" Wheeee," I screamed, disregarding the fact that I was technically on a bike with my boss, and was in desperate need of preserving the shred of dignity I had left, following the glass slab disaster.
" This feels so gooood," I said as the cool wind, brushed past, blowing my hair all over my face.

" What feels so good?" Arya questioned. His voice was teasing, lilting and I failed to hide my blush. I was really grateful he couldn't see my face; I hid it behind his broad back, ducking my head. Arya chuckled to break the momentary silence that had settled between us.

It had been a really long time since I had been on a bike with anyone and I was thoroughly enjoying it. It was surely not because I got to feel Arya's muscles beneath his shirt. No ways. No. Who am I kidding?

" Where are we going by the way?" I asked him curiously.

" What is the point if I tell you?"

" What is that supposed to mean? Not like it's a date."

Everything became quiet all at once. None of us said anything for a few minutes. Only the rustle of tree leaves could be heard through the silence.
Way to make the situation more awkward than it already is Riya, I thought.

Just when I opened my mouth to apologise for my silly implication, Arya spoke.

" Riya."

I could see his expression through the mirror at the side of the bike. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were boring deep into mine. But his face was impassive.

" Stop thinking too much about this okay? I just wanted to take you out for lunch..does it have to have a romantic notion behind it?"

As he said that, his cheeks flushed further and I didn't fail to notice it. But I kept quiet. He was probably not ready to say what he truly felt.

"Alright, just as friends," I said and smiled. "Though it's always a delight to see you so flustered."

He huffed and let out a sigh." Yeah right..I am sure it is."

We soon reached the restaurant which was just 10 minutes away from the clinic. It was called Dosa Point and supposedly had the best dosas in Chennai.

" Table for two," Arya said to the waiter and he lead us to a set of chairs in one dimly lit corner of the restaurant.

" Alright then, so what do you want?" he asked, after giving me some time to peruse through the menu.

He told me that this was a joint he frequented since it was so close to work and hence had no need to look at the menu; he had mugged it all up.
He rested his elbows on the table and looked at me, waiting for an answer.

I shuffled through the menu once again, but as usual I wasn't good at making choices.

" Whatever you're ordering," I said with a shrug.

He smiled faintly and called the waiter.

" Two onion dosas," he replied. "And two hot badam(Almond) milks."

A/N: For those who haven't heard of it before, a Dosa is a pancake made from rice flour and ground pulses and is usually served with a spiced vegetable side dish. It is a very important dish in South Indian cuisine.

" Alright?" He turned to look at me and I nodded.

After half an hour, we were almost finished. The onion dosa had been a delight to my taste buds. It was crispy at the edges and had the right amount of softness giving it a pleasurable crunch. The badam milk had the right amount of sweetness and the badam essence hadn't been too overpowering either.

" Are you sure you're full? " Arya questioned.

The dosa and badam milk together had been pretty heavy but usually I had a large appetite. I surely didn't want to appear greedy in front of Arya especially since he'd insisted to pay for the meal even after I told him umpteen times that wasn't necessary. I was getting to know that he had a very stubborn side to him.

" Yeah I am fine."

" Let's have a sweet, I am starved for a dessert."

My eyes subconsciously zeroed in on his flat chest and stomach. He could definitely afford to eat how much ever ghee and butter he wanted. But I couldn't. I was already putting on a tummy and I surely was no hour glass figure.

As if sensing my apprehension he said "Oh come on, it's just one day! Live a little."

And the one day will turn into a week if I'm not careful. I had a sweet tooth and I was lazy as hell. Even asking me to gym was a herculean task, let alone making me do it.

Even after declining continuously, Arya ended up ordering gulab jamun.(An Indian sweet dish). I refused to touch it and when he asked me curiously why I had, I just kept quiet. Wouldn't be really nice to tell someone on the first day that I was worried about my figure right?

After a while, he gave up. But soon the aroma of the sweet reached my nostrils and I was tempted to just have one taste of it. I reached out my hand in the direction of the bowl, but realized what I was doing and pulled back.

Arya noticed this particular action of mine. He looked at my face, raising an eyebrow and smirked. I rolled my eyes and looked anywhere but him. I wasn't going to lose my control. I was on a diet and I had made up my mind to follow it.

It was 4:30 now. I decided that I wanted to go to my dorm to freshen up before coming to work. Arya insisted that he'd drop me to campus. But I declined, saying it wasn't so far away and that I'd call an auto. I could see that his gentlemanly traits weren't allowing him to leave a lady alone but my insistence won in the end.

" OK then, take care, see you at 5," he said and waved as he got onto his bike.

I watched him drive away, got into an auto that had come and reached campus.
I ran to my dorm and knocked on the door. Meera stood there beaming at me.
"Guess what? Manan's coming to pick me up today."

The name she spoke of clearly struck a cord somewhere in my mind. I had definitely heard it before. Yes! That was the boy who was responsible for cutting my conversation short with Arya, way back when we first met. Funny how the human mind remembered things like that. Could it be the same Manan my friend had been talking about for the past one week? He had been her school friend and they had been going out for half a year already. He was working in IBM now. He had moved to Chennai in 11th when his dad got a transfer. Surprisingly they had still remained very close friends even then.

" Oh? " I said. " That's really great Meera. Any special plans?" I asked, winking.

" Yeah we are going to Trichy to spend the weekend. I want to meet my parents and it's high time I introduced them to Manan."

" Good luck with that," I said laughing.

" Oh it will be alright, I hope," she said with a smile. " My parents had a love marriage too, and my elder brother already knows and approves."

" One down, two to go," I said and she laughed.

" Anyways got to get ready for clinic...when are you leaving?" I asked.

" He's coming in 10 mins..do I look alright?"

Meera always looked pretty. Her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were faintly flushed. She was wearing a blue lacy top and skinny jeans that emphasised her skinny frame.

" You always do Meera..is that a question to ask?"

" So anyways I won't be there when you come back so give me a huge hug," she demanded.

I wrapped my hands tightly around her shoulders, squeezing her till she couldn't breathe anymore.

" I will miss you," I said.

" Chee stop getting emotional on me, it's hardly two days."

I pouted.
" Alright alright, will miss you too. Now go get ready before your boss freaks out and thinks you got kidnapped or something. "

I imagined a look of bewilderment, confusion and concern on Arya's face and started laughing.
Meera looked at me weirdly.
" OK, I am going. Just make sure to call me when you get there," I told her.

" OK mom."

I grinned. I ran over and changed my dress as quickly as possible. I wore an orange kurti and a multi-coloured Patiala bottom and carried my apron, mouth mask and gloves in a small shoulder bag. I dumped my phone and purse in it in a hurry. I washed my face and brushed my hair till all the knots were out. I weakly heard Meera scream bye five minutes later and I waved before she exited the dorm. I left soon after.

When I entered the clinic, a smile automatically appeared on my face. I loved interning here. It wasn't just because I got to meet Arya. The people working and the staff were really friendly and I was really fond of dentistry as a profession.

_________x_____________

So my lovelies!
How was the lunch almost date ;) ?
Could you guys feel the sexual tension rising? :P
Wasn't it cute to see Arya blush and get flustered?
Teaser:
Romantic, cute Arya and Riya time coming up..in the next chapter.

Don't forget to vote and comment if you liked it.
Adios amigos
:) harshini :)