"Ruchi,you cannot be so adamant"

His warm breath caressed her neck as she turned her face away. The night's chill was making it difficult for him to move away from her. Her perfume, her soft glowing skin mixed with the spirit of New Year's eve was a heady concoction, and fogged his mind beyond reasoning.

I can't stop myself and I'm sure she will not be able to resist me tonight too.

He lifted his arms and held her tight as she arched backwards, clearly sensing his intention.

His girlfriend's gorgeous face was a mere inch away from his. His heart pounded hard, clouding his judgment. He wanted to give her a tight hug to settle all her insecurities before giving her the pleasure of her first kiss. And his as well. Oh, it was truly going to be a special night!

"I love you truly and madly, Ruchi. I'm crazy about you! God, I want to kiss you all over your face. I... I just can't stop myself!"

Anuj was overwhelmed with desire and was about to plant a kiss on her pink lips, when it happened!

Thaaaap!

The sound of a tight slap reverberated in the air and Anuj's right cheek exploded in pain.

Placing a pale hand on his chest, Ruchi pushed him away with all her might and Anuj almost fell on the floor.

Anuj's dazed mind was rudely awakened at this unexpected and fierce opposition from Ruchi. He sat still on the floor, gazing at her in shock. She looked furious! The sound of the tight slap drew the attention of his friends standing nearby, adding to his embarrassment.

That's when Ruchi's stern voice boomed, "No means no!"

Shaking off his thoughts of the disastrous New Year's Eve party, Anuj walked close to the guard standing at the small gate. The guard recognized his familiar face and acknowledged him with a smile. He had seen Anuj many times at General Sherawat's house and knew that he was Ruchi's friend.

"Ruchi madam ke ghar jaana hai," Anuj said before hurriedly wishing the guard a happy new year." He walked towards the bungalow, all the while checking his phone for a reply from Ruchi. He had been constantly messaging her from the moment she had left the party, but she had not replied to any of his messages.

After arriving at the bungalow, he stood in the shadow of a tree to avoid unwanted attention from the security guards who patrolled the lane. He looked down at his phone again, but there was only a cold empty space under all his apologies. Even the blue ticks to indicate she had read them were absent. Out of desperation, he started sending her voice messages justifying his act.

"Ruchi, you cannot be so adamant. Think about me also, na? What wrong did I do? I mean... just look at it from my point of view. I just asked for one kiss. It's not a crime! Don't be like this, Ruchi. I am sure you will also like it. Everyone does. Others have done far too many things; it's only a kiss I'm asking for!"

As Anuj touched the send button on his phone, from the corner of his eye he noticed a car entering the bungalow diagonally opposite Ruchi's house. To his dismay, its headlights exposed him, making him visible to the guards.