Meant To Be

Chapter 4

Hiya *waves*

Banta/Goti botal - An Indian drink that tastes like heaven.
Kancha - Marble
Kala Namak - Rock salt

Song - Dheere Dheere

Really sorry for any grammatical mistakes. This chapter is unedited
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"What would you like to have?" He asked.

"Banta" I replied without missing a beat.

"What?" He asked, looking at me quizzically. I looked back at him incredulously.

"You have never had a Banta before?" I asked shock painting each word.

"No, I have." He said smiling through a frown, "We just call it Goti-botal." He got two bottles for each of us. I pressed the marble on the top of the bottle down as the soda came out of with a satisfying fizzz.

He did the same and grabbed the Kala namak (Rock salt) shaker, peppered his drink, then passed it to me. I sprinkled the salt in my bottle and watched the soda go in overdrive. I put the shaker back on the stand then we went to sit on the nearby bench. We clinked our bottles and took a swig.

"That was a mean hook. Are you into boxing?" He asked in his velvety voice, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

"Southpaw," I replied leaning back against the bench.

"Really?" His eyes widened. "Can't say I am surprised. That fist holds a lot of strength. Do you still play?" He asked. The genuine appreciation in his voice was a welcome surprise as opposed to the misogynistic But-you-are-a-girl I was used to.

"No, unfortunately." I grimaced. "What about you? I mean, you have an impressive set of muscles on you. Do you work out too?"

He choked on his drink. I frowned then what I had said sank in. My cheeks burned. I was sure by the smug look on his face he knew I got it too.

"Uh..I meant..." I stammered.

"Yes, I do workout to maintain the impressive muscles." He cut me off making me blush more. He continued, "But I spend most of my time on Krav Maga."

That was surprising} "Really? Isn't it like military, defence, hardcore streetfighting. I remember taking a couple of classes once, gave up after two. Damn, if it didn't hurt like hell," I said.

Surprise flickered through his eyes before he burst out laughing. His laugh was deep and husky. A couple of girls walking by stopped to stare. They looked at each other and giggled. He looked back at me with a breathtaking smile.

"It does. I think I broke my wrist in the first week. But the pain eases over time and of course practice is the secret for mastering any art," He said. I nodded.

"You are a professional, then?" I asked.

"Yeah, something like that." I nodded but before I could ask him to elaborate he cut me off. "What's your name, by the way?"

"Lioness, as in calm down lioness," I replied cheekily repeating his words from earlier. His eyes lit up.

"Hello lioness, I am knight as in the knight in shining armour rescuing the damsel in distress," He said playing along. I laughed.

"Oh please, you just held me back. I would've kicked his ass into next century. Besides I didn't need rescuing. I can handle these creeps," I quipped.

The twinkle in his eyes faded as they darkened. He said, "you shouldn't have to. Women should not have to fear for their lives for every step they take outside their homes." I nodded slowly.