Dare Trilogy | Book 3 Editing | ✓

3.15 | Where It Began

Edited on August 9th, 2020

| . . . C H A P T E R . . . 3.15 - W H E R E - I T - B E G A N . . . |

The worst time to be on your periods is when you have to travel. To be specific, being stuck on a plane for half a day. Trying to keep my crankiness in check, I walk back from the lavatory to my seat. I had taken the window seat, ofcourse. When I had to use the restroom, my stomach bloated, I had quietly moved past Arnav so as to not wake him up. The extra leg space in business class helped with that.

Returning, however, was not as simple. I was sliding past him, being mindful of his feet, when the idiot decided to shift. His leg stuck out, tripping me. My arm hit the seat in front of us and I fell back on him.

A grunt escaped his lips, recoiling from the sudden, unexpected assault to his chest. Waking up and opening his eyes, he looks at me. After taking a second to catch up and pushing sleep aside, he chuckled. "Another clumsy moment?"

I grumbled, making a face, "It's all your fault. Who told you to move?"

"Now I can't even make my own decision on how to sleep?" He arched a brow, snaking an arm around me.

That was when it struck me. I was still sitting on his lap. Shifting my hand to his shoulder, I pushed back to get up and move over to my seat. Then, I strapped myself in even though the seatbelt sign was off. Just in case, you know?

"Why do we have to be going to Australia now?" I grumbled again.

He sat up properly in his seat. "Because you promised Annie and Jennifer you'd visit this year over Christmas and Christmas is four days away."

I made a face again. I knew that. I didn't require him to remind me. It was a rhetorical question from my end.

"Are you grumpy because I tripped you or for some other reason?"

I turned my head sideways to look at him, spotting the concern in his voice as if worrying I was in this mood because of him and his unintentional actions. I was doing so well in keeping my bitchiness in check. Note the sarcasm. Exhaling a sigh, I answered. "It's not you. I'm just... in a mood. It'll pass. You know I feel restless sitting in one place for too long."

I was over-explaining, but I could hardly tell him I was on my periods and my stomach was terribly cramping and I just wanted my bed. And Armaan's back rub. He gave the best massages.

He lifted the arm rest between our seats. I whispered, "What are you...?" My eyes followed his movements as he shifted closer, extending his arm towards my head.

He said, "Come here," nudging my head towards him. I was slightly hesitant putting my head on his shoulder. Not because we weren't in the privacy of his home. Or because I worried about being too close to him, our sides touching. I was hesitant because it felt awkward.

His thumb brushed back and forth over my shoulder. He didn't say anything. I thought better than to ask him what he was up to.

Most people feel compelled to fill the silent space with talk. But as we have already established, neither of us were those kinds of people. Silence was peaceful for us. As if giving us the opportunity to self-reflect. Communicate without using words and rather, emotions.

His other hand reached for mine, entwining our fingers. As he's often done during the night when trying to fall asleep, he started playing with them, Outlining them. Engraving the feel of my skin in his memory.

I didn't realize when my shoulder unknotted from all of the tension. It happened sometime when I was staring at our hands.

"Khushi?"