The Marriage Contract

35 - Tug-O-Feelings

Akshara and Abhimanyu entered their bedroom, discussing about the events from earlier in the night from the Gala. Akshara went over to to the dressing table and began removing her earrings, one after the other.

"Do you know who the woman was?"

"Which woman?" Abhimanyu asked, unbuttoning his blazer and his cuffs. Truth be told, he only had eyes on Akshara the entire time of the auction so he had no idea what other woman had been bidding on him.

"The one who was adamant to win you in the auction? The stunningly gorgeous one?

Abhimanyu thought long and hard about whom Akshara was referring to. "Oh, you mean Shreya Swamimaran? The tall dark haired woman that was fighting you till the end?"

"Yeah. What's her deal? Is she a woman you scorned?"

"No. She wishes. But she's the one woman I refused to sleep with." Abhimanyu remarked, casually.

Akshara's jaw touched the floor and she ran up to Abhimanyu, pressing her palm against his forehead. "You refused to sleep with a woman? Am I hearing that correctly? Are you feeling okay? Are you sick? Do you need some water? Advil?" She mocked.

Abhimanyu rolled his eyes. "She's just a spoiled daddy's little heiress princess whose never been told no."

"Explain."

"It was a month ago. She came in wanting to be treated by me. And mind you I am a cardiac surgeon. But she demanded to be treated by me. I declined. And then she asked me out on a date. Again, I declined. And honestly, the way she treated my staff, the interns, in that rude condescending tone is hers, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near her."

"But she definitely wants to be close to you." Akshara pointed out.

"She can try. But I'm a married man now, loyal to my loving and adorable wife." Abhimanyu grinned.

Akshara narrowed her eyes at him, planting her hands on her hips. "Why do I feel like you're just enjoying firing a gun from my shoulders at woman who get too needy for you? I feel used you know."

"The perks of marriage."

"For who? You?"

"Exactly." He smirked.

Akshara rolled her eyes at him. "But oh God, did you see Parth's face when you got sold for 10 lakhs? He was not expecting it at all. He was fuming. His entire face was red and it felt like he was going to blow up any second." Akshara began laughing reflecting back on Parth's reaction to Abhimanyu being auctioned.

Akshara placed her hands to the side of her eyes, filling air in her cheeks to make them chubby as she imitated Parth's rage at Abhimanyu's success. "This, this was him."

Abhimanyu began laughing at Akshara's imitation of Parth. Seeing Abhimanyu laughing made Akshara grip her stomach as their mind circled through all the failure Parth had to face today. All his sly and devious plans set up to make Abhimanyu fair backfired harshly against him.

Akshara continued to laugh, just as there was a slight shift in the air and Abhimanyu's laughter came to a halt as he began staring at Akshara with his piercing brown eyes. Watching the smile on her face as she laughed whole heartedly made his heart constrict.

Beautiful. She looked beautiful when she laughed.

Mesmerized and unable to take his gaze away from Akshara's gorgeous face, her big almond drop eyes, his feet began automatically began gliding towards her.

Akshara sensed Abhimanyu coming close to her and looked up just in time to see him standing an inch close to her, his lips hovering over hers.

Akshara's breath hitched and her eyes widened at the proximity they shared. "Abhi..."