Pulkit Samrat as Arjun Mehta

~

*Five years ago*

Arjun walked into the dark closet and instantly, bumped into her. He had no idea who it was. That was the point of the game. The girls and the guys had divided into two separate groups. Whoever had the cushion in their hand at the stop of music would have to go into the closet – one girl and one guy.

This was Neha's version of 7 minutes in Heaven. Neha, his older brother's girlfriend. Was it silly? Yes. They were in college, and playing a game suited for high schoolers. But, no one argues with Neha when she is one of her playful moods of being up to no good.

Sanam pulled back, feeling his arm around her elbow as he steadied himself. She racked her brain for a quick fix but had no idea how to deal with the situation. She cursed the second she had let Neha, her best friend, convince her into going to this college party, as well as playing the game. She thought of telling the guy she didn't want this, that this was not her. How could she give away her first kiss to a guy she didn't even know?

About a minute must have passed as both stood in front of each other, but neither made the effort to move towards each other or away. Arjun had no way of telling what the girl wanted. She wasn't saying anything either, and that's what had kept him back. If she wasn't comfortable with this, he wasn't going to force her into anything. And then, his senses went on alert.

Sanam took a step closer until she felt her footwear lightly brush against his, and she knew that in the dark, he was standing right in front of her. She made the bold choice after reminding herself that in these seven minutes, no one knew who was inside the closet, with whom. She could be whoever she wanted; do whatever she wanted to. So what if it would be her first kiss to a stranger? She cared about being bold and doing something she never in her wildest imagination would have thought of.

Raising her hand, she found his chest and then trailed it up till his shoulder. She assumed his height based on how much she had to raise her arm to rest it on his shoulder. His hand came to her waist while the other cupped her neck. He leaned his face until he could tell there was barely an inch between their lips. Her wavering breath mixed in with his rhythmic one.

He whispered, giving her another chance. "You can say no."

Only, it seemed to act as the last thread to break away from her inhibitions. 

She tilted her head up and allowed their lips to brush against it each other. It sent a rush down his body, and he could tell it had affected her as well, the way she stiffened at the lightest of the touch. Her hand traveled to the back of his neck, standing on her toes to reach him.

The thrill took over his senses and he stepped towards her. She stalked back and within two steps, her back hit the wall of the closet. He roughly pushed the hanging clothes to the side, feeling them fan his face. He gave her a proper kiss, his hand gripping her waist firmly. Instead of complaining, her body arched to melt against his.

The soft pecks converted into a full-blown kiss. His lips, soft and experienced against her. He could tell that even though she was bold enough to do this, she was nervous. She was letting him kiss her. He slowed a little, reining in his control, to give her a few seconds to get used to this. Getting the rhythm, she soon started to kiss him back. At that, he smiled against her lips. He'd dated a lot before, and even had his fair share of kisses. Still, something about this one was different. Something about her courageous choice was making it all the appealing to him.

His hand traveled down her waist and hips to rest on her thigh. He pulled it up around his leg, fitting to her body even more perfectly. She was wearing shorts. As they broke for air, he asked, resting his forehead against hers. "Who are you?"

Sanam didn't answer but smiled. She could not believe this was happening. The whole experience was surreal, and she hadn't thought she would enjoy this as much as she was. She remained silent, not wanting to give away who she was. The mystery made it that much more exciting and dangerous. In her family, she was the poster child. If anyone found out, her parents were going to drag her back to their home country, India, and give her a lecture on how girls from respected families are supposed to behave. That, and they would have put an end on her education and got her married off to the first available bachelor they'd had come across.

While she was still catching her breath, he leaned against her shoulder to start leaving a trail as his fingers slid down her tantalizing arm to her wrist.

Finding a bracelet, he tried to trail over it, hoping to etch an imprint in his brain. Suddenly, she nudged his shoulder back, making him think she had changed her mind. He pulled away instantly, but only for her to turn the tables. Now against the wall and one hand on her side, he waited for her move. Her gentle fingers came to his cheek. She reached on her toes again and kissed him.

He let out a groan when her fingers tugged at his hair at the back of his head. She released her hold and slightly pulled back to break the kiss, thinking she had done something wrong. To convey she hadn't, he tugged at her side to press her petite form closer. He continued the kiss, not allowing it to break. Certainly getting the message, her fingers knotted away in his hair once again.

She was so distracted and lost in the kiss that she did not notice him slip the bracelet off her wrist and tuck it in the pockets of his jeans. 

How was she distracted? He had smirked against her lips and under the pretense of wanting more intimacy, he bit her lower up after three strokes. She gasped at the eruption of butterflies it sent to the pit of her stomach. Somehow, that pattern had been erotic for her. He hadn't known if it'd work, but now that he had, he knew he was going to be trying it again. 

His tongue slid in, and once again, the territory was new to her. She took a few seconds to adjust, but he observed that she was a quick learner. She soon met each of his strokes as their tongues battled for dominance, tasting and exploring the depths of their mouths.

His hand rested on her bare skin with her shirt riding up from reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. His thumb caressed her hip bone over the rim of her jeans. She pulled her stomach in, suddenly nervous of where this was headed, and broke their make-out session.

Once again, he whispered close to her ear, "It's okay."

She didn't know what exactly he was assuring her of, but her naive heart wanted to trust him. She relaxed, but both of their chests heaving at lack of air and their hearts racing, blood pumping everywhere.

He gently loosened his hold on her, knowing how turned on he was. He had already learned it was her first kiss. She hadn't even told him who she was. He did not want to scare her by making her feel the bulge in his pants.

"I really wish you'd tell me your name."

For the first time, she spoke, but not the answer to his wish. "Just kiss me." She instructed, grabbing his shirt by the collar and pulling him to her once again. He sighed against her lips, obliging. He could keep kissing her again and again. He didn't even know her, but she was already addictive.

In between kisses, he expressed, "You have – a – beautiful – voice."

She chuckled against his lips, "And – you're – an amazing – kisser." She too responded in between their kisses.

When he bit her bottom lip again, seeking entrance, a moan escaped her lips. Once again, he smiled at her reaction. He had never been much of a biter, but he definitely appreciated the effect it had on her. He knew this was going to haunt him for the next coming days for sure. He pressed her upper body to hers, and over the thin material of their shirts, she could tell that he worked out. Due to his clenched stomach, the feel of his abs was not lost on her.

There was a compulsion and she didn't stop herself. Her hand traveled down his chest over to the center of his torso. He sucked in a breath as her seductive fingers feathered down over the abdominal muscles. She wasn't directly touching him – skin to skin – and it had this effect on him. He did not even want to think how crazy it would drive him if she truly touched him.

Before she would unintentionally continue to explore, his hand moved from her waist to grasp her wrist. She stopped, resting her hand in position. A blush started to creep up her neck as she realized what she had been about to do. She took a small step back, curling away from his obvious turn on.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, marking the end of their seven minutes. She turned to leave, but his palm enclosed around her elbow to stop her. He placed the gentlest kiss on her lips as if to express just how much this moment had meant to him. He might have thought it ridiculous at first, but there was a certain fire in her that she had managed to spark inside of him in a matter of minutes and barely any words exchanged.

After a second, she turned and pushed the closet door open. She disappeared in the stretching darkness in the room, but he had a souvenir of hers to remember her by. 

Her bracelet. 

Suddenly, it was his most prized possession as he vowed that one day, he would find her. And until then, he would work on becoming a better person – the best version of himself that he could be, for he had lots of demons from his childhood he kept beneath the surface.

  ~  

*authors note*

hi everyone! Once again, thank you for choosing to read Her Proposal. Lemme know your thoughts on this introduction! Since I will be editing this for Nano, it'd be really helpful to have feedback as I do so :) 

Hopefully, it goes to show the impulsive confidence as well as a glimpse of their personalities at their first meet & how matured they become when they meet again years later (chapter 1). 

Vote, comment & share! <3