Contract Commitment ▪︎ARSHI▪︎

•Five•

Khushi sat atop the bed, long curly waves cascading over her bra clad chest that matched the lacy thong clinging onto the stockings in the middle of her slender thighs. She'd been in the middle of undressing for a shower when he'd slipped the note of options beneath the door and now she couldn't find it within herself to look away from the numerous suggestions he'd listed to add intimacy to their relationship. Ignoring the way the paper scratched against her bare stomach, she clicked her high heels together in thought, much like Dorothy in the Wizard Of Oz she too believed there was no place like home, it just seemed so unfortunate that home happened to be two strong arms rather than the place she sat right now.

Perhaps it would've been better to wait when she was more dressed, but this conversation needed to be had sooner rather than later. Opening the door, she tucked her chin over the wood "Arnav?"

"You've read it?" A sense of urgency shook his body, pushing him to pull her toward him, but he wouldn't, not until he heard her agree.

"I've read it" she didn't move from behind the door, whereas before she had no qualms about walking in front of him like this, before had passed long ago, all they had was now and now was ever so different.

Nodding along with her, Arnav coughed to clear his throat "And what do you think?" He was nervous, very nervous to be honest that she'd shoot him down before he'd even had a chance to try and explain his reasoning.

"I don't think it's-".

"Wait" he walked in, uncaring for the way she almost slammed the door into him while trying to hide her body. "Before you say no let me just say this one last thing" exhaling, he looked up, "We are close already, don't say no just because you think it's purely sexual for me, it isn't, what I want is to be intimate, I can fuck anyone, but what I want only you can give to me".

She sighed "That's exactly why I want to refuse" falling onto the couch, her shoulders drooped. "We can't-" catching his heated stare, her legs crossed, running a hand over the goosebumps on her left arm shyly, a blush formed on her cheeks "What are you looking at?"

"You" his eyes hardened. Gulping harshly, he ran his eyes over the opaque tights climbing up to a few inches above her knees, the silver clip extended to her underwear which left little to the imagination when it came to the floral lace that matched the front of her bra. "God, you're beautiful" he stepped forward.

"Arnav" her hands rose to stop him, a frown marring her lips at the confusion etching lines on his forehead. "The intimacy that you want when we are already so close leads to new emotions, romantic emotions" she clarified. "That's how people get hurt, we can't be sure one of us won't fall in love, where does that lead the other?"

At that, he stepped back, hurt so clear across his downtrodden expression "Am I not worth the risk? I'm not him, Khushi, I will never break your heart if I can help it" and he meant it with every fibre of his being.

"But you might not be able to help it" her voice was gruff, tired from the unexpected that had manifested between them. "We can't undo feelings once they've arisen" she hated to cause him pain, but he had to understand. "This could ruin us".

"Khushi" he growled, cupping her face. "If I want to be ruined that's up to me and there is nothing I want more than for you to ruin me" he pulled her closer. "No more excuses, if I haven't already made it clear enough then allow me to do so now and if you want what I want then all you have to do is let me know" he nodded as he spoke.

Closing her eyes, she brushed her tongue over her bottom lip "What do you want?"

"Right now" he husked, "I want to undress you" this didn't have to be sexual, for him it wasn't, sure he wanted her in that way, but intimacy, closeness, passion was so much more than that, what he yearned for was something meaningful and she was the only person in his world that meant something to him.