Inside the cabin, a welcoming warmth envelops them. The air was infused with the scent of oak wood furniture and a man's cologne, creating an atmosphere of coziness. The sound of rain pattering against the windows forms a soothing melody that lulls them into a sense of calm.
Wania once inside the cottage scanned it meticulously. It was a beautiful structure, rustic but solid. The décor was also basic without any fluff. It was, Wania affirmed, a man's space by all means. She turned around to look at a very wet Arsalan moving through the kitchen of the cottage to make some tea. His movements steady, completely unbothered by the damped clothes or disheveled state as he was used to such inconveniences. Wania had to admit that he never looked better. The thought made her heart flutter, a silly feeling, she decided.
As they settle into a comfortable nook, a pot of freshly brewed tea steams on a small table nearby. The fragrant aroma fills the air, mingling with the earthy scent of the rain-soaked landscape outside. They sip their tea, the warmth of the cups radiating through their hands, as they engage in heartfelt conversations.
"So....." Arsalan started, a bit unsure, "What's with the Raheel guy?"
"What's with him?" Wania replied with another question
"You two seemed to have history." Arsalan said with a calm tone while watching Wania intently from the opposite corner of the the large three-seater sofa. Wania gave him a look he couldn't read as she said.
"History?...What made you say that?" Wania was amused at his deduction but not surprised as she had already came to know that Arsalan Abbas was an observant man.
"Your change of demeanor when Abeera announced his arrival, the way you avoided his eyes and.....You two were arguing at the brunch." Arsalan listed his observations simply.
"I thought, you weren't a people's person." Wania tried to deflect while working up a smile
"I am not" Arsalan state truthfully
"Then why did you notice so much about me?" Wania challenged
"Because you're not people...You are you!" Arsalan was a simple man and manipulating words wasn't his forte so, he stated fact. For him, Wania wasn't one of the crowd. Though he had no idea why had he made this distinction for her.
Wania was taken aback at his unadulterated honesty. She wasn't used to people like him. In her world, everyone play with words. Honesty wasn't a trait easily found in her business and that made Arsalan Abbas a distinction in her life. She took a long steady breath before saying,
"We grew up together...." she took a sip from her cup and then continued, "He is like family. WE were always close as children and as we grew up our elders decided that....you know" Wania said shrugging.
"So, you betrothed to him?" Arsalan asked keeping his voice flat as his heart sank.
Wania shook her head then sighed before saying, "They tried. But, I didn't want it. We both didn't. So we had to do something." Wania was saying while keeping her eyes on the tea cup she was holding. Though Arsalan didn't take his eyes off her face.
"What did you do?" Arsalan asked intrigued.
"Yaar," Wania cried out with a sigh and then reluctantly revealed the truth.
"Raheel took the whole blame, told everyone he can't marry me. This was reason he took the Karachi job offer.....All his family relations are strained because of me but he is adamant to keep it this way. This is what we are fighting about at the brunch." Now Wania looked at Arsalan as she continued,
"I wanted everyone one to know it was both of us who made this decision and Raheel did not break my heart or anything, for heaven's sake!" Wania completed. Frustration evident on her face about this situation.
"So, he is a solid." Arsalan finally spoke having heard the whole thing.
"Yup! he's a solid" the reply came. They both were now looking in to each others eyes as they threw a random Q&A session on each other.
"Then why didn't you marry him?" asked Arsalan
"He is not my type." came the reply
"What's your type?" Arsalan threw another answer
"I would like a softer guy.....What's yours?" Wania retorted with a question of her own
"I don't know...." Asalan responded
"Think hard Arsalan.." Wania insisted
"Why do you want to know?" Arsalan deflected
"Why did you want to know about Raheel?'' Wania countered
"I was Curious" Arsalan said simply
"Same....well??" Wania responded with an arched eyebrow and waited for his answer as they stay in there eye-lock which was now becoming a battle of wills as both waited for the other one to retreat.
"I don't have a type. But, if you're asking...blushing boss-ladies are definitely a turn on." Arsalan said with a devilish smile and a flirty sparkle in his eyes. Suddenly Wania remembered their conversation at the Celebration Gala the other night, when she told him about his school-time charm. Arsalan words felt invasive and unnerving and an involuntary flush crept up on Wania's cheeks. Arsalan's smile broadened but his eyes were fixed on her as he waited for her come-back.
Wania was at loss of words and for a some silly reason her heart rate has increased. She felt warm all over her body, despite her damp clothes. Arsalan's charm wasn't gone as he grew up, Wania realized. He just didn't put it to active use very often and when he did, like right then, the recipient had little to no chance of staying unaffected. Wania gulped before finally saying,
"Okay! I have to admit. You are really good at this"
"At what" Arsalan asked with a raised eyebrow but the smirk didn't falter.
"At being charming. Now I know what the fuss was all about back in school." Wania responded keeping her tone neutral and finally breaking eye contact to look down as she took another sip. She tried her best to act nonchalant but the flush had darkened profoundly.
Satisfied with the results Arsalan too looked away and grabbed his tea cup from the side-table, still smiling. He didn't know why this playful persona of his always seemed to come out in Wania's presence but, he was enjoying it. He was enjoying Wania's company too, a lot more than he would like to admit.
************************************************************************************************************
ВЫ ЧИТАЕТЕ
Fruit of Passion
Любовные романыIt's a completely new fictional story. A fresh Romance! It's unrelated to Tere Bin. The pictures of the actors used is for reference only or how I imagine my characters to look like Wania Ghani is a young and dynamic PR head of her Nana's company...
