Before he could say a word she cut him short," I know you are going to say that you are undeserving of someone like me but you have got that all wrong. You are the most caring person I ever known. You are so smart, witty, good looking, loving caring and you believe it or not but you do have a heart." She leaned closer and dipped her head down and pushed her face into his chest and kissed chastely," And I want all of your heart and all of you."

He smiled lightly and cradled her face and lifted her chin up, so they were eye to eye and pecked her lips.

"I am all yours but there are many things you don't know about me and...."

She cuts him off," I know you enough to conclude that your love is true and I am not your plaything."

He kissed her forehead," Of course you're not. You can never be anyone's plaything. Any man on this earth even an ascetic can fall for you. No one can resist you. You are just too pretty for your own good."

She batted her eyelashes flirtatiously," I always knew I have the potential to become every man's dream."

His eyes stony and lips pressed in a thin line," Then I will effaced that every man's existence who dreams about you. You are mine. Only mine."

She looped her arms around his neck and cocooned herself perfectly in his arms. She said in a hushed tone,"Yes only yours always."

He pushed her down so as to have her pinioned under him on the bed. She stared at him eagerly as to trying to unfurl what was going on in his head. He bit her earlobe making her yelp a little. She craned her neck to give him better access as he kissed, nibbed and licked her neck. She had her eyes closed in ecstasy as he made her feel weak in her knees. Out of blue he asked," Do you want this?! You know you can always say no."

Her eyes flew open in instance. She cried tears of happiness," I don't want to say no. I love you, Arjun. Only you."

He kissed away her tears and covered her with comforter. She gave him a puzzled look. He shook his head and said," I don't want your first time to be so simplified and unplanned. I want to make it special for you, for me and for us."

She snorted feeling rejected and pissed at his sudden abstinence when she was so close to begging him to make love to her. She caught hold of fistful of his shirt and unbuttoned all the buttons as fast as she could. He stared at her with eyes as big as saucers. Was she the same shy woman who kicked him out of her room when she was barely dressed?!

He grabbed her hands from taking off his shirt. She felt odious and hurt. Tears filled in her eyes," You don't want me."

He chucked," I can't even describe in words about how much I want you. If I have you the way I want trust me you won't be able to walk for almost a week."

Still not convinced by his words, she cried her eyes out feeling depressed after all the tiring and heart aching happenings of the day.

He took her hand and pressed it on his evident bulge trapped in his pants. She gasped at the feel of his hard member and quickly took her hand back. He smirked," You want more evidence?!"

She shook her head vigorously. Her cheeks turning into a crimson hue making her look so insatiable. He caressed her cheek," You blush a lot and I love it when I am the reason."

He rubbed her lips with the pad of his thumb and whispered seductively,"I promise when we marry again I won't  give you a chance to complain. I cannot keep my hands off you for long."

She shied away from him and took on her heels to leave the room that instance. He laughed as he watched her running away.

He lied down on the bed and tucked his hand behind his head for support and smiled smugly," I cannot wait for tomorrow to come."

****

She stood erect with a straight face acting as bleak as she could. The person standing in front of her was not her best friend but a intruder who tried to savage her relationship with the man, she loved with all her heart. Agreed that he was looking out for her but he had no right to interfere between her and Arjun. She couldn't forget that she was so close to losing Arjun that to because of her brainless best friend.

Veer couldn't withstand her aloofness anymore. For Pete's sake! he wasn't her enemy. He cared for her deeply and loved her to the bits. Why can't she see the situation through his eyes for once?! She sings praises of the man who she knows only for months and the one who grew up with her doesn't even deserve her tiny bit of compassion. What kind of fair judgement, she had passed?!

He said in an exuberant tone," Radhika please for the love of God, stop with this indifference. I did what I did because I care for you."

She narrowed her eyes at him," That gives you no right to meddle with my relationship with him."

He took a step closer to her and held her small face in hollow of his strong hands," Radhika, He is no good for you. He isn't what he evinces. He just wants to bed you once he is bored he will leave you and wouldn't look back."

Anger lit in her eyes like burning flames. How dare he?! What the hell does he know about Arjun?! What right did he have to throw shit at Arjun?! He didn't know the other side of her Neanderthal man. He had no idea how happy Arjun made her. His kisses all rough, passionate and hard setting her nerves on fire, taking her to another planet. When she was with him, she fly without wings but when he isn't around her, watching her like a hawk, she felt her life was purposeless, aimless and dull. She kept him at arm's length and said calmly yet in a tone which had finality in it," Then it will be my mistake and I will pay for it if it happens. You cannot protect me from everything. I am capable of making my own decisions. I love Arjun and I will marry him come what may."

He shook his head, agitated and irked at her blind love which could not see any imperfections and faults in Arjun. He hugged her to his chest, held her close to his heart and choked back on emotions getting better of him," You will tell me if you need me for anything, won't you?!"

She nodded against his chest," Stop worrying about me. I am not a kid and I know what I am doing."

He pulled back and turned his face away to hide the tears of agony in his eyes. He loved her but if her happiness lies in Arjun and not him then he would let her go because his life's goal was to make her happy.

Arjun walked in to the kitchen and a smile etched on his lips finding his mom baking his favourite cookies. He stood behind her, crossing his arms to his chest," You are making cashew nuts cookies?!"

"For you. I know you love them." She replied as she transfered the batter  on the baking sheet.

"I love you, Mom. You are responsible for what little good I have left in me. If not for you I would have met my nemesis." He looked in her eye as he said so.

Avantika turned towards him, "Let's not talk about past darling. You must only focus on your present and your promising future with that God send angel. I wouldn't have got a better daughter in law than Radhika." She said softly.

With head bowed down, he said, "She deserves more..."

Avantika breaks in on him, "Stop right there. I know where the course of this conversation is heading to. You will start with I don't deserve her or her love...."

"Mom it's true she deserves so much more than  what she is getting. I mean look at me. I can undoubtedly confirm I have slept with half of the women of the modelling and film industry and she is a virgin, I know I shouldn't be discussing this with you but...." He goes mum realising he revealed too much than he intended to.

She shook her head shaking off the the disgust, she felt hearing about his past flings from his own mouth. Not that she didn't know it but hearing it from him was a different thing and something that didn't sit well with her. Also she didn't want him beating his chest for past, she wanted him to focus on his beautiful future with her daughter in law.

"Does that bother you?!" She shrewdly asked?!

"Bother me?! No fucking no but I feel guilty and unworthy of her. The kind of man I am, I never brought home women who couldn't close their legs. I just fucked them and never looked back. The kind of life I lived before Radhika, I was a very selfish and broken person and everything was just about me. I didn't really care for any women until her besides you and Anu but you guys are different. You are my mom and Anu is my baby sister, I cared about both of you because we are a family. To be honest Aisha was my first real relationship only to please you so you would trust me to not to be the manwhore I was in past. She didn't warm your heart is another story but the point is I always manipulated and used people precisely women for my best interest. I didn't feel even slightly guilty about it but with Radhika, it's all different and so spanking new that I am scared, I might do something stupid and drive her away." He heaved a sign of relief as he poured his heart out in one breath.

"Sweetheart when you love someone more than your life, you get cold feet at the thought of that person ever leaving you. Radhika is a sensible girl and from what I can see, she does love you like all of us. You always have been self abhorrent.  You have instilled in your head that you don't deserve our love and that is what is stopping you from basking in the warmth of our  love. I agree you did some irrevocable mistakes in the past but nothing in this world can make me forget that you are my son. You are the little eight pound baby, I held in my arms who I promised to always love unconditionally and push you to do the right thing when you're wrong and hold you close when you are lonely and hurt. You must accept that we love you and nothing is ever going to change that." Her tone, unwavering of love and affection.

"I think with time, I will, Mom. I came here to tell you something." He decided to change the topic.

"What is it dear?!"

"Mom I want to marry Radhika again. I mean I want to do all the rituals again with all my heart and soul into them." He smiled with all his heart.

"Oh dear! I am....so happy." She exclaimed and her slightly wrinkled face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Mom can you make all the arrangements soon?! Also I want it to be a low key ceremony." He pinched the tip of his nose habitually as he requested.

"Of course sweetheart. I will call pandit ji right away and we will fix the earliest date." She assured him.

He hugged her,"Thanks mom." His tone laced with immense gratitude.

She pats his back affectionately as she responds, "Anytime dear."

He jogged inside his room to find it empty. His heartbeats thumped in his chest with panic but as soon as he heard the shower running in bathroom, he felt like a sugar lube  dissolving in a cup of hot tea. He took out his laptop and started working as usual. Suddenly he heard the  clicking sound of door being closed, he looked in the direction of the source of the sound. The sight before him made his heart do summersaults and his breath hitched as he took in his nymph who was barely covered by a thin towel.

Radhika stepped out of the shower unwary of the fact that she wasn't the only one inside the room. As a routine, she would take bath after coming home from work and get dressed in closet. He face heats up as she finds him staring her up and down without a blink. Her grip tightens on the towel," Why are you home so early?! She asked in an attempt of strike a conversation.

He hiked towards her making her nervous, shy and coy. She walked backwards and her hands holding on to the towel tightly for her dear life as if she feared it might fall off her body.
He pushed her gently to the wall, and hovered over her, pining her to the wall with his hands placed on her either side. 

"Arjun please..." Her voice, a desperate plea.

He winked, "Do you know how beautiful you look right now?! I just want to take you to bed and have my wicked way with you." His tone, husky and desirous.

"Please let me go."

His eyes shone with evil glint, "Why should I let you go?!"

Her hands found their way to his chest as if they had a mind of their own. Although she intended to push him away and abscond to the closet but soon she found herself melting like hot wax in his arms. She was the moth and he was the fire that lit her to flames. He tilted his head," You have a beautiful mole here behind your ear." He said huskily and kissed her mole and she swear, a current passed through her whole being. She could feel her heart hammering and butterflies fluttering in her stomach. He smirked seeing his imprinting effect on her as she trembled in his arms. He lifted her chin to look in the eye," Look at me love." She felt like he was seducing her with his voice now and she couldn't afford to look in to those beautiful mesmerising eyes and that well sculpted mouth would make her loose it. With her eyes cast down at her feet, her teeth bit in to her lower lip. His tongue glided over her lips as he sets her lip free from her teeth. Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh dear! She could feel his hunger through the heat radiating through his body. He wanted to ravish her dry  and she would be lying if she claimed not wanting him. She could feel his hard on pressed into her stomach and the fact that only a thin barrier of that miserable excuse of a towel was shielding her wet core from him both terrified and excited her.

"What I wouldn't give to have you all for myself?! He said, staring intensely at her as if seeing through her.

"I am yours. You know that." She said beholding her eye contact with him.

"I know but I want more." He begrudgingly mutters under breath as he lets go of her.

She touched his cheek," You know I love you, don't you?!"

He leaned more into her hand," I just don't understand why and how can someone like you love me?!"

"I wish you'll believe that you are good." She says softly as she glances up at him with her baby brown eyes that seem to see right into his soul.

"One day maybe." He says pointedly.

"Go get dressed. Be quick please." He moves little away from her so she could pass.

She was starting to realise until and unless he tells her every secret of his, this impasse wouldn't cease. No matter how many times she tells him that she won't walk out on him, he wouldn't believe her completely. Having considered that, she would never nag him to tell her everything. He will confide in her when he wants to.