. Every time she blushes, every time she stumbles into my arms, it's like fate itself is throwing her at me. And I'm not the kind of man who ignores fate."
A dangerous heat rippled through his chest as his gaze stayed fixed on her, now laughing with Raj.
"Let them all laugh. Let her think this is just a game of colours and giggles. But I know better. I've already marked her in my mind, and soon I'll mark her for real. Ashiana doesn't realize it yet... but she's mine. And God help the man who tries to take her away from me."
His jaw tightened, a dangerous obsession burning behind his eyes.
"She can fight, she can resist, she can even hate me all she wants but in the end, she'll come to me. Because I'll make sure there's nowhere else for her to go. She'll belong to me completely. Body... soul... everything."