Five Weeks by Shruti Omar (any book recommendations .txt) 📕

“I know,” she murmured, smiling in his chest. Yuvraaj dipped his face in her neck and nibbled her skin softly. She clutched his t-shirt in her fists and inhaled sharply as he sucked a certain spot, nuzzling his nose in the crook.

“Yuvraaj, she’s here,” she made small protest and he faced her, smiling. “But, she is not awake.” He shuffled forward and she repelled. Her knees collided with the end of the couch and she pulled Yuvraaj with him, falling on the couch. They grinned breathily and adjusted themselves over the plush furniture.

“You know what?” Yuvraaj propped his weight on the elbow and inspected the couch, “Couch is more romantic than the bed. Let’s make peace here and tomorrow, you can seize your territory again.”

"This is the only thing that runs in your mind all the time. Jerk!” She elbowed him, chuckling and got off. She began to clean the room and he rolled aside, helping her in assembling the bottles and filling them. They finished their dinner on the couch and when Anahita was returning the dishes to the room service, Yuvraaj arranged pillows and blanket on the couch for them.

"Come!" He patted the space and she settled beside him on the considerably smaller couch, covering them with blanket. He pulled her over him, securing her waist with one arm and folding another arm under his head.

Their unwanted guest was sprawled upon the bed, under the medicine influence and Yuvraaj craned his neck to check upon her, making Anahita draw her eyebrows together into a scowl. He was aware of her brimming glare and his heart fluttered, noting that she didn’t want anyone – any other woman – concerning him. It spoke of possessiveness if not love.

"Do one thing, go and lie beside her if you're planning to keep your eyes on her all night because it's irritating to have your neck craned when I have my head over your chest." She leered, pressing her elbows on his chest.

Grinning ear to ear, Yuvraaj pulled her down and patted her head, “Guilty as charged, your highness! Now sleep."

"Wait, what?" She lifted her head up again, "What about our conversation? We've not completed that yet, remember?"

"Shoot!" He closed his eyes, pressing her head back on his chest.

"Um, did you ever have a…girlfriend?” she asked on alert and hoped a negative answer but his nod doused the flame of anticipation and she survived the stung of pain.

“Yes, but it is a thing of past now.”

“Okay, what was her name?” Tell me, so that I can bring her to show my parents that you had a full-fledged affair when I wasn’t allowed to see a man. You leech!! She rendered, grudgingly.

"Kate. I mean Katherine. Katherine Walter."

“You are on the nickname basis with her? Right. She must be calling you Yuvi?” She asked with the calmness of the wind before the storm and he shook his head, “We are not in contact now.”

“Was she pretty?”

“Without a doubt,” he replied, nostalgic. “She was the diva of our school.”

“Tell me everything about her,” she demanded, brewed in attention and Yuvraaj slanted her probing look, “Why? Why do you want to know about her?”

So I could plan your murder with her, Anahita forced a smile and shrugged, “Casually. Since you brought her up, I thought it’s a good subject to talk over.”

“I brought her up?” he upped his eyebrows in surprise, “It was you who asked about my past."

“And you do have a glorious past,” she taunted.

“Anahita…”

“Forget it, you are telling me about her or she is something you can’t discuss with me?”

“It’s nothing like that. She was this cute and most pretty girl in our class. We were partners and gradually became good friends. She was compassionate, sweet-spoken and oriented. It was always effortless to be in her company. We had similarities thereby we clicked together. And, why wouldn’t we? She was civil, helpful and generous. All the qualities of perfect woman packed in one body,” Yuvraaj blatantly concocted a false tale and presented to her, gauging her reaction. He bet she was mentally cringing and cursing him. For, he had summarized Katherine with adjectives that didn’t befit Anahita.

She snuggled closer, encircling his waist tightly, “Yuvraaj, there is none who is perfect in this world, you know. Everyone has their own flaws and they are beautiful in their unique way."

"I know." He kissed her forehead, "But what is the way of being perfect, Anahita? If a person learns from his mistakes and doesn't repeat it, he is perfect. If a person wants to work on his flaws and emerge out impeccable, he is perfect. Yes, none can be without faults and that’s human for us. But, perfection is not a stage, it is developmental process. Do you think so?”

“Yeah,” she murmured, nodding her head.

His mind picked up the thoughts of Katherine. Katherine Walter, he twitched in bitterness and his mouth soured. Granted, she was drop-dead gorgeous and sweet-spoken but too much sweetness can get diabetics. She was justly annoying, nagging and fascist unable to deal with the hardships. Her willpower had the strength of a dry straw. Yuvraaj was going through the period of acute anger issues and he had to take sessions for the management but with Katherine, it was a workshop for channelizing his anger all the time.

She could prod him to the point where he could kill her without guilt but he survived. She was like a honeybee revolving around him.

“If she was so good, why didn’t you break up with her? I mean were you pressurized by your family for our marriage? Like, you couldn’t marry her because you were promised to me.” Anahita mumbled, sympathizing with him because she had bore the brunt of emotional stress in her home. If her parents could be so fanatic with this alliance, his parents could also be the same.

“No, it wasn’t like that.” he relieved her with his answer and stroked her hair, “I always knew we were supposed to get married. And, about Katherine, we never really broke up.”