17 First ever kiss...
Part 17 First ever kiss...
"Where is your aunt?" Arnav asked.
Khushi showed the chit written by her aunt. He rolled his eyes.
"Ok, I will come after she comes"
"Where are you going?"
"There is a professor's house in this area, I will come again after meeting him"
He took a step to leave, but stopped hearing,
"Are you afraid of me?"
He looked at her, shrinking his face.
"What? What did you say?"
"Are you afraid of me that I may seduce you..." She asked teasingly.
He stood folding his hands with an attitude.
"If you don't, prove it"
"How?"
"Have a cup of coffee made by me..."
Arnav took a seat, firmly looking at her.
"Go and prepare. I will be here until your aunt comes."
"Good boy..." Khushi pinched his cheek. He flinched back and shrugged her hand.
She rushed to the kitchen, giggling.
Taking some time, she prepared coffee. Arnav ran his eyes around the house. The house looked neat and plain. There were no photos in the living room. The carpet spread on the floor to protect feet from the cold resembled a costly, decorated floor. The couch on which he was sitting also did not look like a simple one, but expensive. A six-foot-tall posh Belgian mirror caught his attention. It was clear that Khushi's aunt was a wealthy woman.
Khushi came with a cup of coffee and biscuits. She placed the tray on the tea table in front of the couch. Arnav took the cup and sipped the coffee. The taste was so-so. It was clear that Khushi was zero in the kitchen. He looked at her and said,
"I thought I would get a GOOD coffee", he said seriously.
She pouted.
"Don't you know how to cook?"
She was silent.
"Cooking is the basic survival skill and the first qualification for marriage. How could you think of getting married if you don't cook?"
Khushi looked at him with sparkling eyes.
"I have already started learning cooking. Before finishing my Master's, I will become a master in cooking. Just say you will marry me, and I will learn everything in a month"
Arnav sipped the coffee and said nothing.
"Actually, I don't like coffee. That's why I haven't learned how to make coffee. That's why I prepared a very ordinary coffee."
"It seems your aunt is the richest person", he diverted the topic.
Khushi was stuck.
"The things in this room were earned by her husband when he was alive. Now, she is maintaining them neatly."
"Where did you get the foreign dry fruits that you gave me?" he didn't hesitate to ask her.
"What's the big deal? Everything is available online..."
"And what about Alahabad Safeda Guava? That's also available online?"
She sensed a mockery in his tone.
"Aunt's relative got it from Allahabad. I brought it to you because I know you like Guava"
He looked at his watch.
"By the way, I appreciate your guts..." She intentionally said that to extend the conversation.
He leaned on the couch, spreading his hands with a smirk.
"You can seduce me only if I allow you to..." He maintained the smirk.
It showed how much he believed in himself. That shook Khushi's confidence slightly.
Taking a guava from the bamboo basket, she cut it off. The way she cut it off showed she was not used to such work. Keeping the guava in her right hand, she held the knife in her left hand. She was not a left-hander, and he knew that.
Arnav, who noticed that, frowned. He was sure she didn't do it purposely. As neither of them had expected, her hand slipped and her palm was cut off.
"Aaiiii..." he rushed to her and held her blood-oozing hand.
Tears rolled down her face as the wound was deep.
"Can't you do a simple thing carefully? If you don't know how to cut it properly, why do you use a knife? Can't you eat it by biting? Where is the First-Aid kit?"
She pointed at the cupboard, weeping. He rushed to the closet and brought it. He pulled her to the couch and made her sit on it. Sitting next to her, he treated the wound. Wiping the blood, he applied the ointment to the wound.
"Your palms are so soft, " she said, choking.
Arnav's hand stopped doing its work. He slowly raised his eyelashes and looked at her, who smiled with teary eyes. He didn't know why he felt something in his heart, seeing her teary, smiling face. He gulped down hard. He knew the wound was deep and she was in pain. Yet, she admired him and the softness of his palm. Her smile between her tears explained it. He stood up, gulping down. Khushi looked at him, and she also stood up.
"I'm leaving. Take care..."
She said nothing but looked at him.
"When will your aunt come? Doesn't she have a phone?"
She nodded no.
"Do you want anything? Are you hungry?"
Taking the guava, he cut it into pieces. He kept it on the tea table.
"Eat it if you are hungry. I'm leaving," He said, and was supposed to go, but he stopped, as she clutched his hands.
Arnav looked at her hand and then looked at her.
"You care for me. Don't you?" She asked.
He so wanted to say no, but her face, which had many traces of tears, didn't let him say that.
"I care for all my students. You know that..."
She smiled, biting her lip. That made him avert his gaze.
"Why are you nervous? I just said you care for me, not you love me."
"Khushi, you don't know me. I won't be stable all the time. I don't have feelings. I don't know how to be lovely..."
Cutting him off,
"No need... You don't have to be lovely because already you are...in my eyes. I like who you are. Just because you don't know how to be lovely, it doesn't mean you can't be loved. Whatever you are doing for me makes me feel concerned. You are appearing in my closed eyes also. I didn't expect to like you this much. The fear of losing you is killing me."
Arnav could not take his eyes off her, not because he heard what he had never heard before. He did... but not like this. Her tear-filled eyes and a slight smile had made him helpless. His hand was still in her clutch, and he didn't feel like taking it off.
She slowly left his hand. Arnav turned to go hurriedly, but his leg stumbled on the carpet. He struggled to stand, and Khushi tried to hold him, even though it was not possible for her fragile figure. In the process of saving him from falling, her hand slipped. Arnav tried to catch her but failed and fell on the couch holding her hand. Khushi fell on him.
Both were stuck in another's eyes. Arnav didn't know why he couldn't push her, who was lying on him. He couldn't even raise his hand, so how could he do that? He was stuck in the moment as he had never faced such a situation. Being close to a girl had never happened in his life. His brain didn't work, but the chemicals in his body did. He might be a rude man, but he became a victim of his sexuality because the brain and chemicals in his body were different. Of course, male nerves were naturally designed to be harassed by women's nearness and smell. When it came to the woman, the male was weaker, knowingly or unknowingly. Here, Khushi was the first woman who got close to him.
Assuming the man who was not interested in love's condition was like that then, what about Khushi, who fell in love with him head over heels? She was utterly lost in him. Their hearts had beat synchronously. Khushi was looking at him like a bewitched person. She slowly leaned towards him and touched his lips with hers delicately. Though Arnav jerked, he could not get away. He closed his eyes slowly. Khushi sucked his lower lip softly. Arnav closed his fist, as he could not stand it. He held her shoulder and pushed her onto the couch. Getting up from the sofa, he walked out of the house hurriedly, without looking behind.
Khushi was shocked by her own action. She didn't know how she got the courage to kiss him. She pressed her chest to control her heartbeat, closing her eyes tightly. She opened her eyes, jerking as something hit her mind. She just kissed Arnav. She shared her first-ever kiss with him. She blushed with a smile. She rushed out to see him, whose car was turning from their street.
How did Arnav let her kiss him? Didn't she first touch his lips? He could have pushed her at that time itself. Why didn't he do that? Didn't he say he has no feelings? But he didn't seem like a no-feelings guy.
She decided on one thing. She should not disturb him for a while. He might think she was cornering him because he let her kiss him. She didn't want to touch his ego because she didn't know how he would react to it.
However, she was damn happy. She marked the DATE in her mobile, as it became the most important day in her life.
On the other side, Arnav was sitting in his car, leaning on the seat, closing his eyes. What had he done! How could he let it happen? What happened to him? Why did he become motionless? Why could he not move his hands? He opened his eyes, jerking. Did he start loving Khushi unknowingly? Did his heart fall for her? But why? How? He leaned on the steering wheel. Starting the car, he left the place.
The next morning
Khushi was curious to know if Arnav would come to the college. She expected him not to come to the college that day. Even though he came, she decided not to talk to him.
As usual, Arnav came to the college, surprising Khushi. To his surprise, she didn't even look at him, but he couldn't help but keep his eyes on her. He took the book and started the next lesson.
A student stood up and reminded him,
"Sir, we are ready for the test..."
"It's ok... You can write tomorrow..." He said.
Students looked at Khushi, who had a band-aid on her palm. Khushi looked at him, jerking, and found him averting his gaze from her.
He taught a new lesson. Khushi kept her eyes on the book constantly. Of course, it was too hard for her to do that. Yet, she did, controlling her mind.
Arnav completed the period and left the class, not before glancing at Khushi.
Seema entered the class. She pretended like she didn't notice Khushi's band-aided palm. She wrote three questions on the board and said,
"These are your test questions. Start writing."
Khushi wondered. She understood Seema's cold shoulder and understood that she was intentionally doing that.
The same student who reminded Arnav about the test stood up and asked,
"You didn't tell us that today you would conduct a test, madam"
"Are you guys kids? Do you want me to announce every time? You are doing your master's. So, you should be a master and ready for the exams anytime. Sit and write"
The student sat, making a face. Khushi didn't like to show her palm as an excuse. She knew none of her classmates would have studied the questions. So, she would be better than all, no matter if she wrote only one question. So, she decided to write slowly and did that.
She wrote slowly, even though the pain was hurting her. She didn't mind it and wrote. She could write two questions, and she left one.
Seema collected all the answer sheets and left the class. She came to the staff room. Taking Khushi's answer sheet, she saw three sheets in it. She removed two from them and tore them. Throwing it in the dustbin, she corrected the paper and gave a fail mark to Khushi.
To be continued...
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