14. Getting To Know Eachother

"Just kidding bachon. Stop teasing them na Akshit" Jiya hit Akshit's shoulder and eased the couple.

"Go meet Kevin tomorrow he'll guide you through on what to do and when. Till then, talk to each other and try to understand each other" Kaira said stifling her laugh at the horrified faces of Aryaman and Maitri.

"Hmm" Maitri pinched Aryaman's hand to bring him out of the reverie.

"Yeah yeah" He looked at her angrily and cut the call quickly so he could rub the sore area.

"I didn't know you were such a nazook pari" She bit her lip to control her laughter.

"Nazook pari? Huh? Really?" Sensing his serious mood, she quickly stood up from the bench and created distance between them. He took one step towards her as she rushed behind the bench so he won't catch her.

"Come here I show how nazook pari I am" Aryaman and Maitri ran around the benches as if kids, one enjoying the rush and the other in hopes to teach a lesson.

"Caught you doll" Aryaman held her hand and pulled her to him. Her hands went upto his shoulders as a reflex.

"Am I that anymore?" Aryaman left her hand and pulled her closer by placing it on her back.

"Yupp" She said looking at him teasingly. He ducked his head to her level and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Now?"

"Uhuh" Her fingers held on to his shirt, not knowing whether it was to hold him close or to push him away. Aryaman placed a kiss on her cheek making her shut her eyes and hug him tightly.

"I haven't even started and look at you all shy" He laughed at her shyness though from inside he had a giddy feeling about being the one who could make her blush.

"Shut up" She moved out of the hug awkwardly and hit his chest. Running a hand through her hair, she fixed her clothes and tried to rub away the blush on her cheeks.

"I don't know how to wipe away a blush but I definitely know how to cause a blush" He deliberately placed another kiss on her cheek, making her flustered about the whole moment.

"Are you flirting with me Mr. Aryaman Ranawat?" She changed the topic of discussion so that all the fuzziness she felt because of him would go.

"What if I am soon to be Mrs. Aryaman Ranawat?" He teased her. He started walking towards a coffee shop with her on his trail.

"Do you really think we are compatible? I mean just think about it" She huffed loudly before giving the waitress her order.

"That I don't know" He shrugged his shoulders and looked elsewhere when his eyes caught a couple sitting beside them, talking.

"Don't tell me you actually want to eavesdrop them" She whisper exclaimed at him, knowing that he was looking where she was looking.

"Uhh" He coughed and sat straightly, ignoring the itch in him to eavesdrop the couple.

"Eavesdropping isn't good" He cleared his throat and called for the waiter and ordered French Fries.

"You sure??" She looked at him cutely with a sweet pout, trying to persuade him into doing something he has never done.

"Maitrii" He called her name sternly.

"Fine daddy" She rolled her eyes and looked outside the coffee shop.

"Let's do one thing, I'll tell you the things that can make you want to leave me and you do the same thing, this way we will atleast cover some space and know that if we ever leave each other it won't be because of the following reasons" She suddenly sat straight backed taking him in surprise.

"Umm fine, you go first" Aryaman agreed to it.

"I smoke, occasionally, you?" She said the first thing that popped into her mind.

"Never smoked" He answered her truthfully. His answer made her look at him with a scowl. It was as if she wanted to say something but then let it be.

"Ohkayy, I lied to you earlier in the car, I am not a passenger princess. I love cars and might have participated in some illegal car races and won them too" She said hiding her face with her hands. Aryaman looked at her with an open mouth and accusing gaze.

"I was a part of illegal bike racing in University days but it ended there" He placed his hands on the table.

"Aye hayee mere macho man, racing and all huh. What other stuff are you hiding behind this three-piece suit?" She hit his arm excitedly, looking at him with amusement.

"Shut up, next thing, its yours turn" He ignored her amusement and excitement and made it about her.

"Nah, nope. Tell me more about yourself, I really want to know" She thanked the waitress for the coffee and fries and looked at him questioningly.

"You can be annoying at times; you know that right?" He looked at her defeated. She nodded her head smiling widely.

"I've never tried alcohol" He said that as if he was embarrassed about it

"WHAT!!!" She stood up from the chair looking shocked.

"Maitri..." He glared at her, making her sit down. She burst out laughing at his pink blush that graced his cheeks and neck.

"You are so cute Maan" She pinched his cheeks, making his face move right and left. He swatted away her hands from him.

"One serious question.... For all the formal parties, there's always drinking of wine and champagne so what do you do that time?" She asked generally intrigued by how he managed to not drink in this situation.

"I do take the glass but who said I ever drink it. You just have to ensure your lips touch the glass rim, you don't need to drink the contents" He looked very proud of how he always managed to evade that.

"You're a genius" She rotated her fingers around his head and kracked her knockles on the sides of her forehead.

"What is in your bucket list?" She asked interested in knowing him well.

"Not something extra-ordinary just simple stuff"

"Like?" She picked a French fry from the plate when Aryaman hit her hand.

"Joey doesn't share food" He said quoting Joey from Friends, causing her to be confused for 2 seconds before it hit her.

"Ohhhh, possessive about food. Sorry I didn't know my Joey was Joey Joey" She apologized and took time to put the fry in her mouth, teasing him.

"Your Joey huh?" He served her some of the fries before he too took some.

"Flow flow mein nikal gaya, don't tease me for it" She looked at him innocently.

"No problem. What is in your bucket list?" He asked drinking his espresso.

"Don't judge me okay but I want to get drunk with my husband and dance on Laila mein laila on the table, then wear a chiffon saree and copy Sridevi and Rishi Kapoor from Chandni. Ohh and we can also sing Tere Mere Hothon Pe....Bas, that's what it is in my bucket list" She said happily, sharing things with him until later when she realised that he might think she's a lost cause.

"And you call me cute. You sure you hate romantic things because according to this bucket list, you sound like a hard-core romantic person" He said trying to hide his smile.

"I am not saying am not romantic but I am not cringe okay. I hate cringe. For example take this couple beside us" She asked him to come closer and pointed her head in the direction of the couple Aryaman was seeing earlier.

"You're eavesdropping?" He asked shocked.

"Isshhh...you and your usuul. You are too much follow-the-rules guy. Chori karna paap nahi hai, pakde jaana paap hai" She winked at him and adjusted herself to listen to the couple.

"Noo, your concepts are completely wrong. Stealing is a crime whether caught or not, it still is"

"Arey baba, it is a saying, just a normal saying. It means that you should enjoy life sometimes. You can't always be holding onto your ethics in today's time or else you'll always lose things. Sometimes you need to bend the rules not break them" She flicked his head as if making sure that he got her point.

"You know that I'll not agree to it right?" He moved back and crossed his hands at his chest.

"Yupp. Am worried that one day I'll ruin this innocence of yours" She placed her hands on the table and placed her face on it.

"You are the innocent, chaotic one. I can save myself, you worry about yourself" This time he flicked her head.

"You know that this are the times we will fight on such topics. I will sometimes behave careless and reckless and might embarrass you" She rubbed the spot where he hit.

"Am sometimes I'll behave like a party-pooper and ruin your mood. See Maitri, you and I are completely different people. Take you and Divi and you for example, don't you two fight like cats and dogs? You both are blood related and yet you fight so us two we are 2 different beings brought in diverse environments" He held her hands in his and explained her calmly.

"I understand that but we will always have problems. One day or the other when we would fight you will remind me that you left your family, your country and your CEO position because of me. That will always be in your heart and you will blame me for it" Her grip on his hand tightened.

"So what? When I blame you for it remind me that you didn't hold a gun on my head and force me to take that decision. See Maitri, we both will have our differences and it is good. Our parents at this age still fight even though it is for the most useful things, like why didn't you keep your shoes in the shoe rack. Where there's love there should be fights too. Marriage is a sweet-sour journey" He explained to her just the way Kaira had explained to him when the first time the marriage topic was raised at home.

"No wonder you are a CEO. This skill of convincing people is not good Maan. I hate you for sounding so right, its is irritating me" She said smiling.

"I've been told worse, this is nothing" He laughed loudly warming her heart.