Arranged Roommates

|9| Comforting Hugs

As my head lay on his chest, the rhythmic thumping of Aryan's heart in my ear soothed my inhibitions. I counted the seconds and regretted the moment I had agreed to be a part of this silly dance. But the offer of unlimited favours was too tempting to reject.

The heat which radiated around us intermingled with the cold water of the pool, making me feel light-headed.

And all regards to my lack of personal life, this was the first time in twenty-eight years, I had come to experience such an intimate feeling of closeness with any human. On one hand, this was a little uncomfortable but it was also a lot more calming to be enclosed by such a relaxing human touch.

I could now understand why would people cave into the trap of marriage and love. Just to experience small moments of affection and care like this, even if it is a false pretension.

Aryan's hands moved up and down my back as if trying to provide solace.

From the brief time we have known each other, I can clearly deduce that he is a patient, understanding guy. But a lot more outgoing than I would like my roommate to be. So sharing my living space with him was going to be difficult.

Suddenly someone started chanting from behind, "Kiss, Kiss, Kiss!" The crowd went wild, joining that person and now all the hundred people present inside the party were hollering and shouting for a kiss.

I panicked and squeezed the life out of Aryan as I shook my head which was still on his chest, "No! This wasn't the deal!"

"Relax. We don't have to, okay? Just relax," he assured but the calling out still didn't stop.

And being the centre of attention for such a large audience made my chest cave from anxiety.

"I should have never consented to do this!" I whispered harshly, glaring daggers into his eyes while my fingers dug into the skin of his back.

He grabbed my arms and gently created a bit of distance between us. He then scanned the entire crowd and finally, his eyes skimmed every inch of my face with a steady gaze.

Before I could understand what was happening, he bent down in one smooth motion to place a kiss on my forehead. But his lips barely brushed my skin as I felt just a slight feather-like touch.

I blinked, trying to understand what just even happened before I heard Aryan's voice, "That's the best you all are going get." The crowd booed. Aryan laughed while calling out loud, "You all know it's an arranged marriage, right? Give a man some time to warm up!"

The whole place echoed with laughter as my lips twitched up in a smile. "You handled that quite well."

He just shrugged. A wide grin covered his face and those dimples resurfaced, "I wouldn't mind having a proper kiss. That is, you know, if you want."

"Don't test your limits, boy." I said, patting his biceps.

He exhaled loudly, "You are no fun."

"I never said I was. And now that we are over this ridiculous dance, you can leave me." I said, wiggling to get away from his grasp. But he didn't let go of me.

"I am actually enjoying this. And now that I have surrendered myself as your slave for my whole life through those favours, I think I deserve a little more time with this."

It truly felt nice to be held like this. Not that I would admit it out loud. So, I stayed.

"Maya told me that you were our senior at college," I told him randomly.

"Small world. But I had already figured that a while ago. I told you I knew you from somewhere."

"I can't recall you at all, like how is that even possible? Our batch was quite small. And even when you became such a big name, I didn't know you were from the same college as me."

"But I can remember you well, you were quite famous on the campus."

I frowned, "I wasn't famous. Are you sure you are talking about me?"

"Trust me. I am pretty sure it was you. All the guys worshipped the ground you walked on. But you never gave anyone a chance. I can't even tell you the kind of filthy things I had heard them say. Miss Ria Raichandani, star student, the hottest junior who bagged the most coveted internship in summer placements and eventually got pre-placed."

"That's such an exaggeration. I didn't know that was such a big deal."

"It was a huge fucking deal. And you know the funny part? The day BCG gave you a pre-placement offer in the summers, they had rejected me in the final placements. I hated you for it, even if I didn't know you then," He chuckled, "Now that I think about it, it sounds so childish."

"For me, college wasn't like what you just described at all. It was extremely tough."

"It didn't appear that way then." He said as if in disbelief.

"No, seriously. You see, I didn't do my undergrad at a fancy college like most of the students at IIM. I was just a small-town girl, trying to make a name for myself. Especially as an introvert, facing that cut-throat competition gave me a severe inferiority complex."

"It was tough for all of us then, I guess. Because if we see it that way, everyone was overcoming their own insecurities, trying to put up a strong front for appearance's sake. Like, imagine failing miserably in your first semester, that was hard."

"You failed in your first semester?" I asked, confused.

"Yep. Went through some tough times during the first sem," he sighed.

I could hear apprehensiveness in his voice and there was definitely something he wasn't telling me. But I didn't want to intrude so I didn't ask.

I leaned forward to just give him a hug and hoped that it would comfort him more than any words. 

*** 

Hello everyone!

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