33- “The one who bears the queen will have my heart.”
« AHANA »
It was eight in the morning when my lousy eyes braced a new day. While starting the day with a glass of lemon water, I checked my smartphone and indeed there was a new message from Vansh. As always.
“I hate waking up 'cause it ends my dreams with you. Good morning. ;)”
I could feel my own lips widening like a fool. To show that I was grateful for his good morning message, I typed a quick reply—
Red alert, everyone! The hunkiest man in the world has risen. Good morning to you too, Mister. ☀
It had become a tradition now. Ever since that fateful night, Vansh and I have been religiously exchanging 'Good morning' messages to each other. Without fail. Vansh was the first to start this tradition. Not even a morning passed by, when he didn't message me. And that was when it had been two months.
I lied down to bed, reminiscing the past month with glee. The cute yet hilarious messages we exchanged, the numerous voice and video calls we had. How ironic was it that we couldn't meet, even though we were living in the same city. Miraculously, we kept the promise of not meeting each other. More like I did. Though that didn't lessen my desire to see him.
I'd like to think Vansh kept his promise of being honest, too. Maybe a bit too honest. He would often send pictures of any unfortunate incident happening to him, and let's just say some of them were quite unpleasant. Like how he sent a picture of his dirty shoe dipped in bird shit while I was having breakfast. Some of his other unfortunate shots included him stuck in traffic, his car getting repaired, his ten day old bread slightly covered in moss and a picture of him with a female collegue who wanted to be his friend. But the one that topped them all was the one he sent me once, during office lunch. He had already warned me against anyone seeing it. I braced myself for the worst but what he sent next, wasn't anything I imagined.
It was a full nude picture of him, taking a shower. Did I mention he had a wild, raging boner?
My reaction to that picture was something I didn't like to recall (and no, I wasn't grossed out). Now I couldn't take revenge by sending a nude picture of me, knowing how physically pleased he would be. Instead, I sent a recording of me (fake) flirting with a male collegue. Ah, the wonders of friendship.
Friendship, my foot!
The promise of no dates and no sex was well intact, but when it came to keeping strictly friendship between us— it was an epic fail.
The moment I saw his face on Skype for the first time after we reconciled— I blew a kiss on the screen. His hair was well groomed, his face was shaved. If that wasn't all, then he just had to go all formal, wearing a black suit for an important meeting. It made him look two years older. I swear he asked for my suggestion on purpose. He looked so undeniably hot that I couldn't help blurting how I wanted to bite him. Not to mention how badly I wanted to fuck him there and then, but thankfully, my mouth was intelligent enough to resist that.
In other words, I was complete and an utter idiot.
Eventually we crossed the line of friendship, sending sweet and complimentary messages. Sometimes our chats would be romantic while sometimes, they would turn the kind of dirty that I wouldn't dare open in public. All those video calls and chats, accumulated enough libido I became afraid of what would become of us when we meet face to face. We mutually agreed upon not meeting in his apartment.
But as pretty as it may seem, our relationship wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Before all of this, I was still that scared, insecure Ahana who was unsure of our relationship, who doubted over little things, who thought too negatively. Now I did believe Vansh with all my heart, but it took a little more than words and emotions, to convince my logical mind. It had nothing to do with our present but everything with our recent past. It was those wounds I carried along, which was difficult to ignore. More often than not, I gave up on getting together. I'd stop responding, give silly excuses to avoid him, or straight out tell him to stop chasing me. At other times when I became nosy, I would dig information on his days in Boston that he never bothered to tell me about. I'd ask questions about myself, just to check his level of interest in me. You would consider it okay if someone asked you for the first time. But what if it became repetitive— Obviously you would be annoyed. Vansh was annoyed, too. It led to petty arguments and fights which would further my belief in breaking up. We were literally hanging by a thread. Then what, pray, actually made me hold on to it?
It was just one word. One person. Vansh.
If I was the one holding the red threads for both of us before, then it was Vansh who was doing all the work now. Sure, I got successful in infuriating him. He even ignored me when things got rough. I was sure he felt like giving up too. But then, he would come back. He came back like never before, forgetting what happened, letting go of all the bitterness. He would pick up a hilarious joke or anything random to cheer us (me and himself). Every. Single. Time. He became the sunshine after every night. He became the rainbow after each rain. No matter how many times I whined, cried or complained, he would always smile at me (or send a smiling picture of him, in this case). It was his way of saying- 'I'm staying, no matter what.' Little by little, his actions began to reflect on me. His smiles became mine, his words became my words. The hope that was waning before, began to rise. I started to feel it. Feel the Vansh- Ahana craziness coming back to life. It was already there when we rode the train to Orai; when we danced at Ayush's birthday party and even when we were relaxing in the wheat fields. It was always there. I was just too blind to realize it.
Despite all, there was still that little cloud of doubt looming over my head. It was something that was always there, but luckily, I knew a way to get rid of that pesky, little cloud.
I just had to meet him.
Infact, every time we talked on phone and video called each other, I wanted to jump to the other side of the screen and envelop him in my arms. It wasn't just me either. He would practically ask me every night to meet him tomorrow. Never did a single 'no' ached me so much. But I had to give us time. A time enough to stall us until there was nothing left but to meet.
So it was no breaking news that Vansh was over the Mars when I finally agreed on to meet. We were both giddy like we were going to see each other for the first time. But then we thought— Are we just going to pick up a place and meet? Are we going to have a simple, loving date, then declare ourselves official like that? It sounded too plain to our extraordinary tastes. Literally like lemonade to my tongue. Oh hell no, baby! If we were going official then we had to go off with a bang. A lemonade wouldn't do justice to that.
It had to be a lemon mocktail.
~
“He's late.” I stated after checking the time in my mobile. I was seated on the table, reserved for us. The restaurant was underground. It wasn't anything fancy but the wooden walls and the landscapes carved on the tree trunks quite made up for it. Not to mention how the whole place smelled of sandalwood. There was a door at the corner that connected to the bar. I was more than excited for this date. It was anything like we had done before. I wondered what Vansh came up with. He sure was taking his sweet time.
My wait finally bore fruit fifteen excruciating minutes later, when a man I haven't seen before walked my direction. I had to eye him from top to bottom to really appreciate the effort he had put in his costume. His bottom was a black pant with half of it submerged under black leather boots. His upper body, on the other hand, was covered with a long red coat with a chain closure, a golden vest, a white shirt with a red bowtie. A black- golden hat and a black wand thus completed the costume of a magician. In addition to that, his face bore a short beard that extended from his chin to his jawline. His hazel eyes found me and a smile escaped his delectable lips.
You're telling me that this was Vansh Baweja? Shaabash, beta. Shaabash! (Well done, child. Well done).
I rose from my seat to greet him. He extended his hand to shake. “Hi, I'm Amandeep Der but you can call me Aman.”
The fact that we thought alike wasn't even funny anymore. I shook his hand, feeling the warm touch of his fingers for the first time in months. It brought jitters to my stomach. “Nice to meet you Amandeep, I'm Vernika Iyer.”
His brows shot up for a split second as if saying- 'so we both chose the first letters of our partners. Interesting'. His eyes swept over me, as I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. Well, what do you know, he wasn't the only one possessing the transformation skills. I tried my best to differentiate from my real self too, by going for simple yet elegant look. My outfit comprised of a blue- purple blouse resting a little above the regular waist line, a translucent long purple skirt with cuts and black leggings. A single flower bead above my forehead and colorful bangles made up the accessory for it.
“Sorry, I just came from dance practice so I couldn't focus much on the get- up. Had to turn up on time too.”
“Doesn't matter. You look beautiful,” then added, teasingly, “as always.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You sure kept this young lady waiting. Not a smart move for a first date.”
He bowed a little, unloading his hat from his head before putting it back on. “My apologies, miss Vernika. Let me make it upto you.”
To my surprise, he opened up a box that contained chocolates in variable sizes. Well the chocolates were supposed to be there, except they weren't. “Oops!” He exclaimed with wide eyes but that was quickly replaced with a reassuring smile. He closed the lid and clicked his fingers. “Now watch closely.”
My eyes widened when he opened the box once more. The chocolates returned.
“Oh my!” I exclaimed, genuinely surprised by his act. It was easier watching in TV but in reality, it was a different story. “How?”
He shook his finger, “That's a secret between a magician and his magic. Something commoners are never supposed to know.”
“So I assume this is mine,” I said, eating a chocolate heart from the box. He nodded. While enjoying the taste of dark chocolate melting in my mouth, I gave another heart chocolate to him, which he happily accepted.
We discussed our respective occupations as we downed our coffees. Amandeep was an aspiring magician who has performed in various stages and important events. As for Vernika (that's me, folks), she was a professional dancer who was currently trying her luck in dance reality shows. Amandeep and Vernika previously encountered each other with fake usernames in the Internet. They chatted for a while until they mutually decided to meet in person. Since it was their first official meet, they were supposed to be a bit shy and reserved.
In other words, this was all a hoax.
“Funny, that you participated in Dance India Dance show before. I searched through the episodes but never saw you there.” He wriggled his brows at me as if challenging me to answer.
“That's because I was out in the first round itself.” I shrugged. “What about you, Mr magician? I never saw you anywhere. You don't even have your YouTube channel.”
“I don't have time to update on YouTube, but I'm thinking of creating one.” A hideous smirk escaped his lips, “I do have some videos in my mobile though. My favorite being the one I performed in my University. But you know what I find astonishing? My partner. If you look at her photos— she looked smoking hot, by the way— you'll notice that in some ways, she looks exactly like you. Infact, she's the spitting image of you. Strange, don't you think?”
“S- strange. Strange indeed.” I didn't realize when controlling the urge to smile became this difficult. This pesky brat. He was totally trying to lure me out of my Vernika persona to become Ahana by accident. He didn't show it in his face but that spark of mischief was clear in his eyes.
“Funny now that you mention it, I recall something similar, too.” I began rummaging through the oldest snaps in my mobile. “See, these are the photos of my dance performance in my college. And these are of my rehearsals. You know there was a random guy who accompanied us for quite a while. Coincidentally, he looked at lot like you. This is the funniest one. See how he's attempting to twerk with a younger student.”
“You still didn't del—!” He raised his voice in shock, pointing to the embarrassing picture of him that he requested to delete a long time ago. When he realized how close he was to getting beaten in his own game, he composed himself, clearing his throat “Indeed a legendary coincidence.”
I giggled, “You know the famous myth about finding your doppelgangers...”
Thus our back and forth conversation continued on. We talked about incidents and lives of someone who never existed (though some were true). It was weird playing someone else in the beginning but now, I was truly enjoying it. It was like playing a visual novel by a different route. If a parallel worlds really existed, then this would have been one of them. A world where Vansh was a magician and I, a dancer. And you bet Aman and Vernika were falling for each other, too. Their gazes would always fall back to each other. They wouldn't miss to notice even the smallest of things. They wouldn't miss to smile. It was like they were lost in their own made up world.
But was it really Amandeep and Vernika's love or was it Vansh and Ahana?
That made my cheeks heat.
After an eventful dinner Van— sorry, Aman took me to the bar next to the dining room. It was a small bar as compared to others, with a brick design interior. On the middle of it, was a stage.
“If you don’t mind, could you wait for, let's see... five minutes? I'll be right back, in front of you.” Aman requested.
“Okay.” I agreed and Aman dashed off. I busied myself in my mobile in the meantime. After five minutes turning into ten— nothing happened. Nothing, except a waiter, setting up the mike and lights in the stage. Few people including me who were observing the stage, wondered what was going on.
Wait, don't tell me...
Come on, Ahana— No Vernika, you're being delusional. There's no way Aman is going to perform on stage.
But there was no way my eyes were fooling me. This wasn't a desert producing mirage. Aman was there, in his flesh and being, standing on the stage wearing the same magician outfit. When his hazel eyes (his hazel contact lenses, to be precise) found mine, he winked at me. He introduced himself as Magician Aman who was going to perform some magic tricks. Some clapped (including me) while some others— the less enthusiastic fools they were— reverted back to their tables.
He started off with three tricks that managed to grab some part of the curious audience. The ones who were standing walked near the stage to watch, including me. It was nice to watch him though it wasn't something I haven't seen before. What was the point to show off, I wonder.
“Hmm...” Magician Aman nodded to himself in understanding. “I'm glad to know you're enjoying my show tonight, but if you want to see my next trick in motion, I'll need an assistant.”
So that's how it was.
“I think I should get some credit for being a magician by fetching a cute female assistant with some cute tricks,” he said with a laugh that earned a few snickers. “Let's play a little game, shall we?”
After motivating the audience to be his assistant, he managed to get four female volunteers, one of them being me. He fished out a deck of cards from his bag and handed it to someone to shuffle them for him.
“Look at my card— It's the king of hearts! Now these four beautiful ladies will pick one card from the deck. Just one card. The one who bears the queen will have my heart. Ahem— I mean, will become my assistant. Please bear in mind that these cards were not shuffled by me.”
The four of us began to pick a card, one by one. For some reason, my heart was beating unbelievably fast. I knew who he was aiming for. That twinkle in his eye said it all. Imagine if someone else got that card. That would be so anticlimactic.
With shaky fingers, I picked up a card. I closed my eyes momentarily, excited and nervous of the outcome. When I finally opened my eyes to flip the card, my breath hitched.
It was the queen of hearts.
My ears picked up on the sound of claps but my eyes only picked the sight of his face. Others were seeing him grin but I saw what I ached to see all this time. His pure love for me. It was his way of saying that he picked me, despite everything. It almost brought me to tears.
After Aman ever so politely took me to the stage by the hand, he performed a small magic by a foil paper. He formed a roll with it, then completely covered it under both of his fists. When he uncovered his fists slowly, everyone's eyes widened at the silver bracelet coming out of it. The foil paper was completely gone.
He extended his hand over my astonished face, “It's nothing too fancy, Miss Vernika but will you do the honor of being this bracelet's owner?”
“With pleasure, Mr Aman.” And I took it by placing a tentative kiss on his cheek, earning collective woo's from the audience. It was hard to guess whether Vansh was surprised as Amandeep or himself.
“Ah, I think that's enough for today. I got my reward. Goodnight everyone,” he said with a wide, blissful smile that earned a loud 'no' from me and collective laughter from the rest.
The next half an hour passed in a blur. Aman impressed the audience with some of his amazing magic tricks. Some of his tricks were with me while the rest were solo. Few of his awesome tricks included making a bottle appear out of a cloth, emitting smoke out his mouth and hand without a matchstick, guessing the correct number out of hundred and so on. Surprisingly, not only his tricks were unknown to Vernika but they were unknown to Ahana as well. Maybe that's why he postponed our date for a week. He must have been practicing. My Vansh. I observed the scene before me, getting lost in my own nostalgia.
I wasn't the type of girl to sit back and daydream about my Prince charming during my teens. I was too busy living my present to my fullest. I was busy plotting ways to skip classes with Nisha (it didn't happen too often though) or ways to sneak with my cousins again. Sure I had dozens of momentary crushes here and there but no one managed to catch my eye for a long time. I was okay with it. Infact, I was so happy being single that I preferred to stay like this till I turned thirty. But if my Prince charming came along with a black magician hat and coat, showing off his skills to others then I wasn't complaining. Vansh came along when I least wanted to and spiraled my world. It was a miracle that I stayed with him for such a long time, despite the ups and downs we went through.
If I was born to love someone, it was you, dear Vansh. I didn't know how fate or things like that worked but I sure as hell know that I was meant to spend my life with you till the time we get old and wither away. It was fascinating and scary to know that I could love someone this much.
We moved out of the restaurant after Aman completed the show, taking away smiles and compliments from the spectators left behind.
“That was quite a show, mister. You got talent,” I complimented then lowered my head. “You brought me chocolates, bracelet and surprised me with such a fantastic show that my gift for you seems kind of useless now.”
“You bought something for me?” Aman's eyes lit up and I nodded. Just then, I felt my soft fingers being covered by his big ones. “I loved doing what I did tonight so never think I only did it for you. Vernika, what you do or didn't do hardly matters because you coming here was my biggest gift of all.”
'Vansh!' It was almost at the tip of my tongue. Can we please drop this act already? It's getting tiring now.
After walking hand in hand for a while like it was our first time, we got inside his car. I acted as if I was seeing his car for the first time and admired it. “Having said all of that, I do want to see your gift. I hope it's not covered in gift wrapper because then I'll have to wait to remove that.”
“Unfortunately, it's covered.” I offered a sympathetic smile. I opened the zip of my handbag and offered a square shaped gift to him. He unwrapped the gift to reveal a CD. “Remember once when I asked you what your favorite songs were? It's a collection of that plus some others. The similar ones you haven't heard but I think you'll like it. Yes, you can call me thoughtful.”
Instead of thanking, he pulled me to a tight hug that unfortunately lasted for a second. Since I was Vernika, I was supposed to be very flustered. “Sorry my hands just moved on their own.” He winked. “Thanks.”
A little while on a drive to nowhere, he announced, “Since we came to meet each other from far away, we'll be staying the night at the hotel. I hope that's okay with you.”
'Okay, so we live far away now,' was what I was tempted to say but I agreed along. We had already planned this. While Vansh chose the restaurant, I chose the hotel. It was high time for us to drop the act. I couldn't wait to talk to the real Vansh.
“Van—”
“Not yet.” His hand came to rest on my covered thigh, instantly heating up my skin there. As if sensing me squirm, he removed his hand. “We haven't reached yet, Vernika. Be patient.”
“Okay, Amandeep.” I emphasized his name with gritted teeth.
~
I was starting to lose my patience. We were already walking towards the hotel room hand in hand, something Amandeep and Vernika wouldn't do on their first goddamn date. But I wouldn't spell out, hell no!
When Aman unlocked the door to room number (does the number matter), he stood there, instead of entering inside. I couldn't see what he was doing because I was standing ten feet away, facing his back like he requested me to. A few seconds later, he turned to my direction and my heart dropped.
His hat was lying on the ground, his coat was unbuttoned and his fake chin hair was removed, making it look like he wasn't a magician anymore. But what really caught me were his eyes— it was those light brown eyes that I loved looking into. He spread his arms in a typical Bollywood style while suppressing his laugh with a crooked smile. His expression mirrored to that of someone who was about shit a lot. He honestly looked a joker, this jerk.
“Ahana.”
And the next instant, I was squeezing the life out of him as I jumped into his arms. “Vansh!” I called his name on repeat and he hugged me tighter if it was possible. I was laughing, I was crying. My emotions were all over the place. It was only after we fell apart (after a long, long while) did I realize that we were inside the room. I slapped his arm, glaring. “Fuck you for making me wait this long.”
“Then fuck me right now.” He said dreamily which earned him another light slap. “I sure loved playing Amandeep. I know you loved playing Vernika, too. They were the versions of us we couldn't possibly be.”
“Couldn't agree more.” I walked to the other side towards the window. “So what's next?”
Vansh raised a brow as if I was dumber than a fifth class kid. He took slow steps towards me. “Obviously we'll knock every door on this floor and disturb the hotel.”
“That actually sounds like a fantastic idea.” I let out a nervous laugh. Funny, how he was only walking towards me, yet it felt like every inch of my body was being caressed by his warm hands. I took an instinctive step back, my back touching the cold frames of the window. His eyes darkened as it swept through my body— momentarily stopping at my boobs and legs. Blood rushed to my cheeks knowing vaguely what was on his mind. I wanted to make all of his dirty thoughts come true. Argh, I couldn't believe myself.
“Ahana.”
“Hm?” I casually raised my arms above my head, pretending to stretch my arms.
He caught my hands mid- air and lowered them behind my back. Bringing his mouth to my ear, he whispered dangerously, “Stop teasing me.”
And his lips fastened on mine.
His kiss was like the first rays of sunshine falling on a fragile flower. It was full of care and affection. Now that the flower got the power to bloom, it didn't want to let this chance slip by. Our kiss that was slow and cautious at first, morphed into one of passion. I was too consumed by the ferocity of our wet lips to care about how my back was hurting against the wall or how my legs were losing its will to stand. I was losing track of my senses too. Just as our bodies got hot and bothered enough to remove our clothes, he stopped.
“Wha- what now?” I managed to word out despite my shallow breaths. Was he getting distracted again?
He caught on my worried face as he cupped my cheek, giving a reassuring smile, “No worries, babe. I just want to take this nice and slow, unlike the disaster last time. I want to make love to you, Ahana, not fuck you like a discarded object.”
I closed my eyes, kissing his palm that touched my cheek. I was such a fool. He was considering us all along. I moved my face to bite his earlobe, causing his lips to part. I whispered, “There's a jacuzzi in this room. I bought a soap bottle... and wine.”
“Why didn't you tell me before?”
“There's no manual saying that only men are supposed to give surprises, is there?”
Vansh pulled my cheeks, grinning, “I believe we are going to have a long, long night.”
And we did. With scented candles, bathing gels, wine, music that was soothing to our ears and a perfect jacuzzi for two— it was one royal bath. The light brown walls on the adjacent sides of the jacuzzi and the dim lights above just made it prettier. The picture was complete when I saw Vansh in his naked glory. With his slightly muscled arms and toned chest— not to mention his taut butt— he looked delectably sexier. I placed the wine filled glasses on the stand and proceeded to untie the robe. Of course Vansh didn't miss my stripping show. I didn't need words to know how well he appreciated my body right now. He wasn't the only one hitting the gym. We proceeded to dip our naked bodies in warm water.
The night thereafter was as peaceful as a goodnight sleep under a blanket. It was also as exhilarating as the winds by the sea. Time was a forgotten story. We were too busy playing with foam water, laughing, kissing and cuddling each other. We talked about our date as Amandeep and Vernika, and how their love story would have possibly turned out while sipping our wines in between. With our naked bodies mingling under the thick foam of water and our hands mapping each other, we had turned up enough heat for the hotel room itself. We were in no rush though. It was just way comfortable to be in his arms right now.
It was only after we returned to the bedroom did I bother to count the time taken in the bathroom. A total of seventy two minutes. I was just standing before the bed when I felt his arms circling around my waist and his head buried on my shoulder. I basked in the embrace, smiling.
“You know I love you, right?”
“Not unless you know that I love you, too.”
We shared a short laugh at that. I felt his fingers around the knot of the robe, untying it. Since I was wearing nothing under, it became easier for him to touch me. All my blood rushed to my core as his fingers entered inside it. The image before me ceased to exist. My hands reached out behind to hold him wherever they could, while breathing out loud. Somehow we ended up sitting on the bed with me writhing on top of him as he fingered me faster. It was embarrassing how quickly I came but given how were already turning up each other in the jacuzzi, it was obvious. While still dazed out, Vansh laid me on my back as if I were a prized possession. My body was completely at his mercy as it writhed under him. He peppered kisses on my body, going lower and lower. The anticipation was killing me. I was more than ready to be taken by him. I thought he was about to go in when he parted my legs but no. Instead, he lifted them above his shoulders and neared his mouth right in between, with a smug on his face. I inhaled a sharp breath.
“Allow me to send you on a little trip to paradise.”
Oh my God!
That was literally what my mind screamed the entire time his tongue worked on the soft flesh between my legs. Vansh really did send me to paradise for God knows how many fucking times. I kind of wanted to catch my breath after that, but I knew how long he had been waiting to jerk off as well. His painful erection against my lower waist was proof enough. But then I realized I was worrying for nothing when he finally entered inside of me. What was breathing again? My body felt like it was on fire. The kind of fire that burned you with pleasure instead of pain. I lifted my arms to reach behind his back, feeling his muscles under my palm and fell into a trance when I pulled him to me. We stopped our movements for a second there. It was like we were peeking into each other's soul. We kissed wildly and resumed, moving our hips more faster than before. Love making was powerful indeed. It allowed one to express the extent of their love. It made you aware of your existence. By the time we came, I was filled with tears.
I made sure to have Vansh a bit of that paradise too, by going down on him afterwards. His harsh, heavy breaths filled the room as I took him by my mouth. It was fascinating. The night was long indeed. Basically, we couldn't get our hands, mouths and our anatomies off each other. It was like having sex for the first time, all over again. There was a moment when I cried, too. I cried a lot. Quite similar to the time when Vansh cried in the car. But this was it for us.
~
“An?”
I fluttered my eyes open, even though I wasn't entirely asleep. I was tracing circles on his bare chest with my head on his arm, while he ran his fingers down my spine. It was ten in the morning but none of us felt like getting up to the reality yet. Our bodies were yet to recover from the intense workout last night. “Hmm.”
“What are we right now?”
I stopped my fingers and lifted my head to see if he was kidding. Apparently, he wasn't. His brows knitted together as he dreadfully looked at me. “I'm sure we didn't have cocaine last night or is it the wine?”
“What can I do? I'm helpless here. I can't fuckin' tell what you're thinking or planning next. You put us in a long distance which wasn't a proper relationship but not a platonic friendship either, if that makes sense. First that stupid break and now long distance. God knows what you'll come up next. I mean I get that—”
I bursted out laughing. Like literally laughed at his face while he looked at me, aghast. Even more so, when I pulled his cheeks. Poor guy. I must have put him in such an ordeal. “Great timing. I was actually thinking of about the next arrangement that would be beneficial for our healthy relationship in the future. This will be a test too. More like the preliminary exams.”
His face paled. I pressed my lips inwardly. “You mean there's a final exam too?”
My laughter just turned louder this time. Just when he started shooting me with furious questions, I poked his forehead, “There is no exam, silly. I thought last night was a clear enough indication for you. I already told you, don't you remember? Our arrangement ends once we meet.”
“Which means?”
“Which means that you and I are exclusively, romantically, sexually and crazily dating each other. Exactly like before. Come on, I even said 'I love you'. What other proof do you— Van?” I asked, bewildered when I noticed a tear at the corner of his eye. The next instant, he was hugging me.
“Is this real? Is this really happening? I feel like a heavy weight had been lifted off my chest. Thank God! Thank God you got convinced! This is real then.”
I chuckled, hugging him back. “Of course, it is. Why do you think I was bawling my eyes before?”
“An.” He did nothing except look at me like I was the center of his universe. “Let's stay forever, okay?”
I met his gaze head on, “Sure, dear.”
⚫⚪⚫⚪⚫
A u t h o r 's N o t e
We are almost at the end of this series *sighs* I took time in posting this chapter because I was kinda busy writing the rest. I just finished writing the last chapter. Just an epilogue left. *sighs again*
I'll be blunt. Only three more chapters remain to post, plus an Epilogue. Hopefully I'll be able to post them faster instead of making you guys wait for a month 😣 🙏
Back to the chapter, how was it? Hope you didn't mind the soft sexual content. Are you satisfied Vansh and Ahana's reunion? Did you like Amandeep and Vernika lol? You don't have to worry about them straying anymore. They are together for REAL this time. 🚢 🎊
Don't forget to vote and comment. Look forward to the next chapter. There's a small surprise there. 😉