Chapter 70 - A Battle of Convincing
After a long day at the office, Aarav and Ira finally got into their car. Aarav loosened his tie, his eyes darting toward Ira, who was busy checking emails on her phone.
He smirked. “You know, Mrs. Malhotra, I was thinking…”
Ira, without looking up, hummed. “That’s rare.”
Aarav scoffed. “Very funny. Anyway, we should go on a trip.”
Ira finally glanced at him. “Trip?”
Aarav nodded, starting the car. “Yes. Just the two of us. LA. A few days away from all this chaos.”
Ira immediately shook her head. “No. We have so much work, and your family—”
Aarav groaned dramatically. “Oh, come on, Ira! First, we fought. Then Ritvik and Nisha came. Then Kabir’s drama. We haven’t had a single moment alone.”
Ira smiled but stayed firm. “Aarav, I can’t just disappear for a few days.”
Aarav smirked. “Why? Afraid you’ll miss me too much if we stay alone?”
Ira gave him a look. “We’re always together, Aarav.”
Aarav leaned in closer while still driving, his voice dropping to a deep whisper. “Not the way I want us to be, love.”
Ira turned pink and quickly looked away. “I’m serious! We can’t just—”
Aarav sighed. “Okay, tell me one valid reason why we shouldn’t go.”
Ira started listing excuses. “Your business meetings, my projects, family functions, upcoming—”
Aarav scoffed. “Meetings can be handled online. Projects can wait. Family functions? Seriously, Ira? No one is getting married this week.”
Ira sighed. “It’s just… we don’t need a trip right now.”
Aarav suddenly pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned to face her completely.
His eyes locked with hers, intense and unreadable. “Ira. Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t want to spend a few days alone with me.”
Ira opened her mouth… then shut it.
Aarav smirked. “Caught you.”
She huffed. “That’s not fair!”
Aarav grinned, leaning in dangerously close. “Oh, love, everything is fair when it comes to getting my wife to myself.”
Ira bit her lip, trying to hide her smile. “I need time to think.”
Aarav sighed dramatically. “Fine. But just so you know, I won’t stop convincing you.”
Ira smirked. “I know.”
Aarav leaned back and started the car again. “Good. Because by tomorrow, you will say yes.”
Ira chuckled, shaking her head. “We’ll see.”
But deep down, she already knew—Aarav Malhotra always gets what he wants.
As Aarav drove them home, Ira suddenly sniffed the air and gasped.
Aarav raised an eyebrow. “What now?”
Ira turned to him with an innocent yet dangerously determined look. “Aarav, do you smell that?”
Aarav frowned and took a deep breath. “No?”
Ira’s eyes sparkled. “Roadside Chinese!”
Aarav’s lips pressed into a thin line. “No.”
Ira gasped dramatically. “Excuse me?! I didn’t even say anything yet!”
Aarav scoffed. “You don’t have to. I know that look. The answer is no.”
Ira folded her arms, her lips curving into a smirk. “Oh really?”
Aarav smirked back. “Really.”
Ira sighed heavily. “Fine. I’ll just tell everyone at home how my cruel husband deprived me of my cravings. How he denied his wife the simple pleasure of roadside noodles. How I suffered, Aarav. Suffered.”
Aarav groaned, rubbing his temples. “You’re dramatic, you know that?”
Ira nodded with a proud smile. “Thank you.”
Aarav sighed in defeat and parked the car near the food stall. “Fine. Five minutes.”
Ira grinned victoriously. “I knew I married you for a reason.”
As they sat at the small roadside stall, Aarav watched in amusement as Ira happily slurped her noodles.
He shook his head. “I swear, you act all sophisticated, but at heart, you’re just a kid.”
Ira beamed. “And yet, you love me.”
Aarav smirked, leaning in. “More than you’ll ever know.”
Ira blushed and quickly stuffed a bite of noodles in her mouth to avoid replying.
Aarav and Ira had barely stepped into the house after their little roadside Chinese food adventure when a slipper came flying in their direction. Aarav, with his sharp reflexes, dodged it effortlessly, but Ira wasn’t so lucky.
Thwack!
"Aah!" Ira yelped, rubbing her arm where the slipper had landed.
"Perfect aim, Mom!" Vivaan clapped, trying to hide his laughter.
Sunita stood there, hands on her hips, looking furious. "You both went out and ate without telling me?! The whole dinner is wasted now!"
"Mom, it’s not what it looks like—" Ira started, but Sunita wasn’t done.
"Not what it looks like? So you didn’t just eat a full meal outside while I was waiting here with hot, homemade food?" Sunita raised a brow.
Aarav, the smart businessman that he was, stepped in. "Mom, we just had a little snack. How can we ever say no to your food?"
"Yeah, yeah, that’s why your wife smells like soy sauce and chili garlic!" Anika smirked from her seat at the dining table.
Ira turned red. "Anika, shut up!"
But maa how do you know that, like we had food?
"Bhabhi you just sent me the snap" Anika said
Unfriend her right now, aarav whispers to ira
"Oh ho, bhabhi, don’t be shy! After all, romance starts with sharing a plate of noodles," Kabir added, winking.
Vivaan grinned. "Bhai, next time take notes from Bollywood. Lady and the Tramp style—one noodle, two mouths."
Aarav shot him a glare. "Shut it, Vivaan."
"Guys, can we please eat now before mom throws another slipper?" Ira pleaded.
Sunita sighed dramatically. "Fine, sit down. But both of you are finishing the extra food you made me waste!"
As they all settled at the table, Hitesh chuckled. "This reminds me of my newlywed days. Even I used to get caught sneaking out for roadside snacks with Nandini."
Rajesh uncle added with a smirk, "And you got hit with a belan, remember?"
The whole table burst into laughter, and even Aarav and Ira couldn't help but smile.
But just as they started eating, Vivaan leaned in and whispered to Ira, "Bhabhi, did bhai at least feed you with his own hands?"
Ira kicked him under the table. "Shut up, Vivaan!"
But Aarav, smirking, leaned toward Ira and whispered, "If I knew feeding you was an option, I would’ve done it properly."
Ira nearly choked on her food.
After dinner and all the family teasing, Ira changed into her comfy nightwear—an oversized T-shirt and shorts—while Aarav, as always, looked effortlessly handsome in his grey joggers and black T-shirt.
She was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard, while Aarav sat beside her, one arm draped lazily over the backrest, watching her with amusement.
“Ira,” he started, his voice low and persuasive, “let’s go to L.A. for a few days. Just you and me. We deserve this.”
Ira shook her head immediately. “Aarav, we have so much work, and—”
Before she could complete her sentence, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, cutting her off completely. The kiss was slow, teasing, making her lose her train of thought.
When he pulled away, he smirked. “What were you saying?”
Ira blinked, her lips tingling. “I-I was saying that we have work, and I—”
Another kiss. This time deeper, longer. She gasped against his lips, but he didn’t let her go. His fingers tangled in her hair, pulling her closer as he took his time exploring her mouth. When he finally let her breathe, she was completely dazed.
“Continue,” he whispered against her lips.
She narrowed her eyes. “You’re doing this on purpose.”
He grinned. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Ira huffed, trying to push him away, but he caught her wrist and pulled her onto his lap. Her hands instinctively went to his shoulders, and he smirked at how easily she fit against him.
“Aarav, stop distracting me—”
Another kiss. Slow, lingering, his lips moving over hers with sinful precision. She melted into him before catching herself.
With great effort, she pulled back and placed a hand on his chest. “I’m serious. We can’t just run off to L.A.!”
Aarav sighed dramatically. “Why not? We’ve barely spent any time together properly. First, we were fighting. Then Ritvik showed up. Now the office is keeping us busy. I want some alone time with my wife. Is that too much to ask?”
Ira bit her lip, looking at his puppy-like expression. “It’s not that, Aarav, but—”
He groaned and kissed her again, this time pressing her down onto the bed. She gasped as his body hovered over hers.
“Aarav!” she protested weakly.
“Hm?” He hummed against her lips before kissing her again.
She pushed at his chest, breathless. “You can’t just keep kissing me every time I say no.”
“Oh, but I can,” he whispered, his lips trailing down to her jaw, then her neck. “And I will, until you say yes.”
Ira shivered but stubbornly shook her head. “Still no.”
Aarav pulled back, narrowing his eyes. “You’re really going to make me work for this, aren’t you?”
She smirked. “Obviously.”
He grinned. “Challenge accepted, Mrs. Malhotra. Let’s see how long you last.”
With that, he rolled them over, pinning her beneath him as he continued his very persuasive method of convincing her,
aarav leaned over ira, hovering above her on the bed. With a tender yet persuasive gaze, he started his sensual assault. Soft lips brushing hers briefly before trailing to her cheek, then down to nip lightly at her earlobe. He murmured, 'Come with me baby.....
Ira tried to suppress a shiver as aarav's lips grazed her neck, his breath warm against her skin. He was careful not to go too far, keeping his touches light and teasing. His lips returned to hers, kissing her gently, coaxingly.
Aarav's fingertips gently caressed Ira's jawline, tilting her head back to expose her neck. He peppered soft kisses along her collarbone, gradually moving upward to capture her lips once more. 'Just a week, sweetheart. For me?' he murmured between kisses.
Ira's breath hitched as aarav's lips brushed against hers, his tongue lightly tracing her bottom lip. She could feel his restraint, the way he was deliberately keeping things light and teasing. He knew exactly what he was doing, using his touch to persuade rather than seduce.
Aarav's hands gently framed ira face as he deepened the kiss briefly, his tongue parting her lips just enough to taste her before pulling back. He smiled against her mouth, 'You always taste so good...' He knew she loved when he said things like that.
Ira's resolve was starting to weaken. She wrapped her arms around aarav's neck, pulling him into a deeper kiss, her lips parting willingly this time. He took advantage, his tongue sliding against hers in a slow, sensual dance. He broke the kiss abruptly, leaving ira breathless.
Aarav rested his forehead against ira's, his breath mingling with hers. 'See? One week,' he whispered, his voice low and persuasive. He nuzzled her neck, placing gentle kisses there, his hands roaming to her hair, tangling in the strands.
Ira sighed, her body relaxing into aarav touch. 'Fine,' she whispered, her voice barely audible. 'One week.' aarav smiled, victorious. He pressed one more kiss to ira's neck before pulling back, his eyes shining with affection and gratitude.
And that night, Ira learned one thing—Aarav Malhotra never lost a challenge.
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