My Childhood Friend

Awkward Intimacies

This chapter contains some intimate scenes, but nothing very explicit, but I just wanted to alert you all in case any of you didn't want to read it.

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I rang the doorbell, my heart beating fast. I heard footsteps, and then the door opened, revealing him in a long sleeved black shirt and faded jeans. He looked kind of flustered, with his brown hair messed up, and his clothes rumpled. His face broke into a grin when he saw me. 

"Come in." He stood to the side, gesturing me in with one hand. 

"Where are your parents and brother?" I asked. 

"They're out for the weekend," he replied. "They left today morning to a friend's house and are gonna be back two days later."

"Why didn't you go?" I questioned. 

"Because I wanted you here." He said, the grin never leaving his face. 

I blushed and looked down to hide my embarrassingly scarlet cheeks. I could hear the TV blaring. 

"What're you watching?" I asked him, hoping to change the subject.

"See for yourself."

I did so, and squealed when I saw the screen. The scene showed a guy and girl kissing deeply under the covers, and other things I would rather not say.

"What?" he said, coming up uncomfortably close behind me."It's just a damn R-rated movie, for goodness sake."

"But . . but . ."

He chuckled, placing his hand on my arm. "You've never watched an R-rated film before, Alia, have you?"

I shook my head, suddenly feeling rather nervous with him so close. 

He let go of my arm. 

"Well, I know what your punishment is gonna be. You're watching this, start to end, the whole 3-and-a-half-hour film with me."

I looked up in shock. "No, Arhaan. I can't."

He came closer. "You said anything if I won. This is what I want. To make you see that sometimes being a little naughty or disobedient doesn't hurt. And you need not be awkward with me."

I blushed again. It was just a movie, I thought. It could have been worse. 

"Promise it's just this?" I asked.

"Promise." he assured me. "Watch the whole thing without a break on the sofa with me. Then we'll be square."

I nodded my head. Satisfied, he patted my head like I was a baby, and jumped onto the couch, pulling the blanket over himself. The couch was pretty small. 

I frowned. "Where am I gonna sit?"

He smirked. "On my lap, sugar."

My eyes widened. 

"No way."

"Then I guess six laps of the park every morning should be enough for your punishment."

I frowned deeper. "Okay, fine. But nothing more. I watch the whole damn movie, sitting on your lap, and at a quarter to eleven, I'm out of here."

"Deal." he said. 

I nervously walked over to him, his eyes on me the whole time. He moved the blanket, and pulled me down on his lap before I had the chance to hesitate. He wrapped an arm around my waist, and pulled me closer so I was sitting between his legs, my back pressed to his hard chest. My head only came up to halfway up his neck, so he could comfortably see the TV from behind me. With his other hand, he covered us both with the blanket. I felt his hand rest on my thigh, his other hand still holding my waist. I didn't say anything more, not wanting to make things more awkward than they already were. 

He sensed me tense up, and whispered- "relax."

I did so, slowly getting more and more at ease, leaning against him.

Half an hour of the movie passed, with no interruptions except one of us sometimes shifting a bit to get comfortable. His hand still held me close to him by my waist, and his other warm hand rested on my thigh. But then came the first uncomfortable part.

The girl in the movie was getting ready for bed when her crush walked in on her. After some dialogue exchange, they started kissing passionately, and things got heated up. I felt my cheeks heat up as the scene showed them in bed, pressed close together underneath the covers, feeling each other up. 

I was suddenly very conscious of Arhaan's hand on my waist and thigh, and I shifted.

"What's the matter?" he asked huskily, leaning close to my ear. 

"No . . nothing. Just . . just the scene."

He chuckled lightly, and tightened his grip on me, pulling me closer to him. 

"It's okay. You're just feeling uncomfortable 'cause it's your first time watching his kind of stuff. But there's nothing to be uncomfortable about with me. Relax."

With that, he started watching again. A very explicit scene was playing, with the couple on screen evidently doing it, moving and moaning under the covers. 

I suddenly felt Arhaan's hand caressing my stomach. His breathing had gone fast and heavy. 

"Arhaan, what're you doing?'

He leaned in. "Sshh, it'll feel good."

And I was ashamed to admit, it did feel good. To have his strong arms around me, caressing me like I was the one person he cared for. 

Suddenly-

"Alia, would you cry if something bad happened to me?" he asked, pulling me tighter to him. 

Before I could say anything, my head nodded of its own accord. "Yes," I said, realising that I would indeed cry if something happened to him.

"But I wouldn't." He said, making me feel shocked. 

"What?" I gasped, hardly able to believe my ears. Who would say that?

"Because I wouldn't let anything happen to my little sugar," he said, now stroking my face with his thumb.

It was a good thing it was dark, because if not, he would have seen the brilliant tomato shade of my face when he said that. 

"Thanks." I said. "But stop with the nicknames, and keep your hands off me." I punched him playfully on his chest.

Instead of doing that, he hugged me tighter, and turned me to face him. My heart began pounding when his hand cupped my face. 

His dark brown eyes twinkled.

"My hands ain't stopping when I'm anywhere near you." he whispered. 

He leaned in, and held my head in his hands. He lowered his lips to my forehead, and gently kissed my skin, sending shivers through me. 

"I'm never letting you go," he said. With that, he spent the next three hours hugging me close to his body, till the stars rose in the sky and it was time for me to go.