Dually Devoted ✓

Chapter 27

Arpita had been checking with Siddharth if he needed any changes in his schedule, like every other morning, when he leaned on his desk and pulled her close by her waist. She was about to protest when he put a finger on her lip.

"I'm not letting go," he shook his head.

And she sighed, continuing to tell him how his day of work was planned. He smiled, as he observed her voice had softened. Just like all the others times when he held her close.

He had assumed that she wouldn't like mixing business with pleasure, and he soon found his assumption to be right. However, she had understood fast that he was way too stubborn and didn't waste her energy trying to argue with him.

The door burst open and Arpita pulled away. Sid held her by her wrist, as he glanced at the intruder, and sighed boredly. "I don't think today is Monday."

Tarun pushed his dropped jaw back in place and grinned. "When did this happen?" His gaze flickered between the couple.

Arpita's face was as red as a tomato, and Siddharth's lips curved invisibly, "It's been a few days," he replied, though he knew it had exactly been three days and seventeen hours.

"Been a few days?!" Tarun approached them. "A******! Why didn't you tell me?"

Sid slowly shrugged, scratching his neck awkwardly, "Slipped off my mind, I guess?"

Tarun smirked, teasingly, "Oh! Of course. Someone must have been running on your mind without a break," he commented, making the only lady in the room want to hide her face.

Sid chuckled at her embarrassment, and stepped to her side. Resting his hand on the small of her back, "Tarun, meet Arpita, finally, my girlfriend," he introduced, earning a slap on his bicep from her.

Tarun laughed with him, before turning to Arpita. "I should really thank you for not rejecting this idiot." He joked, dramatically. "I was so sick of his lonely face. I was starting to get worried."

Sid scoffed. "So worried that you used me to babysit your little monsters and happily left for your date", he countered. Remembering the events of last Sunday, when Tarun had dropped his two daughters at Siddharth's house and told him to take care of them, without even informing him of it beforehand. Those two girls had turned his whole house upside down.

Tarun waved him off, "Can you imagine him babysitting? It's so obvious he's bull****ing. Ah! That even rhymes." He smirked at his friend, knowing that he really had troubled him suddenly that day. Sid loved the twins, anyway.

Arpita chuckled at their childish conversation, while Sid rolled his eyes at Tarun, internally happy to hear the soothing sound of her laughter. "Get. Out of here, Tarun. We are busy," he gritted out, not really angry.

"Of course. I saw that," Tarun's eyes sparkled, but on receiving a glare from his friend, he put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, fine... I'm leaving on a business trip this Monday, man. So, I thought of coming here today. Anyway, now that you guys are together, you better bring her along. For camping next weekend," he informed the last part to Arpita.

"Stop forcing your plans on us! We'll come if we're free." Sid declared, not wanting to discomfort Arpita.

The day when Arpita had been on leave, Tarun had already talked to him about this. Sid had agreed to join them. Though, at that time, it was only to distract himself from discouraging thoughts that were gradually making him believe- wrongly- that she had no feelings for him.

His long fingers raked his hair; it had totally skipped his mind to inform Arpita about it. Of course, after she had become his girlfriend, he was in a happy bubble all the time. But he had planned to let her know sooner rather than later so that it could be easier for her to clear his schedule that Saturday.