Playing With Fire

Chapter 3: Next door to him

"Hey. You must be here to see the apartment, right?"

His voice, smooth yet gravelly at the same time, left her at a loss for words. How could a voice be smooth and rough at the same time? Smooth because he knew how to use it, because it did all sorts of things to her insides she'd never experienced before, and rough with a deep masculine baritone.

"Um, yeah. She's here to look at the apartment. I'm here for support." Preity's grip on her arm tightened. She didn't have to look at her friend to know she thought the same thing as Kajol . He looked perplexed for a minute. His eyes narrowed before a smile curved his lips.

"You need support looking at an apartment?"

She knew she should answer, but couldn't make the words come out. His incredible looks held her in some kind of trance that probably made him wonder if she was a complete idiot. He smiled at her again. Shahrukh knew the effect he had on her. A mischievous glint danced in his dark eyes.

"Let me go get the keys. I'll be right back." The view was just as good from the back as from the front.

"Wow," Preity whispered next to her. "That man is freakin gorgeous." She used her free hand to fan herself. "Did you see the way he looked at you? I think you've found your fling."

"Pri! I can't have a fling with him." Her voice came out a little louder than she'd planned. Kajol lowered her tone. "I don't know anything about him. Plus, I just got out of a relationship.

"Well, you should be rushing right into bed with that man. He's hot and he wants you. Trust me. I know these things."

Before she could reply he came back out. "I'm Shahru." He held out his hand to her, introducing himself even though she already knew his name.

Preity let go of her arm so she could shake his hand. Well, if she could stop her own from quivering she could. This man was so good-looking it should be illegal. Scratch that, her response should be illegal. No strange man should have this much control over a woman's hormones. Flexing her fingers a couple times to loosen them, she held out her hand, hoping her voice would work. "Kajol. Nice to meet you."

Shahru stepped out the door and closed it behind him. "The building's pretty old, but I do my best to keep it in good shape."

He started to walk down the hall, but they didn't get far before they stopped again. Great, just what she needed. The apartment right next door to a walking, talking hot god. Obviously Preity thought the news couldn't be better, since she reached out and squeezed Kajol 's hand. "Stop it." Kajol tried whispering out of the corner of her mouth so he wouldn't hear her.

"Stop what?" he asked. Heat crawled up her neck and landed on her cheeks. "Nothing."

Shahru snickered again as if he knew what he did to her. He probably did. With his looks he most likely had that effect on all women he came across. Pushing the key into the lock, he opened the door. Automatically he stepped aside so Kajol could walk in.

"It's nothing special but—"

The rest of his words were a mumble in the background of her head. Oh she didn't agree with him in the slightest. Her new apartment, and she knew it would be, was more than special. The place couldn't be more perfect. She walked right into the small living room. The white paint looked fresh, probably something Shahru had done when the previous renters had moved out. Chocolate brown crown molding wrapped around the room at chair-rail height. On the far right of the living room was a red-brick fireplace (It would often get cold in their little town) with a small shelf resting on top of the brick. To the left she noticed a small hallway with three doors, which she assumed to be the bedroom, a bathroom and maybe a closet.

Without speaking, Kajol went room by room, exploring her new home. The closet was a decent size, both her bathroom and bedroom were small, quaint. After living her life in a large, wide-open home where sometimes you could hear an echo in the room, the small, close quarters of the apartment welcomed her like a hug from someone one loved.

Faintly she heard Shahru in the background telling her prices, rent due, yada yada, but for the first time since she met him, neither her eyes nor ears paid him any attention. The man was still -dead gorgeous, but right now she didn't want to think about anything but her new apartment—how she'd decorate, how for the first time she'd have something that was actually hers where no one had any say in how or what she did with it. Well, except for the landlord, that was.

"So what do you think, Kaj? You like?"

Kajol turned to see Preity and Shahru walking toward her. She pivoted and faced the window looking out on main street. The scenery was even more beautiful from the second story. The trees were right outside her window, the colors of fall all she could see. None of the crap that had gone wrong in her life lately mattered right now. Preity was right. Amir was a jerk, so why should she care about him? If he didn't care enough to honor the promise they'd made to each other, her life would be better off without him. If her parents couldn't understand, well, that would be harder, but she'd find a way to deal with it. This was her new beginning, and the rest, her past. A tear pooled in one eye when she turned to face them.

"I love it."