Aghanya was woken up when she reached her apartment. She refused for Dev and Dhruv's help to stay.
She entered her apartment. It was still raining. She stripped her clothes and stood under the warm shower for a long time. When she came out, she tried to sleep but couldn't. She put on the TV but the news channels were still flashing her face.
Switching of her tv. She just sat on the couch watching the city get dowsed.
"I'm saying you should talk to her." Said Dhruv. He was seated in a quiet little coffee shop with a steaming mug of mocha. The aroma of coffee filled the air, the rain pattered outside the coffeeshop.
Viren sighed and backed into his chair, "I do want to do that but I know for sure, she won't let me."
"She does want you to."
"What?"
"She wants you to come talk to her but she's disappointed because she expects you to leave and you do leave."
"I don't know. Whatever." Viren dragged a hand over his tired face.
"If you don't go, I'm going to go."
Viren glared at him, "What do you mean?"
"Aghanya is a great girl. If you don't want her, there are many others who do." Dhruv shrugged.
Viren clenched his jaw. "You better not be implying what I'm thinking."
The waited placed a brown paper with a coffee cup and salty cookie inside, something that Dhruv had ordered.
"I am. It's your choice. I'm asking for your permission. If you truly want to do nothing with her then leave her. I'll gladly take that spot." Dhruv said and grabbed the bag.
Dhruv saw Viren's face grow red. He should've seen it coming but he didn't. It happened fast. He was on the floor with a throbbing cheek from the blow landed by Viren.
"Stay away from her. You get it?"
Aghanya heard the door bell ring and she quickly walked to towards the door.
"Oh! Dhruv?"
"You sound disappointed." Dhruv laughed but then winced.
"I am. You didn't bring coffee this time."
Dhruv shoved a brown paper bag to her face, "That's where you're wrong."
"Thank you." She took the bag and let him in.
Her landline rang and she picked it up. "Aghanya?! Are you okay?" It was Kushi on the other line.
"I'm fine. I'm home now."
"I'm sorry. My sister...I'm really sorry."
"Nooo. Stop apologising. It was not your fault."
"But... are you really okay?"
"Yes. She's fine. Calm down." Dhruv grabbed the phone And answered for her.
"Jiju?" Khushi asked.
"Why do you always mistake me for him?" Dhruv chuckled.
Aghanya couldn't believe it. He was flirting with Kushi.
"I remember you dousing me with water in that coffee shop."
Aghanya couldn't hear the rest of the conversation.
"If you don't mind would you like meet me in that coffee shop tomorrow?"
"Dhruv!" Aghanya slapped his arm but he shrugged nonchalantly.
"Sure. At seven. It's a date!" He said and cut the call.
"What even Dhruv?"Aghanya asked him.
"What?" Dhruv asked feigning innocence.
"Look. Kushi isn't...like other girls."
"I know. Don't worry. I'm genuinely interested in dating her."
Aghanya could sense him lying but let him be.
"But what happened to your cheek though?" She motioned to his right cheek which was alarmingly red.
Dhruv chuckled and settled on the sofa beside her, "You know me. Always the bad boy. Getting into fights and stuff."
Aghanya ate the cookie as she was hungry for the whole day. Her window displayed an amazing view of the sea, the lights around it. She drank the coffee.
"Sure. Bad boy. Sure. Let me get ice for that. It looks like it'll bruise more." She got up and got ice cubes from the kitchen and wrapped them in a towel, a couple of ice cubes fell down. The door bell rang rang again.
"Can you get the door?"
"Yep!"
She heard the door click open and then she heard arguing. "Who is it?" She asked Dhruv. There was no answer. Putting down her hand made ice pack, she was going to walk to the front door when her foot slipped on an ice cube and she landed on the hard floor with a thud. "Ahh! Dhruv!" She held her back and called him as her whole body ached.
"Aghanya?!" She heard panicked voices as she was pulled up from the floor.
"F*ck off, Dhruv!" She heard him say and an arm tighten around her shoulder. "Get out of here before I give another bruise on the other cheek to match the one I gave you before."
"I was leaving anyway." Dhruv muttered and then the door clicked shut.
Her ears rang from the utter silence inside the apartment after Dhruv had left. Her back still throbbed and he still had his hold on her shoulder.
"Are you okay?" His voice reached her ears. "I'm fine." She shrugged off his hand and walked to the living room.
He followed her to the living room. "Use this or it'll hurt more." He gave her the ice pack she had prepared. At any other time, she would've ignored him but her back hurt like a thousand pins pricking her, so she took it and placed it on his back. Relieved, the silence returned again.
"Why are you here?" She decided to break the silence.
"To check up on you."
"Right." She looked away from him. "You did. Now leave."
"Aghanya...." He sighed.
"Don't Aghanya me! I don't want to talk to you, Viren. You don't listen anyway if I do."
"I really didn't know she would outright arrest you. Okay? If I did, I would've never gone to her. I just. I was worried about you." He grasped her shoulders.
"It's not enough, Viren. I don't know what to say."
"Then don't say anything. Let's just sleep on it." His lips turned into a smile.
"What?" She asked confused.
"Let's sleep." He raised his hand and with it came her hand and he shook it as the shiny handcuff jingled.
"Remove this. Right now!" She struggled to remove the handcuff.
"I don't have the key." Viren flashed a smile. Aghanya dropped the ice pack.
"Viren. Stop joking. Remove this. I'm exhausted!" She said strictly.
"So am I." He walked around her and wrapped an arm around her back and another one under her knees and picked her up like she weighed nothing.
"Viren. I'll kill you in your sleep, I swear." She beat his chest.
"Sure." He laughed.
He plopped her on the bed and slid in beside her. She turned to face him. "You think this will solve anything? It won't! Now, I'm more angry!" She snapped.
He just smiled at her. "Fine. Just go to sleep. You didn't sleep all night yesterday, did you?"
"And who's fault is that?" She snapped and tried to turn around but couldn't.
"Wait. Wait." He told her. She lay still and he flipped on top of her. She felt his other arm sliding around her back.
"What are you doing?" She whispered and laid extremely still because his jaw was an inch away from her lips. Her heart started hammering and she felt that the room grew warm.
He then flipped on his back flipping her too so that she was on him and her head rested right on his chest. "Isn't this comfortable?" He teased her.
"It's not! I'm stuck." She tried hitting him but in vain. She barred her teeth and tried to bite him.
"Are you trying to bite me? Because that might backfire since it's turning me on." He whispered in her hair.
"Argh!" Aghanya groaned in frustration.
"Okay. Wait." He said calmly and grasped her shoulders and he turned to lay on her side pushing her to the bed so that she was on her side too.
Their cuffed hands were in between them. "Now, is it comfortable?" His voice was soft so much so that she couldn't get angry.
"Yes. Why are you doing this Viren?"
"Did you want to be alone tonight? I assume you wouldn't want to be. That's why I'm here."
Aghanya didn't say anything. She turned away from her but couldn't pull the hand because of the cuffs. She felt him nudge closer and she rested her hand along with his on around her waist.
The room was silent for the next few minutes. Aghanya felt her eyes droop down and she drifted to sleep.
***
Coming up next:
"I'm not going to get down on one knee but...will you marry me?" Dhruv asked.
***
A/N: Short chapter. But the story is picking up heat.Do you guys like the new cover? Also I have an Instagram, it's @sultanate_of_fate Follow me there to know about more updates.
***