Fighting!

Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Ananya's point of view:

He placed his left hand forward and I placed my right palm on his in a trance. I couldn’t comprehend what was happening as everything was moving in slow motion. My eyes were looking into his, who was looking at me tenderly. His touch and sight were soft, as if he couldn’t believe what was happening. Before we knew it, we were on the dance floor. My left hand on his shoulder and right hand in his left hand swaying to the music, which was not slow, but we were making it work mostly because all I could see was him, everything around me faded and his eyes were the only thing I could see.

He twirled me once and pulled me back into his arms and I have never felt this many butterflies in my stomach. His touch alone was exhilarating . We actually came out of the trance and looked around when I felt someone touch my arm. It was definitely not Aayush. This touch was different. I turned to see Akshay with a sly grin.

“Come, I have some work for you”, he said, pulling my arm which was on Aayush’s shoulder. He gave a knowing look to Aayush and pulled me aside. I turned to look at Aayush, who stood there cluelessly.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked Akshay, annoyed.

We were having a perfect moment over there. When we met, this was the time that I felt a connection with him for a longer time. I got familiarised with his touch, which is good and a bad thing. Sure, he told me that he is interested in marrying me, but I don’t know if we will get married for sure and I’m getting more and more interested in him day after day. Right now, I’m not seeing the bigger picture, I’m just enjoying spending whatever time I get with him and it’s the more exciting time of my life.

“Are you mad?” He raised his eyebrows at me.

“What happened?” I’m confused.

“You’re dad and mom and basically the whole family were looking at both of you. Did you guys think this was some bar or something? You guys were this close to kissing”. He put his index and thumb fingers together with a tiny space in between.

“We were not!!” I exclaimed as my cheeks turned pink. And the blush that I wore today is not helping.

“You guys totally were. You know how our family is and how your father would react when someone says something about you”. He deadpanned and opened the door to his and Meera’s room. I stepped inside and looked at him confused.

“We had a moment, alright. It’s not like we did it on purpose, but why the hell did you bring me over here?” I asked, looking around his room, which was the master suite, very luxurious.

“Wait. I understand okay, it’s just be careful around our parents. I know you are attracted to him, but there are bigger things to think about and there is a lot of baggage he carries and if this goes any further, then you should be very clear about what you want. He is not the kind of guy who just wants to date. He is very busy all the time. He barely has time for Diya. Recently, after his father's health scare, he has been more present in Diya’s life and he is not the same guy anymore. The Aayush I knew before he married HER, was a gem. A cool laid out guy who everyone wanted to be friends with, but the guy you see right now is completely different. I know you have seen this sweet guy, who he is, but when he gets back to his reality, all his issues weigh down on him” The words drilled into my brain.

I felt like he knocked me out of this beautiful dreamland where a guy so handsome as Aayush is paying attention to me and I totally forgot the whole scene.

We heard a knock before I could say anything. We turned to see who it was and Meera opened the door with a grin and Aayush was right behind her.

I looked at Akshay confused.

“I love you both. Just talk and clear things out. I’ll be the happiest if you guys want to get married, but if you guys don’t, even then it’s also fine. Some things don’t work out”, Akshay whispered in my ear.

“What’s happening over here?” Aayush voiced out loud, looking at all of us in confusion.

“You will get to know” Akshay said out loud and walked out with Meera, but not before whispering “All the best” to Aayush, which even I could hear.

Dumbass.

There we stood looking at each other and suddenly the temperature went down for me.

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He moved towards the large window with the pool view and stood there facing away from me. I stood there thinking about everything Akshay said and suddenly felt this foreign feeling, one I can’t decipher.

“What are we doing?” I voiced out loud.

“I don’t know what this is that’s happening to me. I was impressed by you when I first met, but that’s it. I had no intention of getting married to anyone, but since I got here my eyes search for you whenever you are not in my eyesight. My heart beat rises when you smile at me and I feel like I could stare at you for days and not feel bored. This is all new to me. I have never felt like this before and now I have no idea what to do with myself and all these brewing feelings” His voice was filled with emotions yet I could figure out he was confused.

Yep, welcome to the club.

“Do you really want to marry me?” I asked, moving and stood beside him staring at the pool water.

“I’ll be very honest. When mom came and persuaded me to get married, the only reason I could think of was for Diya. She needs a female figure in her life who would love and care for her like a mother. Her mother doesn’t want anything to do with her and I like it that way. For the past few days, whenever I think about you I don’t think about Diya, I think about spending time with you, to get to know you. You are an enigma to me. And this behaviour of mine scares me” he confessed softly.

My heart melted like a puddle.

“Can I have a few days to actually think about this? Because of this function I didn’t get anytime”, I said, with a million questions rising in my head. About him, his life, Diya and my role in their lives and my abilities.

He turned towards me and slowly held my hand in his. I couldn’t help but turn towards him. The aura around us feels electric and every cell in my body feels awakened.

“I understand. Take your time and let me know what you decide”, he said, looking at me sincerely.

“Just know one thing, I do like you and want to know more about you when you give me a chance”, he said, staring into my eyes, and before I knew it his arms came around my body and was wrapped in a hug.

And this feeling is eternal.

I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head against his shoulder. My eyes shut closed automatically and for a few seconds I forgot where I was and all I could feel was him.

Oh boy!

I’m in big trouble.

We heard a knock and parted quickly. Akshay peeked in and looked at Aayush and then me to make sure everything was okay.

“Anu, your mom is looking for you”, he said opening the door wider.

I turned towards Aayush who was already looking at me and gave him a small smile before dashing out from there.

I ignored Akshay and went to the main hall. Meera stood there with my mom and aunts. As soon as she saw me, she raised her eyebrows, asking me how I was. I blinked my eyes to tell her everything was fine but in reality it was not.

I have to decide and this whole scenario is ridiculous, but I have to figure it out, not just to answer him, but for myself.

I know I’m attracted to him. I know I want to know him, but dating him is out of the picture because my parents won’t be okay with it for one and I can’t lie to them. All my dad has ever asked me are two things. He’s strict about dating guys and wearing revealing dresses. Apart from that, he never said no to anything and I don’t want to hurt him. Another thing is Aayush. I don’t think he wants to try dating and then figure this out, because I know his parents are pressuring him to get married. Diya needs his attention and not to forget his job.

This is not something I can dilly-dally about. I need to think thoroughly and make a decision and live with it for the rest of my life.

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