Contract Commitment ▪︎ARSHI▪︎

•Four•

There he stood, strong arms flexing aboard the wooden plaque beneath his elbows. Whispers in the crowd carried to his ears as they spoke of his enigmatic nature so able of pulling in the ladies and gentlemen of the room, but it was not their eyes he wanted on him, the only woman's attention he yearned for was sat alone on a table, a glass of wine in her hand and a small, comforting smile on her lips- he hadn't missed the sticker she wore on her clothed breast in support of his preparation before such speeches. "In a time like this where we stand on a shaky pathway between good and evil, where our morals no matter how strong must be placed to the side, I would like to direct you towards a quote my grandfather told me late one night when I got my first job" clearing his throat, he spoke from memory: "None so good that he has no faults, none so wicked that he is worth nought, though a quote about mythological creatures it is still fitting in the circumstances, so I advise you all to keep this in mind when you meet with a client next, they may be bad, but they will be good also, they may be good, but they will be bad also".

"Here, here" she raised her glass, tapping a nail over the small figure of Winnie The Pooh on the table beside it cheekily. Though the air around them had been filled with awkwardness, she'd put all of that to the side so she could watch his speech without worrying about what the future held. Seeing him up there so full of strength always filled her heart with pride, that was her best friend and she supposed that was what made her so sceptical when it came to taking things forward. If it all went wrong she risked losing her soulmate, new things would grow within their bond that hadn't been there before and that would only make the situation trickier, it was easier like this, they didn't owe each other anything and they weren't plagued with jealousy or the fears brought forth when you were in developed romantic feelings. Her pessimism certainly wasn't because she didn't care for him or find him attractive, the issue was that if she was given a chance she knew she'd fall for him, but when you fell there was no guarantee you'd be caught and Khushi wasn't so sure she was up to taking the leap.

"Did I do okay?" Arnav tapped his foot impatiently, her words of wisdom always reassured him at times like this and ever since their accidental exposure to the more erotic, she'd been distant, to say the least.

Standing on her tiptoes, she brushed her lips against his jaw before sitting back down again "You did great, you always do".

Holding out a hand to her, he peered over the dancing couples "Dance with me?" He'd longed to touch her for ages now, her body against his was a safe haven and after years at a loss where his surroundings resembled a house rather than a home, he needed her now more than ever.

Her hand clenched at first, then relaxed into his warm palm as he led her to the dancefloor. Putting on the act of a loving couple had never been difficult before, but something felt different now, he'd seen her naked and that wasn't a picture of vulnerability she could erase from her mind when he kept looking at her like that. Placing her cheek on his chest, her other hand wrapped around his muscular arm. Swaying with him gently, she sighed loudly "I don't want to lose this, Arnav" it was always easier to be honest when he couldn't see her.

Pulling back, his brows furrowed "What do you mean?"

"What we have" Khushi's doe brown eyes shone with tears as she met his gaze. "You are the only person who makes me feel safe, who makes me feel" releasing a whooshing breath, she gulped back the crack in her throat, "Who makes me feel like I'm enough" grazing his stubble with her fingers, she closed her eyes slowly to calm her rapid heartbeat. "You're my best friend and I'm so scared that if things go wrong then I'll lose that, that I'll lose you".

"Oh, Khushi" he frowned, eyes soft as he cradled her into his arms again. "That's impossible, you hear me?" Arnav cupped her face fondly, "You could never lose me, no matter what you decide I will always be your friend first, if it's too much to ask of you, that's okay, we don't have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable". In that moment he hated himself, clearly, she felt pressured and that was all because of him, he'd rather a no than a yes she didn't mean. "My thinking was why miss out on something we could both share together? We're both attractive people and mature enough to know not to cross the line, but if you're that against it then forget I even said it, I don't want my request to push you away" he sighed heavily, holding her a little tighter as if he could push the broken pieces back together.

Resting her chin on his chest, she blinked through the tears to see him more clearly. "What if after the first time we" distracting herself by fingering one of his buttonholes, her lips pursed sidewards, "We caught feelings or it went wrong somehow?"

"Khushi, the stipulations of the contract can always be changed, just because we do it once doesn't mean we have to do it all the time, we don't even have to start with sex, you tell me, you allowed me the privilege of watching you yesterday" he paused to shake away just how grateful he felt for what she'd allowed him to watch. "How did that make you feel? Was it as enjoyable for you as it was for me?"

Dropping her head so her hair covered her warming cheeks, she bit down on her tongue.

Tipping her chin, his head shook "There's no need to be ashamed, this is me, you can tell me anything" and he wanted it to stay that way forevermore.

Nodding ever so slowly, Khushi grabbed the lapels of his blazer to keep herself stood straight. "I enjoyed it" her voice was minuscule. She had enjoyed it, a lot more than she ever thought possible- to the point of actually being unable to reach a release without him (she'd tried and it hadn't worked). "If not sex first then what?"

"I've watched you, we could try that again, you could watch me, foreplay without the sex, there are a few things, but I don't want to say it here". He'd had a few ideas for a while now, so it wasn't like he hadn't been prepared for other options.

What really worried her was how gentle he was with her, they already had an emotional connection and if he touched her the way he usually did on a day to day basis while they were intimate then she knew she'd fall for him and she couldn't risk heartbreak again, it hurt far too much. Whatever they did had to be purely sexual, raw and without emotion, but she wasn't sure either of them could do that. "How about you give me a list and I'll consider it?"

His smile returned, this time fully-fledged across his very kissable pink lips. Placing her arms over his shoulders, he leant down and kissed her so her body dipped below his, one of her hands yanked the back of his hair while the other dug into his shoulder. Moving his hand down her back, he chuckled throatily when her hand smacked his arm after his hand had squeezed her posterior so her mouth would open allowing him more access. Delving his tongue between her lips, he swallowed her moan before releasing her, a sly smirk curling the corner of his mouth at the plumpness of her lips tinged with red.

"Hm" her eyes were glazed, a dreamy expression on her face, "What was that for?"

He shrugged "Intimacy is what I want more than sex, we kiss in public, never behind closed doors, so I thought why not prepare you for what it could be like" his brows waggled flirtatiously.

"We kiss in public" Khushi began, "But we never kiss like that" still catching her breath, she hid her face in his chest away from the onlookers.

"Kissing like that is number one on the list" with one last squeeze of her behind, he spun her out, twirled her back in then kissed her forehead.

While she enjoyed this side of him, it wasn't one she'd ever witnessed before, he wasn't one to stake his claim or be possessive, but that kiss was certainly a message to the other men in the room that she was his and only his. Yes, it sent a spike of adrenaline up her spine, but it also consumed her with concern that the closer he got the more likely he would see her as his wife than a friend and she knew all too well what jealousy could lead to if it wasn't dealt with responsibly.

Teaser: "I want to undress you".