Eklavya

Chapter LV

Perching alongside her on the settee, Eklavya dropped her bag from his shoulder and put it on the heavy cut-glass table.

They were sitting by the huge glass windows which overlooked the lush orchard in the back, which was also owned by the café.

With her face resting in her palm, Anamika continued caressing his mien with her ardour-filled gaze. Eventually procuring an arrogant smile from him, that dangerously lingered on the lines of shyness.

But when she continued her quest of jotting down every minute detail of his alluring features to her memory, Eklavya finally tinged red and averted his eyes.

Caressing the inside of his cheek with his tongue till a boyish smile finally broke out on his face.

"What?!" he asked in between his small chuckles.

Anamika merely shrugged her shoulders and heaved a long sigh, "I'm just thinking... how is it that you never had a girlfriend before me?"

Her unexpected observation rendered him amused, raising a brow he probed cooly, "Do you really wish me to answer that?"

"Go on..." saying this she opened the menu and started looking for what she would order. Mixed sauce pasta sounded heavenly at the moment along with some brownies maybe... or maybe not.

Eklavya took a moment to frame his answer, "Hmm... Let's just say I was a very well-behaved and simple boy before, who always steered clear of trouble,"

Well that earned him a pretty nasty glare from her side,

'Wait! Did he just labelled me as trouble indirectly,' Anamika questioned herself,

"What do you mean by before?" she zeroed her eyes on him, "I always thought that you're born with a stick up your arse,"

It was only after a moment did Anamika realise what words had escaped her unaware lips.

Horrified, her eyes darted to Eklavya who looked nonplussed and offended at the same time. 'But was that a flicker of humour shining in his all-consuming dark eyes.'

A crazy thought crossed her mind for a second.mod

"Come again..." he asked, making his voice sound steely grim. "Born with a stick up my arse you say." He said whilst dipping his face further an inch closer to her.

Shaking her head in negation, Anamika tried to somehow save the situation from worsening. But Eklavya decided he was having none of it.

After all! Doesn't he basically just live to get terrific reactions out of her?

Donning a grave look he continued, "So that's what you think of me. Pray tell me what other appellations you've bestowed upon me that I'm blissfully unaware of."

Giving him a sheepish smile, Anamika just looked at him with puppy eyes. Silently pleading him with her expressive brown orbs to let go of it.

"Please Eklavya it was just a slip of tongue. Why don't we talk about something else?"

Anamika pleaded feverishly, then sliding the menu between them pretended to be deeply invested in the names of the various things listed, "Do you want coffee or tea?"

"Tea," he answered, then closed the menu with his hand, compelling her to raise her head and look him in the eye.

Disliking how intimidating she felt under his penetrating gaze, Anamika finally spoke in an indignant tone,

"So what if I said it? It's not like I said something wrong. You also know how blatantly rude and awfully conceited you were in the beginning. Always brooding and grumbling about the smallest of things and ready to lock horns with me any time of the day."