~Author's POV~
"Argh, you're hurting me!" Rishabh whispered angrily, pulling her face close to his and tightening his grip over her mouth.
She pulled his hair harder at this and struggled to voice some nasty insults through her muffled groans.
"Okay okay... We're both hurting each other and this is going nowhere. I'll leave you if you promise not to shout, okay?" He gargled out in a jiffy and waited for her agreement. Her eyes immediately lost its feisty look and she began contemplating her present situation.
She was too tired to be fighting like kindergarten kids with him in this state. Being stranded in a bathroom of an unknown mansion for so long in the dead of the night, away from the comfort of her room and without the knowledge of her mother was enough to send her into a frenzy of hypertension.
She felt this weird urge to cry when the upcoming consequences of the night began dawning upon her one by one.
Her mother must've figured her out her absence from the bed by then. She might have been going crazy wondering whether her disciplined daughter was abducted from the bed! She might have already called the police and caused a ruckus.
And what about the man? He might have been thrashing her mother for Sanvi's mistake!
Oh no.
She grabbed the bathtub handle as she felt herself going breathless and losing balance.
Rishabh noticed the sudden shift in her demeanor and his eyes widened with surprise. He slowly loosened his grip on her when with his quick wit, he figured she might be having a panic attack.
"Hah. Oh my god. Oh my god."
"What? Sanvi? Sanvi..." He jerked her up when he saw her wobbling with her grip. Their eyes locked together and he tried to keep it that way.
"Oh no, oh no. Oh my god. What am I doing here? Shit." She was a shaking mess.
"What's wrong? Sanvi, you are fine..okay? You get me? Are you having difficulty breathing? You are completely fine, silly! Breathe, take deep breaths and keep looking at me!" He spoke looking deep into her orbs as she felt waves of jitters hit her body under his gaze which in a way worsened her situation.
His hands gripped her shaking palms into a ball, letting her channel the anxiety through them, aided with the warmth of his hands. Her eyes, glistened with moisture, both of the bath water and tears.
"It's alright, you're safe here. Nothing bad will happen. Just don't freak out. Take deep breaths. In and out. In and out." His spoke out of genuine concern for her state. She was a shaking mess.
What made her have a panic attack all of a sudden? You doofus! You're the reason for this state of hers! His mind chimed in.
"And don't... cry... No one is going to hurt you. Please don't cry on me. I am so bad with crying people! There you go. Breathe. Good girl." His coddling tone felt entirely bizzare to her ears as a tear drop made its way down her left eye and she struggled to breathe in and out as directed by him.
He didn't leave her hands until he felt her relaxing under his hold. Her breaths soon came to a regular pace as she realised that he was still holding her hands while sitting inches apart from each other. They were both equally drenched by then.
She must've been freezing for the past two hours in the bathroom. He noticed how her baggy pokemon tee-shirt now clung to her frame like a second skin. The water dripping down her face glistened their way down her neck and vanished into her tee, precisely, into her chest. He inhaled a sharp intake of air as his mind started clouding with weirdly sensual thoughts again.
"You're drenched." He looked away as he sensed her lowering her gaze while he was checking out her drenched frame.
"So are you. Stating the obvious has always been your forte." He heard her whispering retort. Her voice, even though quite insulting with the words, managed to put him into ease.
"Oh, thank God." Rishabh exhaled, standing upright and then leaning back on the wall. "I almost thought you'd pass out in my bathroom for a second there." However, she did not address the little situation a few seconds before at all.
"Great going Rathore. Your Mom must be real proud of her son locking a girl in his freaking bathroom who, by the way, has nothing to do with him!"
No no, that definitely was Sanvi. Rishabh felt a warm rush of blood crawl up his neck. They were still enemies. They still hated each other. All was normal.
"Come on.. Get up..." He sighed as he held a hand out towards her.
"Move." She shoved off his hand and got up by herself holding the handle. She felt the anger she had felt while waiting for an hour long in that bathroom come surging through at once.
He rolled his eyes. That naive, innocent and cute girl was long gone. That was Sanvi Dixit, the school's good girl that stood before him then.
"YOU asked me to hide in the bathroom and said that YOU'll come back to get me when everything is sorted and I let YOU go without creating any fuss in front of YOUR Mom as I thought that'll trouble YOU a lot! But what did I get in return? The great Rathore got so busy that he forgot about the being he has caged in his bathroom! Experienced in this Rathore?" She snarled in a go, poking his chest whenever a 'YOU' came in her long spiteful speech.
He balled his fists as he felt a tinge of anger bubble up at her treatment of the guy who just saved her a few moments ago.
Well, technically her dire situation was brought upon by him so it was kinda his fault. He shrugged off the guilt and didn't let that come over her. One night and so many shenanigans. He needed rest.
Sighing, he caught her hand which was busy poking his chest with those sharp nails.
"See.. I just got occupied with a few things so I forgot about you. The party has already eaten up most of my patience and the dam may break anytime. So tread lightly on the thin ice. I don't want you to be the victim in such a state of yours." He reasoned while breathing in slow and steady after closing his eyes.
"Wow, still that rock hard unapologetic Rathore, I see. Atleast have the decency to account your own decisions, Rathore. This party was your choice and so was kissing me accidentally. You're just unbelievable!" She ejaculated out with a groan of exasperation.
No matter how much more derision she had to inflict on him, she couldn't help but take a moment to stare at his body in that casual glory.
She glanced at him, observing his features, the way that wet tee revealed his chiseled chest, water dripping down his hair, down his forehead. He had changed into his grey sweatpants which somehow made her feel uncomfortable as she shifted her gaze.
"The party was not my choice, Dixit and even if it was, why the hell would you barge in when I was going to lose my first kiss? None of these things would have happened if you just didn't come today! Out of all the days to grace your enemy with your presence, you chose today! Wow!" He noted in an exasperated tone.
It was his first kiss as well? Sanvi's ears perked up. Huh, she could believe anything in this world but that.
His eyes held a tinge of an unfamiliar aura, so unlike the Rathore she had previously known. Her eyes wandered down his sharp nose and landed on his lips. Those pink plump lips of his. A few hours ago, they were on hers. She could still feel those on her lips. He tasted like coffee. Her mind wandered on... Just like the perfect taste of coffee she would prefer on wintery mornings and rainy evenings.
Her mind stopped wandering as she felt a gushing stream of hot blood accumulating over her cheeks. That was accidental, you shouldn't like it. She reminded herself of her conscience. She was so engrossed in observing his features, (okay okay...checking him out), she didn't notice that he was already looking at her.
He smirked and she immediately darted her gaze away.
"Whatcha looking at Dixit?" He gloated while crossing his arms against his buff chest.
She grimaced at his flirty tone. Even his voice sounded different that day.
"Ummm... I need to grab Veronica..." She tried to change the subject, ignoring that sly smirk on his face. Awkward much?
He found himself puzzled at her words. "What? Who?"
"She's my best friend. She was invited to your party. She must be alone and the last we spoke, she sounded absolutely wasted. I dropped in your stupid party just to drag her home." She answered him, trying to stay as alert as possible.
She kicked herself mentally for trailing off of her actual mission. Veronica must have already wrecked havoc by then while she made out with her enemy and was left locked by him for more than an hour. It was a school night too. What a glorious occasion.
Rishabh deadpanned when he finally heard the real reason behind her coming to his party. The no-nonsense loner actually drove all the way to a party with drunk teenagers to save her friend. He hadn't pegged her to be such a devoted friend. He was getting to know her so much more during a night of accident than he could during their thirteen years of enmity.
"The party's long over Dixit. Your friend must have had left." He noticed her eagerness and concern for her drunk friend's well being. Why did people even drink when they couldn't handle the booze?
"With someone..." He added seeing her expression change from poker to shock and then rested between fear-stricken and tensed. Her expressions even compelled him to change his statement. The girl almost died a few minutes ago!
"Oh no. Why didn't you tell me that before? I just hope she had reached home safely.. Oh god oh god.. Please send someone to help her!" He gawked at her as she closed her eyes and pleaded to someone joining her hands together. What was wrong with this girl?
"Call her up.. or anyone else who might be with her at this point."
He advised seeing her getting restless. Her mind clicked with the thought of Pavan.
"Yeah. Yeah! I should call Pavan." She immediately took her phone out of the back pocket of her wet jeans.
His ears perked up at the mention of her guy friend. So she had friends of either gender and that too two? Wow, she wasn't a loner at all then.
"Look what you did..." She scrunched her nose annoyingly while rubbing her wet cellphone.
"What? I did? Who asked you to sleep..." He had to eat back his words when she showed him her palm asking to stop as she was on the call, while pacing to and fro. He immediately shut his mouth only to kick himself in his mind for shutting up at a single gesture of hers.
Huh! She was not the leader! A battlefield containing both of them would end up with either HIM or HER. Then how could he shut up at a meek wave of her hand?
Hold on. What on earth was he blabbering about? Leader? Battlefield? He checked his breath yet again for signs of alcoholic senselessness.
His thoughts halted as he heard her speak.
"Is she okay?! Uncle-aunty didn't see her right?"
"..."
"Did she.. Umm.. Annoy you much?! I apologise to you on her behalf."
"...."
"No. I am alright. I am sorry for ringing you this late. And thank you so much Pavan. I can't thank you enough for what you did."
"...."
"Bye, good night."
And she hung up the call.
Rishabh who heard the one sided conversation could very well interpret that her best friend was probably alright as the radiance and relief on her face reflected just that. But the more he heard the phone call, the more curious he got about the relationship between Sanvi and Pavan. She had his number saved at the dail of a button..and she was smiling by the end of the call.
"Achooo..." He heard her sneeze heavily and the next moment clasped her mouth with her hand and looked wildly towards Rishabh. He snorted at her and she rolled her eyes.
"See? You always make a hill out of a haystack! Come, dry yourself. You'll catch a cold if you stay like this for a minute more." Rishabh spoke out of the blue. He had surprised himself with the concern that laced his tone. Sanvi widened her eyes which in seconds turned into a smirk.
"Rathore and concern? That too for me?" She waved her hands dramatically checking if he was sick. He shoved her hand away and rolled his eyes.
"In that case, the sole mission for your arrival was already accomplished a moment ago, am I right? What are you still doing here then? Get out of my mansion Dixit..." His voice came out stern as he moved, showing her the door of the bathroom. This time she rolled her eyes.
"Your proposal seems better." She wouldn't risk driving her scooty at the middle of the night like a drenched cat. Besides the entire week was open for school. She wouldn't want to miss any day due to sickness.
"Is it honorable to take favours from you enemies, Dixit?" Rishabh chipped in snobbishly. She felt like ripping that smirk off his face.
"Don't be so high and mighty, it doesn't suit ya. This is far from a favour. It was your fault to begin with and you are serving your punishment by helping me." She twisted her lips and shook the water off her fingertips right in his face. He scrunched his nose at her.
"I know your Achilles' wheel now, Rathore. Now before I scream loud enough to reach your Mom's ears, help me dry up. And treat your guest like your God." He frowned and she dazzled a toothy smile at him.
Oh how she enjoyed winning against him!
"Hurry. Chop chop."
He went towards the bathroom cabinet with an annoyed expression and fished out two towels. Throwing one towards her, he walked out of the bathroom.
She pulled out her scooty keys and wallet out of her jeans' pocket and put them on the cabinet along with her cellphone. As she glanced upon the mirror, her eyes fell upon her lips which were still swollen.
She touched her lips gently and a blush crept on her cheeks involuntarily. She just lost her first kiss but to the person who pissed her off to hell. Apparently, it was his first kiss too. She didn't know how she felt about that. Her emotions were all over the place.
There, Rishabh, who had noticed it all couldn't help but smile at the effect he had on her. The great Sanvi Dixit was blushing at the thought of that unexpected kiss. And on top of that, she practically moaned his name in that kiss despite not knowing his identity. There definitely was something suspicious.
*********
To be continued