Dare Trilogy | Book 3 Editing | ✓

1.14 | Unhealthy Habits + Wishful Thinking

Originally Published on February 20, 2017 | Edited on April 24th, 2018.

Dedicated to all of you, actually! I can't pick one person for this chapter. It goes out to ALL of Dare readers, current & past, who have given me their love and your encouraging words which move me into writing something I can feel accomplished with. Thank you a million times over <3

| . . . C H A P T E R  . . . 1. 1 4 . 1 : U N H E A L T H Y - H A B I T S . . . |

Arnav asked once we were in the car. "What do you want to eat?"

"Anything," I didn't have a preference.

"So, steak will do?"

"Sure."

He snapped his fingers in front of me and I blinked out of my thoughts. "Get back to Earth, yea?"

I recalled his suggestions and glared at him for obvious reasons. I followed Hindu practices and was a vegetarian and so was he. Steak? Eeks. No! "Anything vegetarian, Raizada."

He backed out of the parking spot and pulled out towards the roads. "Did I push it too much?"

He was talking about the sudden pull back in his room. I shook my head.

"I can't look at you and drive at the same time, Khushi."

"No," I voiced out my answer.

"Then why are you so out of it?"

"Nothing," I gave the simple answer.

I was thinking about some of the things I had written - one of them being fear of anyone breaching my personal space and how uncomfortable it made me. How my senses went on alert thinking the other person meant harm whenever it happened even if it would be accidental on the part of the passing by stranger.

He pulled up minutes later in front of a Mexican place. Given it was a weekday and far from campus area, it wasn't overflowing with college students or even just the general public. It was almost empty.

After placing our orders, he pointed out. "I can't prove I'm not boring if you remain this silent."

I smiled to assure him, "You don't have anything to prove to me."

"I'm just..." He stopped when his phone vibrated on the table. "Sorry," he apologized and answered it. "Uh, di. Hi... yeah, no. She did tell me about dinner. I just already had plans made... No! I wasn't trying to get out of dinner with you guys... sorry... are you really going to make me say the whole thing? Come on, di. I'm not a kid anymore..." He sighed before continuing, "Sorry di, I won't lie again. It's a bad thing. I know... Mhmm..."

I started to smile hearing the one-sided conversation and imagining how he was being scolded by Anjali. I hadn't met her and I doubted I ever would but I still started to admire the lady who could keep him grounded this way.

He glared at me, picking up the straw wrapper and throwing it at me as a means to scold me for laughing at his misery. I bit my lips trying to not burst out laughing.

He grumbled. "Okay di, can we finish this scolding later now? I really am out for dinner and you're embarrassing me."

Embarrassing? Hah. I don't think he knows the meaning of the word!

"Sure, I'll come by in the morning. Bye." He ended the call and putting it on the table, scolded. "You're very mean, you know that?"

I defended myself without taking offense, "That was funny and adorable and you know it, Raizada. I didn't think anyone could make you say sorry like that."