This update is for you my Toli 🤗 I know this is not my story but I want to cheer up your mood so here it is.. Double treat 😉 enjoy!!
Part 5
Arohi's POV
I knew, the moment I agreed to go on dinner with Arjun, I should've seen red and said no but like a retarded blabber-mouth that I am, I agreed. Sitting in the congested 2 seater sports car, I could feel his smirk practically coming onto me. The argument about who's car we would use hadn't gone all too well for me either, resulting in him wining and us taking his car and like a idiot that I am, I just sat, after just one argument because I was hungry.
Pulling outside a restaurant, I didn't know we came to a stop until he opened the door for me. "Ma'am?" his voice was husky, that would make any girl go week in the knee, even me if I just hadn't spent the entire car journey being angry at him. Reluctantly, I placed my hands in his. I noticed that I was doing things that I was completely against just because of the mere presence of this man. I shuddered unknowingly and Arjun looked at me with concern. "Are you okay? cold?" he asked, eyeing me up and down. I shook my head no as the valet came for the keys.
Looking at the restaurant I smiled happily. They served best Italian food in the town area. "I love Italian" I spat out, without knowing that I was saying it out loud. "I noticed it, when we met, the first time." he winked at me. "All you ordered was Italian." He might not be as bad as he let's on, I'd marry a guy woh could remember what food I ate 3 days ago even when with 10 people present.
Not saying I would marry Arjun, because of the obviously I wouldn't. I rolled my eyes at myself as we sat across each other on an open roof top restaurant. This was way more then I bargain for. I contemplated wether or not I should make an excuse for using the ladies room and make a dash for it. But thinking about Kruti, I knew this would put us all in an awkward situation, so I gave him a tight lips smile which in turn made his eyebrows shoot up as if questioning me, shrugging I focused on the menu.
10 minutes later, I heard him clear his throat before speaking. "So if you have quite finished memorizing the menu, can we order? I'm famished." Trying to be as scary as I could be, I nodded only to hear him chuckle. Just as I was about to reply, the waiter appeared. "Can I start you with the drinks?" he asked politely.
"I'd like a cold beer; a foster, and wine for the lady?" he looked at me questioningly. "No, I'd like a beer myself too" I smiled at him before he walked away. I saw Arjun, looking at me with amused smile plastered on his face. "What?" slight irritation cursed through me. "I'm liking you more and more with each passing minute" he was smiling at me, like a real smile which in turn made me smile. "what can I say, I'm not like the regular girls" I for once winked at him and I could see the shocked expression cross his face before they turned into an admiring smile. "Yeah? I like that. So let's see if you are like other girls in the eating department or not" he laughed out loud at his own joke making me admire his laugh. He had such a beautiful laugh. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out so closed it, before he could see and tried to concentrate on the menu.
Another 5 minutes land series of awkward smiles later the drinks arrived. "Are you ready to order?" the waiter asked with a smile. "Oh, I love their pasta. But I like pasta with wine. Since I'm drinking beer tonight, I think the thin crust, chicken pizza with pesto sauce" I said looking up with my eyes closed like I was devouring the pizza right now. I flushed embarrassed looking at Arjun chuckle and the waiter trying to hold back his smile. "I ... Um...like food?" I said lamely making Arjun laugh. "I'll have what the lady is having. We might share." he was still laughing. "No. I don't share my pizza" I was behaving like a teenager on loose but it was true I loved my pizza too much. "So I was wrong. You don't eat like other women. I like it. I'd like penne pasta in white sauce and cherry tomatoes as an extra topping. That will be it. Thank you" he directed the last part to the waiter.
"So you get excited over a pizza." he mused at me. Narrowing my eyes at him I glared without speaking anything. "You know, the first time I saw you. I thought you were a stiff and ruthless women who loves her business." he shrugged like he hadn't made a statement out of it. "Oh, like you can make assumptions. Mr. I won't shake hands with you" I wrinkled my nose at him. I knew I was acting childish since the car ride but I couldn't help it, He was unleashing my irritant innerchild.
"Oh, thats a whole another story" he countered like it wad the explanation. "What story?" I looked at him confused, what the hell was he talking about?
"Oh, it's nothing yeah, it's like It's whatever" Arjun tried to dismiss it as he took a gulp of his beer. "No, tell me. Please?" I pouted my lower lip hoping he would give in. A smile stretched when I saw him sigh, hopefully he had given in without convincing much. "Well I was sad Kruti would go away" he looked anywhere but at me and I figured that I should leave it at that.
Changing the subject I asked him. "So what do you do for a living?" I was pretty sure I has heard the girls speak he worked in AARAMN; the jewelry store or owned AARAMN but I wasn't sure. I was busy drooling over a well suited photo of him that was plastered on the website beside the article. "Wow, sugar. I'm impressed. You don't know what I do? Are you playing coy or you genuinely don't know?" he raised his eye brows at me. "Well, Mr. Singhania. You know not everything revolves around you. So no, I don't actually know what you do." I didn't get why I actually thought he could be a nice guy. Here he was, back to his arrogant self. Man these were going to be difficult 3 months to get through and one of us may not survive. Him, if I bang his head on a wall for being a pompous, arrogant ass or me dying of irritation because of him being so arrogant in any case, this was going to end terribly. I could tell.
"I'm hurt sugar. But since you don't know. Ill tell you. I own AARAMN and I'm a silent partner in some of the Mehta group of resorts over the world. If retreat resorts ring a bell to you" he finished looking proud instead of smug like I actually imagined. He was genuinely proud of what he did. "So what made you start a jewelry store?" I further questioned him. This was interesting, I chugged the last of my beer before smiling a soft smile at him. "What, is this ask Arjun questions 101?" his brows furrowed and I laughed. No, I was just trying to make small talk till food arrives." I laughed some more at his amused expressions on my honest answer.
"Okay then, I'll ask you a question since you just asked one. So how did you start up a wedding planning business?"
"Well, when I was 8, I went to my mother's- sister's wedding. Then wedding planning wasn't so popular so they had done it all themselves and all were so tense about little little details, I wonder that if any of them actually enjoyed the wedding. When I asked mum, she said that they were the girls family and they had to make sure everything is in order. Then it was all a little orthodox but still the family members never get to enjoy the wedding of a loved one and strangers who come to eat have fun. So gradually when I understood that, I decide I would become a wedding planner and I also said, I'd only take up projects if the bride side approaches me." I said all of that in one breath and looked at Arjun who looked impressed. I didn't know why I told him that, this story was not a matter of public record but somehow I felt like telling him the truth.
"That's so impressive. You know, I thought this would be have been your mother's business or something to carry forward." Arjun said to me. "Yeah. It shows you like a chauvinist pig you are. Don't judge!" I gave him a stink eye before stabbing my fork on the breadsticks. "Feminist." he said it like he was teasing me.
Just when the food came, I ordered another beer and he went on to soda water. "I have to drive us back" he reasoned and I shrugged. "Oh, these are so good" I moaned as I bit into the slice of fresh baked pizza. Then I heard a rich luscious laugh that I had heard many times this night. "What?" I asked him gulping some of my beer. "its just nice to see a girl moan over food. Generally it's me who makes them do that." he winked at me and I felt the anger rise once again. Why god, did I have to take his suggestion and dine with him.
"I love my food. Okay? Plus just for that you don't get this delicious slice of heaven but I get to eat your pasta" I made a face at him and just to tease me further he picked up the half eaten slice and took a bite out of it. "How's that. Sugar" he teased me further but what he didn't know was that it took me all I had to stop myself from hurling the beer bottle at him and get banned from my favorite Italian restaurant. "Okay. Mr. Singhania" I greeted through my teeth, without even comprehending that the answer didn't match the question but I didn't give rat's a%& about it.
Arjun had sensed the mood and stopped his wayward way after that and we had managed to behave as civilly as possible towards each other. Just as we finished the dinner and bill arrived he took the bill without letting me see it. "Hey now.I'll pay my half" I told him, firmly. "No, no. I was raised better. Never let the women pay" he countered. "Ohh, I know you were raised better. Look at how great Kruti turned out. But you? I can't say so much." I turned my lips at him and that made him laugh.
"You find everything funny don't you?" I asked him sarcastically. "Glad you got it out of me sugar" a smirk playing on his lips that got me all the more irritated.
"Fine. Next time, I pay" the words came out of my mouth without a second thought. "Pretty confident we will have dinner again, aren't you?" he raised his eyebrows in a teasing smile.
"I...umm...just let's go!" I snapped as the waiter came back and Arjun left a hearty tip, wrinkling my nose at his grand gesture, I collected my bag to stand up when Arjun came forward to pull back.
"Gentleman now, are we?" I questioned him sarcastically as I got up and headed ahead of him. I could hear him laugh in the background.
I stopped in my tracks and turned but Arjun didn't realize that and crashed right into me toppling us over as we fell on the smooth marble floor. Trying to comprehend what just happened I looked Arjun in the eye and found him looking back at me confused.
In the heat of the moment I inched forward just when Arjun did and when our lips were about to touch we heard a voice that made us jump apart. "Are you all right Mr. Singhania? Madam?" it was the manager who had shown us the seats before. Fumbling to get up I saw Arjun extend his hand and I took it without thinking. In one fluid moment he pulled me up and beside him. "We are okay. Just call the valet and have my car ready. It's the blue Porsche, the usual one" he told the manager in no nonsense tone and the manager nodded walking away.
I looked anywhere but Arjun as we waited for the elevator. "I...um.." I didn't let him complete. "Its okay" and I hoped that with that the topic would end and it certainly did till we reached home.
Throughout the ride I looked outside the window while he aimlessly drove, only once speaking to ask me my address.
Once he dropped me off at my building he waved at me while I awkward waved back. Yeah, the evening had gone formirritating to entertaining back to irritating and had turned to awkward in a couple of seconds.
I shook my head as I layed in bed thinking that what if the manager hadn't interrupt, would we have kissed? Just as I was about the answer myself my phone beeped
From: A. Singhania:
"Damn that manager"
The three words had me blushing so red that would put even the red-est of tomatoes to shame. Not finding anything appropriate to reply I shut the phone in my bedside drawer and promised myself that I would only keep my relationship with Arjun professional. Because that man had numerous ways to get my nerves and I didn't wanna spoil Kruti's wedding.
I want comments for both chapters otherwise next update next month!!
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