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He stepped into the small restaurant and ordered the food while she waited outside the shack. A weird anticipation was building inside her. Somewhere deep within, she still wanted what she felt when she came out with him. She knew she would think of that first date and their first kiss even after years and no matter who was in her life.
Asshole! Maybe he was the one playing her.
Rana came back to stand next to her, and for a long time they stood listening to the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks while they waited for their food. No words were exchanged, but like every time, her heart thudded with excitement as if something amazing was going to happen.
Minutes passed in the darkness as if neither of them wanted to be the one to break what was now an awkward silence. They both looked around the space but did not turn to face each other. She found his behavior to be odd but didn’t say anything.
“Your food is ready.” As if the ding of the bell pulled them out of the weirdness, they looked at each other.
Rana nodded before going into the shack and bringing the tray with the food out. He carried the tray and went straight to one of the tables outside that were set closer to the water. She followed him to the table and took a seat across from him. And as if they were in some kind of a keeping-silent contest, she reached for what she guessed to be her food.
Nami let out a surprised gasp when he swatted her hand away, and she glared at him. He was still not making eye contact. Instead, he reached for the small burrito and started to eat.
A bit annoyed and a lot more confused, she took her food and started to eat in silence. What point he was trying to make, she had no idea, but she could feel the air thicken with tension around them just like it did from the first time they met. Her awareness grew even though she knew he wasn’t looking at her. Something was building up inside them, creating a lot of pressure.
They finished their meal in silence, and still not knowing what his end game was, she was a bit on edge. “Why did we come here?”
He shrugged, still not making eye contact with her, making her wonder what was going on. When he remained silent, she leaned closer and said, “I really don’t know what your end game is, but can we just drop all this?”
“I need to tell you something.” He stood up and gestured for her to walk with him.
She followed him, noticing the shift in his manner. Was he going to tell her that he would delete the video and they can put everything aside and move on? That would be awesome!
They walked in silence along the beach for a few minutes before he stopped and looked at her. Still no words but his eyes held something she could not decipher. What was going on in his mind she had no idea, but something was off.
The usual cockiness in his manner was missing. He was quieter than normal, and she was all the more confused. She held his gaze in silence, and he stepped closer to her, making her awareness increase, but she held her ground, chin tilted up to meet his eyes.
Was he going to kiss her? Oh my God! I will be free of his annoyance.
She patted herself on the back for choosing to wear the wedge heels, and he was so close to her, every one of her senses was going nuts, but she didn’t let her concentration falter. In that moment, everything fell in place. He had a change of heart—he would kiss her and end the deal.
The feeling of freedom was euphoric and that made her smile as he leaned in closer like he was going to kiss her. She felt like Sleeping Beauty who was going to be kissed and woken up from the slumber—in her case, the torture of putting up with his antics.
She was lost in her dreamland but stayed focused on being present. She went up on her toes ever so lightly to cup his cheek with her hand. His rough stubble tickled her palm, and she saw his breath was coming fast.
Something about the way he looked at her, the proximity set off something inside her. Her mind went blank as she was deafened by her own heartbeat. All she processed was how he looked at her and when he raised his hand to cup her cheek, her eyes rolled shut taking in the moment.
He still had that effect on her. Despite how much he irked her, the attraction was too powerful to contain. She let out a moan when he inched in closer, his cologne filling her lungs and the heat from him swarming her, and her every sense running high.
“Look at me,” his words were a whisper, but that made her eyes flutter open.
Her eyes fell on his lips before she raised them to his deep, dark ones. In that moment, she craved for his kiss, and the waiting was killing her. And when she felt the pressure on her cheek increase and his lips started to descend, her nerves hummed in anticipation.
Just when she thought he was about to kiss her, he pulled back, almost knocking her off balance. A sudden shock passed through her when she heard him laugh, an annoying one that caused a strange dread pass through her.
He was playing her all along, all evening.
Rana was laughing so hard, she wanted to slap him to make him stop. “The look on your face… so precious when you thought I was going to kiss you.”
“Asshole!” she screamed at top of her lungs and turned to walk away. She could not bear to see him, and it concerned her that she was still jittery on the inside from his touch.
“Varma, where are you going? I just got started.”
She could tell he was walking toward her, and when he got close to her, she turned, and in her rage placed both her hands on his chest and pushed him.
Caught by her surprise move, he was knocked off balance in the sand, and with him, he pulled her along. Their bodies landed in the sand with a thud, and he was still laughing, the annoyance from it peaking her anger.
She sat up and without looking at him, she got up and started walking away. “You are an effing asshole. I hate you.”
