5 ~ Favourite Flavour
When I saw him coughing. I almost laughed but controlled the urge.
Instead I stand quickly, hiding my smile behind the veil, and move toward the table.
"Paani..."
(Water.)
I pour a glass, steadying my expression.
When I turn back, he's still recovering from the shock.
I walked back toward him and he extended his hand to reach forward but before he can reach for the glass
I lift my hand, my fingers slide under his chin, tilting his face slightly upward.
He gasped looking at me and he froze as if his body forgot how to react.
I bring the glass to his lips.
"Drink." I said sensually and saw him looking at me.
He doesn't resist or stop me and that's when I feel it.
The shift and the tension thickening.
His gaze locks onto mine through the veil as he drinks.
I can feel it, the awareness and the heat between us.
When he's done, he pushes the glass away slightly.
I set it aside. My fingers linger for just a second longer than necessary on his chin as he continued to look at me, at my half covered face.
Then almost instinctively I wipe the drop of water from his lower lip.
A simple gesture but it does something sharp and electric in my whole body.
I expect him to snap, to pull away or to put me in my place but he doesn't and that unsettled me.
Why is he not pushing me away?
Is he not uncomfortable with all this inappropriate behaviour of mine?
"Are you okay?" I ask softly.
And he nodded but he doesn't speak. He kept looking at my half covered face as if he's trying to decode something. As if I'm a puzzle he badly wants to solve but the missing pieces are not letting him do it.
For a man who controls everything. He's suddenly quiet.
Maybe because I'm getting to him.
I continued to pretend to be a bad girl no one would want to marry.
I sit beside him again, deliberately invading his space.
His perfume lingers between us. It was so masculine and manly not letting me concentrate.
Focus Chahat focus.
I see the way his jaw tightens slightly because of the close proximity between us.
His control was snapping finally.
"What do you like to do?" I ask casually.
He looks at me.
I tilted my head slightly and added "In your alone time...at night?"
His eyes widened, just slightly as he looked at me.
He doesn't blink or look away he just stares at me as if I've lost it.
Like I've crossed a line no one ever dared to.
And maybe I have but that's the point. I'm supposed to make him reject me. To see me as improper, bold and not perfect wife material.
But the way he's looking at me right now...that's not rejection but curiosity and interest.
It felt dangerous and for the first time..
I feel it.
This might not go the way I planned.
Because Kartik Singhaniya...is not pushing me away but he's holding himself back.
And that restraint...it feels like it's about to snap.
The silence stretches between us.
He's still looking at me like I've stepped into territory no one dares to cross with him. Like he's trying to decide whether to stop me... or see how far I go.
I'm already getting on his nerves. There's no going back now. So I asked whatever awkward questions I memoried.
"What's your favourite flavour?" I ask suddenly.
His brows pull together. "What?"
I smile faintly beneath my veil, tilting my head. "I mean...in ice cream."
For a second, he just stares at me.
Then, flatly he said, "I don't like ice-creams."
Of course he doesn't.
I lean slightly closer.
"Chocolate bhi nahi?" I ask, letting my husky voice dip just enough to carry a teasing edge.
(Not even chocolate?)
His gaze drops to my lips.
Pervert.
The thought flashes instantly through my mind as I adjust my veil again, hiding more of my face this time.
He looks away almost immediately, jaw tightening like he's annoyed at himself.
Good.
That means he's affected.
I should make him more awkward.
Think, Chahat...something worse.
Something that would make any decent man walk out of this room and reject me immediately.
And then it clicks.
"What's your favourite thing in bed?"
The words slip out before I can second guess them.
His head snaps slightly toward me. "Kya matlab hai tumhara?"
(What do you mean?)
I lean in a little, closing the space again, pretending innocence I don't feel.
"Matlab... sone se pehle," I say smoothly. "What do you like to do? What are your hobbies?"
(I mean...Before sleeping.)
I can feel it, the restraint tightening, like a wire being pulled too far.
For a moment, I genuinely wonder if he'll lose his temper.
If he'll snap.
If he'll yell at me or call me names for making him uncomfortable.
"I... like to read," he says finally, voice controlled but lower now. "And gym."
I nod slowly looking at his biceps and forearms.
Then the next words slip out before I can stop them. "No wonder you have a sexy body."
My heartbeat stopped for a minute.
Oh God.
What did I just say? It was surely not the part of the plan.
I straighten slightly.
"I mean..."
I tried to fix it. To control the damage but it was done.
His head tilts just a fraction, he looked at me with his piercing gaze.
"What are you trying to do?"
The question is quiet but sharp enough to cut.
My confidence falters for the first time.
I stand up abruptly.
"Main? Main kyun kuch karungi?"
(Me? Why would I do anything?)
My voice comes out faster than intended.
I need distance. His proximity is doing something strange to my thoughts.
I turn slightly, intending to step away but my foot catches the edge of the carpet and my foot slipped.
And before I can react..my body lurches forward and the next second I'm on his lap.
Everything stilled. My hands grip his shoulders instinctively for balance.
His muscles tense beneath my palms.
God, Chahat... what are you doing?
My heart was racing so loudly I'm sure he could hear it.
I try to push myself up immediately but then...his hand closes around my waist stopping me.
My entire body froze.
His grip isn't rough but possessive and controlled like he's fully aware of exactly how much pressure to use.
"Ye sab?" His voice is low as he gestures slightly at me sitting on his lap.
(All this?)
My throat goes dry.
"Ye maine... sach mein jaanbujh ke nahi kiya," I manage, words stumbling out.
(I didn't do this intentionally.)
My eyes squeeze shut for a second.
This is not going how it was supposed to go.
I was supposed to make him uncomfortable. Make him reject me.
Not this.
His hand was still on my waist.
I can feel the warmth of his palm on my bare waist.
My breathing turns uneven.
His gaze drops for a brief second...taking in the closeness, the position. The fact that there's barely any space between us then lifts his eyes back to my face.
"You're playing a dangerous game," he says quietly.
The words aren't loud but they land heavily.
My fingers tighten slightly on his shoulder.
"I'm not playing anything," I whisper back, though my voice betrays me as I struggled in his arms.
I'm not sure who's in control anymore. His grip on my waist doesn't loosen.
I barely finished my sentence, he pulled me closer that steal the air from my lungs.
The small space that existed between us vanishes completely.
My breath hitched. "Kartik..." My palms press harder against his shoulders to steady myself, but it only makes me more aware of him, of the solid strength beneath my fingers, of how unmoving he is compared to the chaos inside me.
As soon as his name escaped my lips he stopped for a moment and looked at me.
His other hand comes up, not touching my face, but hovering close enough to make my pulse race.
"Don't lie," he said quietly.
His voice isn't raised but it felt like a command, like he's used to being obeyed.
My throat goes dry.
"I'm not..."
"You are." The interruption was immediate. "You know exactly what you're doing."
My heart was pounding because the worst part? He's not entirely wrong but I can't admit that.
Not now. Not when I've come this far.
"I said it was an accident," I whisper, trying to push myself back slightly.
But his grip doesn't let me.
If anything...It pulls me just a fraction closer. Enough for me to feel the heat of his breath. "Accidents don't look like this."
His gaze drops again...slowly, deliberately taking in the position, the closeness, the way I'm practically pressed against him.
The heat rushed to my face but I didn't look away.
"You think too much of yourself," I shoot back, though my voice has softened without my permission.
His fingers press slightly into my waist not hurting, but grounding.
Like he's reminding me exactly where I am. Who I'm sitting on.
My breath becomes uneven. This is not going how I planned at all.
"Tell me...why were you doing all that drama?"
I shook my head trying to say something but no words came out.
I was supposed to make him uncomfortable, make him walk away and reject this proposal.
Instead he's pulling me in and I don't like how my body reacts to it.
"Don't test my patience." His face is closer than before.
I can feel the warmth of his breath against my skin through the thin veil.
"You think I don't understand what you're doing?" he continues, voice low, steady, almost calm. That calm is what scares me. "I'm aware." he said.
My pulse skips.
My fingers tense slightly against his shoulders.
He knows.
Or at least he thinks he does.
I tried to move, to get out of this suffocating proximity.
"Chhodo mujhe."
(Let go of me.)
But his hold doesn't loosen. If anything it tightened grounding me exactly where I am.
"Kyun?" he murmurs.
(Why?)
His thumb presses slightly against my waist, not inappropriate...just enough to remind me I'm not in control here.
"Tumhe to jaanna tha na."
(You wanted to know, didn't you.)
His gaze drops briefly to my lips again.
"Mera favourite flavour."
(my favorite flavor.)
My throat dries and I shook my head immediately pushing him away.
"Aur mujhe bistar pe kya pasand hai."
(and what I like on the bed.)
The words send a rush of heat through me.
"Nahi. Mujhe kuch nahi jaanna."
(No. I don't want to know anything.)
My voice comes out rushed, uneven.
Gone is the teasing confidence and the control.
And he noticed and a slow smirk formed on his lips like he just caught me in my own trap.
For a second longer, he doesn't move.
And then he let go.
I stand up quickly, almost too quickly, putting distance between us.
My hands move instinctively straightening my lehenga, adjusting my dupatta, pulling it properly over myself.
I turn slightly, fixing the pleats, I feel a sudden chill against my skin.
My waist was too much exposed now and my mole...oh God. If anyone from my family sees that, they'll know I'm not Mukti.
I step aside quickly, turning my back slightly and fixing the dupatta properly, covering myself in one swift motion.
Suddenly a hand grips my arm and in the next second I was turned around facing him.
He's closer than before. His presence fills the entire space.
"Batao. Kyun kar rahi thi wo sab?"
(Tell me. why were you doing all that?)
I tug my arm slightly. "Haath chhodiye mera."
(Leave my hand.)
He doesn't, it was firm enough to remind me that he doesn't let things go easily.
I lift my chin, forcing myself to meet his gaze through the veil.
"Aapko jo samajhna hai aap samjho," I snapped.
(Think whatever you want.)
His eyes narrow slightly.
But I don't stop.
"Lekin ek baat aap acche se jaan lo...I'm not like how my family has described me to you."
(But understand one thing clearly...)
The words hang between us.
His grip tightens just a fraction.
"Accha hoga agar aap khud hi is rishte ke liye mana kar do," I continue, my voice lowering but gaining edge.
(It's better you reject this proposal yourself.)
Then I added, "Because I'm not someone you can handle."
The words come out sharp and unapologetic.
His eyes don't leave mine and something in them shifted.
Not anger but something darker and challenged.
Like I just questioned his authority and he didn't like it.
But I don't wait. I pull my arm free this time.
Step back, turned and walk straight to the door.
My heartbeat was still racing. My chest was rising and falling faster than it should.
My fingers grip the handle as I opened it and step out without looking back.
Only then I exhale a long, shaky breath I didn't realize I was holding.
"Itna sab sunne ke baad toh koi bhi mana kar dega."
(After hearing all this, anyone would reject.)
A small, relieved thought crosses my mind.
This is over.
Finally.
I walk back into the hall, the soft chatter of elders filling the space again. Familiar. Controlled. Safe.
I lower myself onto the sofa, adjusting my dupatta properly, making sure everything is in place.
I need to look normal but before I can gather myself completely i felt his presence again.
He's behind me.
Kartik Singhaniya.
And for some reason... my spine straightens instinctively.
At the exact same moment my phone starts ringing.
The sudden sound startles me slightly.
I glance down. It was Mukti.
Relief floods through me instantly.
Without saying a word to anyone, I stand up quickly.
"I'll just come..." I murmured vaguely, not even waiting for a proper response as I walked away.
Behind me...I heard soft laughter rises.
My mother and his grandmother.
"Aree dekho... sharma gayi ladki."
(Look at her... she got shy.)
Another chuckle follows.
I almost roll my eyes.
Shy?
If only they knew what just happened inside that room.
I walk faster because if I stay there another second I might actually laugh.
I reached my room and shut the door behind me.
The window shifted slightly and the next second Mukti climbed in from the other side and jumps inside the room.
I don't waste a second.
My hand immediately goes to my veil, pushing it back and off completely.
Fresh air hits my face.
Freedom.
"I tried my best to make him reject me," I say quickly, running a hand through my slightly messed hair. "I'm sure he'll reject."
Mukti exhales deeply, her shoulders dropping in visible relief.
"Thank God," she mutters.
I move toward the mirror, already pulling at the heavy lehenga.
God, this thing feels suffocating now.
Layer after layer comes off in a hurry. Within minutes, I'm back in my comfortable loose t-shirt and trousers.
I tie my hair into a messy knot, exhaling as I finally feel like I can breathe again.
"That was insane," I muttered, half to myself.
My mind flashed back...His grip on my waist.
His voice near my ear. "You're playing a dangerous game."
I shake my head quickly, pushing the thought away.