Another chapter up and about for you to read, vote and comment.

Lima & Rishit are soon starting to be one of my favorite couples.

Chapter 28.

 I am the one ordering her to kneel.

~~~

Viaan's phone dropped into his lap as he stared at his friend with wide-eyes. "Sorry, you want help with what?"

Rishit rubbed his nape in embarrassment, hating that he had to repeat himself. "I need help with a date, any idea?"

Viaan smirked, dropping his phone on the lap, he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Well, normally I would suggest go to her place and woo her but you live in her place."

Rishit's jaw clenched. "Viaan." He muttered in warning.

Viaan let out a throaty laughter but nodded. "Fine fine, ah this is gold! I still can't believe you two are together."

"Yeah, sometimes even I can't believe it."

"Because she's so hot and bendy?" Viaan winked.

Rishit's thoughts drifted to how the soft smooth skin felt under his hands, how her warm lips felt against his, how she spread her legs so readily, how her nipples tightened every time he sucked on them. "So fucking hot." He agreed, sighing dreamily.

"Does she like order you around in bed? 'Lemon Cheesecake go lower, no, idiot, I said lower!'" Viaan laughed at his own lame imitation of Lima and Rishit was least amused.

Rishit rolled his eyes. "No actually, I am the one ordering her to kneel." He then winked. "If you know what I mean."

"Woah dude, don't sport a hard on in front of me!" Viaan gawked, stumbling away from the couch he lazed in. He shivered trying to get out that image out of his mind.

Rishit shifted clumsily, his cheeks reddening. "You started it!"

"You didn't have to imagine it." He countered back.

"Whatever, can you help me or not?"

Viaan sat back, this time at the far end corner – away from Rishit. "Of course, I'll help you. Let me think."

After a few seconds, Viaan suggested. "A romantic restaurant?"

"Too common."

"Movie and dinner?"

"For first date? We aren't sixteen."

Viaan's tone clipped. "Go to a bar, get drunk, come back here, have sex."

Rishit's lips thinned, his eyes glowered. He remembered what had happened the last time he had been drunk – Lima had ended up reading his messages. He wasn't about to be in that position again. Drinking was a big NO. "You are of no help, Viaan. Seriously, get creative!"

Viaan grunted. "Go to the beach, candle light dinner."

"Too cliché!"

"Oh my God!" Viaan exclaimed in horror. "You are more difficult than a woman deciding what to wear! What does it take to please you?"

"Gee thanks! A helpful answer would please me."

After a few seconds, Viaan let out a loud squeal, sounding very much like a cat meowing. "I got it!"

Rishit raised his eyebrows in question. "Well?"

Viaan replied enthusiastically. "There's this old open-air theatre venue in the city. They play old movies and you are allowed to take your blanket and food. There are pretty lights and candles and flowers, it actually very romantic and sort of a like a picnic."

Rishit pressed his lip together. "That's actually a good idea. Have you been there?"

Viaan cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um, just once."

Rishit winked this time. "Ah ha, date?"

Viaan scowled. "No, just as friends. But it's a nice place. Should I send you the address?"

Rishit nodded and stood up, satisfied with the idea. "Message it to me, I'll check out the details. And since you helped me, here's a piece of advice for you." He stared right at Viaan unflinchingly. "Alesha will go on the date, not because she has to but because no one else seems to ask her out. So if I were you, I'd get my pretty ass off the damn couch and ask her out, right about now." After a thought Rishit added. "And if you do ask her out, please be sincere, not sarcastic. That's really doesn't do you any favors."

Viaan bit his lower lip in thought and sighed aimlessly. "You think my ass is pretty?"

Rishit's had a deadpan expression. "You are a lost cause, Viaan."

Lima smiled as Rishit entered her bedroom, in these few days her bedroom seemed to feel lonely without him in it. Funny, I used to like being alone. Now, I hate it. She mused curiously.

Rishit placed a small kiss on her awaiting lips and sauntered to the window. "We are going on a date tonight."

Lima whirled around to face him at top speed, her eyes shining in utter delight. "We are?"

Rishit smiled back, matching her excitement. If he had known this gesture would make her so happy, he would asked her on a proper date long back. "Yes, we are."

"Where?"

"Um, how do you feel about open spaces and old movies?"

Lima thought for a while and then shrugged. "I live in a castle in the middle of nowhere, so I like open spaces as for movies, I have barely watched any."

Rishit was starting to nervous now. "What about your old dates, um, where did you go?"

Lima flushed, staring at her black painted toenails. "Bars mostly."

"Bars?"

Lima turned away, not liking this subject. She should have been out more, gone on various dates, but she just didn't feel the need to. Not to mention, everyone seemed to think of her as an intimidating witch so that drastically reduced the men lining up for her.

Rishit walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her front, pulling her stiff back into his embrace. "So you have never been properly wooed?"

Lima was started to feel agitated by his comments. "Of course, I have!"

"By whom? Mr. Pence doesn't count."

Lima scoffed. "I wasn't going to say him. You 27 to 28 woman kisser."

Rishit chuckled, the vibrations of chest showering over Lima's body, sending a delicious tingle into her. "Well, prepare to be wooed your feet off, Miss. Fox."

He turned her around and pressed a small kiss on her forehead. "I am glad there aren't many dates I have to compete against. I think I'd lose my mind if I knew you had dated a lot of men."

Lima pooled into his attentive kiss and gentle caresses. She reluctantly admitted. "Even if there were many, you'd win."

"Obviously."

Lima rolled her eyes and escaped his tight cuddle. "Leave, I have work to do."

"But-"

"Go make the design for my childhood bedroom. Have it ready in an hour."

Rishit scoffed in disbelief, his eyes widening. "Excuse me?"

But Lima had already turned and was tapping furiously on her laptop. "Shoo-shoo. I have tons of work to do."

Rishit stared as she continued her work, forgetting his presence. With a long sigh, he dragged himself out, slamming the door shut behind him. "What a woman! It's like I am still working for her." He grumbled, walking downstairs to Lima's childhood bedroom. "I can't believe she is so sweet one moment and then so sour another. It's like a dating a bloody roller coaster ride."

Lima strained her ears to listen for any sign of movement, when she was sure Rishit was at a safe distance, she closed the laptop and dropped it on the bedside. Walking to the enormous drawers in front of her, she bend down to open the last one. She grabbed a thick folder and scanned the pages.

With a mild smile she took a bunch of papers from the top and shifted them into another dark blue folder, securing them inside. She wrapped the folder in an opaque bag and then dropped it inside her fiery red handbag, zipping it properly so no one could see the slightest indication of any folder. She took the handbag back to her cupboard and kept it with the many handbags already lined up according to their size, the red bag blended right with them.

Now it's was an empty handbag like the many others stored there.

*

Rishit stared at his reflection, fidgeting with the collar of his light grey shirt. When he came back, he hadn't bought a lot of things and now he quite regretted it. A suit would have been good but thinking about the location, maybe semi-casual would be more than okay.

Viaan looked up from his phone and winked. "Nice ass hidden in those jeans, and you call my ass pretty, which is, I am not complaining."

Rishit turned and rolled his eyes at him. "Shut it!"

Viaan chuckled lightly, laying with arms spread on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "So you are really doing this? Going on a date with the witch."

"She isn't a witch." Rishit reprimanded instantly.

"Yeah I suppose so." Viaan acknowledged. "She can be nice when she feels like it. Why do you think they call her that?"

Rishit shrugged, turning back to comb his hair. "Because she's so intimidating or they just don't really know her?"

"Could be." Viaan paused. "Even so, I read this newspaper clipping, they claim that she killed her own mother that's why they started calling her a heartless bitch, it soon turned into witch. You know how the words change in such vicious rumors."

Rishit turned so fast he felt his neck might break. "What?"

Viaan frowned in surprise. "You didn't know? Even Alesha and Olivia know, we don't talk about it, but they know."

"Lima didn't kill her mother."

"I am not saying she did, I am saying the newspapers said she did."

Rishit bit his lower lip, glaring at Viaan, as if he was the one who published that article in the newspaper. "Well, the newspapers hardly give the truth. We all know how twisted the stupid media is."

"That is partly true." Viaan agreed, the newspapers called his father a loving and doting husband and father, sadly that was far far away from the truth.

"She didn't kill anyone, I am sure she didn't." Rishit muttered, mostly to convince himself. The Lima he knew was ruthless and destructive but she wasn't a killer. She pretended she didn't have a heart but he had witnessed more than once how much she could feel, how badly she was broken.

Viaan nodded in agreement. "I am sure she didn't. Well, I was unsure when I first came here. You know with her anger issues and rude remarks, I did feel she must have stored her own mother's dead body under her bed as a proud souvenir. But she's fine now, I quite like her."

Rishit was barely hearing him, his mind was rolling round and round from this news. Why hadn't Noah told him about it? Noah had given a bulky folder to him – everything that was needed to know about Lima was in it. How did he miss this? Or was it purposely left out?

No, if Rishit had thought – even for a second – that Lima was a killer than he wouldn't have wanted to get close to her, he wouldn't have been intimate with a murderer. Noah needed this intimacy so Rishit could do his job. He left out that clipping with a plan in his mind. That cynical maniac! But Noah was wrong, he hadn't expected love when he came up with this plan.

And if there was one thing Rishit was severely sure about now was – Lima could not be a killer – maybe very revengeful and hurtful, and pluck out eyeballs with a spoon – but never a killer.

With that peace of mind, he smiled and rubbed off the invisible dust from his shirt. "Well I am off now."

Viaan shoved a thumbs-up in the air. "Enjoy, be a gentleman and use protection. Ya don't want baby witches running around here that soon."

Rishit ignored his words and stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Viaan settled into the bed, starting the new level in his game. Lima's games were definitely endearing, just like her personality. He clicked on the start button but the door opened again, this time Rishit's face popped up, ashamed and guilty.

Viaan raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Um, how did her mother die again?"

"Drowning."

Rishit licked his lips nodded. At least that information he read was correct. Rishit didn't leave, he stayed there with his head peeking through the small gap of the door.

Viaan shook his head slowly and gave a sad understanding smile. "Do you want to read the newspaper clipping?"

Rishit cleared his throat, the guilt was so loud now he could barely hear his own rational thoughts. "If you want to send, you can."

Viaan sighed, scanning his friend's abased face. He felt pity for him. "I'll send it but after you come back, I am not going to spoil your date, Rish."

Rishit smiled, a grateful smile and nodded his head. "Yes, yes. Thank you." And then the door shut again.

Viaan grunted and clicked on the play button. "Lima should make a game inspired by her own dark life. That would be interesting."

Rishit froze as he saw a nervous Lima waiting for him downstairs, she stood in the middle of the living room, the huge glass chandelier right above her. Even in the huge space, all he could focus was on her beauty. It called out to him, his heart, his soul. He was captivated, hypnotized and he didn't complain one bit.

Her pale pink knee length dress complimented the bright pink shoes she wore. Her eyes focused on her fingers that fidgeted just above her stomach. Her black hair fell over her shoulders, fanning that beautiful face and her lips were dawned with mauve shade lipstick. He couldn't take his eyes off.

Lima could feel the intense gaze, the strong sense of someone watching her. Sparks lit up her body and her apprehension only increased. She didn't need to turn to know who was staring, she could feel his penetrating scrutiny.

Finally she lifted her head, looking right back at Rishit. She barely stopped herself from inhaling deeply at the exquisite sight. She had always known Rishit was hot, very attractive but now, he looked like someone made to stop hearts, someone made to take breaths away.

He was in a buttoned up light grey shirt that didn't hide the structure of his broad chest, black jeans made his round firm butt even more prominent. His hair were styled, to make it look less messy. His eyes darkened and his lips parted. He seemed just as awestruck as she was feeling.

Her heart promptly skipped a beat. And the butterflies? They seemed to be doing tango and multiplying by the second.

Rishit held her striking gaze as he walked down the stairs. He couldn't help but muse the hilarity of the scene, wasn't it supposed to be the opposite? Him, waiting downstairs as she, sauntered towards him.

With each step he took, she felt her love for this man deepen. Being so isolated from her own emotions, she hadn't cared about much. But now that the gate was open, she felt overwhelmed.

Rishit stopped just a step away from her, their eyes still focused on each other's. "Hi." He breathed out, his lips tilting slightly upwards.

"Hi." Lima exhaled, her lungs happy with the decision.

"You look-" Rishi paused, his eyes scanning her from top to bottom yet again.

"I look?" Lima prodded, she hated the need to hear his appreciative approval, any form of compliment. She had spent an eternity just deciding on what to wear. She refused to wear dark colors, not on their date and after much contemplation and persuasion from both – Alesha and Olivia – she had finally agreed on pink. The color she detested. But even she had to agree, it suited her. She looked gorgeous, and she knew it. But what Rishit thought suddenly mattered even more.

His eyes finally rested on hers and he took a deep breath. "You look like everything I'd ever need."

Lima couldn't help the quick intake of air, her jaw dropping, her eyes glistening from the tremendous desire to kiss this man thoroughly. Rishit noticed her pleasure and his smile widened. He leaned and lightly placed his lips on the corner of her mouth, millimeters away from where she'd prefer them.

"We'll be late." Rishit said, stepping back and glancing at the time. He offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

Lima blinked the temptation away not wanting to mess up the lipstick and nodded. She took his arm and followed him outside the cold air brushing against her bare arms, sending a chill through her.

She tugged on his arm. "I forgot to get a jacket."

Rishit ignored her and walked towards her car, still holding her. He opened the passenger seat door and Lima raised her eyebrows. If he thought she was going to let him drive her baby willingly, he was crazy.

"Lima, get in." Rishit ordered.

She shook her head. "I drive."

"This is a date."

"That is my car."

"Don't make me throw you inside because I'll do it."

Lima scowled. "You wouldn't."

Rishit's eyebrows raised in challenge. "You know I would."

After a long staring competition, Lima finally dropped her eyes in defeat. "Fine but only because this is a date." She settled in the passenger seat, helping herself to the seat belt.

Rishit closed the door and in an instant was on the other side, getting into the driver's seat. "Trust me, otherwise I'd rather not drive down this hill."

Lima licked her lips nervously. "You do know how to drive right?"

"I have driven before." Rishit reminded her harshly.

"Fine, fine." Lima slumped on the seat.

After a few seconds she felt something drop on her lap. Her hands touched the denim jacket, the same one he had first placed on her on that fateful evening when she was dressed in just a tank top. Her lips curled upwards without a thought and warmth embraced her, she hadn't even worn the jacket yet.

"Sometimes I think you forget to get your jacket just so you could have mine." Rishit commented, starting the car.

Lima didn't care to deny that fact.

~~~

WHO IS READY FOR THE DATE??

AND TO KNOW HOW HER MOTHER DIED??

AND TO KNOW WHAT WAS IN THAT FILE THAT LIMA HID IN HER PURSE??