My Childhood Sweetheart [AR - Sequel]

♫ 22. Celebrity Treatment

Riddhima woke up in the morning with her alarm on her phone ringing. Blindly turning it off, she groaned while stretching, almost hitting Armaan in the face. She sat up amused at finding what Armaan had placed in between them. A bunch of pillows. Was he really that scared of his hands wandering inappropriately in sleep? Yes. And the stack of pillows in a line was proof enough.

Shaking her head, she moved a few aside and leaned to tower over him, her lower arm crossing over his chest. Feeling the weight, he grumbled, rubbing his eyes. Her free hand tickled over his jaw where a light stubble was forming. At the feather light touch, his eyes fluttered open. At first, he groaned at the brightness in the room before he caught sight of Riddhima smiling down at him.

"Did I...?" He instantly started to say, looking to side to check whether he had slid over to her side despite the pillows.

She bit her bottom lip in amusement to keep from laughing. "Honestly Armaan, how many times have we slept in the same bed?"

Answer? Countless.

"That was different." He mumbled before asking, "What time is it?" His phone was still in his room so he couldn't check and the clock on the wall was too far for him to bother with it. Not to forget, it had roman numerical. He deemed that too complicated for first thing in the morning.

She challenged, "You're still you. I'm still me. How is it different?"

"I never had urges then, okay?" She burst out laughing at his embarrassment. He looked more embarrassed at saying it then she hearing it. "You're definitely not you." He continued, "The Riddhima I know would've been shy. Not laughing like it didn't mean anything."

She sobered up, shaking her hand and pulling his cheek. He groaned, pushing her hand away and caressing his own cheek where she had pinched him. "The Riddhima you knew has grown up, Armaan. You should think about growing up too." She teased him to say he didn't have to hold back. They weren't kids. "And it's 7:30. We have an hour."

She pulled away, pushing the covers aside and getting out of bed. He sat up as well, the covers pooling around him. While running her fingers through her hair to tie them up, she added a comment while glimpsing at his naked torso. "Almost close to Hrithik."

His brows knit together before he followed her gaze. He recalled one of their conversations from the past. "Will you ever stop hurting my ego?" He questioned with a roll of his eyes.

"Someone's got to keep pushing you." She commented, as if to say that if she didn't, he wouldn't keep working on it.

He threw the cover back and got out of bed, his tracks hanging over his hips. "Nothing impresses you, does it?"

She gave his body one more look, having more to look at with no covers blocking her view. "Depends on what we're talking about."

Just then, Khushi walked in the room throwing the door open and eyeing the two of them. He was barely a foot away from her. "Didn't I tell you two to behave? I faintly remember saying that last night." Given she had just woken up, she seemed slightly unsure whether she had just thought it or actually said it.

Armaan held up his hands in surrender, taking a step back. Riddhima chuckled and pointed out, "He listened by putting a tower of pillows between us."

Khushi arched a brow, amused. "Really?"

"Honestly, what has Australia turned you two into?" Armaan muttered in a complaining tone before leaving the two girls be.

Khushi asked, "Should I pity my brother?"

Riddhima answered by a shake of head. "He'll come around." Even when she didn't mind him doing so, he wasn't taking advantage of having her to himself. She decided she was going to have to make sure to ask what made him be this decent.