"She is my home;
He is my adventure"
- Unknown

CHAPTER 21

Mishti didn't know what Abir wanted to do. But she knew what she wanted. And so, She initiated the kiss this time. She pulled him closer and brought his lips to hers. With a groan, Abir caught hold of Mishti and rolled sideways so that he would be on the bottom and bearing her weight.

The kiss was tentative at first, but then, she grew more daring and kissed him with all she had. Mishti realised that though Abir had twisted their positions, he had done nothing more than that. This was her kiss. He was kissing her back but she was in control of it.

The realisation made her stop. She pulled back from Abir though she couldn't get up with him holding her close. Their eyes met and Abir gave her another of his bewitching smiles.

Abir : That was a wonderful welcome.

Mishti tried to move, but Abir still held her firm against him. He caught some of her strands and twisted them slowly, their eyes never wavering. But finally, Mishti placed a hand on his cheek and whispered.

Mishti (whispering) : Abir!

Abir blinked.

Abir : Yes?

Mishti : Let me go. I must be heavy.

Abir smiled at that. Mishti didn't weigh a thing. But he did let go of her and she stood up, straightening her hair as she did so. She watched him get up as well and made his tie again.

After ten minutes, they were ready. Mishti wearing a black T Shirt with dark jeans and her brother's enormous coat so that they would cover her chest. Her hair was tucked into a bun and she wore the hoodie that was present in the coat.

Mishti : What do you think?

Abir shook his head and shrugged.

Abir : I think you still look like a girl.

Mishti : Oh wow! I wonder why that is. Let me see, Maybe it's because I am a girl. Stop scowling. You know as well as I do, that they do allow women inside. I don't see why I can't come like myself. I could disguise myself a little.

Abir : NO!

Mishti stared at him perplexed.

Abir : I don't take women to the Poker House, Mishti. If I interact with women there, which I almost never do, it would be someone who was already attending.

Mishti looked at him exasperated.

Mishti : As much as I would love to hear about your amorous exploits, I don't want to waste any more time. Now, Can we go?

Abir : Sure! Wait. Here's your voucher.

Mishti took the ticket that he handed over and gasped in shock.

Mishti : Rs 20000? I thought we weren't gambling in the actual tables.

Abir : We aren't going to be gambling with anyone.You aren't even to talk to anyone, You understand?

Mishti : What are we doing there then? What, Am I just going to gamble with you? I told that to Kuhu but I never imagined it would turn out to be true.

Abir smiled and nodded.

Abir : Precisely. I have a room booked which is why the fare is so high. But you cannot afford to get caught. So you will do nothing more than enter the place and come with me to the room. Ok?

Mishti : But..

Abir shook his head firmly.

Abir : No, Mishti. We need to be careful and I will not have you or your reputation gossipped about. Do you understand?

Mishti : Fine!

Abir nodded regally with the confidence of one who was never crossed. Mishti rolled her eyes as he walked over to the window.

Mishti : But...

Abir stiffened. Mishti smiled inwardly. She liked surprising him. She wondered if anyone had dared question him when he used his "imperious" tone.

Mishti : I want to play roulette.

Abir : I just told you we won't stop anywhere.

Mishti : If all I wanted to do was play cards, I would play here.

Abir : An amazing idea. Come on, Let's play.

Mishti : Abir Rajvansh! Climb down the window this instant.

She used her deepest and most sternest voice that she could muster and stared at him as he raised an eyebrow at her imperiousness. Then he shook his head and began climbing down the ladder. Mishti smiled. She had won this round and they both knew it.

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Mishti spoke in a deep voice.

Mishti : Hello!

Abir : No. That still sounds like a girl.

Mishti : I'm sick of this. I'll let you do all the talking if you'll just let us go inside.

Abir : Alright. But be careful and stay close to me, Ok?

Mishti nodded and they entered. Her eyes shone with excitement and she looked here and there curiously. Abir took her hand and pressed slightly. She turned to look at him.

Abir (whispering) : Be more stoic. Look anywhere. But be less expressive. Got it?

Mishti : Yes.

While Abir showed their vouchers to the receptionist, Mishti walked to the entrance of the casino which was to the right. On the left, she could see a long corridor at the end of which there seemed to be stairs. Through the glass doors of the casino She could see the roulette table which was completely crowded with people who seemed to be holding their tokens. In another table, she observed a serious game of poker going on. She was just about to enter the room when Abir coughed. She turned to look at him.

Abir : They've got a room for us to have our meeting. We can have supper later. Once our meeting is concluded, We can come to the casino to celebrate. What say?

Mishti was confused. What was he on about? But she didn't show her suspicion and merely nodded. She came back from the casino and followed Abir to their room. It was quite spacious with a desk and chair, a sofa set and a mini fridge. There was a dressing table with a mirror near a huge bed. Mishti blinked. Why was there a bed here?

Abir : Sorry about that. I couldn't tell them that only the two of us are playing cards nor could I tell them you're a girl. So I acted like we were having a meeting. People do that often here. Because of... You know?

Mishti : No, I don't know.

Abir looked at Mishti, amused.

Abir : Why do you think this place is so exclusive and almost barred to girls?

Mishti : The chauvinistic pig who started this didn't want ladies to come, I suppose. Just like the chauvinistic pig who said that only men can fence.

Abir chuckled but stopped when Mishti glared daggers at him.

Abir : I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh at your expense. But, You just looked so disgruntled that...

Mishti : Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Now tell me why women aren't supposedly allowed in here. I did see few of them inside, you know. It's not like this is a brothel, Is it?

Seeing Abir's flush, Mishti was shocked. She had unwittingly hit the nail on the head. She stared at Abir, stunned.

Mishti : Seriously, The Poker House is a brothel?

Abir : SHH! Don't shout. Definitely don't ever mention this outside. Yes, The Poker House is a casino where very expensive games take place. However, It also masquerades as a place where men bring their, for want of a better word, mistresses.

Mishti (horrified) : Are they hookers? I mean, Are they paid?

Abir shrugged uncomfortably.

Abir : I don't know. I've never wanted to find out.

Mishti thought about it, then nodded firmly.

Mishti : My NGO hasn't dealt with something new for a while. I shall get started on this. I need to know that these women are here voluntarily and safe.

She frowned at him.

Mishti : You have a duty to society, Mr Rajvansh. If you can find something about these girls, please let me know.

Abir nodded.

Abir : I've been here only twice. I haven't heard anything about anyone being mistreated but I will do my best to help you. By the way, How is your NGO going? You've been spending so much time with Anya that I feel like I've been keeping you away from your work.

Mishti chuckled.

Mishti : You don't need to worry about that. I have a capable secretary. She is so efficient that I only seem to be signing papers and not doing any work. I should probably hand over the company to her and let her do the signing work as well but I'm afraid I'll be completely lazy then.

Abir : Do you require funding?

Mishti looked at him surprised. Was he really interested in her NGO? Usually, people weren't. In fact, they offered donations just so she wouldn't talk about issues they didn't need to care about.

Mishti : There are a few patrons who donate generously. Naksh gives quarter of his bonus to the organization. Kuhu as well. She forgoes her commission from her clients from her interior decorating form and gives it all to me. We have a few international charities and I hold fundraisers from time to time.

Abir (surprised) : You have?

Mishti : Your contributions have been very generous even though you decline the invitations.

Abir nodded and made a mental note to inform his accountant to send over monthly cheques to the NGO.

Mishti : What do you do when you come here?

Abir blinked and looked at her.

Abir : Play cards, drink or hang out at the roulette table.

Mishti : That's all?

Abir : You sound surprised.

Mishti : Yes, Well... Well... Hey, Why aren't we playing cards. Come on. We came here to gamble, Didn't we?

Abir chuckled again and Mishti's insides warmed. Abir wasn't like those other lecherous men. The rumours that surrounded him were mostly false.

Abir : So, do you know how to play blackjack?

Mishti shook her head. For the next few moments, he explained the rules of the game—helping Mishti to understand the strategy required to ensure that her cards were valued as closely to twenty-one as they could be without exceeding the number. They played several rounds, Abir letting her win during the first two games and then, on the third and fourth games, he beat her roundly. On the fifth game, she was thrilled that she had reached twenty when he flipped over his cards and showed his twenty-one.

Frustrated by another loss, Mishti glared at him.

Mishti : You cheated!

He looked at her, wide-eyed with feigned outrage.

Abir : I assure you, I'm not cheating.

Mishti : I'm not assured. And I still don't understand how people can get addicted to this. What's so exciting about the game?

Abir : You don't see it, sweetheart, because you have nothing at risk. We win or lose but when we play for something, We should experience the thrill of winning and fear losing.

Mishti : What are we going to play for? Money?

Abir : Whatever suits you.

Mishti : You don't care if you lose money.

Abir : Not particularly.

Mishti frowned. No, Playing for money would not do.

Mishti : We will decide upon the terms such that you have something to lose as well.

Abir's eyes flickered but he finally nodded.

Abir's : What are your terms to be then, Miss Singhania?

Mishti : An honest answer to my question, Whatever they may be. Each time I win, I will ask you a question for which I'll expect an honest answer.

Abir : What sort of questions?

Mishti winked and grinned.

Mishti : Scared, Mr Rajvansh?

Abir : Alright, Goddess. You win. Now for my terms, For every time I lose, You do something I say.

Mishti : Like what?

Abir merely smiled.

Abir : Are you afraid?

Yes. She met his eyes firmly.

Mishti : Of course not.

Abir murmured excellent and began dealing the cards. Mishti finally felt the excitement and thrill of gambling. Every turn of the cards had her breath catching in her throat as she sought ways to beat Abir. And, on the first round, she did...although she couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't possible that he'd let her do so.

Not that she cared. She wanted her answer. She leaned back in her chair and watched for several moments as his long, graceful fingers collected the cards from the table, stacking them carefully and idly shuffling them while he waited for her question. She met his eyes.

Mishti : Why did you agree to bring me here?

Abir : You wanted to come here, Goddess! Don't you remember?

Mishti : Ofcourse I do. But that doesn't mean you couldn't have avoided it. There were many excuses you could have made, any number of reasons to make me change my mind. For God's sake, You could have gone to my brother. But you didn't. So, Tell me, Why?

Abir stared at her for a long time before replying.

Abir : Because I wanted to see you happy. I wanted to be the one who made this happiness possible for you, Temptress.

Mishti blushed a pretty pink.

Mishti : You shouldn't call me that.

Abir : Temptress? 

Mishti : It doesn't suit me.

Abir : Nonsense. You have no idea how fiery and sweet you are. You are a temptation for everyone. You are the very personification of your name.

Mishti : You've said something similar before.

He turned a curious look on her.

Abir : I have?

She met his eyes and immediately regretted bringing up the old memory, so insignificant to him—so very meaningful to her. She spoke quickly, trying to end the moment.

Mishti : Yes. I don't remember when. Shall we play?

His eyes narrowed on her slightly before he nodded. She was so flustered during the next round that he won easily, twenty to her twenty-eight.

Abir : That was careless.

Mishti : Wow! I wouldn't have noticed. Thanks a lot.

Abir laughed.

Mishti : What do you want?

Abir : Let down your hair.

Mishti blinked, confused.

Mishti : I beg your pardon?

Abir : Let your hair loose, Mishti.

She considered his words briefly before lifting her hands and removing the pins that held her hair in place. As it fell in soft, brownish black waves around her shoulders.

Abir : Gorgeous.

His gaze hadn't left her as she'd released her locks from their tight restraint. The words, spoken in the dark voice she was coming to adore, set her pulse racing.

She cleared her throat.

Mishti : Shall we continue?

He dealt the cards again. She won.

Mishti : Why do you keep kissing me? You could have anyone.

He froze, but then relaxed and shook his head.

Abir : I don't want anyone.

Mishti : Oh!

She wasn't sure what she had been expecting him to say, but it hadn't been that.

Abir : I prefer your company to anyone else.

Mishti found she had no energy to raise her voice. She whispered the word instead.

Mishti : Why?

Abir didn't reply. Instead he dealt the cards and they played the next round in silence, but it was clear he was no longer playing a harmless game of twenty-one. She knew from his hard face that he would win, and her heart pounded in her chest at the thought—what would he do in the face of her outburst?

When he won, he threw his cards into the center of the table. In silence, he stood, moved to the sideboard and poured two glasses of scotch. Returning, he offered her one of the tumblers.

She took it and sipped the amber liquid, surprised when she did not sputter and cough as she had dont before. She observed Abir taking his seat.

Abir : Come here.

Though he used his imperious voice, for some inexplicable reason, at that moment, Mishti was drawn to the command. She stood and went to him, stopping mere inches from his right arm. She waited, the sound of her own blood pounding in her ear, the sound of her breath seeming to fill the room.

The wait was tortuous.

Abir : Sit!

Mishti shrugged inwardly and made a move to sit in the chair next to his. But he caught her hand and pulled her towards himself.

Abir : Not there, my Goddess. Here.

He wanted her to sit on his lap. This was her moment to turn back. Whatever happened now would change her life forever. She knew that she would be agreeing to more than a kiss. 

But this was her chance to experience it all. With Abir. He cared about her. She knew he did. That would be enough for tonight.

She moved to stand directly in front of him and met his eyes. She did not say anything; she did not have to. Within seconds, he had pulled her down onto his lap and stroked her face gently never leaving her gaze. She caught his hand and kissed it. 

She placed her hands around his neck and bent forward and kissed both his cheeks. His forehead. His nose. She looked at him once more and nodded.

He pulled her even closer if that were possible and kissed her on the mouth.

This was it.

There was no turning back.

She gave herself up to the adventure.

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