Dare to Love #3: Description + Introduction

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| . . . D E D I C A T E D . . . |

~For those who have the worst ups and down life has to offer and yet fight for their soul to not be marred, to chose love, to chose the road less traveled over the easy path.~

| . . . D E S C R I P T I O N . . . |

Khushi has confessed her love for Arnav. She's forgiven him. There are no secrets left between them, or so they believe. 

The saying goes 'what one doesn't know can't hurt one'. Is that ever really the case though? One side buried in the past can shake Khushi's reality with an even bigger danger looming over their heads, threatening to rip apart the life they are ready to build together.  

Try as he might to protect his loved ones with some proactive steps, their long-time enemy appears to be a step ahead of them - playing cards and revealing secrets about family members close and far. 

They didn't know exactly what to expect, but they knew it was time to brace themselves for impact. If they want their love to survive, they were going to have to dive head-first and face not only their inner fears but also appear in the eye of the public and fight for justice.

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| . . . I N T R O D U C T I O N . . . |

The sound of a cell phone ringtone going off woke me up. I peered to open my eyes with the sun rays coming off bright into the room through the open blinds. My head was resting in the crook of his shoulder. One hand was squished between us while the other gripped a fistful of his shirt, as if fearing he would leave. My eyes travelled down to where his hand rested on my side. I didn't remember when we fell asleep, talking.

I loosened my grip on his shirt and shook his chest gently. "Arnav... phone." It was my cell phone going off. I couldn't get it myself since it was out of my reach.

Arnav seemed to be in no mood to shift, but given that I wanted the phone, his hand reached for it. He grabbed the first device he felt. Even after I held it in my hand, I didn't answer it. "Make it stop." He groaned, just wanting some peace to go back to sleep.

I laughed and in between giggles, I pointed out. "Silly, you gave me your phone." Without complaining, he reached for the side table again. This time, he picked up the right phone. Instead of handing it to me, however, he answered it himself.

"What?" He snapped rudely at whoever it was.

I hit his chest, "Arnav, what are you doing? Give that to me!" It would have been a different thing if it was Armaan or Riddhima, but I knew it wasn't. I had a different ringtone set for them, and the ringtone that had been playing was not theirs.

Arnav twisted, forcing me to lay on my back and him towering above me, and slapped his hand over my mouth, not allowing me to speak further as he listened to the person on the phone. I inhaled sharply, stunned at his audacity. He cut the person off in between, "She's not coming to shoot today. She's sick."

What he was doing. Sick? I didn't feel sick. I pressed my hand over my forehead. Yeah, definitely not sick.

"Have Lavanya look after whatever is needed. If it's urgent, have Aman email it to me. No one bothers her, is that understood?" A second later, he ended the call. Angered by what he'd done, I pinched his hand to get him to remove it off my mouth. Wincing, he did. "Ouch, what was that for!"

I ignored it and questioned instead, "Why did you lie? I'm not sick!"

"I know that."

"Then?"

"They don't know that."

I groaned, "Great, now I am going to be bored whole day all by myself."

"Alone? How? I'm here. I assure you I am good company."

I rolled my eyes. "Right, the last time you said that - we ended up locked up in jail."

He chuckled at the memory I point out from years back. "Come on, we're grown up since then."

I add, "Sure; so now, you'd either be on your tablet, laptop or phone. If not any device, then a file, deal, contract, spreadsheets and that junk."

This part of his life, I knew pitch perfectly. "Okay, today – no work and no phone calls, except for di and Aman's... Lavanya's too."

I don't believe it but let's see if can keep to his word.

"Why am I sick again?"

"Cause, I said so."

I rolled my eyes. Just because he was the boss... "Sure. Now move." I pushed him slightly.

It felt a bit weird. What was happening? Yesterday, tons of secrets from the past were spilled. We were all emotional. And waking up, we were in a carefree mood?

As if understanding the look on my face, he gave a small smile and moved away. He grabbed his clothes and proceeded towards the washroom. He took a detour to the bed. "Oh, I forgot," he said approaching me. I had by now gotten up and was sitting.

He kissed my cheek, almost close to the corner of my lips. "Morning, love." He said and rushed off in the washroom.

I gasped, burrowed my brows trying to figure out what had just happened

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I gasped, burrowed my brows trying to figure out what had just happened. Obviously, it couldn't be happening? This guy used to ask for my permission at first before even holding my hand. Even yesterday, to hug me when I told him about my abortion, he asked me first. And what made him think he could kiss me like that?

I must have gulped down my saliva multiple times, trying to figure out if this was some dream in an alternate universe. He left the butterfly kiss so casually as if it was an everyday occurrence.

The most surprising part of it all... I had woken up in a compromised position and he had towered over me and kissed my cheek, but I hadn't panicked at any of it. Not once did my mind flash back to that night. If anything, my stomach was fluttering... fluttering! In a good way. A very good way.

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