Ashton's POV
Next day, I woke up feeling as if I was in seventh heaven. The gush of emotions from last night's events wasn't ready to leave my side, and I am not complaining either. It feels like eternity since I've felt something so genuine from within for someone. I didn't even realise when a ghost of a smile made it's way to my lips and when I caught myself smiling, I felt so silly yet giddy.
I am giving an exemplary portrayal of a full grown 28 year old man behaving like a 17 year old teenage girl. Classic.
Without wasting much time I showered and headed out of my room. I walked through the corridor and stopped in front of Arinya's room. I did not want to have breakfast alone when she's staying here. Well yes, it's another major excuse to look at her beautiful face in the morning before I bump into someone else.
I contemplated on whether to knock the door or not.
"What if she hasn't woken up yet and I disturb her sleep? But I don't want to eat alone either. Should I knock? Ah, I think I shouldn't...but she's an early riser so she must be up until now..."
I was over-analysing the most simplified action as if my entire life depended on it.
Ashton, we've the concept of knocking the door to know whether the person is available or not. For the love of god, stop complicating it . My mind snapped.
"God, I am legitimately cringing the living crap out of myself now." I muttered under my breath and knocked the door but got no reply from the other side. I knocked once again but she still didn't revert back.
With a dejected expression, I walked past her room and descended the stairs. Just as I reached the dining area, I found her sitting alone with her chin resting on her fists. She looked adorable whilst she was busy contemplating about who knows what in her mind.
"Good morning." I greeted and smiled brightly at her. She got a bit startled and jumped at my sudden call.
"Good morning." She greeted back and sat with her back upright.
"Did you sleep well last night?" I asked while pulling out a chair for myself.
"Yeah." She replied shortly.
"Had your breakfast?" I asked another question to refrain us from having that awkward silence situation.
"Not yet." She replied and started staring back at her nails.
Why is she so quiet today? Is something wrong? Did I take things a little too far last night?
"When did you wake up?" I tried again to keep the conversation going.
"At 5." She replied.
"Why?? I mean you should rest properly. Besides you have to work from home so you could've slept some more." I stated.
"I..I actually..." She tried forming a sentence but couldn't succeed which made my suspicions even stronger.
"Arinya look at me." I adjusted in my seat to have a closer look of her face. She also averted her gaze towards me.
"What's wrong? Aren't you feeling comfortable here?" I asked with genuine concern.
"No..I.." She again shifted her sight at her hands and started playing with her fingers subconsciously. I caught her off-guard by lifting her chin up gently with my thumb to make eye contact. Later I held both her palms in mine. She stiffened a little at first but relaxed immediately when her promising gaze bore into mine.
"Now tell, what's going on in that pretty little head of yours." I said and she chuckled briefly, not breaking the eye contact.
"I..I had a nightmare last night of what all happened yesterday...After that I couldn't even get myself to close my eyes." She shut her eyes in exhaustion for a brief second and continued.
"Everything just keeps replaying in front of my eyes as if it's imprinted forever on the walls of my mind....Won't it ever leave my side now?" It felt as if her bright eyes lost its shine and her question clearly conveyed that she's carrying a baggage of helplessness with herself.
"Yes it will. You just need to give it some time and don't be so hard on yourself. You're a true fighter but that doesn't mean you can't have a low moment." I truthfully answered.
She heaved a sigh of relief and mouthed an almost inaudible thank you with the most adorable smile.
"I'd have felt amazing if you said that a little louder." I said sarcastically to lighten up her mood.
"Thank you." She said loudly this time.
"No, this won't work now.." I said playfully.
"Then?" She asked innocently.
"Considering it my morning sweetness dose, I'll suffice with a cheek kiss as of now." The pervert in me came to life and made a pretty-casual-pervy statement.
Her mouth hung open and she blinked her eyes several times.
"Yo--you are um you're very shameless." She replied looking everywhere but me. I could see that she's trying really hard not to smile.
Her cute yet baffled expression made me burst into fits of laughter.
"So challenge not accepted?" I added after recovering from my laughter attack.
"How come this came across as a challenge now?" She arched an eyebrow at me.
"That's not important, what's actually important is that you lost your challenge." I replied. To be honest, initially I myself didn't had any clue as to why I flipped my statement into a challenge but after contemplating on it, I felt she might get in her competitive spirit and in return I'll win a kiss so I chose to play along.
"Fine, I lose." She shrugged and voiced out in a very casual tone.
Ashton, tame your pervert self and also don't forget to inform it that the plan to bag a sweet morning kiss from her has completely vanished.
I gave her my best puppy dog eyes to which she hysterically laughed. Atleast she laughed for real after so long.
"Don't attack me with that look and make me feel guilty huh, um we'll talk about it later but for now can we have breakfast please." She added. My hopes grew taller than Eiffel Tower after listening to that even though she didn't mention anything about kissing me.
Call me desperate for wanting a kiss so bad but I want it from her only. However, I won't ever force her into doing something that she isn't willing to.
"Yeah sure,..well didn't Mr Frank come today?" I asked.
"He did. I was getting bored in my room so I came downstairs and saw him cooking. I asked him to let me help but he didn't let me do a thing. He's really sweet." She replied and I nodded my head in agreement.
We had our breakfast while talking about some work stuff.
"First things first." I handed over her medicines. Initially she scrunched up her nose a little but swallowed them all without throwing any tantrums.
"I shall leave for office now." I said and she nodded. I could sense the shift in her mood.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"I..I don't know, I mean what will I do alone in this massive penthouse of yours until evening...uh can I come to office please." She reasoned.
"Arinya, your mind and body is still in healing phase that's why I've told you to work from home for this week. Also I've decided to accompany you and work from home on days when it'll be feasible but today I've some really important task to get done with so I'll have to go to office...oh and I wanted to ask whether you'd want to start training Aiden from this week, I mean that could be helpful to keep yourself away from boredom." I added.
"Yes I can start the training from tomorrow but for today let me come to office, I promise I'll take care of myself properly. Besides I'll get to see my friends too....Pleaseee."
This time she gave me her best puppy dog eyes that pierced right through my heart. I swear, I hadn't seen anything cuter than her this very expression in my entire life. Could I say no to this woman? NO.
"Mmm.." Even though I made up my mind long back to not stop her from doing whatever she wants to but kept pretending as if I am still considering her plea.
"Ugh..You can't say no after this..." Before I could register her words, she eliminated the mere inches of distance between us and got on her toes. Her soft lips touched my right cheek and my hands automatically settled on either sides of her waist.
"Oh good lord, Aaron shut your eyes." A voice boomed in air and I immediately moved my head towards the right. My abrupt head movement made mine and Arinya's lips touch for a brief second but that peck shot tingles through my entire body and I could even sense Arinya's racing heartbeat due to our proximity. Her eyes widened in shock and a pink tint crawled up her cheeks. She took a step backwards but I was left craving for more. The feel of her luscious lips on mine felt like a ginormous moment of bliss despite of it hardly being a second.
"Will you guys stop spoiling my friend by giving a nasty live show this early in the morning." I saw Riyan and Aaron standing at a distance from us. Riyan was trying to block Aaron's vision using his palms and Aaron was struggling to push him away.
Fucking hell, what is this perfect timing to destroy our cute tiny moment.
"I'll go and change." Arinya said and rushed upstairs in a hurry. Though that peck was unintentional but I'll still apologize to her for that.
"You better behave or I'll kill you." I warned Riyan.
"Hey this isn't fair man, you get the pleasure of a kiss and a kill and what do I get, being murderer by Mr King? A plain flat death." Riyan showed fake hurt and Aaron laughed like a maniac.
"What are you two doing here this early?" I tried to change the subject.
"Well we came here to meet Arinya but you know what, I just got to know that encountering adult stuff at this hour of the day seems quite interesting too." Aaron laughed.
"I agree." Riyan winked.
"By the way, sorry man...we didn't let you enjoy your moment." Aaron shrugged.
"Exac--I mean shut up..." I almost blurted out "exactly" but changed my sentence midway. However, I know these crazy heads would've noticed it anyway so Ashton be ready to bare with their teasing game.
"Dude you're so whipped." Riyan said out loud enough for the entire New York to listen.
"What?" I arched a questioning eyebrow at him.
"Oh c'mon man, it's written all over your face. Though we knew it from the very start that there's something going on between you two but it's enough of your pretentious behavior now." Riyan uttered.
"First of all, there wasn't anything going on from the very start, so better re-analyse and correct your false stats.." I said. Aaron opened his mouth to retort but I continued because I knew that there's really no point of keeping things from them now and I can't ever do that successfully.
"but..I have started feeling something for her lately.." I said and the two necessary idiots in my life started grinning like literal fools.
"We fucking knew that already, tell us something spicy." Riyan crossed his hands over his chest and inquired casually with a mischievous grin plastered on his face.
"Yes we know there's more to the story so shoot." Aaron joined in.
"Why do I even call you two my best friends.." I huffed in fake annoyance.
"You're too lucky to have us, people would die and kill to be our best friends." Riyan said proudly.
"She'll be staying with me for the entire week. This way I'd be able to get to know her more." I said it so casually as if it's nothing.
"A week together means that the walls of this house is going to witness insane amounts of naughtiness. Mm-hmm...well atleast something gets to." Riyan wriggled his eyebrows and exchanged a look with Aaron.
"It's better if you keep your thoughts to yourself otherwise you will be losing your pretty face and profession both due to my punch's impact." I added sarcastically.
"But on a serious note, have you told her yet." Aaron asked the first logical question until now.
"I don't know what she feels for me yet and with everything going on in her life currently, I can't seem to decide whether I should tell her or not so I am taking it slow." I reasoned and looked towards her room to make sure she can't hear us.
"You'll know what she feels for you pretty soon." Riyan said.
"How?" I asked.
"Leave that on us." He replied and I heaved a sigh.
Definitely they're upto some mischief yet again.
*************
"Take care and don't get too excited to work. I've only brought you along so that you won't feel bored at home." I instructed Arinya for the 100th time. We were sitting in my parked car in the private parking lot.
She met Riyan and Aaron at the penthouse and thanked them for helping in rescuing her. At first she wasn't coming downstairs because she was feeling extremely embarrassed to face the three of us but we somehow managed to make her come out of the room. All of us chatted for a little while and those two fools basically teased her most of the time.
"Yes your highness." She replied mockingly. Well not her fault, I ate her head throughout our entire ride from home to office. Also, I have been enjoying her quirky side mixed with her innocent self.
"Be with your friends only and call me whenever you need anything." I instructed her for the last time.
"Okay mother, I'll eat on time, I won't go anywhere alone, I'll watch my step, I'll call you after every 5 minutes to keep you posted about everything." She listed out everything on her fingers which made me laugh at my own stupidity.
"Yes, you better obey." I said as if I am parenting her.
"Else?" She asked immediately.
"Then I'll see you at home." I lunged forward and whispered huskily in her ear.
No matter how dominant her amusing and humorous side is but whenever she encounters such moments, she gets all shy which I personally adore.
"I shall leave now." She said shifting the conversation and tried to unbuckle her seatbelt in a whim.
"Easy there, wonder woman." I voiced out and she turned towards me to give a stern look. Though she tried to keep that expression intact but couldn't hold it for long and chuckled.
"You're a gone case." She said moving her head sideways.
"For you." I mumbled under my breath.
Where the fuck have I stocked up all this cheese from?
"Huh?" She inquired.
"Aren't you excited to meet your friends now?" I asked diverting her from the point.
"Yes I am." She gave me her best smile and her eyes sparkled in happiness. She's really eager to meet her three buddies.
I helped her in getting out of the car comfortably and entered the office building.
I walked her to her cabin and before I could start lecturing her regarding anything she smiled and whispered.
"See you soon."
"Bye." I returned her smile and left for my cabin.
___________________________________________
Guys, I am extremely sorry for being MIA. I've been so caught up lately and not gonna lie, I was dealing with a major content block which led to the delay in the update. I still can't promise but I'll try my level best to update as earlier as possible for me because even I feel guilty for keeping you hanging in here for next update.
I just hope that you liked the chapter and I'd love to have the feedback from your end. ❤️
Lots of love to you!!