Chapter- 64 Frozen hearts...will they melt by Deepti

CHAPTER 64

As she sat in silence wondering where he was taking her, ” Are you hungry?”, she heard him ask.

“I’m starving. Had a sandwich for lunch but that was not at all filling”, she complained as he brought the car to a halt. She waited as he parked the car parallel to the curb and as he switched the ignition off she unbuckled her seat belt.

“You wait here. I will be right back”, he told her and got off the car without giving her any time to react.

Not understanding why she wasn’t allowed to accompany him, as she buckled back her seat belt and kept looking at the cars passing by , it took him more than five minutes to return.

“Now where did he go leaving me alone in this car??, she muttered, looking in the direction in which he left but there was no trace of him around.

“Should I give him a call?“, she wondered as she took out her phone to dial his number and that’s when he opened the door and got into the car.

“Where did you vanish?”, she asked and would had gone ahead with her questions had he not shoved the wraps in his hand into hers.

“One chicken and one paneer are for you and the other chicken one for me”, he provided the details as he placed a water bottle in the cup holder and buckled up.

And as she checked the wraps which were wrapped in foil, “But if you want to have all the three…I don’t mind”, he teased and started the car.

“Are you joking. How can anyone have three of these. Looks at the size of them”, she said as she unwrapped a chicken wrap and passed it on to him.

“Not sure about anyone else but knowing your appetite and love for food, I don’t think it’s an impossible task for you”, he mocked as he took a bite from his wrap.

“Very funny. I don’t eat so much”, she complained as she started peeling the foil on her paneer wrap.

“Since when? Are you on a diet?”, he asked casually.

“Why would I be on a diet. Do I look like one who needs to?”, she asked looking at him.

He gave a glance to her as if he were studying her figure and then said, “Not really. You are quite proportionate”, which made her eyes go wide in her face. Seeing her reaction as he chuckled and continued eating while driving, it took her few seconds to digest the fact that he had just passed a comment on her physique.

Pretending that she never heard him as she turned her attention to her wrap and tried to read the name that was printed on the foil, “They serve the best Indian street food in London”, he said providing the additional info to her.

Making a mental note of the name so that she could check out that joint later during her stay in London as she said, ” You should have taken me too. I would have checked their menu”, “And it would have taken you forever to place an order. Be glad that I saved us a lot of time”, mocked Arnav.

As she glared at him in response, “Stop glaring at me and have your wraps. We will be reaching our destination in less than fifteen minutes and you should be done by then”, he said checking the time on his watch.

“Aren’t you setting up a timer?”, she taunted making an innocent face for which  he just passed her a look. As she placed a wrap on her lap and started munching on the other one, she found him done with that part of his wrap which was out of the foil.

“Give it to me”, she asked as she took his wrap from his hand and after peeling the foil further down she handed it back to him saying, ” And you are welcome”, teasing him for not thanking her. He gave her a glance and took a bite of his wrap while she too got busy in having hers. Soon,  he was done eating and he crumpled the left over foil and that’s when she looked at him and found a tiny bit of sauce and some crumble near the left corner of his lips.

“You have something there”, she said pointing a finger at his lips.

“Is it gone?”, he asked as he wiped near that spot with the back of his right palm.

“No.. it’s  still there”, she said as she tried to point the exact location.

He thought of looking in the rear view mirror but he instantly dropped that idea as a naughty thought crept into his head.

“Here?”, he asked as he wiped little away from where she was pointing to.

“Not there. It’s here”, she said  moving her finger more closer to his face. But he again wiped in the wrong spot. She tried her  best to guide him but as he kept wiping everywhere else except that spot, she finally lost it and saying, “Here!”, she picked up the crumble with her right index finger paying full concentration on that spot. She also rubbed her thumb  against his skin to wipe that area clean and as she tried to repeat that action, he turned towards her, which made her thumb brush against his lips. She froze for a second and the next second she pulled back her hand realizing what just happened. As the thumping beat of her heart  didn’t let her be herself, she sat straight in her seat while a deep shade of red crept into her cheeks.

Noticing the sudden change in her, ” Is it gone?’, he asked, to lighten  the atmosphere and , “Hmm”, came her response though she didn’t dare to look at him and got busy in peeling the foil of her second wrap. He chuckled seeing her in that state and left her alone giving her enough time to calm down her racing heart.

“We are almost there”, he announced after sometime as they took a right on Belvedere road and Kushi  quickly crumpled the empty foil and wiped her hands and mouth clean with a tissue. Picking up the water bottle which he had earlier placed in the cup holder, she uncapped the bottle and placed the rim of it on her lower lip. And as she kept drinking the water, noticing the movement which the flowing water was causing  in her throat, he found  his own mouth go dry.

Parking the car, he extended his hand towards her for the water bottle and when she passed it to him, he placed it  exactly  the way she did and drank the water. Seeing his lips in the same region where her lips were just few seconds ago, she couldn’t help but blush and though he noticed the tinge, he didn’t knew that it was due to his latest action. Passing the bottle back to her as he got down the car, she capped the bottle.And after putting it back in the cup holder, she grabbed only her hand bag and got off the car. Till then she had no clue where they were heading to, but the moment she set her feet on the ground and looked around,  the first sight that caught her attention was the London eye. It looked as if it was located just few blocks away from where they were standing and when he found  her staring at the giant Ferris wheel, ” Don’t you want to have a closer look”, he asked with a faint smile on his lips.

With excitement filled in her face as she nodded her head and followed him, he led her to the Millennium wheel. As they passed through the lawn she found people waiting in long queues and not able to keep her questions to herself, ” What are those queues for?”, she asked him.

“To take a ride on the wheel”, he answered without turning back while he continued walking, hearing which,  “What! Are we here to take a ride on it too ?”, she asked with excitement filled in her voice.

“No. I brought you here just to show how it would look up close”, he responded sarcastically though that sarcasm totally went unnoticed by the girl who was lost in her own world of excitement.

“But when we are anyways here, why can’t we wait in that queue and take a quick ride”, she asked walking next to him, while her eyes were scanning the queue.

Arnav gave a look to the crowd waiting in the queues,  and then turning towards her,           ” QUICK”, he asked arching his brows.

“Okay, it might not be that quick. But still… can’t we take the ride”, she asked pleading him with her eyes. He opened his mouth to respond but on second thoughts zipped it up and continued walking.  And having no other choice she followed him though she muttered,        “It’s waste of  asking this guy. What will happen if we wait and take the ride?? Anyways.. I’m going to be here for a year. And if not today I can still come here any other day with Olivia or someone else to take that ride. And if no one in the world has the time to wait in this long queues just to give me some company,  I alone can do it”.

Though he was smiling hearing her non stop muttering he didn’t let her notice it and decided to play along as he continued walking. After reaching the spot where they were supposed to take a right turn, he came to a sudden halt which made the girl who was in her very own conference bang against him. While he didn’t flinch even an inch, she steadied herself by placing her hands on his back and once she got a hold on herself, she took them murmuring a quick sorry.

“Now if you are done talking to yourself, can we leave?”, he asked turning towards her which made her gape at him.

“What?? But we just came?”, she uttered and then giving a  hopeless look to him, ” Okay then let’s go” she said and as he turned around and started walking, ” What more can I expect from you”, she mumbled walking behind him.

“I heard you”, he said as he continued walking and “So what”, she retorted following him as she was thoroughly annoyed with him. She kept mumbling and was so engrossed in her own talks that she didn’t notice where they were heading to, but when Arnav stopped at the priority desk and gave the tickets which he took out  from his pocket  to the man behind the counter, seeing the placards there, she figured out that  they were at the entrance of the fast track lane. She was checking around  when he waved his hand in front of her face and with a tease in his voice said,” What happened? Have you changed your mind? Don’t you want to get on it?”.And as she stared at him in response, he gestured her to take the lead.

Coming out of the shock which he just gave as she whispered, ” So you already bought the tickets and were just making fun of me”, following the attendant who was escorting them across the London eye, ” How can I, when you  yourself take that privilege”, he whispered back ,teasing her. As she passed him a look he gave her a loop sided smile and she instantly looked away not wanting him to witness how bad his one smile could affect her.

As they reached the end of the fast track lane she saw people boarding the capsules and she soon learned that there were 32 ovoidal capsules altogether on the wheel with 25 being the maximum  number of visitors allowed in each capsule. And when she noticed a man and a woman whom she was sure  to be husband and wife, shouting at each other on top of their voices she so wished to get into a less crowded capsule. As an attendant there tried to calm down the couple by trying to remind them  the rules of the London eye, Kushi couldn’t help but pray not to get into the same capsule as them. After all, she was here to  enjoy the view, not to be a spectator of some family drama! And as the argument between the couple and the attendant started heating up, “I wish they had private capsules”, she mumbled, witnessing the nuisance the couple were creating and hearing this, Arnav who was right behind her just smiled.

Soon as their turn came, they were escorted to a capsule and leaving them at the doorstep of that capsule, ” And this is your private capsule, Sir and Madam. Your host is expecting you. Enjoy your ride”,said the attendant who escorted them. While Arnav acknowledged the man’s words Kushi couldn’t believe her ears.

“Private capsule!! How cool it is!”, she thought as she was both surprised and thrilled to take that ride, not knowing that they were more surprises  in store for her. And as she looked at Arnav, he gave her an encouraging look and said, “After you.”

All excited as she set her foot in the capsule, she was greeted by a  very formally dressed man and when that man said, ” Welcome to Cupid’s Capsule ,Madam and Sir. I’m Jeff and I will be your host for this evening”, “CUPID’S CAPSULE”, uttered Kushi getting one more shock for the day.

“The other private capsules weren’t available at the time of the booking. So I had to go with this”, he said in a lower voice following her into the capsule and though he gave her a valid reason for  booking that particular capsule, it took her some time to digest the fact that she was going to take the ride in cupid’s capsule with HIM as her partner. Before she could get carried away with her thoughts the host approached them with a bottle of Pommery Brut royal Champagne and two flute glasses which had a double heart design on them. And as she watched him enthusiastically, he uncorked the bottle and  tilting one of the glasses at an angle, he poured the sparkling wine into it,  gently sliding the liquid along the wall of the glass. As he got ready to fill the second one after the passing the filled one to Arnav, ” Can you get something non alcoholic for the lady?”, she heard Arnav ask and this made her roll her eyes at him.

And noticing this,”What was that for?”, he whispered as soon as the host went to the other corner of the capsule.

“When did I tell you that I want something non alcoholic”, she whispered back keeping an eye on the host.

Giving her a surprised look, ” I didn’t know that you drink”, said Arnav and turning back to the host, ” Excuse me”, he said and would have gone ahead as he got the host’s attention, had she not interrupted him saying, ” Nothing. We are good”, to the host who stopped looking in a box for a non alcoholic beverage for Kushi.

“Now when did I tell you that I drink”, she asked Arnav which made him go speechless. As he shrugged his shoulders not understanding what she wants or doesn’t, the host came back with a couple of non alcoholic options and opting for an apple juice, Kushi asked him to get that juice in the similar flute which Arnav was holding.

After giving her, her flute the host moved away providing them some privacy and that was when she told Arnav, ” I just wanted to get the feel of holding this flute with champagne in it and you ruined it. But look, doesn’t mine look very much like yours now”, holding her flute next to his. And as he raised her brows twice challenging him to deny, he couldn’t help but smile looking at the silly girl who found happiness in very minute things.

“You don’t have to smile for that”, she told him making a face and hiding his smile, he shook his head and said, ” You can still hold this”, offering his flute to her.

She smiled and exchanged her flute with his and after taking a selfie with that champagne flute she  gave it back to him. Sipping the juice from her flute as she waited for the rotation of the wheel to start, Arnav checked the time on his watch hoping for everything to go as per his plan. The entire rotation was a 30 minutes duration one and he had exactly 8 minutes left to show her what he intended to. And as he stood there hoping  for the ride to start on its scheduled time, without ruining any of his plans, the wheel started rotating after a minute. As their capsule started raising, Kushi’s excitement too started growing and though the wheel was 443 feet tall, she didn’t realize how high they were going as the ride was so gentle and smooth. As the weather was awesome the view was beautiful with no clouds blocking the view and as she looked through the clear glass at the city, the host become their guide and pointed out the monuments and other major attractions that they can see from the London eye.

After few minutes, Arnav checked the time and as he whispered something into the host’s ear, the host moved away from the couple giving them their personal space. And as Kushi was too engrossed in looking outside, she noticed neither of this. Without making a sound he took a step back and stood right behind her and before she could figure out what was happening around her, he closed both her eyes with his hands and without giving her any time to react, “Now slowly turn around and keep walking”, he whispered in her ear.  Wondering what he was up to as she followed his instructions, he made her stop near the edge of the other side of the capsule and then taking a deep breath, he slowly removed his hands off her eyes. And as she slowly parted  her eyelids, her eyes grew big in her face seeing the sight in front of her.

“WOW!!!”, she exclaimed seeing the usually  bright yellow sun turn into a bright orange shade, painting the entire sky around it in shades of orange and red as it got ready to set in the West.

“Beautiful”, she said  taking in the sight and as that orange tinge from the setting sun graced her face, it made her skin glow in an amazing shade of peach seeing which, ” YA… BEAUTIFUL”, he uttered unknowingly. Lost in the view which was unrivaled while she didn’t pay any attention to what he was referring to and  watched the sun completely set, he found himself lost in her. As the sun bid a good-bye,  for a moment everything around seemed dark but the next moment as thousands of lights illuminated and brought the city back to life, Kushi was awed seeing that night view which was just breath-taking. The panoramic view of thousands of lights illuminating the buildings and roads was magnificent and loving that sight as she tried to fill in both her heart and head with the two most beautiful sights that she got to witness within those few minutes, she was extremely content. As her happiness knew no bounds she was almost jumping in joy and that’s when the host approached them with a box of chocolates and offered them first to Kushi.

“Wow truffles”, she said picking one from the box and without any  delay she popped it into her mouth. And as the truffle melted in her mouth, enjoying  the rich creamy chocolaty  taste, “Ummm”, she moaned. Though he wanted to mention something to her, Arnav stayed mum seeing her reaction and  as he watched her with great delight, ” Can I have one more”, she asked the host who handed her the entire box of truffles and walked away from there.

She picked one more truffle and extended the box towards Arnav and as if she was reminded of something, “Oops! I forgot that you don’t eat sweets”, she said and pulled back the box. Enjoying the view she kept popping the truffles one after the other and by the time their ride almost came to an end, she ended up having more than six truffles.

As their capsule was in the descending state she suddenly  realized that their ride was soon going to end and she almost screamed, ” Oh God! How can I forget it”!

“What happened??”, he asked seeing her all worried and that’s when she told, ” We haven’t clicked any pictures”, as  if they have committed a serious blunder.

Shaking his head, ” Was your worry about not clicking any pics?We still have four minutes  for the wheel to stop. And that’s plenty of time as per me to get few pics clicked”, said Arnav trying to calm her down.

“Great!”, she responded to him and saying, ” Can you please hold this”, to the host, she shoved  the chocolate box into  his hands. And passing her phone to Arnav she ran her fingers through her hair and after setting it a bit she posed to the camera.

“Your battery is dead”, he said checking her phone which got switched off ,hearing which she reacted, “Oh no!”, with a sulky face.

“Don’t worry. I will take them with mine and forward the pics to you”, he provided the solution as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

As she responded with a nod and posed with the smile back on her face, he clicked few shots and  showed them to her. And happy with his work while she offered to return the favor,  he openly denied saying  that he didn’t want one.

Seeing their discussion, the host stepped forward to take a picture of both of them and when Arnav said, ” Sure”, and passed on the phone to him, Kushi just gaped at him. As he came and stood next to her facing the camera,” You weren’t ready to get one clicked by me. Then why now”, she whispered for which he said, ” I don’t trust your photography skills”, making her jaw drop and look at him. As that moment got captured in the camera, the host checked it and mentioned that Kushi was not looking into the camera and telling the couple that he would now click on the count of three, he kept the camera ready.

“Now close your mouth and look there”, said Arnav looking at the camera for which she gave him a stare and looked back at the camera. After clicking a picture like that, ” Now why don’t you both move more closer”, suggested the host who had the experience of clicking several pictures of many lovers in various intimate poses, hearing which Arnav did move close to her. As his shoulder brushed against hers every cell in her body became all alert and as she started to get  familiarized with that strong arm against which her arm seemed to be leaning on, she felt butterflies fluttering in her tummy.

“How would it feel if he wraps his arm around my waist”, a thought rose in her head which made her blush and as she looked straight at the camera with that blush on, a beautiful shot of the couple that was worth framing was captured.

Thanking the host while Arnav took back his phone and checked the last three picture, a huge smile beamed on his lips seeing the last one and as she was too busy in taking in the last sights, this totally went unnoticed by her.

As the wheel came to a halt, their beautiful ride which they thoroughly enjoyed came to an end and after boarding off the capsule, they soon exited the premises too. They walked in silence for few minutes and while they were on their way to the parking lot, “Over all it’s a beautiful experience. The view from the top, the sunset, the night view of the city and oh ya.. those chocolate truffles”, she said recollecting the taste which was still lingering on her taste buds and on a later note she added, “They were so yummy. I must have had at least ten of them”, as they reached their car.

“Small correction, they aren’t just chocolate truffles. What you had were chocolate pink CHAMPAGNE truffles”, said Arnav stressing on the word champagne. Hearing this as she watched him with shock all over her face, he felt like having some fun and he further said, ” And if we do some math here, the alcohol content which you have in your system now is much more than what that glass of champagne got into mine.”

As the expression on her face grew from shock to horror,”Seriously?”, she asked him and seeing her like that he couldn’t help but burst into a laughter.

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SURPRISE!!!! Double Update - Happy reading.

CHAPTER 65

Though it was a pleasure to watch him laugh like that, ” It isn’t funny!”, she complained making a face as she stomped towards him.

“I know”, he reacted with a naughty grin and controlling his laugh he unlocked the car and got into it.

“Jokes apart, do they really have alcohol in them?”, she couldn’t help but ask as soon as she took the passenger seat.

“They do”, he replied as he buckled up and on a later note said, “But I don’t know the actual percentage”, as he started the car.

“It might be pretty low. If not,  don’t you think I would have lost my mind by now? After all, I had at least ten of them”, she said trying to prove her point.

“There are two things which you need to consider here”, he replied taking a pause and as she said, ” Which are”, encouraging him to continue, ” Firstly, it takes some time for the alcohol to show its effect and secondly… for you to lose your mind, first of all you need to have one “, he teased as he continued driving.

“Are you saying that I don’t have a mind”, she retorted gaping at him and when he smiled in response with a naughty glint in his eyes, she didn’t feel like picking up a fight with him.

As she fell silent and looked outside something else crossed her head and she instantly turned towards him and asked, ” Can you do me a favor”.

“Depends on what you ask”, he replied without looking at her.

“Can you not tell anyone back at home that I had those truffles”, she uttered hoping to get a positive response from him.

Amused with the way her mind was functioning as he remained silent, ” I don’t want them to know”, she added.

“I will try. But what do I get in return for keeping your little secret”, he asked casually.

“Anything which you want”, the words slipped out of her mouth.

“Anything which I want!!! Think about it”, he teased and she  instantly realized what trouble she was inviting.

She bit her lower lip as she heard him speak and said, ” I mean anything which I’m capable of giving”. She continued  her attack on her lower lip as she waited for his response and seeing this he couldn’t help but mumble, “Only you are the one who is capable of giving what I want”, pulling his gaze off her lips and looking at the road ahead of them.

“Deal??”, she asked as he fell silent for which coming out of the disturbing thoughts, ” Yup. Your secret is safe with me”, replied Arnav.

“Where are we going now?’, she asked after a moment looking at the unfamiliar roads and he said, “You will see”, without giving her the actual details. Soon they took a turn towards the Tower bridge and the piece of  Victorian engineering which was stretched across Thames came into their view. Lit up in blue and white lamps it looked like a Cinderella’s castle to her and as they approached the tower, ” Wanna take a walk??”, he asked her.

“Ya.. would love to”, she replied looking out of the window. The sight ahead of her made her forget  all her worries about the alcohol in her system and as he parked the car they both got down and took a  stroll on the bridge. To her surprise though the weather was awesome there weren’t many people around and as she took the  sights around her she felt that she could watch the beautifully lit city again and again  and yet never get bored with it.

At times, silence speaks volumes and though there was no exchange of words between them ,they both enjoyed each other’s company.While she was busy in observing everything around her as they were walking, his eyes were busy in studying her face. With their differences since childhood, had anyone told him that one day, he would go on a stroll  with her on the streets of London, he would have laughed at them. But here he is, walking right next to her, enjoying her company, and that too without any verbal war.

They stopped at a spot to look at the Thames River and while she held the railing and started looking around, he leaned onto the railing and looked at the river with the reflection of the moon in it. Raising his head he looked at the beautiful night view which the city was offering but when his gaze fell on her face, he couldn’t help but think which sight was more beautiful. And without a second thought both his mind and heart screamed in unison, “It’s HER!”

“Wish I could say that aloud“, he left a deep sigh looking at her and when she turned towards him and their eyes met, he looked away not wanting her to read his eyes.

She might have been seemed to be lost in the sights around her but she was not so lost to not know what was happening around her. She was  well aware of the handsome man’s presence next to her,  whose penetrating gaze had  been scanning her face for the past many minutes. Yet, she didn’t have it in her to look straight at him.Though his constant stare was making her all conscious,  she didn’t dare to look at him. And after several minutes when she finally did, he looked away not giving her an opportunity to read his mind. As she shifted her gaze back to the river she could feel his eyes back on her. “So typical”, she thought letting out a sigh. And as  minutes rolled by they stood there in utter silence with her looking around and with him studying her.

The beautiful night with them on the lighted up bridge, the serene water flowing in the river, the gentle breeze which was tickling their senses… everything was so perfect  that he felt  he could stay like that forever and never complain. But when his gaze fell on her glossy lips which sparkled as the moonlight fell on them, his inner turmoil didn’t let him stay put.

“Let’s make a move”, he declared in an attempt to divert his attention away from her lips and the girl herself who was making him to crave for something more.

“Already? Can’t we stay for few more minutes?”, she asked softly and he couldn’t deny her. After reciprocating with a nod as he looked at the far away lights she took her time to stare  the silent man who was a puzzle to her. She felt that there was a lot more to the arrogant person she had always assumed him to be and wanted to know the real him. Or may be she already knew a bit! Why is that at times he is so approachable and at times starting a conversation with him could be so tough. Wasn’t it just a while ago that he was super comfortable in making fun of her? Then why this sudden aloofness. As if looking at her or talking to her might cause some destruction. Of course, it would. But how would she know that. She felt like he was hiding something from her yet  couldn’t lay a finger on anything. As she stared at his side profile and recollected the reaction of other girls in her college that evening a tiny smile bloomed on her lips. “Why wouldn’t any girl stare at him if he is this…”, her thoughts stopped right there as he turned his head and looking straight at her raised his eyebrows.

Shaking her head in response, ” Shall we go?”, she asked in a rush as if staying there further would reveal her thoughts to him. And when he agreed and started walking, she followed him half heartedly. If only she could stay there a little longer.

As he looked sideways he figured out that she wasn’t happy about leaving the spot. ” Are you sure you want to leave? We can stay little longer if you wish to”, he asked stopping in his tracks and she was amazed that he could read her mind

“It’s okay. We can come back some other time”, she responded as she continued walking and  walked past him. “Anyways, it’s getting late and Stella might be waiting for us”, she added as she slowed down to walk with him.

“She won’t be. I asked her to take a day off”, he replied as he slipped his hands into his jeans pockets and walked next to her.

“Day off?? Then what about our dinner. Don’t tell me I have to cook now”, she said sulkily seeing which he smiled and said, ” You don’t have to.”

“Are YOU planning to cook?”, she asked quizzically and he couldn’t stop grinning seeing the expression on her face. “Of course not”, he replied as they reached their car.

As she got into the car and waited for him to respond further, “Made a reservation at a restaurant”, he filled her in and started the car.

“So he planned a dinner too. Interesting“, she thought  looking out of the window while he raced the car with his focus on the road. Soon they reached the London Hilton and after giving the car for  valet parking they  entered the building and  walked through the lounge. Noticing the elevator and  stairs there,  Kushi preferred to take the stairs. But as she took a step towards them, “Are you sure you want to take the stairs?”, she heard him ask.

“Why not. It’s better to use our legs rather than relying on these machines. It’s a good exercise too”, she told him encouraging him to follow her, while she set her foot on the first stair.

“Great!Keep up the spirit. Unfortunately, I prefer to rely on these machine.See you on the 28th floor”, he told her and went to wait for the elevator.

“28th floor? You must be kidding me”, she reacted and rushed to his side.

Soon the elevator arrived and as they got into it, Kushi couldn’t help but mutter, “Don’t they have any restaurant on the lower levels. Do we have to go all the way that up  to eat something?? Waste of time”.

“Let’s see. Who knows…you might change your opinion soon”, came his reply.

‘Galvin at Windows’, she noticed the name of the restaurant the moment they exited the elevator and soon after the checking in at the reception, they were escorted to a private dining area which offered the view of the shimmering city through its glass walls.

“Wow!”, she exclaimed as she took a seat at their table for two which was right next to a glass wall and soon her eyes became pretty busy in the exploring the great view of Central London. From her spot, she could not only see the The Buckingham Palace but also got the full view of the queen’s back garden and the tennis court. The Hyde Park, London eye , Canary Wharf and gherkin were among the other attractions which  she was able to view and while she was still involved in checking those, a waiter approached them with the dinner menus. Giving them time to decide on the menu though he left, leaving the menus at the table, Kushi didn’t even look at her’s as she was too busy in looking around.

“If you are done looking around can you place an order? Or are you planning to fill your tummy just with those sights”, he teased checking the menu in his hand. Darting a look at him though she picked her menu, nothing in it made sense to her as her eyes scanned through the first few pages of it.

“These are quite expensive”, she remarked as she flipped the pages as if talking to herself.

“I didn’t knew that you were planning to pay the bill”, he responded without lifting his head from the menu.

“When did I say that”, she jerked and said which made him smirk.

“Then why bother about the prices. Just pick what you like”, he said setting his menu aside as he was done choosing.

She went over all the pages for the second time and placing the menu back on the table,      ” Don’t they have anything Chinese”, she said as every item in the menu looked so new to her.

“For God’s sake! This is a  French restaurant”, responded Arnav.

“I never tried French cuisine”, she replied as she started looking outside.

“Then now is a good time to start. Let me help you”, he said  forcing her menu back into her hand. And after  few minutes of intense discussions he was successful in placing an order as per her palate.When their dishes arrived she not only was pleased with the sight of them but also liked their taste and checking the beautiful view outside she had one of her best dinners of her life. After thoroughly enjoying her four course meal she relaxed in her chair, setting her napkin aside and that’s when she acknowledged that she has a company.

“Aren’t you hungry?”, she asked seeing his plate still half filled. How could he tell her that he was more interested in her rather than the food in his plate.

“Not so much”, he replied as he started moving the fork in his plate while the jumbled thoughts in his head didn’t let him sit straight.

“Are you done or do you want to order anything else?”, he asked as he set the fork aside and the sudden rush in his voice didn’t go unnoticed by her.

“Are you kidding me. After all that I had… no way. I’m feeling super sleepy now”, she told refraining herself from stretching her body and hands.

“Then let’s make a move”, he said gesturing the waiter to get their bill.

“What? But you haven’t had anything”, she said looking at the dishes which weren’t empty.”And I don’t like when people waste food”, she added on a later note.

“We can get them packed and have later”, he replied and asked a waiter to take care of that business. He paid the bill and as they waited for the food to get packed, he sat there restless without meeting an eye with her, tapping his fingers on the table. “What’s wrong with him. Why does he look like he wants to run away from here?”, she wondered looking at him and not able to keep her questions to herself, “Is everything okay?”, she murmured seeing his restlessness.

“No, it’ isn’t“, he wanted to tell her straight away but controlling himself from saying so, he said, ” Yup!” and she could easily say that he was lying.  And soon when  they were handed over their food package,  “Let’s go”, he said raising from his seat while she simply followed him wondering what could have gone wrong.

They reached their car in silence and neither one of them tried to break the ice even after they got into the car. While one was tired and tried to analyse the man who seemed to be a big mystery, the other one was in a rush to go home. Away from that one soul who was a big threat to his sanity. He was aware of his  feelings for her. Wasn’t that the reason why he showed up in London. But what he felt in her close company was way beyond what he had expected. Had he thought that planning an evening with her would make him feel good, it only worsened his situation making him to crave to have more of her in his life.

On reaching their destination as he stopped the car so did he halt his never ending thoughts and looked at the girl whose eye he didn’t want to meet for the past many minutes. And on finding her sound asleep resting her head against the window, ” WHAT THE!”, he reacted wondering when she fell asleep.

“Kushi”, he called out softly to wake her up. ” Once she sleeps, it’s impossible to wake her up, Arnav”, his sister’s words rang in his ears and he shook his head as a faint smile danced on his lips. “Crazy girl”, he uttered as he removed her seat belt and after removing his, he got down the car to come to her side. But on remembering something, he peeped back into the car and moved her head onto the headrest so that it doesn’t fall, waking her up from her sleep when he opens the door. As he came to the other  side of the car he opened the door with utmost care and picking up her belongings, he placed them all in her lap. And then sliding his right hand under her neck and the left one under her knees he lifted her in one swift motion. The moment she was out of the car, her skin sensed the change in the temperature and she snuggled into him further to stay warm. And though it was quite cold outside, her action did generate a heat in his body and giving her the warmth which she and he too needed, he brought her more closer to himself.

It felt right. So right! Staring at her face he carried her all the way to their flat and struggled his best to unlock the door and get into the flat, with her cradled in his arms. Locking the main door behind him, he took her straight to her room and though he didn’t have the heart to let her go, he finally placed her gently on the bed.As he removed his hand which was under her neck, she stirred in her sleep and smiled which brought a smile on his face. Crouching beside her bed he stared at her as he now wasn’t worried about  getting caught observing her. As his eyes trailed down along her facial features his heart moaned and an urge to feel her soft skin took root in him. The serene expression on her face and those slightly parted lips allured him to no extent and all those feelings which he had been trying his best to suppress since evening popped onto the surface.

He had been fighting a battle with himself since evening whether to voice out his feelings to her or not, as he himself figured out that what he had for her was lot more than what he had thought only after standing on that bridge in silence with her. From the moment he landed in London he wanted to do nothing but be with her. After spending his morning planning  a perfect date, though he never told her that it’s a date, he had been waiting to pick her up from her college. And from the moment he spotted her at her college, her mere presence next to him was enough to make his day. Though they didn’t talk a lot he felt that he could never forget even a single  moment that he spent in her company. And he figured out that the more he was with her the more he craved to be with her. How could he tell her all that without knowing what she has in her heart. That was the only thought which refrained him from letting her see what he held in his eyes even on that bridge and at the restaurant and only he knew what it took him to not pull her into a tight hug and make her aware of what she means  to him . At that time running away from her was the only solution that he found but now as he sat next to her with her in a deep slumber, he no more felt like controlling his overpowering emotions.

He was in LOVE and he knew it.

“What are you doing to  me”, he mumbled as he traced the back of his fingers on her  right cheek and once he came into contact with the softness of her skin, he didn’t feel like taking his hands off her.He caressed her cheek for few seconds but when a sweet moan escaped  her mouth, he pulled his hand away and stared at her in disbelief.

Did she have to moan! He stared at her slightly parted lips which were alluring him and all he wanted to do was claim those luscious lips as his. As he leaned further with his gaze fixed on her lips, nothing else came into his view but the moment he closed his eyes and decreased the distance between their lips, a strange thought crossed his head. How could he kiss her without her consent and that too when she isn’t in a state to reciprocate his actions . It could be her first kiss too. “Damn! Of course it is!“, he corrected not ready to think otherwise. Will she not want to experience it just like him. Then why the rush when he still needs to figure out her feelings for him.He opened his eyes and pulled his head away.

Not sure of his future moves if he remained anywhere near her at that moment, “This girl will for sure drive me crazy”, he said raising to his full length and got ready to leave her room. But on second thoughts he stared at his sleeping beauty for a moment, leaned forward and  planted a kiss on her forehead before he left her room in a rush,  without looking back.

Did  he ever dream that he would fall in love with the girl who had been his sole enemy since childhood. But  here he is, finally deeply in love with that girl who was peacefully sleeping in her room unaware of anything happening around her. Rolling on his bed with his phone in his hand,   “I love her!”, he confessed to himself, staring at her image in his  phone and felt all the heaviness that he had been carrying since many days leave his heart with that one confession. Feeling light after ages, he took a deep breath letting that feeling fill his entire senses and smiled looking at the image of the girl, who made a permanent place in his heart . With both his heart and mind  content with the recent developments , he soon fell asleep, unaware of the fact that his sleep would soon be disturbed.

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©Myraid of my dreams- Never stop dreaming.

Sorry I m writing here again my sad story but guys I need your support.

From my childhood I always dreams to open a NGO for helping others but never knew that some day I have to request someone for donation to save my father's life.

My name is Monika, My father Suraj Bhan last year met with an accident followed by spinal injury and severe infections in both legs.he was in Gangaram Hospital till 6 Oct 2021.Estimate given to us was 17 lakh rs but due to multiple surgeries/grafting bill went to 21 lakh rs.Due to hospital expenses we have to take discharge earlier and shifted to a house (on rent)nearby hospital for treatment .Now we are taking reach out service from hospital.

I'm a student , recently passed out from central university of punjab and my father is only the earning family member..Taking care of us (including me,my mother and my young siblings).With the help of friends and family,loan I was able to pay the bill at Gangaram hospital Delhi but Now I don't have enough money for my father's further treatment. He will need more surgeries in upcoming days but we don't have any money for treatment.Doctors are saying he can recover if we provide him proper physiotherapy and treatment.

This is to kindly request you all to contribute as much as you can.every single penny is a blessing for us.

And I would like to thank each & every person who helped me to till now without even knowing me...God bless you.

Please share this with the maximum people & help me to save my father's life 

Keep praying for his speedy recovery so that he can walk again..More than medicines he need your blessings.

Read more & Donation link

To Pay via Paytm (For Android users only)

Bank details:

Bank: Bank of Baroda

A/C: 57640100003485

Name: Monika Agrawal

IFSC code: BARB0NOHARX 

(First one '0' Zero, second one 'O' letter)