"Wow, straight to the point, I like it," Siddharth chuckled on the other end, oblivious to my exasperation. "Well, we both know exactly what I want. I want you, love."
I pressed the call button for the elevator, but it seemed to be taking forever, stuck on the sixth floor.

I groaned loudly, feeling the weight of his persistence. "Siddhu," I gritted out.

"Yes, babe?"

"How many times do I need to make it clear to you that I have no interest in dating? At this point, you're just harassing me, man." Frustrated, I abandoned the elevator and decided to take the stairs.

Sid huffed on the other end. "God, Ananya, I'm chasing you, not harassing you," he replied, his voice tinged with weariness. My stomach churned and I instantly regretted my harsh tone.

"Okay, sorry, I didn't mean it..." I worried my bottom lip, feeling a pang of remorse.

"It's okay," he reassured me, and I could totally picture the soft smile on his face. "By the way, I called you to ask if you're up for a date this weekend. I have something to show you."

I sighed, dejected by the whole situation. "I'll tell you," I replied reluctantly.

"Please, don't say no. Pretty please," He pleaded.

"Okay, okay, okay. I'll go with you. Now bye."

"Bye, Annu." His affectionate nickname brought a small, involuntary smile to my lips as I continued down the staircase, tracing my finger along the clean railing.

Siddharth Acharya had been my classmate in college. He was the sole heir to the TGC (The Golden Crescent) chain of international hotels. Apparently, his father wanted him to earn his position as the leader of the business, rather than simply inheriting it without merit.

During college, we were both selected for a six-month internship at a prestigious hotel in Dubai. We spent some time together during that period, seeking familiarity in the unfamiliar environment. Then, out of the blue, Siddharth confessed his feelings for me, expressing his interest in getting to know me better. I promptly rejected his advances, explaining that I had a career to build and dreams to accomplish, and that I couldn't afford the distraction of dating at the time. While partly true, my fear of commitment also played a significant role. And it still does.

Sid claimed to understand my decision. But then he proposed a wild idea: we could focus on our respective careers for the next five years, and after that, he would ask me out again. He envisioned a future where we could date freely and eventually get married. Exhausted and unable to argue further, I reluctantly nodded, hoping that he would find someone else and forget about me, eventually. Yet, here we were.

He had achieved his goal of proving himself worthy of succeeding his father and was now successfully leading the family business, while I--

Lost in my thoughts, my attention snapped back to reality when I noticed a sign on the sixth floor. The golden letters gleamed. Unlike the other floors, this floor seemed to have a very few rooms. Curiosity piqued, I stumbled into the corridor. The rooms seemed even more opulent, likely reserved for VVVIP guests. Wondering about the lavishness of their interiors, I made my way towards the elevator section to discover who the hell was keeping it hostage for such a long time.

When I finally reached the elevator, a gasp escaped my lips. "Here we go," I muttered under my breath, bending down to scoop up Noodle-Stacy's lively five-year-old white Poodle Puppy-who was casually lounging at the elevator's entrance. Meanwhile, the robotic voice persisted, pleading for us to make way as its urgency grew with each passing second. Oblivious to the commotion, Noodle showered me with enthusiastic licks and wagged his tail in blissful ignorance. "Calm down, boy," I giggled, playfully booping his nose.

Cradling Noodle in my arms, I couldn't help but wonder how he had ended up on this floor. With an unexpected burst of energy, he squirmed out of my embrace and darted towards the section with the rooms, barking excitedly. A mixture of surprise and amusement washed over me as I hastily followed, calling out his name in a frenzy. It was a comical sight-a woman in a heavily adorned saree, running and yelling, chasing after a mischievous puppy in a lonely golden corridor.

Breathless and wide-eyed, I finally caught up to Noodle, who had come to a stop near one of the elaborately decorated doors.

Kneeling down, I tried to calm him as his barks echoed through the corridor. That's when I noticed faint voices seeping out from the room we were standing in front of. The sound of someone yelling caught my attention, and although it wasn't any of my business, an irresistible urge to eavesdrop on the conversation suddenly took hold of me. Controlling my urges was never my strong suit, so I just gave in and shifted my position. Pushing all the loose strands of my super-crazy black curls behind my ears, I pressed my ear against the door to listen.

The voices were muffled, making it difficult to discern the exact words being exchanged. However, I could make out the distinct voice of David, and the other voices, deep and unfamiliar, accompanying his voice.

No matter how much I twisted and turned, I couldn't manage to make out a single word they were uttering. Frustration creased my brow as I strained my ears, hoping for any clue about the conversation behind the door. But my efforts were in vain. Just when I was beginning to give up, a chill ran down my spine as the voices abruptly fell silent.

It felt like a bucket of icy water had been thrown in my face when the smart lock above my head emitted a sharp beep, followed by the sound of the door unlocking. My heart leaped into my throat as I instinctively gathered Noodle, who continued barking, into my arms. I stood frozen in place, accepting my fate. I'm screwed.

The scene felt like it was moving in slow motion as the door opened with a creak, revealing a pair of dark brown eyes that seemed to see right through my soul. All the air in my lungs left in an instant, and the only thing alive within me was my racing heart. "Who are you?" the man's voice boomed, causing my toes to curl. My brain malfunctioned, and I couldn't come up with an answer. I was utterly distracted by his black hair, his perfectly sculpted and chiselled face that would put Michelangelo to shame, and his impeccable physique that strained against the white, form-fitting shirt he wore, and then, his big veiny hand reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun...

Wait, a gun?

"Who are you, Miss?" He repeated, his expression hardened, and alarmed he took a step closer, the gun still ominously in his hand.

Panic and fear welled up inside me as I struggled to find my voice, but I couldn't miss his delicious, musty, fresh scent that awakened my senses. Finally, I managed to stammer, "I... I'm just... I didn't...Please, let me explain!" I hugged the barking Noodle to my chest as the man hovered over us.

Behind him, two men peeked out, one of them being David. The other man looked younger but bore a striking resemblance to the Grumpy Gunman. David raised his eyebrows in recognition, and the grumpy man tilted his head, visibly curious. "Do you know her?" he asked David, lowering his gun a little. A little.

"Stacy's friend," David nodded in my direction.

"Oh." Mr. Grump dropped his fighting stance and shoved his hands inside his pockets. I sighed out a breath I had been holding. Noodle, sensing the shift, settled down in my arms, still wary but less agitated.

"Ananya. Is it?" The other man asked, coming infront of me, curiosity and a small smile of anticipation etched on his face. Though this man looked very similar to Mr. Grump, he actually looked nothing like Mr. Grumpy. Goodness, I'm going crazy with all the adrenaline, right now.

"Yes." I dipped my head. "Do we know each other?"
The man's eyes sparkled with amusement as he chuckled and playfully slapped Mister Grumpy's back-who remained unfazed and looked like he was digging my entire life history with a super computer in his head.

"Actually, no." He smirked, holding onto Grumpy's neck, while I racked my brain. "My name is Ian Alberto-Hey little guy," Ian waved to Noodle who had immediately jumped into his arms and started licking all over his face. "And he's my big brother, Matthew... Alberto." Ian managed to utter between his fit of giggles. So the Mister Grumpy Gun Man is Stacy's ex-fiance. Got it.

"Alright," I frowned at Ian's mischief.

"Why are you here, Ananya?" David asked, his tense expression betraying his inner turmoil.

I adjusted my saree and cleared my throat, miserably trying to buy myself a few seconds to process whatever nonsense I was going to blurt. "Well, I came here because Noodle had-" I began, but was swiftly interrupted.

"Marry me," Matthew deadpanned, his face displaying no emotion. David's attention snapped towards Matthew, and the corridor suddenly fell silent. Even Noodle stopped barking.

I gave him the best response I could come with at that moment. "Eh?"

***

Brace yourselves for a nice Drama ahead ;) Meet y'all next Saturday!