23- “You're such a bad tease.”

« VANSH »

When the storm cooled down, Ahana and I decided to talk. It was awkward for a few seconds on phone, until Ahana apologized for her outburst last night. I apologized too, repeating time and time again, that I didn't mean it. She said alright, followed by another stretch of silence.

“Tell me one thing, Van, and be honest.” She broke the ice and I braced myself. “Are you fed up of our relationship?”

Her voice was calm and understanding. I decided to be honest this time. “Maybe a little, yes.” When she replied okay, I threw the same question at her. “What about you?”

“Oh, me? I've been fed up for a long time.” Her words pricked like needles. “Let's not talk about depressing things. By the way, have you watched the latest episode of One piece?”

“Not yet. Why, what happened? Don't tell me they got him...”

Thus the conversation continued as we indulged in TV shows, latest happenings and the weather. When we ran out of topics to talk, both of us went mute again. None of us were in the mood to talk about our sinking relationship so we left it at that and ended the call gracefully. Thus, I got ready for office.

~

The two month training with my three students finally came to an end. As a reward for bearing with me and vice versa, I treated them to dinner at my place. We ate, got drunk, danced and clicked some of those moments together. By the time, I bid goodbye to them, I was actually sad while Sophie was in tears. It was a memorable night.

Ahana and I didn't talk to each other after that. Our communication only extended to small chats and jokes we sent to each other. I began to doubt if Ahana's words were true. That we really weren't in any sort of relationship anymore. She never clarified on phone last time. Neither did I care enough to ask.

In contrast to my depressing life, things in the office were rather tight as we headed to the last part of the project. The increased workload distracted me from a lot of things, including a certain collegue. Work strayed me from thinking about my personal life and my personal problems. Collegues were being more friendly while bosses were lenient. It was exciting, actually. I was finally able to see the results of our teams combined efforts, come to life. It was exhilarating.

With time, the weather grew warmer and gradually, it was the month of April. The last month of my stay in Boston.

In order to commemorate the success of the wild project so far, our principal Mr Wilford Grint decided to host a grand party in a high class resort with an in- house bar. All forty members who contributed to the project were invited. Instead of swallowing myself in self-pity and regret, I decided to make the most of it. Starting right from this party.

I went ahead choosing my favorite black and grey stripe suit for the occasion. I interacted with everyone I knew, took part in mindless party games and danced with my closest friends. When my body gave up, I feasted on the lavish food to my hearts content. Irfan and I even bet upon who would eat the most. Guess who won? It hardly mattered.

I chugged down another half glass of champagne, ending it with a satisfying burp and slammed the glass on the bar slab. The effects of alcohol was starting to show up as the vision before me tilted a little.

“Hold yourself together, man,” I heard Irfan's voice besides me. With some effort, I raised my head from his shoulder. We shot a helpless glance at each other before we bursted out laughing. Why were we laughing? Again, does it matter?

“This must be the first time I'm seeing you drunk. Like drunk in the most effed up sense. Like—”

“Cut it out, I geaat it.” Irfan slurred, looking at me with his eyes half closed. For the next thirty minutes, we shared a heart to heart conversation about life that made no sense from A to Z and drank water while we were at it. I was a bit sober after that. I swiveled my chair to observe the activity before me. People were laughing, dancing, flirting— It was the usual until I noticed the one I was looking for. My perfect victim for tonight.

I removed the jacket and asked Irfan to hold it for me.

“Psst, I'm not your personal hanger,” he said and raised an inquisitive brow as he observed me. “You're upto something, aren't you?”

My lips curled in response. I got up from the chair, holding on to my suit jacket and said before parting, “you go where you want to go. I'll be back sooner or later.”

After doing what I had to do, I walked my way in between the mad party goers until I reached the lounge. I asked a girl to shift so she could make space next to woman, wearing a black, one piece dress and boots. She was looking fucking hot tonight.

“Vansh?” Natasha chuckled as she accessed me from head to shoe weirdly. “Why are you wrapping your formal jacket around your waist? You are going to ruin a good suit.”

“Does it matter? I can iron it or get it dry cleaned.” Saying that, I dropped myself next to Natasha in a way that our sides touched. I felt her body tense for a split second before she relaxed. She looked ahead, observing the activity around her, ignoring my presence. “You're looking gorgeous tonight. Just like always.”

Her expression morphed from mock surprise to acknowledgement. “Oh, thanks, I guess.”

For a while, we drowned in the songs playing at the DJ until my arm reached out to wrap her shoulders. “You seem to have an ample of free time in your hands. Care to waste it with me?” 

She didn't look my way, despite my fingers skimming her bare arm, “The fuck do you mean?”

Before long, I moved my lips close to her ear and whispered, huskily, “Room number two, twenty- one,  second floor. Come and I'll show exactly how we waste our time.”

Her head turned to me in a slow motion. She raised an exquisite brow, before turning to the front again. “Go home, Baweja. You are drunk.”

“Oh, do I smell like one? Admit it, Nat,” I said, my fingers trailing across her face to the length of her lips, “you want me, too.”

She blinked. “You've clearly lost your mind. Wait till you wake up in the morning and drown in your vomit of embarrassment.”

“Stop being such a pussy. Oh, wait, you already have one.” I laughed, lightly.

“Eek, what has gotten into you?” Her eyes narrowed as she accessed me. “Were you serious about what you said?”

I withdrew my arm from her shoulders, trailing down to her side till it reached her bare thigh. Her gaze followed my hand for a second before reverting back to my face. I looked her straight in the eye and gripped her thigh. “I'm dead serious.”

Her eyes grew a shade dark until a shadow of a smirk formed her face. The lights illuminated the night, the music barked across the hall but amidst those sixty people, it was only the two of us now.

“Fine. Lead me the way,” she said, absentmindedly and was about to rise from her seat when I pulled her back down.

“Not so fast, dear. Look around you— there are many people who know you. Dave, who's trying to grab your attention from time to time. Then there's Irfan. What will these people think if we leave the hall towards the reception together? Anyone can spot us. We wouldn't want rumors to be floating around, do we? I suggest we leave separately. I'll go in first. Either I'll message you or you can leave after five minutes.”

The atmosphere grew tense as Natasha accessed me again with a rather suspicious look. After what seemed like eternity, she spoke, “You do know what happens between a boy and girl in the confinement of a room, right? Are you even up for this?”

“Want me to prove it?” and I casually neared towards her lips.

“Okay, I get it, I get it, geez!” She said, pulling away herself then looking around to see if anyone caught us. “I'm having a hard time believing you. I didn't expect a coward to change one eighty degree in their alcoholic state. You should have gotten drunk eons ago.”

“Can't help it, I'm a slow learner.” I rose from my seat and swiftly kissed her cheek. “You better not keep my junior waiting for long.”

Thereafter, we followed by the rules. I went ahead first and waited for her. Time passed in seconds, turning into minutes, which eventually became an hour.

One and a half hours later, I was bidding farewell to my colleagues near the entrance. If looks could kill, I'd have been murdered by her gaze alone. Suddenly I was the red cloth while Natasha was a bull. I made a mental note to stay as quiet as I could, but then, I imagined a scenario. A scenario where Natasha had reached room number, two twenty- one, only to find it locked. I even received few missed calls and one message which I hadn't looked into yet. I imagined her disappointment, I imagined her muttering my full name like a curse.

And the very next moment, I guffawed, my shoulders shaking in the process. Irfan was questioning our reactions while Natasha was ready to claw my face with her blood painted nails. I laughed to my hearts content, knowing that she was powerless in front of everyone. However, the moment Irfan left the premises, she pulled my ear so hard, I was afraid it would pluck out of my face. I shrieked.

“I should have bloody known! You are no more than a cowardly dick, only capable of playing pranks after all.”

Instead of getting provoked, I feigned sympathy. “Awh, don't tell you waited ninety minutes for—”

“Of course I didn't, you twat! I didn't waste a second when I realized. You better have a intelligible excuse for this, Vansh Baweja.” She pulled me close to her face by my ear again.

I didn't care less about her question. I was too busy watching the way my name rolled out of her red lips. The way her anger seeped through her stark grey eyes. She was making me re- consider my fake invitation now.

“I just wanted to kill all the sparks, babe,” And did the exact opposite as I covered the back of her head with my hand, pulled her head to me and firmly smooched her lips. She tasted of mint and wine. The kiss lasted for a good few seconds before I parted away with a wink.

Soon after, I left the place, with a speechless Natasha on its wake.

~

Days in Boston seemed like a time bomb now. Only two weeks remained. Office on Monday was rather a chirpy one. People were still stuck in their party mood.

Including me.

I exited from Richie's office and approached over Natasha's cubicle. I tapped the desk to grab her attention. “Rich's calling you to his office.”

Her gaze narrowed at my fingers for a split second, before reverting back to the computer screen. “I got no such request from him.”

“But Rich just told me to send you. He wants you to edit something.”

“You think I'll follow you after your grand bluff,” she let out a sarcastic laugh, “Try harder next time.”

“Fine, don't buy it and pay for your actions,” I warned her and returned to my cubicle.

And so, I waited— Two minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes, until Richie stepped out from the office with a grim look on his face.

“Patil.” His voice wasn't loud but not soft either. I watched as Natasha rose from her seat in attention. “Baweja?”

“Ye-s, sir.” I stood up too, trying to suppress my laugh.

“Didn't you inform her?”

“I did, sir. As soon as I exited from your office, I told her she was needed but... Perhaps she's too busy.” I shrugged.

“Too busy to not even listen to your boss. Is that so, miss Patil?” Richie enquired with a raised brow. She reasoned, fully knowing that her excuses were useless. She had to bear with Rich's lecture of being irresponsible until he sighed and called her to his office. She threw a malicious glance my way while I winked at her. The sound of her hastened footsteps was music to my ears. It was hilarious.

A day later, I enacted the same drill, except this time she listened to me. Except this time, it was a bluff. Later, she stopped me to question my motives. She thought I was getting back on that fifteen day challenge, annoying her the same way she did. Now I did want to get back at her but I wasn't seeking revenge exactly. That was ages ago. This was something else. Perhaps a little more sinister.

~

Since our days were numbered, Irfan, Natasha and I made an effort to spend some quality time together. It was Friday. We were just standing outside the office premises when Irfan suggested we head over to Natasha's house. Maybe there was a ulterior motive, who knows. Everyone agreed, regardless.

Two hours later, Irfan and I were leaving. Luckily for Irfan, Kyle decided to accompany us to the subway since she wanted to head somewhere. We were just on our way when I felt my empty pockets and realized I was missing my wallet. Panick rose within me and I started to search the ground when Natasha saved my ass by messaging me that I left it on her place. I was immensely relieved. 

I told Irfan and Kyle to go ahead while I catch up later. Irfan didn't even utter a single letter of protest, that shameless bastard. He better thank me later.

“Count your notes and leave,” Natasha spoke coldly as she returned my wallet. She didn't even let me in. I guess it was understandable, given how I'd been annoying her this whole week. After counting my notes, I raised my head to see Natasha closing the door. I stopped her.

“What?” she asked, bluntly.

“I...” Think, dude, think. “need a glass of water.”

She headed towards the kitchen without a single word of acknowledgment. I followed after her and stopped mid way. “Hey, I'm sorry. I know I have troubled you unnecessarily but atleast don't give me the silent treatment now. If you've observed, you'd notice that I've stopped bothering you since the past two days.”

“Gee, thanks, I'm so grateful!” Her tone was sarcastic. Regardless, she gave me a glass of water, then took the empty glass to the kitchen. “I'm still mad. You shouldn't have messed up in the first place.”

“Want me to make it upto you?” I suggested, half jokingly.

She rolled her eyes “With a silly silly joke or prank, no thanks! Go home.”

“Oh, come on, Nat,” I waved a hand and took a step forward, “Where's your dirty mind when you need it?”

“My dirty mind doesn't need to work up for a puny child like you.” She took a step back as I walked into her personal bubble.

“Are you sure you don't need it?” A step forward.

“Positive.” Another step backward.  Eventually, her back hit the door. Her expression didn't waver a bit, despite having her cornered. I felt my lips twitch. I guess I had to notch it up a little.

Confusion marred her features as I gripped the wrist of her each hand in one of mine. The touch felt soft against my palm. Her eyes followed my movements as I raised her hands sideways. I watched her blink as I lifted her arms above her head, touching the door and deliberately pressed my body against hers. The mere position brought an electric sensation in my body. “How about now?”

She let out a sarcastic laugh, despite her chest heaving slightly, “Nope. You didn't even make my pussy shed a tear.”

I lowered her hands a little and neared my head towards her. She still didn't struggle. “Did I, now?”

“Is that all you're capable of?” Natasha's eyes rose up to my level, challenging me, “Dickhead.”

The door made a woody sound as I slammed her back against it, knocking the breath out of her. I hated it. Hated the way that word pricked my self esteem. But it seemed to have the opposite effect on her as she stared at me, her grey eyes stark with desire. It made me want to do her, right there and then. “I hate when you say that.”

“But I love how you look now.” She whispered. I leaned my head even further until her breaths fanned my face. “I know you're just teasing me like last time. That's all your dick capable of.”

I closed the distance until our foreheads were resting against each other. “You'll only peck me briefly, leaving both of us... frustrated...”

I was hyper aware now. Or more precisely— the parts of her that was in contact with mine. Only one thing wasn't. The one that was most desirable right now.

“Vansh...” Natasha rasped, her voice hot against my lips. It seemed urgent, if not desperate. “Fuckin' stop this madness and just kis—”

I lunged, eating her words with my own lips.

This time, it wasn't an almost kiss. It wasn't a peck either. This time, I was claiming her mouth, like a starved animal, set free from its leash. Natasha didn't took much time realizing this, as I felt her smirk against my lips before she kissed me back. Her lips swiped through mine like a perfect mould, slowly taking its shape.

Adrenaline coursed through my entire being as I moved my lips against hers with my eyes half closed. Our kisses slowed down in an attempt to catch up. In the midst of it, her hands fell lower from where I prisoned them. Instead of freeing her, I tightened my grip on her wrist, slamming her hands against the door and resumed my kiss. It seemed like a tug of war as she tried to wriggle out of my grip but I didn't back down, wanting to control her while it lasted. It brought no effect on our kisses. They only intensified.

I drew away for a second to catch a breath, not realizing that I just gave her a narrow chance to escape. Natasha didn't waste that opportunity as she lowered her hands and pushed me away with all her might. I staggered. Both of us took our sweet time catching our breaths. I probed my thumb against the length of my lips, feeling the after effects of the intimacy I just shared. The corner of my lips twitched.

“Asshole,” Natasha cussed and I lifted my gaze to her. She was still standing besides the door, breathing heavily. “You fucking teased me a goddamn week for this.”

“Someone once told me how it was a huge turn off since she had to dominate every single move. That someone dared to call me a pussy. I just went ahead and proved her wrong,” I shrugged.

Her eyes narrowed in slits but there was a twinkle in them. My heart hammered against my chest with each slow step she took towards me, “You're such a bad tease, you know that.”

“That I am. Do I qualify to be in your category, now?”

“Not even in a million years,” She said, although her mischievous smile told otherwise. Her hand snaked its way behind my head. We shared a sly smile before she pulled my head down to meet her full lips in a fierce liplock.

Everything seemed to be in a blur after that as we sucked the hell out of each other. Instinctively, my hands reached behind her head, slipping to the curve of her back, to her hips. 'More, more, more,' my body screamed. I licked her lips to part them and entered my tongue inside her mouth, earning a weak moan from her. That encouraged me go further but she beat me to it, as her mouth sucked my tongue, making all the blood rush down to my groin. My hand immediately flew to her legs to hike it up to the level of my ankle while my other hand held her waist. Her fingers fisted to gather the back of my dark blue shirt. It almost felt like she wanted to remove it. Her leg arched in a way that her crotch brushed against my emerging hardness, firing up my insides. All while keeping with the intensity of our kisses.

I recalled everything— from the time when she challenged me in Richie's house party to when we became friends; from the time when she drunk kissed me to the near kiss moment we shared in the washroom; from the day she wore that gorgeous grey saree to our confrontation in the restaurant— They were all coming back to me, unlocking a treasure chest that bore heaps of desires, piled up after each unfulfilled moment. All hell broke loose. I was still finding it hard to believe as our mouths mingled— That I was finally having my way with this woman. That she somehow felt the same towards me. She was a forbidden possession, never meant to be touched. It only turned me on more.

My primal urges were kicking in, my mind was heading off to an uncharted territory that involved something much more than a kiss. In between our hot make out session, I didn't realize we had moved a few steps from where we previously stood. We unknowingly neared towards the sofa- bed in the living room. Natasha plumped down on the sofa bed and leaned her back against the head rest.

“Ah, hot!” Natasha whined that sounded more like a moan. I watched as she casually stretched the neckline of her dark green tee, parted her thighs that covered her skirt, revealing a bit more of her skin. Slowly she opened her eye lids and lifted those sheepish grey orbs at me, inviting me in. Fuck, she was inviting me in the worst way possible. It was unbearable in my already aroused state.

Still maintaining eye- to- eye contact with her, I walked to stand at the edge of the couch. Bending one of my legs on the couch, I leaned for another kiss, however she stopped me with a finger on my lips. Then almost immediately, her fingers fastened to open the first two buttons of my shirt, revealing my bare collarbone. My heartbeat escalated— in fear or excitement, I didn't know which but I backed off. Instead, she pulled my collar.

“Get that thing off.” She purred in my ear.

“Then remove yours, too.”

She raised a brow, offended, “Don't tell me what to do.”

“Then don't expect me to listen to you.”

“Fine.”

And the next moment we were uncovering our tops.

I undid the buttons one by one, while watching her like a hawk. She lifted the hem of her top revealing her bare stomach, her breasts covered by a black lacy bra, her shoulders till she pulled it out of her head. Damn, was she a delight to my naked eyes.

She scrutinized her gaze at my chest, absorbing the image in front of her. She trailed a finger on the slight muscular contours of my chest to the tattoo on my forearm. She voiced out seductively. “Where were you hiding all along?”

“Inside my shirt,” I teased, taking a breath. Situating myself next to her, I placed a hand on her stomach and brought my lips near her ear, “I could say the same about you.”

“No, I meant this,” Natasha poked my nose. “This provocative side of you.”

“Not everyone gets the privilege to see me like this.”

The kissing that followed was more sexual this time. There were no shirts to act as a barrier. Our hands mapped out our bodies, just wherever they could reach. I could hear my own chest heaving as I felt her hands and wet mouth on my neck, shoulders and my chest, making my skin grow hot with it. I nearly tensed when she went lower. My eyes flew open as her hands fumbled to unbutton my jeans. No, not there... not there... not  yet. Groaning once, I picked her face between my hands, lifted her and smooched her hard, startling her.

It felt like we were dry humping, as our hips grinded while we made out on the sofa bed with me on top of her. I was frustrated by the clothes that acted as a barrier. My lips left her bottom lip to taste her neck, shoulders, her cleavage, right till her flat stomach. My palms fished inside her bra to push it to her neck, revealing her chest in full display. I had my way with her boobs, causing her to groan in pleasure. I've wanted to feel them for quite a while now. Her stomach contracted a bit as I kissed lower and lower, till I reached her thighs and stopped. I moved her right leg to the side as I caught on something. A tattoo.

“Go- got it inked a few months back,” Natasha answered my supposedly curious question in a raspy voice.

“That's not it.” I stole a glance at her to notice her flushed cheeks and sheepish eyes, before reverting back to her weird tattoo again. “Who the fuck designs a cat in the shape of an anchor?”

“Me apparently,” she answered, propping her elbows to lift her head a bit. “And its a cat sitting on the top of the anchor with its tail coiling around it. Get your eyes checked, duffer.”

“Why this, though?”

She bit her bottom lip, as if saying- You want to ask this now? “Had it stuck in my mind for a while. I wanted a tattoo of an anchor and a cat, so I thought— why not have two in one, instead? Crazy, right?”

I crawled to hover above her once again and stared into the eyes of the woman, who drove me crazy as hell right now. Maybe I had a thing for crazy women. “You really are something, Natasha.”

“You're wrong, baby, I'm everything.”

That totally didn't made sense but fuck it, nothing made sense right now. The warning voices that accompanied me ever since I walked into her apartment alone, had finally faded. The cautious and the cowardly Vansh was gone, replaced by a sinister one. I was truly free. Most probably, I'd revert back to my old self later, but right now, in this span of time— I didn't care. Because I was finally getting what I had been secretly craving for months. A reality to my fantasies. Infact, Natasha might just be the biggest guilty pleasure I ever had.

I wanted end my time in Boston with a bang, while leaving behind everything that belonged here, including her. I had to do it if I wanted to move on.

I had to get her out of my system.

Nearing her face, I kissed her smirk against my own, letting the last bit of sanity throw out of the window. Thus we proceeded to drown in the wake of the evening.

◾◽◾◽◾◽◾◽

A u t h o r s    N o t e

Sometimes it takes a huge amount of courage to write and especially, press that Publish button to show it to the world. This chapter was one of them. Infact this single chapter was one of the vital reasons why I was hesitating to write Serious in Love. It isn't because of the sensuous scenes but the ones participating on it. I'm like- Do people write about situations like these? I must be crazy. Lol.

Moving on to the chapter *takes a breath* How was it? Do you feel like killing Vansh lol? Do you think this whole thing between him and Natasha was stupid/ hot/ Omg/ Wtf or everything? Did you forsee it happening? PS- Do you think Vansh's way was hot in this chapter (if you ignore who he was flirting and making out with)? You know kinda similar to how Vansh was with Ahana in the sleeping bus and rest of Huntsville. Plz, plz, don't hesitate to share your thoughts. I want to see the comments from you dear readers this time. I want to know what you thought when you read this chapter.

You remember chapter 9- Good going, Baweja. Keep fantasizing about me? I showed a small scene between Vansh and Natasha but then classed it off as a fake scene to April fool you people. Hahaaa now boggle ur eyes out! 😈

As you may have anticipated, we are moving towards the end of the Boston arc. Next chapter will be the last one of this arc. After that... well, you'll see. Are you excited?

Vote 🌟 and comment 💬.