~Sanvi's POV~
There was an awkward silence between us after that until he cleared his throat.
"For the sake of our final exams... For Father. We should obey his orders right? Other than that, I would've stayed as far away from you as possible."
He twisted his lips and led out a sigh, folding his hands against his chest, making my eyes dart down to his body, following his movements. I gulped whilst shooing those unwanted thoughts away for the moment.
I raised my eyebrows in a questioning gaze.
Did he absolutely have to clarify his intention behind the proposal in that way?
Quite unknowingly, my lips curved up into a bizzare smile at the bizzare situation.
Never in my lifetime had I imagined to be in such a situation with Rishabh Rathore.
But then again, I didn't have a zilch of idea that I'd go on to lose my first kiss to him, so what did I even know?
A ridiculous circumstance.
"Rishabh?" I called out his name softly, making him shoot his gaze towards me in surprise.
"Hmm?" He furrowed his brows upon seeing my bewildering smile.
"You're...well, aren't you? I mean, mentally?"
He scoffed loudly at my animated gestures towards his head and looked up to the sky.
"You're proposing that we undertake the Championship,—your biggest dream and mine as well,—as a pair in tasks that would require a strong bond and cooperation when in reality we can't even stand being in the same room together! Don't you remember what blithering piles of disaster we stir up whenever we come together?"
I was shocked at my own disposition when I pressed my lips together, muffling a fit of giggles while questioning him about the absurd idea.
It was just something about seeing Rishabh Rathore stuck between a rock and a hard place.
"Stop that." He swatted away at my palm that was clutching my mouth in awe.
"We're not kids. This is not one of our kindergarten fights back in the day. It's not something we can't work out." He exclaimed with a strange enthusiasm working in his conviction to 'make mates' out of our ancient enmity.
"And even if we can't work out our differences, we simply have to adjust and keep our hatred aside because right now, we lack any other feasible option."
His frustrated frown deepened as I couldn't control laughing out loud while banging on the roof of the car with my hand.
"We'll work it out? Hahaha..." I clutched my stomach as it was beginning to hurt.
He narrowed his eyes at me with a murderous look.
"Alright..okay. Go away. I can't tolerate your merriment anymore." He repeatedly pushed my shoulder in frustration, urging me to walk away.
I gradually ceased my maniacal laughter, gasping along as he partially surrendered himself to the outlandish situation. It took me some time to poise my breath and turn around to look at him with a happy smirk.
"Okay...I'll walk away."
I whipped my pony-tail against his face while strutting towards my scooty. I felt his burning gaze on my back, waiting to be whipped back any minute.
"Wait.."
As anticipated, I was pulled back with a jerk in no time and came face to face with a rather helpless looking Rathore.
"Shouldn't you inform the change in your partnership to your new friend gloating back there in the Cafeteria?" I leaned back on my scooty.
"Who said yes to your proposal?" I folded my hands against my chest and pulled my nose up in a haughty gesture.
I was determined to see him beg for it after spoiling my own partnership for him.
I relished every second of the changes in his expression then. His facial expressions indicated that he must've felt like a rotisserie chicken kept over a grill for roasting since the last fifteen minutes.
"It was not a proposal!" He snarled at me, making me chuckle.
"And why doesn't the simply thing go through your hard skull? We'll be doomed if you and I don't pair up together. St. Louis will lose the cup and Father will be humiliated on the very last year before his retirement. And right at the end of it all, we'll be barred from graduating. Will that make you happy, Sanvi? Huh?"
I clicked my tongue in mockery of his urgency.
That entitled brat and his pomposity!
"How can you possibly think that us teaming up will help the school win the Championship?" I started in a heavy voice.
"Of course, I do agree that we're both well equipped with the knowledge and skills to win it but can you assure me that you'd behave and not make me lose my patience throughout the entire process? If you agree to take the responsibility for all our disputes from the past as well the ones still in the bag, then I might just give it a thought."
I smirked, feeling entirely giddy with the power that I held over him right then.
I knew I had to scram fast in order to settle the effect upon him and immediately turned to mount my scooty.
The moment I turned around, Rishabh grasped onto my arm and spinned me around.
My butt hit the seat of the scooty and his angry frame hovered close over me, bending me to the extent that I felt like my heart would burst out any second at our sudden closeness.
"What are you...doing..." I felt it hard not to stammer as I felt his warm breath once again trickle the skin of my neck.
He clasped my waist with one arm, pulling me up against his frame as his other hand rested beside my butt on the scooty seat.
"I am doing no such thing and you'll still have to be my partner since I know you are worried about the issue of the team as much as I am... You love your school way too much to just abandon it in such a plight."
I gulped at his dark tone.
Uh. Oh.
"I know you a lot better to say with conviction that you love your rank a bit more than that to just throw your hardwork away at the cusp of graduation because of a stupid punishment with your biggest enemy. I know you in and out, Bimbo." He exhaled directly into my right ear in his intimidating voice, making me physically shiver at the sensation.
I gulped at the proximity we shared right then but the conviction with which he stated that almost made me stumble off of the scooty.
He was standing in between my legs and god forbid I moved even a little bit then because I knew a little push would turn to shove and all hell will break lose.
I knew I had to maintain my poise. I couldn't let him see my mushy demeanor under his excruciating uncomfortable hold.
Naturally, I straightened my head and matched our gazes in a fiery interlock. I attempted to feign my nervousness with a lopsided smirk.
"You seem to know a whole lot about your supposed enemy. One might misconstrue your hatred towards me as a creepy obsession, Rathore. Tell me honestly, are you in love with me or something?" I joked as his eyes darkened at the end of my question.
I was getting rather cocky with my words but I just wanted to irk him as much as he irked me.
All of a sudden, a hearty cackle erupted out of his chest as he pulled me even closer to his frame at my words.
My smirk vanished instantly.
I was obviously not expecting that reaction. Our faces were inches away and I could feel his minty breath on my lips.
The tingles were back. And I almost felt like castrating myself for saying that to his face.
His head shifted to my right ear, making me close my eyes shut at the curdling sensation bursting throughout my body.
"Shut up, Dixit." He blew a whisper into my ear in that toe-curling tone.
My hold on his white shirt became tighter and I was almost panting like I had run for miles.
However, just when I thought he'd finally end this sweet torture, a bolt of electric surged through my spine when I felt his lips accidentally brush against my earlobe as he moved his face sideways.
A helpless whimper involuntarily escaped my mouth and I felt him stiffen at the sound of that. My eyes remained close because I couldn't bear looking into his eyes after that unfortunate slip.
I gasped as his lips imprinted an unexpected soft moist peck underneath my ear, making his mouth hungrily near my jawline with the passing seconds.
Till then, I had already lost the little sense I had in myself to rebuke him. My stomach churned with desire as I felt his warm, smooth and tender lips imprint yet another moist kiss on my jawline.
I swore I could hear both of our heartbeats reverberating and the thought that Rishabh might be feeling exactly what I have been feeling right then, made my knees give out.
I was thankful for the cage of his hands that wounded tightly around my waist.
**********
To Be Continued.