Falling for Him

CHAPTER 3

Arya’s POV

I started the engine of my car and started weaving through the traffic, driving to our usual spot. It's a playground not too far from my place. It used to be near our school. We used to hang out there on most play dates or while bunking classes. We stopped going to school after we passed out, but never gave up going to the playground. It had become a secret hideout. Except it wasn’t a secret nor a hideout.

Once I reached the playground, I put the car into parking and walked towards our spot, which was the last corner of the playground. The lights around were reduced and it gave out a dark and mysterious vibe. Kiara was sitting on our bench, with a cigarette in her hand, but it wasn't lit. She used to smoke as much as me, in fact more than me. Dr. Keith, her boyfriend, helped her quit. And ever since then, she had always kept a pack with her, took it out when she was stressed, but never smoked it. “I contemplate whether to do the right thing or not.” She said. She has that self-control and that’s the one thing I envy about her.

I walked up to her and took the cigarette and lighter from her hands and lit it for myself. Taking two full drags and staring at the 'A+K' engraved at the back of the bench, I smiled. All the while, her eyes were staring at me. “You know you have to quit that before you start blowing tar from your nose every time you catch a cold.” She admonished.

I just rolled my eyes at her comment, “And you could have simply told me not to smoke instead of using that horribly lame excuse of a situation. Anyway, tell me what happened.” I said as I sat down next to her. She exhaled a frustrated sigh and shook her head.

"We were supposed to meet today." She said, heaving another frustrated sigh.

"That's it? You called me all the way here, at this time, when I was in the middle of a very important dinner, to tell me that you couldn't meet your love doctor?" I scowled at her. She smacked me on the head.

"You live two blocks away from here. So don't act like you're doing me a favor. Shut up and listen." She yelled.

"Fine!" I said, dragging the 'i' with a groan.

"We've been planning to meet for over two weeks and he always cancels at the last minute. Some internship program keeps him busy. He's been working 20 hours a day. It's driving him nuts along with me. He doesn't have time for me. He had to cancel our 4 month anniversary date for some intern who couldn't cut a bloody plaster from some old hag's foot! Don't they teach them that in med school? Our four month anniversary, Arya!" she finished.

I couldn't stop myself from bursting out into snorts of laughter! Four month Anniversary!? Who even does that? Well, that earned me a killer glare and another smack on the back of my head. That helped me suppress the laughter and become serious, before getting my face bruised. Well, at least I tried. She just kept glaring at me as if I was the one who didn't show up for our date. Deciding on finally being there for my friend, I said, "Look, he's a doctor at the prime of his career. If anything, you should support him. I know it's tough considering you guys don't get to spend time with each other, but it's not like he isn't trying or he is deliberately not meeting you. Him not meeting you is because of a genuine reason."

"I know, but how am I supposed to be with someone who's always irritated? It's like we are fighting all the time! We talk over the phone, we fight because he's usually calling to cancel plans. We meet, we fight because we try to sort out the previous fights and end up having another fight. And when we aren't in contact, we’re thinking of fighting because we aren't talking! It’s too unhealthy!"

"That's because you’re trying to grab his attention. Which is fair, but not through the fights. Just stop for a minute with the fighting or resolving the issues. All you have to do is give him the time and space that he requires. Support him as much as you can. Imagine the kind of pressure he has to go through, with that crazy work and then his crazy girlfriend who wouldn’t give him a break. He needs to figure out how to balance the two most important things in his life with a hectic schedule. But he needs your support for it. He expects you to understand and be there for him."

"You know you're my best friend and not his. Stop defending him." She rolled her eyes at me, knowing I was right.

"I'm not defending him, I'm just trying to add a new perspective. In the end, it's you who's going to be happy. And to me your happiness is what matters."

"Pa-tae-toe, Pa-tah-toh."

"I still can't believe you're celebrating monthly anniversaries. What are you? High school kids?" I scoffed at her.

"You'll know its importance once you have a boyfriend."

"Oh please! I don't need a boyfriend. I have more important things to deal with." I said, rolling my eyes at her.

She furrowed her brows looking at me, “Is everything okay?”

I filled her in about the meeting between Uncle Hank and my father. And then about dinner and the condition my dad put up for the out my brother and I were hoping for.

“What do you think, Mr. Samit is like?” she asked.

“I don’t know." I shrugged. "From what I’ve heard, he is a heartless billionaire with no f***s to give. I don’t know how I’ll get through this!” I said, releasing a frustrated sigh of my own, placing my head in my hands as I leaned forward.

“He does sound like an old hag. Maybe I could ask Keith to bring in a love potion or something that could help him fall in love with your company.”

“You know, it is these suggestions from you that make me wonder why we are still friends?” I said nonchalantly.

“No, it is this stupid stuff i say that makes you feel lighter in such situations that you love me.” She stated matter of factly. I smiled at her. This is what I needed. The stupid banter and sharing s**t that brings us down. It felt like weight lifted off of my shoulders.

“How do you think you’ll convince the old hag to invest in your organization?”

“I don’t know. I have yet to figure it out. But you don’t worry about me. You go sort out your love life."

"There's nothing to sort out." We both turned around to see where the low baritone came from.

Kiara's face lit up looking at the man standing behind us with his beautiful blue orbs staring at her face.

"Keith! You made it!" She launched herself at him.

He responded with a low chuckle and a series of apologies. Handing her bouquet of red roses and a small gift, he said "We still have time for that date." She gave him a bone-crushing hug, while Keith looked at me and mouthed a 'Thank you.' with a small smile. I nodded, returning the smile. She then pecked him on the lips, which soon turned into a full-blown heated kiss. I cleared my throat to grab their attention, because no matter how close Kiara and I were, I was still uncomfortable with her PDA antics. I earned a flip from Kiara while she continued sucking Kieth's face. “Get a room!” I yelled playfully. That made them stop. While Kiara glared at me, Keith was blushing. I just held up both my hands in mock surrender.

Finally, Kiara broke the awkwardness by asking, “Will you be okay?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about me. You guys go on your stupid date.”

“Are you sure?” Kiara asked, to which I nodded. While I did set up a strong front, inside I was nervous and agitated. But Kiara was upset and she deserved that. Plus, Keith had left his shift for their date amidst a tiring schedule. I didn’t want to ruin his efforts.

Kiara hugged me good night and thanked me softly. Her eyes were bright and happy. I was glad of the decision I made to let her go.

Once they left, I pulled out the pack of cigarettes I snatched from Kiara. I took one out but when I went to light it, I realized I dropped the lighter. I looked around, but couldn't find it. I really wanted to smoke before heading home to keep my nerves in check. Looking around for someone with a lighter, I noticed a black Aston Martin, parked next to my car.

There was a slight movement in the car. Hoping to find a lighter, I walked up to the vehicle and knocked on the dark tinted window of the passenger side. The window rolled down, to reveal the most beautiful man I had ever come across. A Greek God. He was a vision in black. Tan skin which seemed fairly golden under the street lamp. Beautiful blue eyes, dark chocolate brown hair gelled perfectly and perfect pink lips. His jaw was prominent with a dimpled chin. He had a cold aura around him, which seemed dangerous to an extent.

I hesitantly asked for a lighter. He leaned over to the driver's side and grabbed a lighter, passing it on to me. I placed the cigarette between my lips before grabbing it from him. Feeling his eyes digging a hole in my head, I pressed the switch on the lighter a few times with shaky hands but it didn’t work. As embarrassing as it was, I looked at him helplessly and found him staring at me with the same cold look and a tinge of amusement in his eyes. He snatched the lighter from me and got out of the car, towering over me. He seemed to be about a good six feet. I felt tiny standing next to him.

I cranked my neck up to look at him, hoping he would help me light the cigarette in my mouth, but he just stared at me. After a few seconds, instead of lighting it, he grabbed the cigarette from my mouth and put it in between his lips.

Damn, those lips look soft. My subconscious chided.

He lit the cigarette in one go and started smoking it. He took one drag, then another, and another. I squinted my eyes at him, but he ignored me and leaned against his car, folding his right hand under his left elbow and crossing his feet at his ankles. I took out another cigarette from my pack and snatched the lighter from him. This time my cigarette lit in one go. Smirking at him, I handed the lighter back, mumbling a small thank you. I began to walk back to the usual spot. I heard footsteps following me. Why is he following me? This is why you shouldn’t talk to strangers, Arya! Ignoring him, I kept walking, hoping he would just stop at some point. Once I got to the bench, I settled down and started smoking to calm my nerves down. Thinking about going back home had me feeling flustered. I kept smoking, all the while, trying to figure out ways of who this Mr. Samit was and why he had refused to invest in Dad's firm. How would I convince him? What would I even tell him? "Mr. Samit, I know you are a huge businessman with no free time, but would you please take out time to work as the CEO of my father's company, so we can be free from the drama of the very same father?" Sure, that would work. I rolled my eyes at myself.

I finished the cigarette. but I still wasn't through, so I didn't put it out to use this one to light another, since I didn't have a lighter.

I felt a presence behind me, the same cold presence from earlier. Feeling self-conscious and flustered, I dropped the half-lit cigarette. I groaned and bent down to pick it up while the other one was stuck in between my lips. While reaching for it, the same lighter appeared in front of me and lit the cigarette in my mouth. I took a few drags before looking at this person. I gave him a small smile and nodded, “Thank you.” I turned around to continue thinking about the plan to convince Mr. Samit, but I flinched at the breath fanning my ear. He was right behind me, and really close. In spite of being in a secluded spot in the middle of the night with a hot, handsome stranger, I didn't feel unsafe. My breath hitched at his closeness.

He whispered, "Thank me with those lips."

Wait! What the f**k?

Well, you wanted those lips on you a while ago. My subconscious reminded me. Shaking my head, I turned around glaring at him, "Excuse me?" I said with raised eyebrows, already irritated with this asshole. He looked at me amused, the cold aura still surrounding him.

"I said, thank me with those lips." He stated, his voice cold and heavy, but soothing at the same time.

Not wanting to be around this beautiful creep anymore, I walked past him. I hadn't even taken two steps, when his large rough hand grabbed my right wrist, making me stumble back against his hard chest. He leaned near my ear again, and said, "I just need to feel those lips. They look so kissable."

I yanked my arm from his grip, muttering a small "asshole" and started walking towards my car. I can't deal with this right now. But running away doesn't seem to work. He caught hold of my shoulder and turned me around with a jerk to face him. "Come on. I'll pay you whatever you want."

That had my blood boiling. I walked up to him, invading his personal space, pointing my index figure at his chest, I said with gritted teeth, "Listen to me you f*****g asshole. Just because I'm smoking here in the middle of the night doesn't make me a slut. You may be a rich spoilt brat with all the money in the world, but nothing you can offer me will make me want to be anywhere near you, let alone kissing your shitty mouth." poking my index finger into his chest. He was totally taken aback by my outburst, but was quick to cover it with a smug smile. Before I could react, he snaked his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him. Our faces were merely an inch apart, our foreheads brushing, breaths mingled. I could smell his minty breath and I hated what it was doing to my mind. I was so lost in his mesmerizing blue eyes that I didn't even realise, my mouth was inching closer to his. Not until he broke my trans with his next words. "For a fat ass, you have a lot of nerve."

That's it! Who the f**k does he think he is? I couldn't control the urge as I slapped my hand across his face. He let go of me in an instant. His smug smile was replaced with a ticking jaw and his light blue eyes turned as dark as the night. But I didn't let that scare me. "My ass may be fat, but it is still a lot sexier than your character, Asshole!!" I snapped and walked off.

I went straight to my car, sat inside and locked the doors. I was trying to control my panting breath, when I saw a man take a seat in the driver's side of the Aston Martin and honked. Soon the Greek god arrived with a cold stare in my direction. He rubbed his cheek, the one I slapped, with his hand and brought the same hand to his lips and kissed it with a smug smile. Something dangerous and cruel played in his eyes. Scared, I looked away, buckling my seat belt, I started the car and drove off.