His Pretended Fiancee`(spin off of Marriage For Convenience)

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"A little heads up would have been better" I said as I reached up to her urging to get down so I could ride. "let me ride us home"

But the actual badass Sia that she is, she nodded in denial. "Sia" I said, "you know you cannot drive"

But she ignored and flipped the glass of her helmet "hop on" she shouted from behind the roaring of machine.

"No you get down" I insisted.

However there was a tiny glitch, I forgot this was Sia that I was dealing with.

She twisted the handle of the bike racing it and let the bike roar yet louder muffling my requests to let me drive.

Sighing I had to jump over the now scary engine and place myself besides her.

I did make sure not to be too clingy too her. I maintained my space resisting the urges to hold her waist, we weren't dating, I wasn't even sure if we were friends, we were simply pretending.

Having kissed her twice before I now knew how it felt like, I wanted more or the devil inside me couldn't take the age gap between us.

He wanted the formidable.

So I guess the best thing to be done was restrain.

Taking a deep breath in I took the helmet and was about to wear when she leaned back towards me closing the gap that I had so deliberately maintained, her glass lifted up as she said "Hold me tight, you are going to have the fun of your life" she winked and pushed up the glass. The beasty engine now came to life as she accelerated and hit the roads.

God this girl is really something.

Wait wait wait does she even know the way home

''''''''''

"You must be a real hell of a kid when you were young giving your moma tough time." I remarked as I opened the gate of our apartment adrenaline form the speed bike ride like we were actually participating in a road race taking over me.

I actually enjoyed being a part of reckless, corrections larger than life speed riding.

How often while playing road rash on my psp had I wished to ride the bike with such terrific speed on the road but didn't have in me or I was always taught to be careful while behind the engine.

"No I was very shy and timid" she blurted all of a sudden adrenaline of the fast ride taking over her and when she realized that she'd spoken about her past her vulnerable part being on the crease, she shut herself faking a yawn "sleep tight charming boy" as she paced towards her room in the apartment.

Feeling guilty to have spoilt the evening that we'd agreed to watch the marathon of Sherlock Holmes, I let her go and landed myself on the couch watching some soccer game on the sports channel that Sia never lets me watch when she is in the room.

It was only quarter the time when she returned and looked for the bag shuffling between the mess of things to find her dose of painkiller.

I knew

I had observed her.

With her wavy hair all over her face and eyes squinted, I knew she'd been tossing in her bed and now had her killer headache back.

After seven minutes of agonized hunt when she sighed irritably unable to get her savior; the painkiller, I called her "Sia"

"What?" she shouted obviously irritated and disinterested.

I stood up and held her hand puling her with me to the couch.

I sat on the couch and said, "lie down with me."

"Aren't you getting confidently cocky?" bless her to use her humor even in pain.

"No I meant let your head rest on my lap and lie down on the sofa, I am not joining even if you wanted otherwise" I winked at her playing along.

"You so wish" she said not missing the duh' face but still complied and lay on the sofa taking a deep sigh and pressing her forehead with her hand.

I pushed her hand away not missing the milky white skin that was looking a little paler blame the headache but she still looked like a beauty descended from heaven, her eyes shut that were guarded by pair of longest lashes that I have ever seen or perhaps she is the only girl with whom I might have noticed how complimentary they look on her face, her sharp nose was like sculpted but the stray line of water passing her closed eyes reminded what was the ordeal about.

I started moving my fingers on her brows like I did earlier as her mother used to do.

I added a little pressure besides her brows that I had learnt during my academy days were the pressure points and it worked because soon she'd open her eyes and was looking at me, I could see how beautifully golden her eyes shone in dim orange light of the room, the black freckles in multiples were visible and the dark hollow in the center spoke volumes of pain that she'd buried inside her.

Nevertheless she was beautiful in her own way.

When she found me staring for long she coughed to interrupt.

Suddenly conscious that I was actually gawking at her beautiful face, I complimented her "You have beautiful eyes. I haven't seen such golden and black eyes ever earlier."

To that she laughed heartily.

Was it a joke or a compliment?

I thought to myself rephrasing the words I spoke earlier in my head. What was the humor in that sentence?

But I still smiled because her laughter was indeed contagious.

"How many girls have had the privilege to rest on your laps and show off their eye color?" she asked still laughing, "I am sure you don't even remember Genelia's eye color."

I bit my lip scratching the back of my neck uncomfortable that she knew more about me than I had assumed. She was actually right. I haven't noticed any girl's eye color in detail ever earlier. Hell I don't even remember Genelia's color. Well I don't have to because she would change it everyday. She had colored contacts and she'd also fixed a day for each of them; grays for Mondays, hazels for Wednesdays and so on. Too bad I could never remember which color would she wear when"

"I have eyes like my mother." Sia said and now I forgot about everything else, my complete concentration on the golden-eyed girl with her head rested on my laps " they said that hers were much expressive than mine. Hers would always twinkle with happiness. She was very happy with my father, only love of her life."

When Sia closed her yes I realized I had stopped massaging her eyebrows and she was now holding my hands rather pressing them, trying to suppress the memories of her past probably.

"What happened?' I couldn't help but ask.

"I was unwell. I had both dengue and typhoid together. My body temperature reached 106. Doctors said that I wouldn't survive. So my mom prayed and promised that she'd visit Golden temple in Amritsar if my temperature dropped down and I healed." She closed her eyes again, pain on her fair face quite evident and her bitter wish left her lips "I so wish I shouldn't have healed."

"Sshhh" I said as I put my finger on her lips but she held my hand again, tiny droplets rested on the brim of her eyes but she rolled them and did not let them fall.

"We weren't well off so when I was fine dad and mom decided to let me rest with gran ma, I was still weak and not fit to have a two day travel by train. So the two traveled alone with a promise that they'd get me kraah Prasad from the famous temple. I loved kraah, an Indian delicacy" she chuckled at the memory. "I used to eat that everyday. It was so sweet and full of ghee. I was a very plump child while I was young."

I was now massaging her palms. Although she was speaking but the wavering of the voice depicted how hurt she was "we did not have mobile phones those day and I was eagerly waiting for my parents to call once they reached Amritsar. But they never did." She paused swallowing the bile on her throat "the train derailed and out of 15casualties, my parents were two of them." 

I wanted to say that I was sorry for her loss. But I knew no words of condolences were enough. So I let her speak.

When no words came out of her mouth I stopped caressing the back of her palms that I did not realize I was doing and found her deep asleep.

Moving the strand of hair that tickled her face aside, I lifted her and took her to her room proud of myself to have her relieved another day without her pain killer.

I wonder how she manages back in India. 

What I can recall is all the Malhotra females including Pari are very caring. 

Had they been aware they would have definitely stopped her from having tablets, gran ma would have suggested some meditation music, Pinki moma would have hunted for some pink primrose flavored oil to massage her head and Pari, lets not even go there- she might have added all range of healthy and tasteless veggies including broccoli, beans, guards, black pepper and spinach to her meals.

No wonder she retorted to medicines.

Chuckling at the melodramatic family Sia has I cover her with the comforter and smile when she hugged her pillow like it was a teddy and turned around to painless slumber.

''''''''''''''''''

With Raj's continuous pressure and frequent calls for Sia to come back home as soon as possible, we had only couple a days to play tourists.

"Damn your annoying brother" I cursed when he called for third time in a day.

"He is only being protective" Sia defended him.

"No he is being cave man protective, soon he might develop a monkey face, a hung back and a tail just like our ancestors" I chuckled at the mental picture "then Angie could actually get him a leash and have him wagging his tail around her."

Instead of laughing at my high grade humor Sia elbowed me hard on my ribs "You are being mean."

Rubbing my abdomen I shouted back "you are being violent."

"Okay if your bickering about my brother is over" Sia said as she sat on the computer table with her laptop open, her hand on the touchpad of her macbook as she concentrated on the screen, a pair of rimless glasses rested on her nose giving her the strict teacher vibe 

I would totally skip the part where I admit that she looked extremely hawwt' with those glasses on and a strong urge to find out whether the existence of glasses affected when the two kissed.

But I knew I have to back up

Right there and then

"Now we have only a day and half for the city tour which all places you'd like to visit?' she asked my opinion as if it was going to matter at all.

No kidding guys

Because when I opinioned "I don't think I want to visit Great Wall of China, it's a bit too overrated and I have seen too many travel shows about the same, I can take a rain check"

"NOOOO" she completely disagreed "I have read so much about the great wall every year since childhood, it being one of the seven wonders of the world, I believe the tourist in me is going to curse me till infinity if I do not visit the place and again how disappointed my geography teacher is going to be when she finds out that I visited China and missed the tourist attraction-the great china wall."

"Totally" I said sincerely sarcasm dripping every syllable of the word that spoke "And where pray is your geography teacher now. Do you wish her on every teachers day?" I did not miss the bitterness in my voice "its not even a part of the seven wonders of the world now. What would be her opinion about that?"

Sia bit her lip, he eyes wandering around looking for some pathetic excuse "actually I did not see her after my tenth grade" she said sheepish "thank god for that, she'd always smell of combination of castor and sesame oil" she shuddered at the memory of the smell and then she pouted like a girl begging for another set of Barbie doll "please can we go visit the place, I promise the other half day tour would be of your choice." She said encouragingly but immediately said "however I oogled this amazing place called Li river. We can totally go there and then later in the evening we can get our flight from Guilin Lianjiang international airport tadaa!" she finished excitedly.

There goes my chance to choose the destination of half day tour

The way she was excited about the hills and beautiful artistic natural landscape of the place I had no choice but agree.

Not that I had any preferences. I was okay even if we nestled in the same apartment for next two days but I caved in. 

You know I did not want to disappoint Sia's geography teacher either. *all the pun intended

'''''''''''''''''

The flight back was normal. Initially I tried to work as a payback by denying all the drinks and chocolates and appetizers but once they started serving dinner my stomach started growling like there was a war inside between two dinosaurs and also they were serving a typical Indian cuisine namely butter chicken and tandoori paneer[barbequed cottage cheese], I couldn't resist the drool coming out of my mouth.

"no no we wont hav..." Sia was about to object but once the aroma of other passengers unveiled trays reached her nostrils I knew she was a gonner.

But I forgot it was Sia I was dealing with quickly she told the stewardess "vegan fro my dear friend here." And before I could object she blocked me and landed her lips on mine.

I was just trying to figure how fruity and soft her pink hues were but were interrupted by loud shout of the steward "Sir? Ma'am your food please" she placed the trays on the table and bent a little further to mention "some Asian parents might object the usual show of pda's here" she looked left and right signaling the kids onboard.

Then clearing her throat, "since you are a cute couple I can help you. You can come after five minutes" she showed the five fingers on her palm, her pinned straight hair falling on her forehead as she spoke animatedly.

Sometimes I really do wonder can we actually stitch clothes with such thin, pointed hair, no offenses though I love these straightened hair. Can't blame the curiosity though.

Sia elbowed me hard considered the lack of attention I was giving to the idea of using the restroom for reasons other they'd been designed for. 

But man that uniformed girl was on a roll she kept on helping "and half a minute later ma'am you can follow him to the restroom" she winked "I will make sure that no one disturbs you in the duration"

"Huh, huh Yes" excited Sia readily agreed "sure." She was rubbing her palms as if the stewardess was suggesting adventure sport skydiving and not s*x in a flying plane.

"No" I pressed my mouth with the back of my palm for being too loud.

"No" Sia pouted obviously she wanted to have some dry fun

"No?" the stewardess scrunched her eyebrows in question; very disappointed at my denial.

The squint eye look that she gave me said that she thought I was a gay for she actually murmured 'such a pretty face, I knew wasn't possible' are you gay?" it was her chance to cover her mouth because she never intended to express her thoughts aloud.

"No" I repeated again.

What is wrong with people assuming me as gay?

"Then why?" the pointed hair girl was almost in distress,

'Yes yes" Sia was having too much fun at my cost "why? I mean why not?"

Is this girl crazy?

"Yes why?" both the girls started asking in unison

Are both the girls crazy?

I mean all my male friends used to say girls are crazy but I used to ignore them as egoistic and male chauvinists.

But these two girls are a new definition of crazy.

Now when the aroma of delicious food was hitting and torturing my hungry senses these two girls were out of their mind asking me that me; why a guy is denying a heated $ex with a hawt girl like Sia

Why why why they shouted in one part of speech to another

Tired I blurted out "because because " I pointed at Sia "She is pregnant" 

And for a change I did not cover my mouth at the white lie I just happened to blurt out.

"What?" the Chinese girl first appeared shocked and then smiled "really? congratulations!" 

"O" Sia made a round face and went along making me wonder why she was not fighting or denying.

She simply pouted, sunk into her seat and started nibbling her food silently.

Wow! Girls are really crazy.

The hyper happy stewardess returned back with a tray full of fruits, pickles, chocolates, few more desert sweets and handed it to Sia "you must be craving" she said and looking at her flat belly she added "first trimester?"

Sia nodded excitedly even her eyes drooling at the sight of delicious eateries.

"And yes" steward extended a bag of stuffed toys "for the baby from " she said shyly "my name's Min La Mia.

While Sia spelled her words and repeated I wanted to tell her that I had already read her nametag but I referred to silently focus on my vegan food. 

God knows what these crazy females could do.

"I will surely pass on your love to the baby" Sia said caressing her fake baby non existent bump.

Sia lifted the bag of goodies excitedly like showing off her Olympic gold medal "reason why I wet along with your stupid lie"

"Did I ask?" I fake yawned appearing bored.

"hah ha" she elbowed me on the ribs "I know you were dying out of curiosity and if the saying curiosity kills the cat would have been real, you'd been abducted for animal abuse"

I couldn't help but laugh.

The girl did have a sense of humor

I am gonna miss her once in India!

''''''''''''

"Your bag" I shouted when I saw a purple colored skybag .

Well the heated discussion about her using a purple colored bag because it was easy to identify from series of black and blue bags from the conveyor belt and me having a laugh about it was over.

"No it isn't mine. Probably someone else also realizes the uniqueness of colors." Sia remarked keeping her point of earlier teasing me "others simply are picking up every second luggage and checking their name tags." She wriggled her tongue teasing me when I lifted another bag and found out it wasn't mine.

"Okay okay I am a bummer," I finally admitted making her dance in joy.

Her happy stance made me smile.

However it didn't last long.

I could see her facial features tense and her body stiff suddenly, happy go lucky Sia from earlier was soon replaced.

She fixated her eyes from the start of conveyor belt avoiding to look anywhere else.

She definitely was at unease.

"Everything alright?' I asked Sia.

But she did not reply.

I would easily admit that he was not listening at all.

"Sia" I pulled her from her elbows as she was bent to pick a black bag that was mine.

That could definitely wait.

"SIA" no this wasn't me.

While I turned around to look at the source of caller, Sia was muttering some curses under her breath.

"Sia" the caller called again looking very enthusiastically.

"Ravin" Sia smiled back, the smile never reached her eyes, and it was definitely a fake one.

"Wow!" the Ravin guy exclaimed excitedly "long time" he stretched his hand for a shake.

Sia gave one look at me and I knew she wasn't comfortable.

Neither was I coz like a male that I was I didn't spare a moment to size him up, a chocolate boy image that girls love, long hair falling off his forehead, two day stubble that is in the days, this guy was definitely Sia's age.

And for you guys who are stuck up with my gay image, I am not noticing , it is my only low self-esteem that sprouts out everytime when it is about Sia, my age being the only factor.

I wish I could erase that gap.

This guy was definitely good looking but Sia she didn't care a dam.

Who was I kidding?

Sia too gave a once over to the guy and was lost in her old memories once they had their face off.

Although lost in her thoughts which I knew weren't very pleasant ones because I did notice the twitching of her eyes when he stood in front of him , she however shook the hand and yelped when the guy pulled her for a hug.

Sia did hug him back, yet stiffness in her demeanor multiplied.

Noticing the discomfort, I pulled Sia besides me 'I get it you two are friends but it would be rude if I did not introduce myself 'Sandeep khurana , her fiancé' Sia leaned on to me immediately as the guy introduced himself "Ravin Sahi, her ex ' he smiled a devilish smile giving me the hint that he had an upper hand on Sia.

"I am so sorry for you. Too bad I am lucky to have the best." It was a kind of verbal brawl as we eyed and assessed each other, my glare only intended to say 'back the f##k off. She's mine.'

"Oh my past and present tenses" Sia waved in front of us 'all our baggage have arrived.

Her stance relaxing all of a sudden like past few minutes of knife piercing didn't exist at all making me recall how she converted the word tension into tenses smooth...

She was back to her confident, smiling and feisty Sia

And I liked this Sia a lot

Making our own o' faces both of us lifted the bags and headed towards the exit.

It only took few seconds for the revelation to hit me that 'Ravin was picking a light mauve bag and Sia had recognized that the baggage was his.'

Out of all the maniac and drama one thing was for sure 'this Ravin guy wasn't good news'