Chapter 5 A Date, Mr Knight?

• It was around ten-thirty in the night, and everyone checked into their rooms after dinner. Sitting on the kitchen stool, Christian was enjoying his black coffee and gestured for the staff to leave when he received a call from his sweetheart, Lia. “What’s up?” Christian asked while taking a sip of his steaming hot coffee.
• “What are you doing? The entire day has passed, and I’ve not received a single text from you! Are you already busy with your soon-to-be wife?” Lia complained furiously.
• “Jealous?” Christian teased, raising an eyebrow.
• “Why would I be jealous of that Mishka? She is just a temporary arrangement.” Lia batted her eyelashes.
• “Fuck, how did you take her name so well? I still can’t pronounce it so effortlessly.” Christian said, stunned.
• “That’s because you don’t want to take her name!” Lia stifled out a chuckle. “Anyway, the Contract Marriage papers are ready. I just got a text from your annoying lawyer friend, Danny. Now, you just have to persuade her to sign them.” She said anxiously, and Christian drew a deep breath.
• “Okay, I’ll call him and……” He was about to say something when he saw Mishka walking into the kitchen. She smiled, crossing him and moved towards the kitchen aisle. Christian glanced back at her and noticed her looking for someone.
• “Lia, I’ll call you later. Bye.” He mumbled quickly, ending the call before she could say something, and walked right behind Mishka. “Can I help you?” Christian asked in a whisper.
• She spun around, and they both came face to face, so close that her wildflower fragrance filled his nostrils. “You startled me!” She said, keeping her hand on her chest.
• “I-I am sorry. I didn’t intend to startle you. I just came to ask if you need something.” Christian took a step back, maintaining a gap between them.
• “It’s alright!” Mishka said. “I want some water, but I don’t see glasses anywhere and there is no helper here, either.”
• “The glasses will be here in any drawer. Wait, let me check.” Christian said and started opening each cabinet of the modular kitchen.
• “This is your kitchen, and you don’t know where the glasses are kept. I’m surprised!” Mishka mocked.
• “Here I’m helping you out, and you’re mocking me in return. Is this the Indian values grandpa doesn’t get tired of talking about?” Christian lifted an eyebrow while opening the last drawer of the cabinet where he saw wine glasses and he took one out.
• “Here!” He forwarded the glass in her direction.
• “Wine glass?” She laughed, pouring some water from the jug. “Thank you!” She smiled, took a sip of water, and turned to walk away when she heard Christian calling her.
• “Mahika?” Christian called, and she stopped in her tracks.
• She turned. “My name is Mishka, not Mahika!” she said, and judging by her expressions, Christian was sure he annoyed her.
• “I’m sorry. I just don’t get it right, but I am trying to pronounce it properly,” Christian answered while walking in her direction.
• Her temper gradually subsided, and Mishka crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s okay. Tell me why you stopped me?” She asked.
• “Well, we both know why you are here!” Christian said, and Mishka got nervous all of a sudden and her ears turned red. “You must have already known everything, but all this is very new to me,” Christian said and paused for a few seconds.
• “That’s why I was thinking, Why don’t we go out tomorrow evening and try to get to know each other?” Christian asked, looking into her dark brown eyes.
• “Are you asking me out on a date, Mr Knight?” Mishka asked with an amused face, and it caught him off guard.
• “What? No.. of course not. I just want us to get to know each other better… But if you want it to sound like a date, I don’t mind.” Christian answered calmly.
• Mishka chuckled, “Mr Knight, we do not have any relationship formally announced, and who knows what will happen tomorrow?” She said and Christian knitted his eyebrows, watching her retrieving figure as Mishka turned to walk out.
• Taking a few steps, Mishka stopped in her track and to him. “And I guess you have forgotten, but tomorrow is your grandfather’s birthday, so I don’t think we can go out. There is a party at your farmhouse.” She smiled and Christian parted his lips.
• “Good night!” Mishka smiled and walked away.
• “Oh shit. How can I forget grandpa’s birthday!!” Christian shrieked in frustration and dialled Danny’s number, but it was switched off. “He must be hooking up with some girl again. Fuck you, Danny!” He muttered, and then dialled Lia’s number, but quickly disconnected as he knew how dangerous it could turn out for their plan if someone caught them together, especially after he has told grandpa they are over.
• Christian buried his face in his hand when an idea popped into his head. He stepped down from the kitchen stool and quickly rushed upstairs. He knocked at the door, but no one responded.
• He knocked again, and this time a faint voice came and Mishka opened her door a few seconds later. “Mr Knight? How can I help you?” She smiled, leaning at the door.
• “I’m so sorry to disturb you at this hour, but I was thinking,” He scratched his eyebrow and looked up into her eyes with hope. “Can you help me buy something for Grandpa? I’m not good at buying presents and if I failed to bring anything, grandpa will leave no stone unturned to embarrass me at the party.” He said, huffing.
• “So you don’t want to buy a present for grandpa to make him feel special. You want to buy a present to escape the embarrassment at the party?” Mishka arched an eyebrow, and Christian pursed his lips together.
• “Come on, ya! It’s not like that. You’re getting me all wrong! Of course, I want to purchase something special for him, and no friend of mine is available at this hour to help me out, plus you are grandpa’s favourite girl, so you probably know better what he would like. Now, will you please come out with me? We have to reach the mall early because it’s almost closing time.” Christian said.
• Mishka stared at him in pure silence. “Okay, fine. Let’s go.” She nodded, stepping out of her room.
• “Wait.. wait, you cannot come out like this!!” Christian said, pointing at her clothes. “You need to change.”
• “Why? What’s wrong with my clothes?” Mishka looked down at herself.
• “We are going out for god’s sake. You can’t come out like that. Being the successor of the Knight Group, I have got a reputation to maintain! So I would suggest you go back inside and change into something nice. Meanwhile, I’ll get changed, and wait for you in the car.” Christian explained, and Mishka nodded her head.
• “Cool, Fifteen minutes!” She said and closed her door.
• ***
• Christian was tapping his fingers on the steering when the door opened and Mishka stepped out in a pair of blue jeans with a white crop top, and the same nude five inches high heels clicked as she slid herself inside, opening the door of the passenger seat.
• “Wear your seatbelt,” Christian said and was about to start the engine when he saw her struggling with it. “What’s wrong?”
• “I don’t know!” Mishka tried to pull.
• “May I?” Christian asked politely, and she nodded her head. He moved closer to her seat and figured out that the seatbelt was actually stuck. He moved a bit closer to her, his face inches away from her, and her wildflower fragrance filled his nostrils again as he struggled with the seatbelt, and finally, he succeeded. The proximity did also affect Mishka, and she avoided meeting his eyes.
• “Done!” Christian started the engine and soon they hit the road. Mishka was silently enjoying the entire ride, looking outside the window, admiring the sky-reaching buildings. “So you always wear western clothes?” Christian tried to initiate a conversation.
• She turned him. “Not always, but usually, I prefer to wear western. It’s more comfortable. Why do you ask?” Mishka asked, staring at Christian.
• “Just curious. I thought Indian girls are conservative when it comes to clothes!” He said, stopping the car right outside the mall. “And we’ve reached!”
• The tone Christian used to make the statement seemed a derogatory remark to Mishka. “Well, it looks like you have a lot of misconceptions about Indian girls. You have met none before?” She asked.
• “There were some Indian girls in college and they used to dress up exactly how I said. Conservative!” he laughed. "And they didn't use to talk much!"
• Mishka nodded. “It appears you didn’t get a chance to know them better! It’s alright. I’m here to clear all your misconceptions.” She smirked, stepped out of the car, and slammed the door in his face.
• "Was it danger lurking behind her tone?" Christian wondered.