|| 05. PAIZE 6 ♥ ||
Shyly looking at his amber drink, her eyes lowered to her screen. The current notes held her name spelt together with his. The surface behind, read the title ‘The Bold List’. The checklist that she had committed to acing tonight. The actuality that she could never be anyone for him, ever, echoed inside her. The reverberation of this truth torturously wrung her heart. Zaniha had his love while Peggy just like any other number of his women had the right to undo the button of his jeans.
Daring herself to not back off from all she had invested to their evening Mohana managed to confidently relay “I’ve never had whiskey”
“You’re having it with me” huskily claiming Omar wrapped her dainty fingers around his glass
The fire from his hand seemed to almost burn her. Pretending to be her carefree bold self, Mohana lifted the drink to her lips. Temporarily overruling her nervous thoughts, she braved herself to take a sip from his glass. The warmth from the liquor, however small, was welcomed by her shivering body. Puckering her lips unaware of the next step she timidly held his glass back with a whisper “Hm?”
“Take another sip, it’s getting cold” Omar stated caressing his fingers to outline her painted toes
Her breathing in discord she obediently followed his command. Sampling another warming sip, Mohana extended the drink back to him this time unable to even voice a whisper. Waves of shyness spread through her despite her strong determination to follow ‘The Bold List’
Squashing her yearning, Mohana looked away from the handsome man to focus back at her digital screen. She felt his fingers brush against hers at the exchange of the glass. Swaying herself to follow her bold-act she spiritedly attempted to look at the list of exposé questions.
Pulling her facade insistently she read the next question “Being the superstar designer that you are, what are your personal favorite set of clothes?”
Taking a swig of whiskey from their shared glass, Omar easily offered “Jeans. Those that I have not designed”
“Why because Peggy likes opening them?!” her facade instantly crumpled and discarded, words jumped out of Mohana even before she could think. Images of Peggy on the seashore tagging around him, wanting to undo his jeans made her heart frantically writhe with rage
“I don’t know, does she?” he calmly checked, his warm fingers ardently pursuing their expedition along her ankle
His touch on her cool skin made her blushing cheeks deepen with further heat. Extremely conscious of his returning nonchalant move, the warming color spread across her face running through her neck. Superseding the thriving butterflies causing a disruption in her tummy, her head fought the irony of it all.
Confronting the playboy he was, distressed Mohana gave Omar a humorless smile “Of course not. She is not even your biggest fan. And she wasn’t the one offering to get you ‘anything’ on that breakfast table. Or that beach. Interrupting each photography session. But who even cares to remember. I can’t care. It is whatever you and your fans want”
Furiously leaning forward Mohana snatched the drink from his fingers to take a big burning gulp. The drink seemed to help ease her shivers but it evoked a wild sensation in exchange
“Yeah someone recently informed me that people in the business get busy and tend to forget each other..” his reiteration of her words from their line connect made Mohana humph “..And if I had a certain peculiar idiot like that resort manager busy talking to me, waving at me, I wouldn’t have the time to care either” giving her a smirk Omar took the drink back from her fingers for a sip
Appalled at his support for Peggy she looked at him disbelievingly. Desperate to contradict him she took blatant side of the manager she had earlier labeled as crazy “He can’t be an idiot. If anything Luke has to be the most nicest person ever..”
“And he told you his name?” encapsulating her creamy ankle in the strength of his large hand, Omar entwined his finger in the white gold anklet
Mohana frowned “Why only Peggy can announce her name? Like she can announce everything to this world! At least unlike some famous people, Luke is not the one wanting Peggys of this world to open their jeans buttons. Luke can’t care..”
“Don’t say that halfwit’s name another time” Omar growled intervening her ramble on the resort manager. Lightly tugging onto the white gold anklet chain he placed her foot to rest on his jeans clad thigh
Forming a dissatisfied pout she defied “I will! I will interview him! I will put him on my journal’s cover all I want! Luke! Luke! Lu..” her words came to an abrupt halt feeling the touch of his thumb on her lips
“Don’t” his dark sparkling eyes held a warning staring into her shiny silver depths
Her pink lips barely apart, welcomed his warm fiery touch but her chest heaved frantically aching to inhale a breath. Unable to hold his magnetic gaze Mohana’s shy eyes swooped lower finding the lip of the whiskey glass
Holding her chin in his muscular fingers, Omar traced his thumb lightly across her lower lip. Her chest battled to inhale a tiny breath. His feather touch found the corner of her mouth before his warmth disappeared altogether. Feeling rejected at being refused his warmth she stared at his receding hand in complaint. Disappointed at the loss she snatched the whiskey glass from his other hand.
Tugging on her foot Omar smoothly pulled Mohana closer to himself murmuring “Jeans is your answer”
Having completely lost the trajectory of their discussion, her confused eyes looked up from his hand to stare into his glittering black orbs.
“Personal favorite set of clothes. Jeans” Omar whispered almost as if having interpreted the dilemma of her mind. His fingers caressed her silver painted toes
Unhappy at being dismissed Mohana looked at him with a gaze holding deep gripe. Not able to comprehend her own reasons, undecidedly upset she sought another venue to counter him “Why! You have to answer that too becau..”
“Effortless to wear, the fabric is sturdy, they last a lifetime and they are sort of easy to manage at all the various times” slipping the glass of whiskey from her fragile fingers, Omar made her take a sip of the drink
Stubbornly taking a big gulp in defiance Mohana let the drink burn her. Her ivory legs settled across the jean clad legs were held possessively captured by his warm sprawling hand. His closeness made her acutely shy yet the fury that Peggy had raised within her seemed to rage with no bounds “What various times?!”
The mix of alcohol and his luring presence were causing an emphatic fuzziness inside her. It was becoming difficult to keep reminding herself that Omar Shaan could only exist in her dreams and his presence could not belong in the realm of her reality
“Times like this..” saying he held the glass to her lips again checking “..What’s your next question?”
Lightly shifting Mohana leaned her face on the couch complaining “I am not going to ask you another question because you are not answering anything prop..er..” a shiver shook her
In a swift move enveloping an arm around her waist Omar pulled her across his lap “Is the drink not helping?”
“No! A whiskey is not going to give me answers! What does ‘times like this’ even mean!” agitatedly she shifted in his embrace. Her tantrum missed the obvious undertones of his concern.
