Arranged Enough?

Chapter-5 Chocolate

Neha's pov

On my way home, the whole time I'm just thinking about how could I have ever even imagined something could ever happen with Sarthak. The enemies to  lovers trope only happens in books and motion pictures. But aaaagh it is basic human decency to inform someone who has dropped you to the office if you're leaving the premises with someone else. 

I reach home sulking. I get off my car and take a quick glance at his room's window. He's there. He sees me and gives a sympathetic smile. The audacity. I don't take the pains to plaster a fake smile on my face so I just get back inside my car to park it in. 

It's 10 pm. I'm sitting on my bed, rummaging through the pages of my old poetry diaries. Wow, the fictional love stories I had expressed in the form of a poetry were literally something to die for. No... they were something to live for... if they existed. 

Just then my phone chimes. 

Sarthak- Hi... 

I just put my phone on do not disturb and go to sleep. 

The next morning, I get ready to leave for office and see a brand new car parked in front of Sarthak's house. 

"Papa, did our neighbours get a new car?" I randomly ask my father.

"No beta, not that I know of." He replies. 

Just then I get a more clearer answer to my question. Pihu, somehow, steps out of Sarthak's house along with Sarthak of course. Great. I wasn't being able to get enough of this women so no she's standing out of my house. Wow. Just wow. 

I just pretend not to see them and start to get in my car. Just then I hear Sarthak calling me.

"Hey! Neha! Good morning!" He says, rather happily. He has never greeted me 'this' happily when it was just the two of us. I shake off the thought.

"Hii... how are you feeling now?" I ask while getting out of the gate of my house to talk to him.

"Yeah... good. I'm sorry for yesterday, forgot to inform you." He says while scratching his neck.

"It's alright. Hi Pihu!" I say in a sugarcoated voice. Pihu clearly doesn't want to talk to me by the looks of her face which makes me talk to her even more. I'm evil, aren't I? 

"Hi... I got a new car." She says in a voice that clearly conveyed that she was trying to show off. I had also gotten my car with my own hard earned money so it was really not the correct way to make me jealous. 

"Great! Congratulations!" I say and she smiles and the awkward conversations ends there, at least with her. 

"So, you're going to the office with Pihu?" I ask the obvious.

"Yeah, uh, she offered to drive me today. Was pretty excited actually." He says, rather in a low voice because you know, she was standing right there.

"Yeah, you seem pretty happy about that." I say sarcastically.

"And you seem pretty upset about that, don't lie, you're a really bad liar." He says. How dare he. Alright, it was the time to bring my old tone back.

"Don't act like you know everything about me." I say.

"Seriously? You're back with the bitchy tone?" He says, raising an eyebrow.

"Try to reflect on your actions. You are the one who didn't even think of informing me once before leaving with her." I state the obvious.

"And I apologised for it as well." He sighs.

"Well thank you for the favour." I say and raise my hands in defeat. "Look, I have no time to bicker with you. I'm getting late, I don't know about you and your 'friend' is impatiently waiting for you." I said referring to the amazing Pihu who was tapping her leg in irritation. 

I don't wait for a reply, I just sit in my car and drive away. 

When I settle at my desk, I try not to think about what happened. Just then I get an email. I get really happy seeing the email. The email is from our headquarters and it basically says that I have been selected as one of the team members who are going to go to London to work on the finalisation and launch of a new product. I'm all giddy and excited when Sheetal comes running to me.

"OMG by the looks of you it seems like you have been selected too!" She says excitedly. 

"OMG! You also got selected!" I say happily and we hug each other. 

"By the way do you know who are the other two?" I ask. So basically, we had been told earlier that four people will be chosen to represent our branch. I am really hoping that one of the other two isn't Sarthak. 

"There's a reason why I'm soooooooo happy! Aniket is also coming with us OMGEEZZZ YAYYY!" She says and hugs me again. Aniket is her boyfriend. Both of them can never get enough of each other. Like literally. They are always snuggled up to each other like someone stuck them with feviqwick. 

"Wow, I'm so happy for you. Who's the fourth one though?" I ask again.

"Oh well... about that... the fourth one is Sarthak." She says. As if I didn't know. I hoped it wouldn't be him but I knew it would be him. So it doesn't really shock me. I just nod. 

"And apparently Pihu is really upset because 'you' got selected and she didn't." Sheetal adds.

"Seriously, why is she so obsessed with me. Doesn't matter. Let's go have some ice creammmm!" I say. I just lovee ice cream. I can eat ice cream even when I am in Siberia, without any sweater, freezing. 

Just then I feel a tap on my shoulder. It's Sarthak. 

"Hi... Congratulations!" He says with a soft smile.

"Congratulations to you too. But it's unfortunate that you'll have to cope up with me for a month or two, isn't it?" I say. I suddenly notice a small drop of chocolate on the corner of his lips. He must have eaten a choco lava cake or something to celebrate this occasion.

"You know, it was better when you had shut your sarcasm down for a day or two. But you don't change your habits easily, do you?" He says with a hint of hurt in his voice. 

"But you get along with newbies 'easily', don't you?" I say and take a step closer to him.

"I didn't know you get jealous so 'easily' but you do, don't you?" He says and he takes a step closer. 

"I don't know. But you definitely melt easily and also manage to get melted chocolate on the corner of your lips." I say taking another step towards him and gently wipe the chocolate off his face with my thumb. 

I turn to walk away but he softly holds my wrist. I turn to face him again.

"There were other ways to do it you know." He says with a smirk on his face. I just narrow my eyes at him with a weird look on my face.

"Don't let your mind wander elsewhere. I just mean you could have simply told me that there was chocolate on my lips." He says and lets go of my wrist. 

"Yeah..." I say softly. 

Author's note- The chapter was getting a 'lil boring so had to add a Neha Sarthak moment (wink)