Dare

Arjun turned her around, pulling her close enough that she could feel his breath on her face. He looked in her eyes and spoke,

"Minnie, why are you afraid of love? You know the fact that everybody is allowed to love, and is eligible to get loved in return! Right?"

"Juno, leave me, you are probably drunk or-"

She tried to make an excuse, without looking directly at him, as her eyes darted around, trying to find a place to avoid his gaze. But she was interrupted by him again, as he declared "Lies! You don't really want me to leave you, otherwise you would never have asked for it. You are capable enough to get free from anybody's grip, by yourself! So tell me, why are you lying? And as for the part about me being drunk, I want to clarify that even though I was drunk last night, everything that I have said to you was correct, in and of itself."

He paused for a few seconds to gauge her reaction. 

*He didn't know where this strength was coming from either. But after his conversation with his Maenu, he knew he had to be brave, at least for once- or else, he would be on standby for his entire lifetime.*

He started again, "Minnie, let me confess one thing. There is one thing that had remained incomplete as of last night. I don't actually know when exactly I fell in love with you, as half of my personality is because of you today. You had a great role in making me the man I am today, but still, I can tell you the time when I realised that I was getting slightly possessive over you...I can tell you when was the first time I felt butterflies in my stomach, because of you…I can tell you when I started considering you as my life. And most importantly, I may not be able to tell you how much I love you, but I can definitely tell you what exactly I want from this life, with you. I can-"

"Juno, please, I don't love you… I-"

Manya interrupted him and started to speak, but a teardrop fell from her eye of its own accord, making her stop abruptly. 

Arjun pulled her closer as whispered with a smug smile, "Lie... another lie. You know, you can't even lie properly! Tell me one thing- if you don't love me, then why are there tears in your eyes when you are just trying to clarify a simple point?"

After staring at her face for a few seconds, he continued with a confident smirk. "Okay okay, let's make a deal: you don't love me, right? Then look me in the eyes and step out of my hug, and tell me that you don't love me. I will respect your choice and will never bother you further, or make you uncomfortable by expressing my feelings in front of you ever again. Just do this much, I think it will be the easiest thing for you. After all, you are Manya Rahal, who always speaks to any person by looking them in the eye, and nobody can hug her without her permission! I am sorry that I am encroaching your personal space. C'mon Minnie, you don't love me, right? Just hit me with a clear answer! Say it, look up at me and say the whole thing. Just hit me, and I will never bring this topic up again." 

*He was trying to provoke her, as he knew that she would not be able to hide her feelings while he was egging her on continuously, without giving her time to think and associate her thoughts with one another.*

Thinking this, he tightened his grip further, ending the last inch of gap they had between them.

*He was angry at himself for forcing her to let her feelings out in the open like this. But the other half of his soul was cheering him on, saying that he was doing the correct thing, because she loved him but perhaps was afraid of love. Suddenly, it clicked in his mind that she wasn't angry at the love she felt, but she was afraid of losing the person she loved.*

The thought made him reassess his plan and he spoke in a soft tone, laying the foundation for his next step.

"Minnie...I am giving you the last chance.  If you don't do or say anything now, then I will consider it as a 'no' as well. And be assured, I will disappear from your life forever, like you had-"

He was going on about the consequences, when Manya took a sharp breath and grabbed his collar with her fists. For a second, Arjun debated the possibility that she was actually going to hit him, instead of in the metaphorical way he had been urging her to do. Before he could make sense of what was going on, she pulled him downwards and placed her lips against his. Instead of going ahead and kissing him, she stayed that way for a few seconds, trying to make her breath steady. Arjun was now increasingly aware of the way her eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks, the way her hands were balled up into fists at his collar, and the way his hands had been gripping her back. He gulped as he unclasped his hands and clutched both her wrists tenderly. At that very moment, she tugged at his collar again and kissed him, disregarding all her worries, even if for a moment. Arjun let go of her wrists and kissed her in return, finally happy to get his Manya back.

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Sagrika couldn't believe her ears, had they informed her correctly, or betrayed her somehow? She was still standing in a daze for some time after Manya had left, repeating the scenario in her head over and over again.

"Manya, don't you think Arjun should get married by now?"

"Hmm!"

"So, what do you say, should I initiate the conversation of an engagement between you and him? After all, he confessed to you last night, so are you willing for the engagement? Do you agree?"

"Hmm…"

"Minnie? Do you agree?"

"Yes, I do."

She replied, and then left the place. Thinking that she might have gotten shy, she smiled again. 

*At least she had recieved a little shyness from her, or else she had always thought that she would be announcing her plans for marriage one random day, just like Swara had. Some part of her had expected her daughter to follow in her Massi's steps, deciding that she liked a particular boy who was perfect, and she wanted to get married within a month, so they had one month's time to plan and arrange everything! Thankfully, she hadn't done anything like this, so she would still have time to prepare for the wedding. But she couldn't delay engagement by much time, or else who knew when her rebel kid might do a somersault and flip on her own words!*

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