THUNK!

Fast asleep in his deep slumber, Arham growled at the knock that had just emerged on the door of the shack. He had just arrived last night and, right now, there wasn't even a single ounce of strength left in him after that long tiresome drive back here.

THUNK! THUNK!

Grabbing the pillow, he put it over his head, his face buried in the sheets covering the mattress.

"Can't a guy have a peaceful sleep in here?" He whined, his voice husky and slow.

THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!

The person outside was nowhere to stopping as they kept knocking, each time harder than the last one.

With a thud, he pushed the quilt off and grumbling, trudged towards the door barefoot.

"What the he-" His words died on his lips on seeing Asmara's face morphing into one shade after another with tiffin box in one hand and thermos in the other.

"Been an hour since I've been standing here with these boxes!" She seethed, going completely ballistic as the strands of her half tied hair danced to the rhythm of the wind.

"Now, that's exaggeration. Ten minutes at the most." He corrected with an amused smile and her nose turned tinge red.

Clenching her teeth, she smacked him with the thersmos. "Oh, so you did know I was outside but still didn't have the courtesy to open the door!" She fumed up.

He touched the side of his head where Asmara had just hit him. Third time in two days, he had been smacked by three different people.

"Oh no, I knew there was someone. I just didn't know that someone was you." He replied, diabolically.

She just rolled her eyes in response.

"Now, here, take this." She shoved the box and thermos on him with full force. He staggered back, not knowing how to cool her down. It was the first time he was seeing her in this much anger. She was supposed to be the calm and composed one.

"Why did you come today? You should have sent Rahim instead."

"Oh why didn't this thought occur to me?" She drummed her chin with her forefinger. He just looked sideways, a bit scared of another round of tantrums.

It was Rahim who had been taking the food to him everyday but today he wasn't feeling well so Asmara had decided to take it herself.

Trying to play cute, Arham opened the lid of the box and feigned to be sad. "But there are no eggs. I like eggs." He pouted. "Don't you have eggs?"

"Do I look like a hen to you, you moron?" She snapped and he could literally feel the smoke oozing out of her scarlet ears.

Scratching the back of his head, he shifted his weight from one leg to another. "Er... would you like to come inside?" The insides of his cheeks had gone all sore, now, due to biting them in terror. Man, was he scared of her!

"Like? No! Have to? Well, of course, considering I have to get the gift Safa sent for me out of you." Pushing him aside, she marched inside. "Oh my Lord, your room smells so b... good!" In her tantrum fest, she wanted to just insult him by calling it bad but to her utter shock, it smelled unrealistically alluring.

The lingering scent of Jasmine wafted through her nostrils as she knitted her brows and turned her head towards him. "What are you, a woman?"

Leaving the door more than half opened, he put the box and thermos on the coffee table. "First of all, that's sexist."

"And second of all?" She raised her eyebrow as he raked a hand through his perfectly unkempt hair.

"Uh... Well, there's no second. That's all." He opened the cupboard to retrieve the gift Safa had sent for her while she stood there in anticipation. The anger was now reeling away.

"No, seriously. Do you really wear Jasmine perfume?" She snickered when her gaze fell on the ample Jasmine garlands spread on the side table. The amusement in her stance suddenly vanished as somber look took its place instead. "Oh, never mind. Got it!" She drawled, her voice below a notch. It was as if someone had ripped her heart out. She felt betrayed without getting betrayed in any way. Why was she feeling this way?

Detecting her sardonic tone, he turned around, the gift Safa had sent for her in his hand. It was an exotically delicate necklace with an A carved on it.

Following her grave gaze, his eyes settled on the garlands and he shook his head in haste. "Oh, no, it's not what you think." He said in quick staccatos as he walked towards her.

"Why would I think anything?" She shrugged her shoulders, looking anywhere but him.

"Well, I'm still gonna clarify. You know, for me." He added the last sentence deliberately so as not to make her feel as if she was being intrusive or anything.

"Last night, while coming back, I stopped at the signal and this really haggard looking kid was selling these garlands. I tried giving him money but he straight away declined, saying he doesn't take charity and earns for himself. So, I bought all of them."

"Oh." Her respect for him increased manifold at this kind gesture.

Suddenly, she was feeling happy and content as if a huge weight had been lifted from her chest.

"So, are we good now?" He craned his head down a bit to her level, his hair majestically falling over his forehead.

"Yeah, I mean, there was no reason for me to be upset with you anyway." She said, looking at the wall behind him as if it was the only object of fascination.

Feeling his smoldering gaze settled on her, she tailed her eyes towards him in jittery. His umber eyes embedded in the cocoon of crinkles were smiling at her, his lips curled up in amusement. Her stomach tightened into taut knots as the back of her neck prickled. She looked away, abruptly, but the suppressed smile marking its territory on her face had given everything away.

"Oh, so, why this gift?" He asked, breaking the nervous silence as he extended the necklace towards her.

"Well, you know, some people are so crazy that they send their friends gifts on their birthdays."

"Today's your birthday?" He almost squawked.

"Not today. A couple of days ago."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He scowled.

"Stop being so intrusive, man!"

The irony!

"Alright, wait." He wiggled his head around when those garlands caught his attention. With longs strides, he strolled towards the table and picked two of them. "Here. Take these as a gift."

"Wait, what? No way!" She lurched back.

"Why not?" He scrunched his eyebrows. "What am I gonna do with them, anyway? Now, come'n!" He held her hand and she flinched as their hands brushed against each other but she didn't sway it away. Why? That even she didn't know.

One by one, he slid them on her slender wrist as she drank at the exotic fragrance, savouring the moment wholly, her mind going overdrive and heart berserk.

"Thank you!" She smiled softly. "They are really beautiful." Her cheeks blushed hot.

"Yep. Now they are."

She snorted at the cheesiness and before he could shoot back, steered out of there.

******

Grabing the edge of the kitchen counter tightly, she grinned, reminiscing their encounter, her heart thumping against its cage. The intoxicating scent of jasmine had engulfed her from every nook as she dwelled in the few minutes old memory.

For the first time in her life, she was feeling butterflies dancing in her stomach. She was going bonkers. The mere thought of that man was enough to send chill down her spine as it would leave a tingling sensation on her entire body. Damn, she was feeling weak on her knees.

For days, she had been running away from this feeling, calling it just a mere infatuation but, no, it was more than just that. Way more than that.

Holding her hand up, she traced the path of her wrist veneered with his soothing traces.

This was new. Serene. Beautiful. Unrealistic.

And scary. NO! She wasn't supposed to feel like this. Her throat clogged. The same moment that had made her soar above cloud nine was now filling her hollow eyes with nothing but dread. Her face flushed alabaster as if she had seen a ghost.

No, Asmara. You're engaged, FGS! You've got to stop feeling like this.

But did that man even deserve to be her fiancé, let alone turning into husband?

She shook her head feverishly.

No, I can't go on like this. This is wrong. So wrong. I can't break their trust. I have to smother these feelings. Murder them. This can never happen. Never!

Adrenaline rushed down from her body as she brutally splayed the garlands out of her wrist.

Turing around, she threw them in the bin with trembling hands and heavy heart. The dread that had taken over her was now rolling down from her face in the form of tears.

******

A/N

Was so excited to write this one but this writer's block is going to be the death of me, I swear! I'm sorry if it came out really bland.