04. A Snappy Encounter

"This is the best dance of my life, Nandini."

I heard Aaron's whisper from my back. But I was adamant not to turn back. I couldn't let him think that his actions were doing something to me. They weren't actually.

Thankfully I didn't have to bear him any longer. Alice and Jeck returned there.

"What are you both talking about?" Alice asked with a grin.

Seeing the expression on her face, I knew what she was thinking. I don’t know what I would do to him. She is hell bent on getting us together whereas there’s nothing as such gonna happen ever. Aaron’s my friend and he will always be one.

“Nothing important.” I passed a smile to them but I noticed the change in Aaron’s face. He probably wasn’t expecting me to call him unimportant.  

“I believe you.” Alice said.

“We’ve got drinks. Let’s have some more.” Jeck passed the bear bottles to us and we settled together. 

“So, what to do now?” I asked as I took a sip from my bottle.

“Yeah, we should do something. It’s getting boring.” Aaron supported me while I moved a little uncomfortably.

“Let’s play something.” 

“What, Alice?” Jeck asked her back only.

Alice turned towards me. “Nandini, suggest something.”

“Umm…” I don’t know what to say. “What about truth and dare?” I uttered after thinking a lot.

They all cheered. 

“Great. We’re gonna play it but with a little change in the game.” Alice announced. 

“And what’s that?” Aaron asked, leaning his back to the couch.

“We'll only play dare. No truth. That’s boring. Also we know almost everything about each other.” 

“Sounds interesting.” Jeck rubbed his hands together to show his eagerness.

But I was a little taken aback because I wasn’t expecting it thinking I would take the truth only. I wanted to deny but before that only they started. Jeck spinned the bottle. It stopped at Aaron and Alice was sitting opposite to him. 

“So, I’ll give a dare to Aaron.” She smirked evilly looking at me. I was praying in my mind hoping she wouldn't include me in his dare. It’ll only mess up things. 

“Aaron, your dare is that you have to go to that girl and get her number.” Alice pointed towards a girl on the dance floor swinging with the beat of the music. 

Aaron got up and smirked, checking out the girl. “Wait for 5 minutes. I’ll just be back.”

He got up and started moving to the dance floor. He too started dancing following the girl. He went near her. We couldn’t see what he actually did as it was mostly dark. But we saw them whispering something to each other and Aaron passing flirty smiles to her. Around 10 minutes later, he came back and handed over the number to us.

“Ooohhhhh….. You’ve got it, bro.” The boys high-fived with each other and Aaron again settled to his place. 

“Let’s continue.” Alice spinned the bottle once again. 

This time it stopped at herself only. The game continued. After a few more times, it was my turn. They all hooted as it was my 1st turn. I looked at Jeck with pleading eyes wanting him to give me something easy. 

“So, Nandini, your dare is… Umm….. Let me think.” Then he pretended to be thinking, running his eyes around the club. Suddenly I saw him smirking looking in a direction. I also tried to look at it but the dim light of the club wasn’t helping me. I looked at Jeck with confusion.

“Nandini, you see the guy sitting near the bar counter?” 

I nodded. 

“I noticed he was checking you out from time to time but he’s pretending as if he’s not. I think he’s interested in you. So, you need to go to him and kiss him on his lips. That’s your dare.”

I was out of words. It came as a total shock to me. I’ve never kissed anyone before. I’ve always wished for my first kiss to be special but here he’s asking me to kiss some random guy. It wasn’t supposed to be this way, was it?

“See, Jeck, you know I…”

“It’s a dare, Martin and you’ve to do it.” Jeck shrugged.

“Or you want to kiss someone else apart from that guy, according to your interest?” Alice smirked.

I threw a death glare to her.

“Guys, let it be, if she’s not interested. We can consider it and change the dare for her.” Aaron spoke out in my defense. 

“Come on, Aaron, it’s just a dare. I’m sure Nandini can do it.” He eyed me again after saying it.

I inhaled a long breath. I’ve to do this. Maybe after this Aaron won’t try to hit on me. He would know that I’m not interested in him. I pestered a smile on my face and got up throwing my hair backwards which was falling over my shoulder. 

“Don’t worry, guys. I’ll do this. Just watch me.” I tried to smirk even though I was hell nervous from inside.

I stared at the guy whom I was going to kiss for a while before walking near him. I stopped just behind him. I could see him sipping his drink. It’s his 4th drink since I’ve been here. I don’t know if I should move forward or not. Inhaling another deep breath, I placed my shaking palm on his shoulder. I felt his body stiff for a while before losing to normal one. 

He kept his glass on the counter and turned back. I placed my lips over his before he could register anything. I was sucking his lips slowly. It’s my 1st kiss and I don’t know how to feel about it. At first, the guy wasn’t kissing me back. I guess it was too sudden for him. 

I forgot the count of times when I felt his hands over my bare shoulder all thanks to my dress and then I felt them sliding from my shoulder and resting on my waist. Before I could know anything, he gripped that place tightly, yanking me closer. Right now I was standing between his legs leaning to him completely. 

He started kissing me back with utter intensity, not letting me match with him. I moaned loudly when he pinched on my waist. I’m sure if it’s not the loud music, then everyone could hear my voice. My eyes were closed.

My hands were over his chest gripping his collar tightly in my grip. I don’t know how long we were kissing. I scratched his skin over the fabrics, I don’t know whether it did anything to him or not, but I guess he knew I was out of breath. Then he let go of me. 

I was breathing heavily trying to normalize my breath. My eyes were still closed but I could still feel the piercing gaze on me. Slowly I opened my eyes only to meet my gaze with a pair of familiar eyes even though I’ve seen only once before. I gasped loudly at my place, not able to believe my own eyes.

What the hell I just did!!!

I just kissed a stranger.

And the stranger has to turn out to be him only out of millions of people in New York.

It was my new boss.

Mr Manik Edward Johnson!

I was stunned at my place. I kissed my boss on the very first day of my job. Now no one can save me. My job is gone even before I joined. 

I gathered all my courage with a lot of difficulty and looked into his eyes once again. I could see his drowsy eyes. He was drunk beyond his limit I guess. I just hope he didn’t recognize me.

“Sorry.”

I don’t know if it was audible to him or not but I just muttered it over his face and ran away from there to my friends. I was literally huffing covering this short distance only. 

“That was an epic kiss, Nandini. I wasn’t expecting that you would be kissing him for so long. Are you sure it’s your first time?” Jeck asked playfully as I reached there.

I could feel my throat drying. I took another beer bottle and finished it in a go still I felt it wasn’t enough. 

“Yuppp, Nandini. I’m proud of you.” Alice patted my back. “Tell me one thing, how was the guy? Was he handsome? Hot? Is he a good kisser?” She bomber me with all the questions I was expecting. 

I passed an awkward smile to her, having no idea what to answer. No doubt Mr Johnson is the most handsome as well as the hottest creature I’ve ever come across in my long life nor I doubt I’ll ever in future. He’s no less than a Greek God. He is also a deadly kisser. I don’t think my first kiss could be any better, if I let go of the part it’s with my boss. Even when it stakes my job.

Alice nudged me a little seeing me lost in my own thoughts not replying to her questions. To be more precise. I couldn’t tell them the truth. Also not the fact that I shared my 1st kiss with Mr  Manik Edward Johnson.

“What happened? How was the kiss?”

“It was good.” I looked here and there not wanting to meet their gaze. 

“Only good?” She asked again.

I could feel my cheeks getting warm. 

Jeck stopped her, seeing me being uncomfortable. Only Aaron didn’t say anything amidst all this not I was expecting him to.

“Let’s continue.” Jeck was about to spin the bottle once again but Aaron stopped him.

“I think it’s enough for the day. We all have done our dares now, let's do something else.”

“As you say.”

I was looking at the bar counter where Mr Johnson was sitting after a minimum gap of a second. But I couldn’t spot him after a few minutes. He must have gone away. I don’t know if he has recognized me or not. If he has, then what he must be thinking of me. 

I had no answers  to these questions. Only a loud sigh came out of me.

I turned back to look at my friends, they were talking about their lives including their jobs, office, flings and various other things. They were catching up knowing we’ll get busy from next week and won’t get a chance to sit like this anytime soon. But my mind was still wondering about Mr Johnson. I felt his presence with every bit of my body.

My breath caught in my throat with the intensity in his eyes. The way he stared at me was so ardent. I couldn't remember a time when anyone had looked at me in that way. It was enough to make me shiver now too. But I couldn’t ignore the charm in his eyes. I felt I was seeing into a dense forest at night. It was so deep that I felt I would lose myself in them.

"I need to stop thinking about him. He is off limits. I can never match his standard. He’s beyond my reach. Also he’s my boss now. The boss who is known for his ruthlessness, who has no time for relationships.”

I tried to assure myself and remove all his thoughts from my mind but every time I tried doing that, he settled into my mind a little more than before. I can’t deny that I wanted the kiss to last longer after seeing him because there’s no way I could be this close to him ever again.

"What do you think? Nandini?” 

My trance broke hearing Alice’s voice. "Huh?" I had no idea what she was asking or what they were talking about.

"Were you even listening?" She narrowed her gaze looking at me. 

"Sorry. I was just thinking of something." As soon as the words escaped my lips, I realized what blunder I just did. I’m sure Alice must be thinking I was lost in the thought of the kiss which wasn’t wrong anyway but I couldn’t let them know of that. 

“Were you thin….”

"I need to use the washroom." I didn’t let her complete it before that, only I got up and walked away from there not letting anyone ask me anything. 

I headed to the washroom. I needed coffee to calm down my nerves. But I can’t get that now, maybe cold water can help me. I need to get him out of my mind. I walked inside the washroom, thankfully it was empty. I splashed cold water over my face a few times. 

“You can’t obsess over him, Nandini Martin. You need to understand that. Just get him out of your mind.” 

I said to myself looking at my reflection into the mirror. I wiped my face and fixed my make up along with reapplying my lipstick which was gone a long back due to the kiss. I glanced at myself one last time, then walked out of the washroom. I was passing through the corridor, before I could step into the hall once again, I was pulled by a strong pair of arms into a nearby room.