Cold Love by Amieya Prabhaker Read Free Book Online Page B

Puja look in momentarily as well; Arjun’s
back is to the door, and both the girls leave without a word. Riya bites her
lip as she notices Puja wink back at her mischievously.
    “You will need to rest and no
jumping or playing around! Understood? And no crazy activities or dancing in
the festival later in the evening.”
     “You are speaking to me as
if I am a child!” Riya replies in a sulky tone.
    Arjun turns around to put
back the first aid box, and sees Shanti and Kamla entering the room again.
    “Ma, I need to go for work.
Don’t worry; I am not going to fight with anyone. I really have work at the
headquarters. I will be back before the puja starts.”
    Kamla allows her son to go,
though she would have preferred him to stay. Arjun dashes to the headquarters,
and on the way visits the park again, but finds no one there. At the
headquarters he gets a specialist team in to prepare an identikit picture of
the guys at the park.
    After a couple of hours,
Arjun does manage to return before the puja starts. No one notices him enter as
he walks into the main hall and spots Riya immediately sitting among the other
ladies as a musical event is on. A few girls try to pull her into the dance.
She resists a few times, but eventually gets up and starts to dance to the
music, though being very careful and gentle with her legs. Suddenly Riya spots
Arjun coming from a distance and freezes mid-way in her dance routine.
    “Uff, I’m done now!” she
shakes her head, and starts walking briskly up the stairs towards Arjun’s room.
Kamla and Shanti cannot help but notice the attention their kids have been
giving each other.
    “Shanti, are you seeing what
I’m seeing too?”
    “Yes Kamla… our kids have
grown up, isn’t that so? But don’t get too happy too soon; we should give them
the freedom to decide for themselves…. Let’s wait and watch! Should we?” Both
nod grinning at each other and embrace in a friendly manner.
    Riya follows Arjun back to
his room. She walks in but pauses at the door, lost for words. Arjun looks at
her, but doesn’t say anything. Riya is looking mesmerizingly beautiful in her
ethnic outfit, which consists of a beautiful colorful skirt and an elegant
blouse with threads criss crossing across an open back, covered by a thin
decorated veil drape. She finally gathers the courage to speak.
     “Please don’t be angry,
Arjun. My leg is absolutely fine now … True. Look it’s not even hurting
anymore.” She tries to sound casual, as if nothing has happened, though she can
sense that Arjun is still very angry from the event earlier in the day. He
doesn’t bother to respond. He is looking for something around the room.
    “What happened? What are you
looking for?” Riya inquires but Arjun doesn’t respond; while he is searching on
the table at the other end of the room, Riya notices a laptop next to the
pillow. She hides the laptop under the pillow and sits on the bed next to it.
Arjun turns around that very moment to sense the mischief.
    “Where’s my laptop?” He
starts to walk to the bed from the other end of the room. Riya jumps on top of
the pillow. 
    “No Arjun, please! No
work!... Please!”
    Arjun is about to move Riya
by grabbing her from behind, but hesitates as he notices her soft smooth white
back, as her veil has dropped off on the bed. Her blouse reveals a beautiful
back through the crisscrossing threads. Arjun does grab her by her arms to move
her, but she clings forcefully on to the pillow and the laptop. After a playful
tussle on the bed as the two wrestle to get the laptop, Riya eventually emerges
with the laptop in her hand. Arjun is not amused and stretches his hand out, in
a gesture asking for his laptop. Riya stops her giggles and smiles eventually.
    “OK, take it!”, she extends
the laptop from behind her back but the moment Arjun tries to hold it, she pulls
the laptop back. Riya laughs loudly and dodges him again as they try the same
routine. However, Arjun on this