KIARA'S POV

“No.”

He blinked his eyes a few times, his hand still grazing the skin of my cheek.

“Did you just say no?”

A few more blinks.

His eyes were beautiful, and that adorable expression of utter surprise and disbelief really suited him. I would spend so much time defying and challenging him just to see that look on his face. I mentally chided myself. There was a reason I just said no, despite the fact that my entire senses were still entangled in his touch, his voice and his eyes.

But, some things are best kept as fantasies. I learnt that the hard way.

“Yes, I am sorry. I do not date.” I slowly backed away, my nerves instantly protesting the loss of the spell he had created. Strangely, this was accompanied by a sense of relief at having put some distance between us..

He withdrew his hand and leaned back on the chair, regarding me intently. I could not identify the expression he had on his face. I hated that. I read people by their faces, not their words, not their actions. This man threw me off course, and I felt uncomfortable. Not with him, but with the fact that he made me feel unsteady, challenged. I squirmed in my seat under his steady gaze. I resented his calm, when I felt like the monsoon wind was on a rampage inside me.

“Why?” He broke through my thoughts. I gulped. Why was I so scared? Because I am this close to giving in. I need to end this soon. I smell danger.

“Just because I do not date.” He cocked his eyebrow and I felt myself falling into my habit of talking too much and too fast when under pressure. “..and you are not even a regular person. If I had to date, I’d date someone I could relate to, someone like me. Not someone from another world. You are like another species of human. You are not like me.”

“Are you other-ing me?” He grinned. “To be honest, a little disappointed.”

“What? No! I am not other-ing you…” I sputter.

“Another species of human? Yes, I think you are.”

There is nothing, I repeat nothing I hate more than someone using MY jargon to entrap me in the very space that I spent multiple research papers denouncing.

“That is beside the point,” I try to navigate back to my original point, still seething with fury inside. “There are a zillion problems here.”

“Aaah…” He said, sagely. I knew it was to bait me, but the contemplative, superior look on his face was just too much to endure.

“What?” I snap.

“You are the kind of an academician who doesn’t like being called out on their BS.”

My mouth fell open. I did not know if I should pull at his hair first or smack him on his head. Both options seemed extremely satisfying.

“What was that term again? Starts with a P, umnn was it pseu…”

I shot up, almost knocking my chair over. “Don’t say it, you punk!” I screech. Did I just use the word punk?

Many heads turned our way. Another thing I really hate: drawing attention to myself.

I murmured some awkward apologies and slumped back into my chair only to find him stifling his laughter with his hands. I mean, if you want to hide your laughter you need to do something about the light bulb that probably glows right underneath your skin considering the intensity of the beam on your face.

I sulked. I never thought I would say this, because kids sulked, immature human beings sulked. But I did. I sipped my coffee and decidedly looked out the window, and my lower lip was trying to slide over my upper lip in that classic sulk-pout. Thankfully, I manage