Arranged Marriage

11. the penthouse

Meera

Rudra's penthouse was gorgeous. No surprise there; this area of Jaipur was beautiful. His was fairly modest in size, compared to the others, and was tucked in along a quiet square, all the houses surrounding a small park.

He pushed past a waist-high iron gate and strided up the front walk. Inside, the floors were mellow, worn hardwood planks that had clearly withstood the passage of centuries.

We walked past brilliant white walls, eclectic mixes of framed art works-most of them black and white photos of Rudra with his family, college, and of the university.

The living room came into view, all beautifully done. I'd known that it was our company, that designed the place. But this was my first time seeing it.

They'd done an amazing job. A long L-shaped light beige sofa is placed, with plush cushions adorning it. The table was a glass one. The lights were dimmed and the atmosphere relaxed.

In front of it was a huge television. Oh. I'd so love to watch some movie or series while lounging on the plush sofa with a blanket over my lap.

Control. That is what I said to myself. I'd already started looking forward to being in here.

"Water?" Rudra asked from behind me, placing his car keys on the key counter adjacent to the sofa.

I nodded.

Ever since he'd confessed about noticing me, his eyes had lost the hard emotion in them. He was acting a little more free and dare I say, warm and welcoming.

I was so not complaining.

I followed him into the kitchen area because I obviously didn't want to sit around by myself in this huge place.

I barely managed to keep a gasp from escaping me because, wow!

That was literally heaven.

The kitchen was all furnished in different shades of brown. It looked modern and traditional at the same time. The brown was so closely resembling wood. The countertop was black marble, shining.

Even though I wasn't that big on cooking, I'd definitely learn to cook if it meant spending time here.

I watched Rudra get two glasses of water and passed one of it to me. His Adam's apple bobbed while he drank his water, and I swallowed.

"What do you feel like eating for dinner?" He asked, placing his now empty glass on the counter and grabbing his phone.

"Um, how about Chinese?"

He nodded and placed an order for the both of us after asking me about what I'd like to have.

"Do you want to see the rest of the house?" Rudra then asked, pocketing his phone.

I gulped some sips quickly and nodded as he waved for me to walk first. We made our way to the corridor, leading to the stairs.

"There's the living room, kitchen, dining hall, and a room on this floor," he informed me as we walked further into the house. "My room is on the first floor along with an in- built gym and a couple of guestrooms."

"I do see the perks of living here," I teased, gliding my hands on the railing as we climed the stairs.

His husky chuckle came from behind me, and I suppressed a shiver. "I was ordered by my parents to live here. They wanted me and my potential wife to live here alone, to get to know each other better."

I nodded. "My parents are the same. They will move out of the main house once Kunaal gets married. Though, I don't see that happening in the near future." I ended with a chuckle and heard him huff out a laugh.