🎶. Har Funn Maula

"So, let's begin from the beginning?"

Ivaan and Dev blinked, nodding slowly.

"Alright, gentlemen, clutch your seat tightly because I'm going to take you on a very intense ride! Now, everything started from that conference where the bitch Aubrey ran her mouth like a damn river and tried to reveal the world about my boss's medical conditions. But the badder bitch, aka, my boss stood up to her and slammed down all of her accusations. Aubrey was definitely fallen as a child because she didn't get the signal and continued blabbering nonsense. She asked the boss to hold hands with Joshua-"

"Wait, who's Joshua?" Ivaan interrupted.

Ignoring him, Ian continued. "The fucker stood up and held out his hand and asked my boss to do the same. I swear I heard the crack in my heart when I saw her removing the gloves. Anyway, so overcoming my painful heartbreak, I focused on the situation at hand when out of nowhere the hero, aka, Professor Rehan Malik barged in. Let's ignore the fact that the six feet man was chased by an innocent dog because that dwindles the intensity of the story, anyway, moving on, he ran straight to where Joshua and boss were and stumbled over the table. Not going to lie, I heard the violins and shit in the background when boss' hand shot out to hold him close. Their eyes met, grey versus brown, looking into each other as if the rest of the world didn't exist. It was a scene straight out of a romance novel. Hey! Should I write a book on my boss' life? I'm sure it'll be a hit! USA's best-selling author Ian Preston, presents, You, Me, and the Dog. Believe me, the dog is the cupid here. Poor guy didn't get the deserving credit. But I'll make sure-"

"Ian, get back to the story!" Dev commanded when Ian went astray from the main point.

"Right, my apologies, sir Raichand, my attention span has the habit of betraying me. Getting back to the main story, the wand claimed its role as a villain and pushed our hero off the boss. Man, the way he went stumbling down the floor. I felt bad as a man. Boss looked back at Aubrey as the recent incident had just proved her point and I held back a laugh when Aubrey reddened like a rotten tomato. I had to suffer second heartbreak when my boss had a panic attack but I was strong enough to overcome that. Skipping the unnecessary details, let's jump to the next chapter. Courting Habibi. This is my favourite one, by the way. I'm sure my future readers will think the same. Well, my boss asked Mr. Professor out on a date but he shut her down by speaking eloquently in Urdu and walked out. I was told to start learning Urdu which, from my point of view, I did an impeccable job at! Unfortunately, my role as a translator wasn't applauded enough, but I'll make sure the book and my future readers do. I'm leading you guys away from the main story so let's catch a bus back to it, proceeding, boss continued to court the professor and he continued to reject her. But who's the boss? That's right, my boss! Ha! So it was given that she won in the end! I did the arrangements for the date by the way! From the movies to the snacks-" Ethan cleared his throat. "Yeah, he helped a little bit but the rest was all me. After the date, boss was hell-bent on bringing the professor home. Poor guy was robbed off of a mice trap in the middle of the road. By the way, Mr. Professor, that mice trap is in the storeroom of the mansion. You can take it from there. Anyway, he gave up soon, because again, who's the boss? That's right, my boss! He came home and I thought everything will be fine now. But Mr. Professor here is a hard nut to crack! He kept slamming down all of my boss' advances. She made him cake too! Can you believe it!? But he didn't eat that either. Well, he shouldn't have, because then, he did eat cake, just not very lovingly. After she slammed the cake into his face, I retreated quietly so I don't know what went down but then I heard Mr. Professor was allowed to go back to his life. I was shocked! Siya Raichand, let go of something she had pursued after so many hardships!? My my, I thought she had changed. I was wrong. She is a cunning woman, somehow she knew the professor will come back. Anyway, so we went to this Gala, where I offered to be her date, her loss she didn't agree. I'm sure anyone in her place would have jumped at the opportunity of wanting me as their date. She took the Urdu speaking professor instead but my lord, you guys should have been there! Had you been, I'm sure you would have sensed the sexual tension between the two. It oozed off them like a damn waterfall. And the dance! Mr. Professor here looked very possessive with his arm around my boss' waist, steering her off the other males, glaring at whoever dared to glance at her!"

Siya glanced at Rehan, surprised to hear the piece of news.

Rehan took a sip of water from the glass, focusing back on his plate.

"After the dance, boss and Mr. Professor went back home. That night, it was the first time I had seen my boss so genuinely happy. But it was short-lived. Hence, the ruthless boss was back. In the short span of two weeks, thirteen employees were fired from their job all for petty reasons. I'm sure the employees must be swearing at the professor internally. You've so much hatred pining on you, Mr. Malik, better run to church and ask for mercy! Well, skipping the unnecessary details, let's come to today, where I, Ian Preston, boss' favourite assistant, Mr. Raichand's cartoon, Ethan's- nevermind, and USA's future best-selling author, was shot!"

"Where!?" Dev exclaimed, his eyes raking up and down Ian's form.

"Uhm, the bullet didn't touch me, but it did break my heart the fourth time!"

"Third."

"Yeah, excuse my goldfish memory, so that brings us to tonight. I'm fine, by the way. I'm sure you all must have been shocked hearing the news. Rest assured, you won't have to say rip to me anytime soon. I couldn't let you guys shed tears on my tombstone so early. Dead assistants don't make salaries and dead writers don't write soul-numbing, intense, romance novel. I gotta live a lot, around until ninety-five, give or take five more. I'm counting on give though."

He sucked in a sharp breath and sat down, downing a glass of water before wiping his wet lips with the back of his palm.

"That's all gentlemen, rest of You, Me and The Dog is yet to be written. Let's get back to dinner. Ivaan, darling, can you pass me the salt."

Ivaan handed him the salt shaker.

"Thank you," Ian smiled and sprinkled the salt over his pasta before continuing to eat the leftover on his plate.

"I just- I just wanted to know about today," Dev mumbled, flabbergasted after hearing Ian's brief monologue.

"Just finish the dinner and leave." Siya deadpanned.

Dev snorted and focused back on the food. "Who made this though? It's amazing!"

"Yours truly," Ian placed a hand over his chest, smiling proudly.

"You've the hands of a chef!" Ivaan complimented with a smile.

"Why, thank you," Ian waved his hand dismissively. "I'm honored that you guys are lucky enough to taste the food made by me. It's rare." He winked.

Ivaan chuckled. "We are."

Siya sighed. "All of you better leave after you're done." She announced and pushed the empty plate away, getting up and strolling out of the dining hall.

Dev and Ivaan rolled their eyes.

"Love you, Di!" They shouted after her.

"Yeah, whatever," she yelled back, hurriedly climbing up the stairs and reaching her room.

Before closing the door to her room, she stole a glance at the room across the hallway, smiling softly because the room is occupied once again.

She didn't know what made him come back to her, on his own, without her forcing him into obligation.

He came back.

Willingly.

To help her.

Siya couldn't help the sigh that left her mouth. She hadn't received the chance to relish in the surprise of him coming back when her two brothers had self-invited themselves over and the happiness to see them had overshadowed Rehan's shocking decision to return to her.

But Siya's eyes had liked his sight more than her brothers'.

She sat down on the bed, removed her slippers, and pulled her legs up, tucking them underneath her as she mindlessly rolled the ring on her finger. Her lips lifted in a smile when she remembered how he had avoided looking into her eyes when Ian had reminded them of the night of the gala, and the possessiveness of the professor that she was unaware of. Had he been really glaring at the males looking her way?

The thought brought an unexplainable fluttering feeling inside her stomach.

She had no other way to explain how she felt except that it was all new and weird.

She fell back with a soft huff, biting on her lower lip as she closed her eyes and pictured the moment she had first met him.  His beautiful grey eyes, staring into her, as if she was a speck of his wildest dream coming alive. She remembers comparing his eyes to the stormy skies, dark grey, promising perpetual darkness, but it was comfortable. His darkness was engulfed with warmth and security, his touch had that power, the power to make her body trust him, to give up on the ropes of the control and completely depend on his sense of judgment.

She had missed the way his touch felt on her.

Yes, he felt unworthy of her trust, but her body loves to betray her. The one her brain wants to stay clear of, her heart and body demand the same man. How could he be so gentle and dangerous at the same time?

He had a duality hidden within him.

And the temptation to peel off his every layer was strong.

And she was going to do that.

She was going to unravel him, using her words, her touch, her body, her soul, her everything.

This attraction wasn't like any other she had felt before to any man. She wasn't just affected by his touch, it was his eyes that lingered on her before his fingers did, it was his proximity that made her feel breathless before his body did, it was his words that struck a chord in her heart before his actions did.

He was nothing she had dreamt of having in a man. Oh no, he was far from that. He didn't fit in her ideal type.

But he had something the other men didn't.

He could touch her, and her body would let him.

No one but him. Only him.

Siya rolled over, grabbing a pillow and holding it close to her chest before she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Two hours later, a nightmare woke her up.

She sat straight, tired of her memories haunting her in the sleep. Sliding her legs down, she wore the slippers and walked out of the room to head to the kitchen for a glass of water as the pitcher on the nightstand was empty.

Entering the kitchen, she filled herself a glass of water and downed it slowly, flipping the glass over the tray before heading back upstairs. Her eyes flickered to his room at the end of the corridor and she frowned spotting the door open and the lights turned on. Leading her way towards the room, she stopped at the threshold, catching his attention.

Rehan lifted his eyes from the book, blinking up at her.

"You're still awake?" She asked, crossing her arms on her chest.

He shrugged. "I could ask you the same."

"I have a reason."

"And what makes you think I don't?"

She nodded. "Fair enough," she muttered, distracted by the expanse of his broad chest when his arm stretched over to grab his phone from the nightstand. She gulped.

"What made you change your mind?"

He bit on his lower lip, looking up at her. "If I said you," he got down the bed and tossed the phone to his left, strolling to her. Siya stiffened. "Would that be a viable answer?"

She breathed in his scent, resisting the urge to close her eyes and lean into him. "That sounds too good to be true,"

He hummed. "That does, doesn't it?" He smirked.

She blinked, a little confused. "What do you mean?"

He turned his body to the right, backing her up against the door jamb, and placed his left hand above her head while the other stayed limp on his side before he leaned in just the slightest.

Siya inhaled a shaky breath.

"I mean, I came, because I wanted to." He whispered, his right hand raising, causing a tremor to go down her spine in anticipation of what he would do. He didn't touch her, instead, he let his hand float close to her arm, sliding it slowly up and down, making little goosebumps appear on her skin. Closing the distance between them, he leaned in and breathed against the shell of her ear. "Siya," he whispered her name, a husky undertone lining his smooth and dark voice.

"Hmm,"

"You want me to touch you, don't you?"

Her eyes widened in shock.

This was getting out of hand.

She was slowly becoming putty in his hand.

"No," she shook her head, trying to slip away from his right.

He chuckled softly and wrapped his arm around her waist, drawing her into his arms and eliciting a gasp out of her pretty plump lips as he straightened up and then effortlessly leaned against the left door jamb, his right foot lifting itself off and planting against the wooden frame.

Siya placed her hands on his chest out of instinct, looking up into his eyes, feeling the initial shock slip away at the mischievous glint in his grey swirls that seems to have captured all of her attention.

"Where's the rude professor that I knew of?" She asked softly.

The corner of his lips pulled up in a lopsided smile. "He was slightly rude, wasn't he?"

"Slightly?" She raised her brows at the audacity of him to add the word slightly in the statement instead of extremely. 

"Well, you can't blame him," he whispered, his hand settling on the curve of her waist, the heat of his skin seeping into her through the thin fabric of the silk gown. "You gave him the reason to be rude."

"Touchè." She murmured. "So, this version of professor isn't rude anymore?"

His hand trailed down, producing a shiver in its wake before it stopped on her hips and he pulled her closer. "What do you think?"

"You're getting bold, Mr. Malik," she commented, stroking the collar of his white dress shirt.

He smiled and leaned in, rubbing his stubble against her cheek before he whispered into her ear. "Careful, Mea, you don't know what bold for me is,"

Siya pulled away with a soft gasp.

He didn't flinch, his eyes shining with the same mischief she was enamored with, his body relaxed against the doorjamb, his gaze watching her in a lazy nonchalance.

She rubbed her sweaty hands against her gown. "I'm- I'm glad you came back. Thank you. And good night." She whispered breathlessly before turning around, ready to leave.

He smirked, bending forward and capturing her fingers in his. She gasped, not getting the time to react as he yanked her towards him, her back colliding against his chest.

"What happened, Mea," he breathed against the junction of her shoulder and neck. "Why are you running now? Isn't this what you want?" He asked, his hand trailing over the curve of her neck, gently slipping off the robe from her shoulder. The tip of his finger danced over the sharpness of her collar bone and she shivered. Her hands flew up to clutch his shoulders when he spun her around, plastering himself completely to her. "This is fun," he mocked with a mirthful smile, his arms wounding themselves around her petite frame. "I tried so hard, Siya, so hard. But you're one stubborn woman," he gritted out, the mischief leaving his eyes only to be replaced with untamed anger. "You want me?" He tilted his head to the side, looking into her eyes unblinkingly, his hand shamelessly sprawling over her lower back, close to her derriere. "I come with a price. Get ready to pay it." He snorted, shaking his head as he gently pushed her away and stood straight.

Just as he turned to leave, she caught his wrist and stepped inside the room, walking past him to stand before him.

"What are you, Mr. Rehan Malik?" She asked, lifting her chin to look straight into his shining grey swirls.

He inclined closer, smirking when she didn't flinch away. "Everything you can't tame, Miss. Control Freak."

She scoffed. "I've tamed far more stubborn lions than you."

Rehan smiled. "Oh no, Mea," he shook his head. "I'm not a lion, I don't announce myself with a roar. That's not my style." He whispered, freeing his wrist from her hold as he rounded her frame slowly. "I come unannounced," he stopped behind her and bent to the level of her ear. "Slowly,  steadily, I come, and you won't even notice until I want you to. I slither my way around you, wrapping myself around your vines, crushing you, holding you captive until you stop struggling, and then, I hiss," he sneered into her ear that made her flinch. Satisfied with her reaction, he come to stop in front of her and draws her into his arms once again, "and then, I kiss, softly, gently, pouring my venom through your pretty lips, letting my intoxication take over your every other sense until you're all of me and nothing of yourself."

She frowned, taking in a sharp breath when he nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck, dragging his nose down the curve of her throat before stopping on the bare skin of her shoulder. She closed her eyes when he captured the fabric of her robe in between his teeth and slipped it back over her shoulder, covering her bare skin.

She came out of the daze when he pulled away.

"I'll find out all of your secrets." She said determinedly.

He scoffed with a smile. "Don't fall for me before that happens."

She gritted her teeth and crossed her arms across her chest. "Aren't you getting too ahead of yourself?"

His gaze fell to her lips for a brief moment and he smirked when her tongue sneaked out to wet them. His gaze drifted up, meeting her full-blown brown eyes. "Am I?"

Siya blinked, clenching her jaw when she realised what he did.

"You're infuriating!" She hissed.

He laughed.

Snapping her eyes away from the alluring sight, she curled her hand into a fist and stormed out of his room, slamming the door close once she was in her bedroom.

Siya heaved a sigh and rested her head against the doorframe, raking a frustrated hand through her locks.

This man was definitely nothing like he showed.

Siya frowned and stood straight.

Walking up to the nightstand, she picked up her phone and