Fated by Love

Chapter 7

Due to Aku's burnt hand, Aranya found herself in the uncomfortable position of having to fetch Vihaan's clothes.

As she made her way to his room, she muttered to herself, "Ugh, why do I always get stuck in these situations? But what can I do? I promised Aunty I'd help, so now I have to help this brute..." She rolled her eyes in frustration.

When Aranya reached Vihaan's door, she knocked, but there was no answer.

"Seriously? Why isn't he opening the door?" She gave the door a slight push and was surprised when it creaked open. "Oh, well, would you look at that? It's already open. At least I won't have to argue with him about letting me in," she thought, pleased with herself as she stepped inside.

The room was empty, and she looked around, puzzled. "Where is he?" she wondered aloud men, the sound of water running from the bathroom caught
her attention. "Oh, he's in the shower. Great! I'll just grab his clothes and leave before he even knows I was here. No need to see his monkey face today."

But, as fate would have it, things never go as planned.

Aranya was rummaging through Vihaan's cupboard, pulling out the black kurta-pajama as instructed, when the bathroom door opened.

Vihaan emerged, water dripping from his hair and body, a towel wrapped loosely around his waist. He froze, surprised to find Aranya in his room.

"You?" he asked, confused.

Aranya quickly turned to face him and froze too, her eyes widening at the sight of him. His wet hair clung to his forehead, droplets of water slowly making their way down his chest. For a moment, she was caught off guard, losing herself in the sight of him. But just as quickly, she snapped out of it and turned her back to him, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"What's wrong with you? Don't you have any shame, standing like that in front of a girl?" she stammered, trying to keep her voice steady.

Vihaan, smirking, crossed his arms, "Oh please, which world do you live in? You're acting like you've never seen a guy half-naked before."

Aranya huffed, "Well, actually, I haven't."

Vihaan burst into laughter, a deep, teasing sound that echoed through the room. "Seriously? Hahahaha! You're killing me here," he laughed loudly.

Aranya, growing more flustered by the second, snapped, "Stop laughing! And put some clothes on, already!"

Vihaan, with an amused glint in his eye, said, "And what if I don't?"

She turned her head slightly, still looking away, "Then I'll force you to get dressed myself!"

Vihaan raised an eyebrow, challenging her. "Oh yeah? Well, I'm not putting anything on. If you're so brave, why don't you try and make me?"

Aranya gritted her teeth, "Don't challenge me."

But Vihaan, full of mischief, leaned in slightly, "Oh, but I already have, sweetheart. It's an open challenge now."

Aranya's eyes flashed with determination. "Fine! You'll regret this."

She grabbed the black kurta from the cupboard and marched toward him. But as she took a step, her foot slipped on a puddle of water on the floor. Before she knew what was happening, she fell forward, straight onto Vihaan, knocking them both onto the bed.

Vihaan hit the bed first, with Aranya landing right on top of him. For a moment, neither of them moved. Their faces were inches apart, and they could hear the faint, synchronized sound of their heartbeats. The world outside seemed to disappear as they stared into each other's eyes, the tension between them thick and electric. Time seemed to freeze.