The Rivals (Rewriting)

Shot-7

Sanvi's POV~

I got rid of my tee shirt and jeans which were by then twice their weight and glued to my skin. The next few minutes were spent on deciding whether I should leave the wet undergarments on under the dry clothes Rishabh gave me. The overly sensitive side of my mind compelled me to give into the proposition of an uncalled for fever that might await me if I drove in the wet bra and panty while the rational, alert side wanted to keep the remaining dignity I still had intact by not getting entirely naked in a strange house.

I was torn.

But as all the few people knew me, I would definitely give into the overly sensitive side of my brain in the end of that banter. I discarded my undergarments and awkwardly tucked them inside the pockets of the dry trouser.

The main issue that remained was to maintain a safe one-hand distance from Rishabh, so as to not give away the idea of my partial nudity under the thin drape of his clothes. Which lunatic would like to brag around that they have worn practically nothing under their clothes? I was basically nude, but not in the practical sense of the term. It made me feel exposed and I didn't like that, especially not in front of Rishabh, not tonight.

It felt bizzare, the way I smiled looking at my reflection once I was done changing. Rishabh's shirt and trousers were baggy for me and I looked like an over-stuffed fluffy animal. His clothes exuded a musky scent that I had absolutely despised my entire life but couldn't help smell a little more then. It was weirdly addictive. A similar tingling sensation gripped my toes as I incessantly inhaled the scent which I had smelled on him a few minutes before. My eyes felt heavy and the scent seemed to lull me into drowsiness. I felt tired. I missed my bed. And I smelled like Rishabh. And quite unfortunately, I liked smelling like Rishabh. I hated myself for this in the consecutive days.

The next moment, I sprang my eyes wide open and slapped my cheeks. I should be castrated to think that way. I was definitely going insane.

Unbolting the door, I dashed out of the bathroom. My eyes scanned the whole room, frantically searching for him. He was standing in the balcony, looking down on something. His still-shirtless body glistened under the moon light and I felt myself sigh.

'Not again...'

I found my heart thumping against my chest as I walked up to him. Stupid hormones. He was leaning by his shoulder on the wall with his fists inside his pockets, looking at nothing in particular.

"Did you drive out this far in your scooty?" I heard him ask even before I could make my presence known. His head gestured towards my vehicle parked outside the gate of the mansion.

"Pretty much." I nodded in a daze, standing beside him, looking out at the beautiful moonlit landscape that surrounded the Rathore mansion. It truly was breathtaking and I couldn't help but ponder over my previously rejected notion of whether money could actually buy the peace that I felt standing there as the gentle breeze of the night washed away my fatigue.

Rishabh Rathore lived a considerably wealthy life with their family business reigning over half the technological market of the state. Heck their money even bought them the most lavish mansion in the most peaceful, secluded and pollution-free area of the city. But I liked the peace I had in my own company in that dingy apartment of mine. I liked the peace I felt when my mother fed me food made by her own hands when we were alone in our Dixit Villa. I felt the peace when I drowned myself in a book about magical creatures. I might have been dazed but the peace I had felt standing there felt quite similar to the peace I felt in those situations.

"Why is it parked outside the gate? You do know that anyone could have just stolen your scooty while you sprinted around in the mansion?" Rishabh turned towards me with a risen brow. I shrugged my shoulders.