"I asked him out for a date and my little sister stole my date. I am heartbroken…" Naira remarked pitifully entering inside.

Noor smiled affectionately before giving a hug to her elder sister. Her soft voice was barely audibly, "I am sorry, I didn't know you two had planned a date today. I will take my leave and let you guys enjoy the evening." She glanced at the duo while saying the last line.

​​

Clicking the button to stop the treadmill, Arsh pressed the absorbent towel on his neck as he turned towards the Wood sisters, "Have dinner before you leave." His words were directed to the little one and his voice carried no emotions but indifference which was more like an order.

Noor checked the time on her wristwatch and faintly smiled nodding her head in acceptance, "Then I will be with Aunt Aria." It was time the couple would reach home.

Arsh plainly hummed before laying on the bench press to continue his workout. Naira waited but Arsh didn't utter a word so she asked, "Arsh, let's go out and dine."

Arsh controlled his breathing with the right movements of his arms carrying the weight. After a few seconds, he responded, "Inform in the kitchen whatever you want to eat, we will eat here."

He meant to say there is no need to go out to eat something special, they had good chefs to cook in the house. However, Naira assumed he was too lazy to step out, "Come on Arsh, I hardly get time to go out."

Arsh paused his actions and glanced at her, "Ms. Naira Wood, don't forget you are a celebrity, I have no intention to link my name with you." He gets annoyed by it which Naira knew well but she always liked that because it's Arsh Morgan.

It was never out of hand as they studied in the same school and called each other childhood friends. Still, that too gets sensational like 'Are childhood friends tying the knot soon?', 'Is it a wedding shopping?' and so on.

For the same reason, Ivan never meets Naira outside in the public. There was once a devastating catching line in social media. 'Are Arsh Morgan and Ivan Ross fighting for Naira Wood?'

That day, Ivan wanted to destroy that media house and Arsh wanted to hack their network and ruin them forever. Nonetheless, both controlled at the end of the day gulping down extra glasses of wine.

"How about I hide my face?" Naira probed almost making Arsh cough blood for it.

Sitting up, he controlled himself from saying anything out of line and asked, "Naira Wood, you definitely gave that brain of yours under your car. If any pic of us leaks again with your face hidden, then they will confirm themselves all their assumptions as true."

He was expecting her to be frustrated by the media and paparazzi but heard her mumble, "I won't mind it."

For a second Arsh wanted to think he misheard but he wasn't. He was sharp to even make out the muffling words, so he became serious and asked, "I don't think it is a simple eat-out plan, what did you want to talk about?"

Naira felt her hands wet by the nervousness and hid them behind her back looking anywhere but Arsh. As hot as he looked in his seriousness, he was too cold and frightening.

Arsh waited for quite a good minute looking at her edgy yet there was little excitement that was shadowed by her tense air.

Naira couldn't bring up to say anything directly so she tried to grab a little more time, "How about we go out to take a walk and talk?"

Nevertheless, Arsh coldly glared at the woman who was feeling her mouth dry, her jaws lightly shook whenever she opened, held her breath, and… clenched the hem of her dress.

For a minute he felt alarmed thinking about Arna but the latter would choose him first to tell everything instead of Naira. Arna never shows her weak side to Naira either but Ivan so he brushed off that thought.

"Naira," he grunted.

Startled, she blurted whatever that came to her mind, "Couldn't we make the media assumption as true? Why can't we mar…"

She slapped her palms on her mouth as quickly as possible. She just wanted to give subtle hints to Arsh and wanted him to propose to her like in every princess story.

Her face turned red in shyness, her heartbeats continued to race without daring to meet his eyes. One part of her wanted him to respond to her positively and the other part of her wanted to hear him say 'Could you please repeat again?'

Nevertheless, his face turned dark as a stormy night. He always saw her as a friend or an acquaintance, never more than that. He tried to be a gentleman to turn down obliquely, "Stop thinking nonsense. Didn't you have the shoot at noon? Go home and rest."

He remembers his mother telling him, a woman might be strong emotionally but they are still as fragile as butterfly wings when it comes to the man they love and their kids. So he tried his best to respond without being rude.

He greatly respected the women in his family so as others. If Naira was somebody else, he would have ignored her mercilessly but wouldn't have said something rash. Anyway, they knew each other for too long so he behaved.

'Nonsense?' Naira felt hurt knowing he found the idea of them being together as nonsense.

She tried to again, walking behind him to the deadlift area. Initially she didn't want to be direct but now, she desperately wanted to know his view on their relationship.

She coughed to clear her throat and tried her best to sound indifferent and curious to hide her anguish, "Arsh, I think we make a good couple, we should actually try to date and see. What do you think?"

Arsh really wanted to shoo her away but controlled, "Naira, stop bringing that up, it's irritating."

When Arsh was ready to carry the weight again, she held his arm and pulled him to face her. Her nervousness was replaced with annoyance, "What is there to be irritated? You don't like my profession right? I will drop that. Will that still be irritating?"

Arsh shrugged her hand, held her shoulders pushing her to his long arm's length. "Naira, hear me clear, it's not about the profession. I never saw you in such way. You are Snow's best friend and you are the same as Snow to me. Please respect our years of friendship and stop getting influenced by the media."

He hoped she understood his words that he said in extreme patience.