'She was always wild,
but he had made her free'
-Atticus

________________________

Expected

Sadhvi's POV

It wasn’t even eighty thirty in the morning yet when I arrived his driveway.

It wasn’t expected from my part that I would be allowed to drive inside past his house gates but his guards allowed me and easily at that.

My mind reminded me that they had my car number registered the last time I was here but I was too distracted to register that.

Leaving my house I hopped inside my car in rage to get the answers.

This moment waiting outside his house, looking at the open door I was having existentional crisis.

Was my anger and question even valid?

But it was too late now to doubt myself.

His house help was standing outside my door, waiting for me to move so that he can open the door for me.

I was suddenly aware that my arrival was totally expected.

He knew I will come.

With a little pep talk and a procedure of collecting myself together I smiled at the boy and he opened the door for me,

“Welcome ma’am” he greeted

I smiled nodding my head because I couldn’t find my voice, the brain of mine was preparing a speech and I couldn’t risk spilling a hint or two out to the help provider.

One step up the front porch I was dreading my decision yet again, still I wasn’t known to back out.

I took in a deep breath and made my way inside and not caring for audience, I called out,

“Mr. Avrudh Dhillon”

Not in rage but in anxiousness for sure.

With no response I moved my eyes to look around the house which was exactly the same how I have last seen.

Nothing has changed. Same calm and peaceful interior.

I looked to the right when my peripheral vision caught a slight flicker and to my death I saw the man.

The man I saw that day with my friends, when we were out for clubbing.

He was looking at me with a small smile lingering his plum peach lips, the smile curved his moustache line and moved the muscles of his cheeks.

I wanted nothing but to stare.

I was right that day. This man indeed needed security and bodyguards to guard his beauty.

I even joked about being his bodyguard but never in my small span of life I imagined us to be destined.

Woah! Stop right there Sadhvi!

Is this acceptance I am hearing?
Only his face was required for you to give in?

I blinked and just like that I remembered why I was here to begin with.

I wanted him to make me accept. I wanted him to make me say yes.

His face was resting on his right palm as he was turned to look at me.
He was eating his breakfast.

One maid was serving him earlier as she was paused now due to my arrival and there was one young girl too who was in the kitchen peaking.

The boy who escorted me inside was nowhere to be seen but I had the vague idea he was here somewhere peaking too.

Bringing my attention back to Avrudh, I saw him still smiling looking at me and that - that infuriated me like nothing else.

I clenched my fists to the sides and he noticed that.

Good, I wasn’t hiding either.

“We need to talk”
I declared, my voice dripping venom. Pure lethal venom.

He nodded looking back in his plate and using a napkin wiped his fingers clean, even though he was using a fork.

He nodded towards the lady who was earlier serving him and she went back inside the kitchen to the girl.

They both disappeared behind the wall but something told me, the ears were here only.

Avrudh stood up from his chair and turned to start walking towards me.
I was suddenly aware of the fact how awfully breath-taking he was.

How annoyingly I find him attractive and how my mouth runs in front of him.

He was wearing black pants and white shirt. Expected

I have seen this outfit numerous times but this site was to behold.

He deleted the distance between in five strides – yes I was counting.

When the distance was a hand apart from me I looked up to meet his gaze. I was reaching his shoulders even in my 3 inches heels.

My brain took the torturous minute to prepare what I was here to say and I, by myself, took the minute to collect the leftovers of my melted heart.

My eyes were busy reading him and it seemed like he was reading me too.

His face marrying a small smile saying he was not a bit disappointed looking at me.

Those deep brown eyes, looked almost black but if you are paying attention you will see the coffee brown colour enveloping his dilated black pupil.

His shady cheek, I wanted to run my hands through, I was curious to know how it will feel against my skin.
Will it be rough or soft or will it be the kind of rough I would never mind running my hand through.

“I am all ears Sadhvi”

And something about that voice crushed me with a ton of weight.

A good delicious weight, I wasn’t ready to lift up from me yet. He said ‘I am all ears Sadhvi’ but I heard, ‘I am all ‘yours’ Sadhvi’

Boy was I fangirling?

Yes I was.

I blinked and took a stepback.
“I don’t need this pity. I don’t want your pity.”

His beautiful eyebrows furrowed,
“What pity?” he asked in a hoarse voice

“This” I mentioned between us,
“This pity scam. I don’t want you to feel sorry for me. You are not responsible to mend what you feel is your brother’s fault. I wasn’t heartbroken to begin with, so you need not to make amendments.”

“Not heartbroken” he raised his brows and smiled at me a dimpled smile shoving his hands inside his pockets,
“I know that already”
He was awfully calm in spite my behavior

The dimples I witnessed were holding my stare longer.

I opened my mouth to say something but his lack of reaction and way of handling was infuriating,

“Listen” I growled

And he smiled even bigger—if possible

“I don’t want you to say ‘yes’ because you feel responsible for your brothers way of handling this. I might be too old to get married now but I don’t want your sorry feelings” with this said I turned to walk out of the house.

I wasn’t actually here to get his side of the story; I was here to make my mind up.
I have now.

He held my hand, halting me.

I turned blank face masking my shock and stared where his hand touched my wrist.

His right hand was still in his pocket and left was holding mine,
“Let me clear this, the reason you actually came here for.”

The sparks I felt with that mere touch was making me crazy, I have now entered the dangerous territory I was suddenly told in my head.

He said that and my heart started to beat like crazy. Was he reading me all along?

How can he? I wasn’t giving much.
I never did.

I looked at him through my lashes.

“You were here to gauge my reaction; you wanted to see who actually I am. You were curious to know what comes to face of the man you are to accept.”

“You had no reason to deny to and that angered you, you came here to sketch a face of the man you are going to marry. You wanted a reason to say yes. You were here to give me a challenge”
he announced and waited for me react

And I did no such thing, kept looking at him through my lashes.

He was so tall and I had reached my limits. Tall his height but his confidence was bigger.

He wasn’t wrong though and I had no answer there.

He offered the same dimpled smile once again when I failed to bark out an insult.

“What if I say I wanted to?”

I pulled my eyebrows together. Rather confused.

“I wanted to marry you. You had my interest the first time I saw you. There was never any pity” he said nodding his head to my face

And I inhaled deep.
Was I looking for this answer?

The first time he saw me. Was he talking about outside the club?

I searched his eyes for god knows what and when my heart was sure it saw what it was looking for,
I muttered, “the decision rely on me Mr.Dhillion, not you.”

He leaving my wrist laughed loud.
And my heart soared.

What the actual fuck!

I was fangirling indeed!

“Please don’t reject me Ms.Nanda. I have waited long for you.”
He said his face with so much intensity all at once.

So have I

I gulped the feeling I was suddenly flowing with.

I took two steps back and turned to leave without meeting his face I was near his door when I decided to let him know,
“Have a good day, Avrudh”

And I walked out.

Good day because I was walking out with my answer.

The answer to the question I came here with.

It wasn’t necessary for him to speak, to clarify what reason I was standing in front of him for.
I had the decision made when I first saw his face looking at me with that small smile lingering at those lips.

I drove past his house gates and through my rear view mirror I looked back.

I was internally wondering was he also looking at my leaving car like I was looking back to his temporarily disappearing house.
.

____________________________

'Put her under moonlight and
tell only truth.
Let every man become a poet'
____________________________

Isn't Avrudh smart?

Dreamy sigh*
I need someone to push my buttons
and at same time make me
want to hug the lights out of him, all at once.
God why am I like this.

Ugly cry*
Oh but I'm not losing hope here. I am keeping myself busy.

If you know what I mean now.
Dreamy sigh returns*
He is so so smoky that I want to cry and laugh both at he sametime.
Why you must do this to me Tae Tae?!
Why!!!!

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With love,
Ankita 🐿️