His Promise

CHAPTER 6

TONY POV

"Who the hell are you?"she asked,
I cleared my throat. “Hi,” I started, trying to keep things casual. “You must be Mohana?”

Her eyes widened for a second, clearly surprised. “How do you know my name?”

Damn, maybe I should’ve played that differently. But it was too late to backtrack now. So, I went for it. “Uh, your friend—Sia—must’ve mentioned you. You know, about... um... Kashmir. The... uh... Hostage situation..kiss?” I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to look shy and not like I was having a minor heart attack.

Mohana’s expression went from shocked to straight-up disgusted in half a second. She let out a very loud, sarcastic “Ahem,” and threw me the kind of glare that could make grown men cry.

“Oh, that kiss,” she said, her voice dripping with venom. “Yeah, Sia might’ve mentioned it. Once or twice.”

Her words were polite, but the look in her eyes? Oh man, she hated me already. There was no hiding the fact that I was about to be public enemy number one in Mohana’s book. Great. Just what I needed—Sia’s best friend, ready to wage war.

I tried to recover. “It was, uh, a misunderstanding?” I offered weakly, but Mohana wasn’t having it.

“Yeah, sure,” she muttered, giving me a once-over, her eyes full of judgment. “Well, nice to meet you, Mr. Kashmir Kiss.”

And just like that, I knew Mohana and I were officially enemies. If looks could kill, I’d be a goner.

Mohana was still glaring at me, arms crossed like she was gearing up for a fight. I could almost feel the air between us crackling with tension, and it wasn’t the fun kind. Nah, this was pure I'm-gonna-kill-you-if-you-say-one-more-stupid-thing energy. Perfect.

I was about to try and smooth things over—maybe a joke or something—when I cleared my throat and decided to go on the offense. “So, uh, where’s Sia?” I asked, throwing in my best I’m-totally-innocent look.

Mohana raised an eyebrow, looking me up and down like I’d just crawled out of a sewer. “She’s sleeping.”

Of course, she is, I thought. But instead of admitting defeat, I grinned, leaning casually against the doorframe. “Well, that’s good. She needs her rest. Don't wake my sweetheart ”

Mohana’s face twisted in disgust. “Sweetheart?” she repeated, sounding like she was about to gag.

I waved it off, playing it cool.

She rolled her eyes, clearly done with me, but before I could say anything else, she snorted. “You really think you’re that important?”

I held back a laugh, keeping my voice light. “I mean, kinda. After all, she did kiss me in Kashmir.”

Mohana narrowed her eyes, stepping closer. “Listen, Mr. Kashmir Kiss, if you think you’re waltzing in here like some knight in shining armor, you’ve got another thing coming. Sia’s my best friend. And trust me, I know your type.”

I smirked, unable to resist a little teasing. “Oh, really? What’s my type, then?”

“Cocky, thinks he can win anyone over with some half-baked charm. But guess what?” She leaned in, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “You’re not gonna win.”

I crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Wanna bet?”

                      Sia POV

I slowly blinked awake, the soft light filtering through the curtains making the room feel warm and inviting. Stretching out, I felt a slight ache in my muscles, remnants of the long week I’d had. But today felt different; there was an electric energy in the air that I couldn’t quite place.