Chapter-15
1145 Words
Aaira sat on the floor of her room, eyes squeezed shut, palms pressed together, mumbling feverishly under her breath. The weight of last night’s horrifying realization had hit her like a freight train. She—an orthodox, deeply religious woman—had consumed alcohol.
She had sinned.
And the only logical thing to do? Pray.
“Oh, Almighty, please forgive me for my unknown mistake! I swear I didn’t do it on purpose. I have never touched alcohol in my entire life. I would rather drink neem juice for eternity than let such an impurity enter my system again! Oh, my Lord, I beg for Your mercy! Please do not let me be thrown into the pits of hell for this one mistake. I promise to feed the poor, give extra charity, and—”
“Mom?”
Aarsh’s voice cut through her dramatic prayer, and she turned sharply to see her son standing at the doorway, his eyebrows knit in confusion.
“What… are you doing?”
She gasped, clutching her chest as if he had caught her committing a crime. “Aarsh! How dare you interrupt my moment of repentance? Do you even know what happened last night?!”
Aarsh frowned, scratching his head. “Yeah… the party ended early, and you—”
“I DRANK ALCOHOL!” she wailed, cutting him off with the horror of her own confession.
Aarsh’s mouth fell open. “Wait… what?”
“Yes! "YOUR foolish friends spiked a drink, and I—oh, my lord, please forgive me!” she cried, falling back into her prayer stance. I am doomed! My soul is impure!”
Aarsh blinked at her exaggerated misery, then slowly sat beside her. “So, uh… how does one repent for accidentally drinking alcohol?”
She turned her fiery gaze on him. “YOU SHOULD KNOW! It was your party! Your friends! YOUR FAULT!”
“Okay, okay! I get it! "Let’s, uh, pray together?” Aarsh awkwardly joined his mother, closing his eyes and mumbling under his breath. “Dear God, I didn’t know my mom would steal my drink and make this a big deal, but I am sorry for everything that happened.”
Aaira smacked the back of his head. “I DIDN’T STEAL ANYTHING, AARSH!”
Meanwhile, Arthur stood by the doorway, arms crossed, watching them with the most entertaining expression he had worn in years. The sight of both mother and son dramatically repenting over an accidental sip of alcohol was something out of a sitcom.
“This,” Arthur murmured to himself, “is hands down the most dramatic family I’ve ever met.”
Aaira shot him a glare. “And YOU! Standing there and mocking my pain! Have you no shame?!”
Arthur smirked. “Oh, I do. But I seem to have left it in New York.”
Aarsh sighed. “Alright, drama queen, calm down. Let’s just agree that this never happened.”
Aaira gasped. “HAVE NEVER HAPPENED? I will remember this for the rest of my life! I will carry this shame to my grave!”
Arthur chuckled. “If that’s the case, then you might as well make it a good story.”
Aaira threw a pillow at him. He caught it effortlessly, still smirking.
The Next Day
Aaira was determined to find out if she had done anything… inappropriate during her drunken state.
With her heart pounding in her chest, she approached Arthur, who was reading a newspaper in his lounge.
“Arthur,” she began hesitantly.
“Hm?” he replied lazily, flipping a page.
She cleared her throat, looking everywhere but at him. “Last night… did I… say anything strange?”
Arthur lowered the newspaper just enough for her to see his mischievous smirk. “Strange? No.”
Aaira let out a relieved sigh. “Oh, thank Go—”
“But,” Arthur continued, tilting his head with feigned seriousness, “you did kiss me.”
The world around Aaira shattered into a million pieces.
“WHAT?!” she shrieked, stepping back in horror. “I—I would NEVER—!”
Arthur, enjoying every second of her reaction, put on his best fake thoughtful expression. “Yeah, it was right after you declared, ‘Arthur, you are the most handsome man I have ever laid eyes on!’ And then BAM! You just threw yourself at me.”
Aaira felt her knees buckle. Her vision blurred. Her hands trembled. “No… no, no, no… I—”
She clutched her head, the humiliation suffocating her. “How could I?! I am a woman of dignity! A woman of faith! I—I kissed a MAN?! In a drunken state?!”
Arthur leaned forward. “Not just any man. Me, the superstar.”
Aaira let out a guttural scream, and in a panic, she slapped herself.
Arthur raised an amused eyebrow. “Uh… what are you doing?”
“I AM PUNISHING MYSELF FOR MY SINS!” she howled, slapping her own cheeks dramatically.
Arthur couldn’t hold it any longer. He burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.
Aaira froze. The realization dawned on her. “You—” she gasped, pointing a trembling finger at him. “You LIED!”
Arthur wiped a tear of laughter from his eyes. “Well, yeah. But your reaction was priceless.”
Aaira’s horror quickly transformed into rage. “YOU—YOU rascal!”
With a war cry, she launched herself at him, but Arthur was quick. He jumped up, narrowly dodging her slap, and sprinted away.
“ARTHUR BLACK, COME BACK HERE!” she roared, chasing after him like an avenging angel.
Arthur darted through the mansion, laughing as Aaira stormed after him, shouting death threats.
Just as they reached his bedroom, Arthur turned around at the wrong moment, and Aaira, unable to stop in time, collided straight into him.
The impact sent them both crashing onto his massive bed.
Aaira groaned, dazed, as she realized she was sprawled over Arthur’s chest.Her hands were gripping his shirt, her nose barely an inch from his. His hands had instinctively caught her waist to steady her.
For a second, they both just stared at each other.
The room was silent.
Arthur smirked. “Well… this is an interesting development.”
Aaira’s eyes widened in horror. “GET OFF ME!”
She pushed herself up, scrambling to escape, but Arthur, ever the devil, caught her wrist and pulled her to him. “No running away after ruining my peace, woman.”
“You deserved it!” she huffed, trying to pry his hand off her.
Arthur grinned. “If that’s how you feel, should I lie to you more often?”
Aaira grabbed a pillow and smacked him right in the face.
And Arthur felt alive in years.
To be continued….
- Writer
