CAN’T ESCAPE ANYMORE

CAN’T ESCAPE ANYMORE
When she looked up, she was shocked to see none other than Neetu , Rishabh's mother. Kriti came along, took Avani in a bone-crushing hug, leaving Avani speechless. Her big eyes widened in shock at the unexpected encounter.

Coming back to her senses, Avani touched Neetu’s feet. Neetu kept her hand on Avani’s head, gave her blessings, and caressed her head, then took her again in her embrace

'If they are here, that means the marriage proposal is from... Rishabh?' A realization struck her like a lightening. Avani’s palms started sweating badly. Heat rose in her neck. Her thoughts were everywhere. Her heart was thumping loudly.

'What is he up to now?' She wondered.

“How are you, Avani?” Neetu, Rishabh's mom asked her in a low voice, bringing her back to reality.

“I am okay,” Avani said while blinking her eyes with a small smile and lowered her gaze.

Anil, Avani’s father called Avani. She looked in direction of her father when her gaze locked with him. Rishabh was constantly staring at her from head to toe. His heated gaze was boring holes into her. A sudden heat rose in her body, and blood rushed towards her neck and cheeks, turning them red. She went to Rajeev, Rishabh's father's direction and touched his feet to take his blessings. He gave her his blessing by keeping his hand on her head. She also saw Siya and her parents; she was confused about, why they were here too.

Avani greeted Siya's parents. Siya came to her and hugged her. Avani hugged her back and looked down. “I never knew you were that shy,” Siya teased her.

Rishabh observed as Avani descended the stairs, her eyes fixed downward. Seeing her in brown coloured suit, he got captivated in every minute details - her sidely partitioned hairs, her beautiful hands, lowered eyelids, and trembling lips. His mind couldn't help but wander to thoughts of kissing her senselessly.

'Where will you escape now?' he thought with a smirk, fully aware of the mischief he had planned.

When Neetu, Rishabh's mother took her in surprise hug, which caught Avani is surprise. Seeing her eyes wide in shock and with a big 'O' of her mouth, Rishabh couldn't help but chuckle and shook his head.

'She is going to kill me...' Rishabh thought.

Her gaze roamed around the room, and when it locked with his, he winked at her with a smirk. Avani was surprised, a bit blank too. Rishabh couldn't help but enjoy her adorable expressions, akin to a baby navigating unfamiliar surroundings.

Avani took her seat between his mom and Kriti, her gaze downcast as she fiddled with her fingers. Rishabh couldn't take his eyes off her and was captivated by her shy and adorable demeanor. While Shreya and Kriti, noticing his fixation on Avani, wiggled their eyebrows at Rishabh, teasing him to the bones. They both exchanged sly glances and silently celebrated their successful matchmaking attempt.

These little human forms of Devils!

When all the elders engaged in casual conversation, Rishabh signaled his dad and Rajeev nodded in affirmation.

“Anil ji, let Avani and Rishabh have a talk in private. They won’t be able to talk comfortably in front of us.” Rajeev added.

Hearing this. Shreya and Kriti got up quickly and guided Rishabh and Avani to Avani’s room. All throughout their teasing was something which was annoying Rishabh and Avani both.

"It's okay; we will not disturb you more," Kriti said with a tight smirk, as they left the room. Rishabh followed Avani inside, noticing the anger in her eyes as she closed the door. Without wasting a moment, he turned her around, pushing her gently against the closed door. Placing his hands on both sides of her head, Rishabh locked eyes with Avani with subtle intensity in his gaze.

Avani swiftly placed both her hands on Rishabh's chest, attempting to create some distance between them, but her efforts proved futile.

"What are you doing?" she questioned him in a hushed tone, with an awareness that, Kriti and Shreya were eavesdropping on the other side of the closed door.

"Admiring my would-be wife’s beautiful face. You are looking gorgeous today. You look beautiful in Indian traditional dresses, you know that?" he whispered huskily.

Hearing the word ‘wife,’ tiny hairs on the nape of Avani's neck stood straight, and a shiver ran through her spine. She instinctively clutched her thighs tightly.

"Stop flirting... and what is going on downstairs? I know this is all your doing," she asserted.

"Yes, baby," Rishabh replied, giving a peck on her right cheek.

"Youu...and I am not your baby. You can’t kiss me without my permission," she retorted, pouting her lips and pushing him away slightly.

"You are my baby; you will always be. And don’t pout. Trust me, I will not seek your permission like before to kiss you," he whispered huskily in her ears.

“I am going to reject this proposal, for your kind information,” Avani declared firmly, locking eyes with him. She admired him for a good long minute, taking in his devilishly handsome appearance — dark blue signature shirt with sleeves folded till his elbows, a semi-casual mustard- colored jacket complementing the shirt, and black jeans paired with black shoes. His hair was perfectly gelled up, and he was clean-shaven, showcasing his beautiful sharp jawline and nose, along with perfectly shaped lips that constantly gave her challenging smirks.

Avani found herself checking him out, and he caught her in the act. She quickly diverted her thoughts, 'Avani, gather yourself.'

"You can’t. If you do so... I will tell everyone about us,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest and taking two steps back.

“And that’s called blackmail. You can’t do that,” Avani retorted, pointing her index finger at him.

“Trust me... I can do more than this,” he said confidently, moving forward and kissing her index finger. The touch of his lips sent a thousand volts of sparks through her body. He had teasing and mischievous looks in his eyes.

Avani was left speechless, contemplating the consequences if he really revealed their past to everyone. No, she couldn’t let that happen. Putting her finger down, she locked her hands behind her back, biting her lip in annoyance. He advanced once more, and she leaned further against the door. It was as if he was memorizing all her features in one go, and his sharp gaze sent goosebumps across her skin.

“Do you remember what I said ten years ago, baby, before leaving for NDA?" Rishabh asked, locking his eyes with hers.

His dominance was evident in his looks and attitude today. ‘What did he eat before coming here?'

She couldn't help but wonder what had influenced this change in him. Her heart momentarily stopped at his words, and then raced as if it were trying to outpace itself. It was like meeting a new Rishabh altogether—rough and dominant, yet filled with love and adoration that flowed like a smooth river from his eyes.