"I wouldn't miss seeing you in that dress for anything in the world".

She lifted her eyes and looked up at him and asked,

"Really?"

"Really !!!", he said and then cupped her face in his right palm and kissed softly on her forehead and sighed.

"What?", she asked all tenderly and curiously.

"Nothing", he said but his mind was running wild worrying about the whole battle that he was fighting for her sake. He wanted to expose Vikram as soon as possible but it was so hard for him to even think of breaking her tiny heart. He was torn between the tug of war. The look in her eyes and the excitement in her voice clearly told him how important that Gala night was for her. So he resolved to wait until Sunday night before he pulled the mask off from Vikram's face.

"Tell me what are you thinking?", she asked tugging on to the lapel of his jacket.

"Well, I was just thinking that someone made me buy ice cream dead in the night but she isn't even bothered to eat it".

"Gaaahhh...," Akira sighed and stormed to the kitchen to get the spoon.

When she returned, she found that he had spread a rug on the floor along with a couple of cushions. His eyes sparkled with warmth to see her back.

"Come, sit with me", he said and arranged the cushion for her.

"So this is what you had in your mind?", she asked quizzically.

"No, the only thing that I have in my mind is to kiss you", he said unabashedly and held her hand in his own as she sat down next to him.

"Ok, so tell me, when was the first time you felt like kissing me?", she asked and looked up at him. But before he could even answer, she interrupted his trail of thoughts and asked,

"Um... was it the day when you dressed my wounds?"

"NO".

"Ok... then was it the day I adjusted your pillow in the hospital?"

"NO".

"Uggghhh... ok ok I got it. Was it the day my scarf fell down all loose in your office and you helped me put it on?"

"NO".

"Ok, forget it", she said with her face turning all sour.

He laughed a bit and asked,

"Why are you sad?".

"Nothing, it's just that I thought that you probably started liking me you know, after that incident with Anthony. I thought it brought us close. But since you didn't even think of kissing me once back then, I guess you weren't attracted to me at first. I guess you would be busy blaming me for all the misfortunes I brought with myself for you".

"Who said I didn't want to?"

"You yourself. I gave all the incidents when we were close with each other during our initial days and you didn't start thinking of kissing me then. So what else shall I conclude?", she said and gobbled a big spoon of ice cream out of anger.

He sighed and then laughed at her childish behavior.

"You have no clue since when I wanted to kiss you !!!", he said and took away the spoon and box of ice cream from her hand and pulled her close. He then ran his thumb on her lips, wiping away the traces of ice-cream and then while licking his thumb he said,

"Somehow everything tastes better on you".

"You didn't answer my question", she said and pouted.

"That's very personal and I am not going to answer that", he said and ate a spoon of ice cream from the box.

"C' mon no cliffhangers and no secrets. Tell me. I will do anything that you want", she said and pleaded with her hands clasped in the front.

"Really?"

"Really !!!", she said and looked at him with those Bambi eyes, which could melt the Antarctic.

"Ok then don't back out from the deal", he said.

"I won't", she said and looked at him with clear eagerness reflecting in her eyes to know more and more.

"It was the first time we met in the flight and I was just covering you with the blanket and you just opened your eyes and looked at me - That was the first time I wanted to kiss your lips".

She looked at him all surprised, unable to believe that he had feelings for her from the first meeting itself. She couldn't suppress the happiness that his words brought in.

"And when was the second time?"

"Come here", he said and pulled her close and made her sit, with her back resting on his chest. His fingers slowly moved up and he removed a couple of stands of baby hair at the nape of her neck carefully so that he could see her tattoo clearly. He ran his fingers over the tattoo like he was trying to trace the outline of each and every swallow inked on her skin.

"The second time was when you were standing in front of me in the custom exit line. I saw your tattoo and I just wanted to kiss every inch of your skin. I know it sounds weird but that's how much I wanted you, like all of you", he said and then went all silent. He wasn't sure if she would judge him for that. He wasn't sure how she would feel about the whole thing.

Sensing the silence from her side he removed his hands which were lying on her back and he took a deep breath. She didn't say a word. She was just trying to absorb everything that he had said. But her silence was eating him up. He was worried that she might start thinking of him as some weirdo who fancied her from day one.

"Now would be the time that you say something", he said and gently placed his hand on her arm.

She didn't say a word and got up and turned towards him.

"Please get up", she said.

With a heavy heart he got up, cursing himself for screwing up the romantic night, but then suddenly he heard her say,

"Hold my hand".

He obliged and held her outstretched palm with his right hand as she walked him towards the bed.

The moment they reached near the bed she released her hand and looked up at him and asked,

"Do you want me?"

His eyebrows were raised for he was unable to understand what she meant.

"I said, do you want me right here, right now?"

He knew that there was no escape.

He took a deep breath and said,

"Yes".

"How bad?"

She asked without moving her eyes away from him.

He couldn't understand if she was teasing him or she was asking genuinely, He looked into her eyes for a moment, trying to understand what she meant and then with his usual raspy voice he replied,

"So bad that I can't keep my hands off you".

Her eyes suddenly twinkled and a smile spread on her face. She came close and then pulled the lapels of his jacket and pushed him on the bed. She then removed her sliders and climbed on the bed, hovering over him with her knees around his legs and her palms resting next to his shoulder.

She saw the surprised look on his face and was extremely pleased. She moved her palms and twined her fingers with his and leaned in closer and kissed him softly and tenderly on his lips.

That sudden kiss awakened his spirits and he lifted his head up to deepen the kiss. But before he could even explore her, she dug her teeth slightly on his lips and then detached herself.

An expression of displeasure spread instantly on his face.

With a sly smile on her face, she brought her hands twined with his hands to the front and said,

"Show me how you can't keep your hands off me".