Pyaar Toh Hona Hi Tha

Chapter 21

"If I belong to you Arjun, then surely you belong to me!" she said with a determined smile. Glancing towards the bathroom door as she heard the shower switch off she added quietly "Let the games begin."  A few minutes later Arjun walked out with just a pair of jeans on, and a towel in his hand as he dried his hair.  He glanced at the bed and stopped, quickly trying to hide his surprise at still finding her there.  Narrowing his eyes, he threw the towel on to a nearby chair.  "Did you need something?" he asked.  "Nope." Arohi replied, giving him an innocent smile.  Walking towards the closet he pulled out a sweater and turned back towards her.  "You've taken our earlier conversation quite well."  "A little too well...what's up with that?" he asked, raising a brow.  Arohi sat up and shrugged.  "Nothing is up with that."  "I've just realized that maybe I've been wrong all along."  "Here I was thinking that love is the most important thing in a marriage when clearly it's not how much we love each other, but how much we can tolerate each other." she replied sweetly.  Arjun frowned.  "We both know I can tolerate you, it's your self righteous, egotistical, chauvinistic demands that I can't tolerate." she added, with another sweet smile.  "Arohi..." Arjun warned.  "No, no my dear husband I don't want to offend you in any way, I don't want you to have to throw me over your shoulder and carry me off to my bedroom to show me who's boss."  "No need for you to show your Neanderthal ways, I can see them quite clearly." she added innocently.  "I just want you to remember Arjun that if you're my husband, then I'm your wife!" Arjun stared at her with an incredulous look on his face.  "You usually can't have one without the other." he replied sarcastically.  "I'm not done yet." she replied, throwing his words from earlier in his face.  "If you think you're going to have your way, then so will I."  "You want me to live with you then we have to have more then just a physical relationship."  "Infact I don't want us to even think about making love until I'm ready to come to terms with the fact that you are scared... sorry, don't love me." she said.  Arjun started to argue but stopped as Arohi held up her hand.  "I am staying in this marriage, do you know how hard that will be for me when you know how much I love you."  "I think the very least you can do is give me some time and room to figure things out and come to terms with things."   "Like you said you could probably easily seduce me, but that would just make things so much harder for me."  "If you want me to stay you have to give me this." she said with a little sniffle.  Arjun let out a frustrated sigh.  Damn how he hated her tears, but staying away from her was almost impossible.  "Fine!" he finally agreed.  Arohi gave him a big smile and flipping her hair to one side she stood up.  "I'm glad you finally see where I'm coming from." she began.  "I'm sure I'll be ready to progress to the next level in out relationship in about 6 months time." she added as she walked out of the room leaving a speechless Arjun behind.   

"What the hell was that?!" he wondered out loud.  What kind of reaction was this?  This was NOT supposed to be her reaction.  She was supposed to be outraged and upset and he was going to use the one method he knew would work to diffuse the siltation.  He was going to make love to her, over and over again until she couldn't even think about leaving.  But here Arohi had completely flipped on him.  And then look at the nerve, basically throwing his earlier words in his face.  Has she forgotten who he was and what lengths he could go to to get what he wanted.   Leave it to Arohi to do the exact opposite of what she should be doing!  Not touch her or make love to her!  How was he going to sleep in the same bed as her for that long and not reach for her.  No there had to be a better way.  There just had to be! Raking a frustrated hand through his hair he walked out of the room and down the stairs.  He could hear humming coming from the den.  Listen to her, so damn chipper, thinking she was going to get the best of him.  Stalking to the den he looked in and found Arohi swaying to some music she was listening to on her headphones.  Her back to him, her hips moving to the rhythm.  Arjun's eyes settled on those hips and almost refused to move from there.  She had sounded so damn immune to him.  "I'll be ready in 6 months" flashed through his mind but the more he looked at her the slower the blood flowed to his brain, to the point that he reacted before he thought.  Arohi jumped as she felt Arjun's hands settle on her hips and pull her back and against him tightly.  His mouth close to her ear.  Squeezing her eyes shut she controlled her reaction and then slowly turned around.  Arjun stared down at Arohi's eyes filled with amusement.  Wrapping her arms behind his neck she tilted her head to the side and gave him a sweet smile, momentarily leaving Arjun speechless.  "Did you need something Arjun?" she asked.  Arjun stared at her for a moment and then clearing his throat replied "Yes" as he pressed a kiss against her lips.  A kiss she not only responded to, but melted into.  Arjun groaned as she pulled away and kissed his neck and then pulling him closer  bit down on his earlobe.  And in the next second she pushed him a way with a smirk on her lips.  As he moved to pull her back, she shook her head and moved out of his reach.  "You said you would wait until I'm ready." she replied.  Arjun stared at her, she looked completely unaffected and here  he was on fire.  Moving around to the head of the desk, she sat down and picked up a book, opening it up she  gave  him that a questioning look.  "Did you need anything else?" she asked.  Arjun did his best to keep his face emotionless.  He didn't miss the fact that she had just dismissed him.  He would look desperate if he pushed her to continue where they left off.    Holding back a frustrated groan he turned around and stalked out of the den saying "I'm going for a run!"  Arohi smiled.  "Didn't you just come from one?" she called.  In answer she got a grunt.

He's home!" Arohi thought as she quickly raced into their bathroom and lowered herself into the tub full of bubbles.  Her heart beating a mile a minute.  Her plan was to drive him crazy with desire and make him admit how much he did care for her.  She knew it, she just needed him to realize it.  But the problem was that when Lara had lectured her on Seduction 101 she hadn't paid close enough attention.  Being too embarrassed to even think about doing some of the things Lara mentioned.  And look at her now...not paying attention in class meant she needed to improvise.  Of well she hoped she didn't make a total fool out of herself.

Arjun walked into his bedroom and pealed off his sweatshirt.  This was getting ridiculous!  At this rate he'd be going for a run every 2 hours.  But he didn't care, because he knew that if he was in too close proximity with Arohi he wouldn't be able to stop himself from making love to her.   She was easily going to drive him crazy.  He was going to kick Jai's a*s for leaving him stranded and putting him into this predicament. Grabbing a towel, he walked to the bathroom and opened the door, coming to a dead stop. Only the glow of numerous candles lit the room and in the center of this glow sat the huge claw foot bathtub that Lara insisted on buying.  And in that tub surrounded by bubbles and rose petals, sat his gorgeous wife.  Her hair pinned up and away from her face.  Her cheeks flushed and rosy from the hot water.  Arjun stood rooted to the floor as the full impact of what he was seeing hit him.  Arohi was naked in a tub full of bubbles.  Looking up at him she gave him a sexy smile.  "How was your run?" she asked nonchalantly as she picked up her glass of wine and took a sip.  Praying that he didn't notice how her hand trembled from her nervousness.  Arjun couldn't seem to find his voice.  Speak!  Speak! he repeated to himself as he cleared his throat.  "Good." he replied hoarsely.  Another vixen smile and then Arohi said "I got bored so I thought I'd have a little soak and relax."  Arjun watched as she shifted in the water and the bubbles moved over her body and settled again.  His response was instant and he couldn't do a damn thing about it!  "Arjun," he could hear, as his eyes refused to move from her body.  "I'm up here." she called forcing him to look at her beautiful face.  "I've been thinking, this idea of waiting until I'm ready is a great one."  "I think we should connect on an emotional level first."  "I know you won't...sorry can't...love me but if we're going to live together we need to build more of an emotional relationship."  "We need to become friends." she finally said almost giddy as she watched the desire in Arjun's eyes.  "Friends." she heard him repeat hoarsely.  "Yes friends."  "It's no secret that we're attracted to each other." she said shifting a little.  Arjun sharp intake of breath filled the room.  "You okay?' she asked innocently.  Arjun nodded mutely.  "But now I think we need to work on other aspects of our relationship."  "I want to know you Arjun." she said, as she picked up a sponge and washed her arms delicately.  Arjun gulped.  "I want to know what makes you tick."  "We could talk for hours and hours." he heard her say.  Hours and hours he could make love to her. he thought to himself.  Why was he being punished like this?  He watched the sponge trace along her neck and then dip lower.  "Arohi!" he said thickly, and in a few steps he was beside the tub.  His hands on her arms as he lifted her out and against him for a hungry kiss.  Arohi gasped and for a minute let him kiss her, his hands behind her neck holding her in place and then with all the willpower she could muster she forcibly pulled away.  Grabbing a towel she quickly wrapped it around herself.  "Arjun, you promised." she chided, as he stalked after her and she quickly moved back.   He reached for her as she danced away from him.  "You said you would give me this time."  "It's important that we have this..." but she was cut off as he grabbed her to him and kissed her again.  His lips moving to her neck.  She smelled like roses.  As he nuzzled her neck and pulled at her towel he heard. "Fine, we can do things your way."  "What does it matter if I'm hurt."  Arjun fought to get control of himself as he finally pulled away and took a few steps back from her.  Turning away he walked briskly into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.  Arohi winced as she heard the long bang and a part of her felt guilty for driving him crazy.  Arjun was used to getting what he wanted, but that's not how a marriage worked!  He cared about her, well then he needed to learn to tell her that.  She wanted this marriage, she wanted his love and she wanted to make love with him.  She wanted it all but not until he admitted that he had feelings for her.