Poles Apart

Chapter Nine

What the actual fuck just happened?

I look up at Arjun's intense eyes. "What the hell was that?" I demand breathlessly.

Arjun's eyes blaze with an emotion I haven't seen before. I look away when the intensity becomes too much for me to handle. Arjun hooks a finger under my chin, coaxing me to look up at him.

I look into his darker than night eyes, trying not to look away, but it proves to be difficult when his unwavering gaze remains fixed upon me.

"A kiss, the real kind. Just as real as a kiss on the cheek." His hot breath fans my cheek as he speaks, adding to the heat of my already heated cheeks.

I look down, noting the distance between our bodies. What is it about Arjun that made me kiss him back? What is it about him that makes me so exposed to him? I have been observing Arjun for a month now, and I have never felt more perceptible to anyone else.

"You can't barge into my room and kiss me like that!"

"I can't?" he asks, looking deadly serious as he cocks a single brow up. "And why can't I?"

I scowl, jabbing my finger into his chest. "Because I said so," I push him away from me, cornering him towards the opposite wall of the narrow passage. "Because you barged into my room and kissed my lips!"

He straightens, looming over me, causing me to take a step back. "Don't tell me I can't do something," he says, "It only makes me want to prove you wrong."

Arjun is the kind of guy that will never pass up a challenge, especially when told he can't do it. I understand as much from his words. He must have an enormous ego, one of the typical males.

I don't back away. "You can't kiss me like that," I insist, standing tall. "You can't flirt with me, tell me you're interested in me, kiss me and give me all sorts of signals! Especially when..." I trail off, not knowing how to put into proper words. "I'll have a lifetime of insomnia if you keep doing this to me!"

I feel like I shouldn't have said that right after I say it. Who tells a man they've been losing sleep over, that they've been losing sleep over them?

He purses his lips and leans back onto the opposite wall. "I thought you were smarter," he comments, folding his well-built arms over his hard chest.

Irritation washes over me. I was rambling about my feelings, and this is what Arjun has to say! I thought you were smarter. I'm not fucking smart enough to read people's thoughts! "And I thought you'd be a better kisser. We both disappointed each other, huh?"

Arjun's lips turn up in a smirk. "So you think about kissing me?"

I fell right into his trap, didn't I? Find a teacher who can teach me to remain calm and composed at all times, please! I'll need one if I ever want to beat Arjun in an argument. He always riles me up without any effort.

I scowl, folding my arms over my chest. "Do you think about me?" I ask back, trying to turn it on him.

His smirk widens. "I do," he whispers, leaning forward and cupping my face. Before I can register what's happening, he presses his lips against mine for the slightest moment and leaves before I can comprehend what he meant, or did.

I run the conversation in my mind as I distractedly throw my clothes into the suitcases. I have more than one, considering the numbers of days we stayed and the number of dresses I've had to carry.

Does Arjun never speak in full, complete, comprehendible sentences, or do I never understand what he's trying to say?

I jerk out of my thoughts when I hear the bell ring. I calm my heart that's thudding erratically against my chest before peeping through the peephole of the door. Experiences teach you things. I see Avni standing outside and open the door.