The Arranged One | ✔️

Chapter 17 - Deal with the Devil

Siya was surprised to see a loveseat right in front of the screen. She opened her mouth to ask him, when and why did he buy one, when he beat her to it.

"We'll take our usual loveseat of course", he said looking at Siya, communicating her to go with it. "You two can take any of the game chairs you like."

Divya just raised her eyebrows but said nothing. A smirk forming on her face as she looked in amusement at the newly added piece of furniture.

"Isn't it romantic that Abhi bought the loveseat for him and Siya right into his game room?" Divya asked Natasha conversationally.

"Totally! There are very few guys who would bring such a furniture in their all-male space. You're a lucky girl Siya", Natasha said, looking at Abhi dreamily.

Siya wanted to physically block Abhi from Natasha's view but kept her calm. After all it was Siya he was gonna sit next to.

Abhi set up the movie and came back to settle on the loveseat. He got under the blanket he had given her, and shifted close to her to make himself comfortably snuggled up against her.

She ended up with her head on his chest and wrapped up in his arms. This was a complete deviation from their usual friendly movie nights, where the three of them sat on separate game loungers, with separate blankets for Siya and Divya since Abhi never used one, and laughed, joked and commented about the movie and shared popcorn.

Now the air seemed rife with tension, the four of them watched the movie in complete silence as a young looking Ryan Gosling climbed the Ferris wheel. Both Divya and Natasha sighed as he said his dialogues. Siya would have sighed too had she been paying a smidgen of attention to the movie.

Her entire being was focused on the man holding her in his arms. He engulfed her completely. The scent of him, his cologne, his soap and something distinctly Abhi surrounded her completely. His heart a steady beat against her ear. She had never been both utterly comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. Everything about Abhi was so familiar - his arms, his scent, his touch. Yet something between them had changed completely. These were uncharted waters for them, never having seen each other as boyfriend and girlfriend.

Sometime into the movie, Siya finally began to relax, feeling too cozy in Abhi's warm embrace. She wanted to relax and to lift up her legs, but there wasn't space for that.

As if reading her mind, Abhi slowly but surely, slid his arm under her knees and lifted them onto his lap. He looked into her eyes as if seeking her approval for what he'd just done. She couldn't do anything, couldn't shake her head, couldn't nod, couldn't blink...couldn't breath....

They kept staring into each other's eyes, for what seemed like forever. Her cheeks were warming up and Siya knew she was blushing. Keeping eye contact with her, Abhi started drawing slow languid circles on her waist where his hand was resting. The touch was so sudden, she shuddered from the feeling. She broke eye contact as she felt too embarrassed by her reaction. Her heart thudding against her chest, her breath ragged.

Abhi caught her by surprise once again, by brushing his lips on her exposed shoulder as she was wearing a one-shoulder off top.