Questions aren't mine! I got them from a website, the answers and everything else is though:)

"Intimacy test" Zoya scoured over the words, her turquoise nails scraping the I as she huffed. This was not something she had any interest in and the last thing she wanted was to get closer to a man who had already riled her up.

"I guess this will be helpful when I finally get you into bed" his arms crossed over his chest, a salacious smile making dimples appear in his cheeks.

"Pfft, in your dreams" she turned over the page to scan the questions, ensuring to avoid eye contact with the man who was adamant on rubbing her up the wrong way.

"Dreams often become a reality if you work hard enough and as you can see" he flexed his muscles, "Hard work is something I know well".

Lifting her head slightly, she grinned "Really?" Her hand squeezed his arm, "I couldn't tell".

His smile dropped as hers widened "We all know you were just using that as an excuse to touch me up" needing to get the last word, he shot the first question at her before she could one-up him again, "If you could choose anyone in the world, living or dead, to have in our home as a dinner guest, who would you choose and why?"

"My parents" she mumbled, "You?"

"I'm sorry" Aditya bit his lip, it all made sense now, the darkness in her eyes and how she seemed so against joking around, if he was a better man he wouldn't push it, but it was clear she needed to let loose and who better than him to make that happen? "Abir, he's all I have".

His answer at least showed he had a heart, previous to that she was sure he didn't, though she'd never understand why Abir was his friend, she was happy he had someone, having no friends made for a lonely life and no one quite knew that better than her. Of course, she had Mishti, but whereas her younger sister never shied away from developing friendships, she'd always found it far more difficult than disabling a bomb for instance. "If you could choose the activities to do that would make a perfect day, what would you choose?"

"Sky diving, a swim in the ocean and lunch on the beach" he answered quickly.

"Never took you for the romantic type" Zoya's soft doe eyes rolled back.

"Never judge a book by its cover" he admonished, finger shaking playfully at her.

"Thanks, I'll remember that as the best advice I have ever been told" though she spoke sarcastically she couldn't help but wish more people would take his advice, she could count on two hands multiple times the amount of instances where people had made assumptions about her being cold and frigid just because she was serious most of the time, but in a job like hers having fun usually cost lives. "Just a relaxed day, some movies" she shrugged.

Aditya watched as her cheeks turned red, why she was embarrassed he didn't know, she ran R.U.B.Y and the work she'd done for victims was amazing, so it was understandable why she wanted to just chill, she deserved that. "If you had a crystal ball that could tell you anything at all about your life that you don’t already know, what would you ask it to tell you?"

"Uh you answer first" she didn't like this question at all, it opened up far too much, yes they needed to seem close, but this was private.

"Okayyy" he hummed. "I'd ask if it all ends happily" afterall, wasn't that all anyone could wish for?

At that her head shot up, her words barely audible even though the room echoed "I would ask the same" and just like that she began to see something a little different beneath the flirty facade he hid behind so well. "What's your favourite childhood memory?"

"Oh," his eyes shone, "There was this one time I saw this woman feeding birds, it bugged the fuck out of me that when I tried it wouldn't work, I was young and brash and let my temper control me, so I shouted at the birds after, anyway the woman, Annabelle saw me watching and offered to help me, I had a big ego so was all like 'I don't need your help', but she helped me anyway and lo and behold all it took was kindness, it stayed with me long after, anger doesn't solve anything" he looked her in the eye, "Kindness does".

"Wow" she drew her chair back a little in surprise, he really was a man full of secrets, there was so much more to him than what you could see at first glance. "Mine was when I was six, Mishti stole these muffins from a stall and we got caught by our parents" she giggled, "We thought they'd be mad, but actually they laughed and ate with us" looking off into the distance as she recalled the memory, her eyes sparkled with tears.

"My parents would have smacked me silly" Aditya shook his head as he slid the box of tissues towards her. "What are the ten most important things on your personal bucket list?"

Taking one gratefully, Zoya pursed her lips in thought while dabbing her eyes "I don't really have a bucket list, but I just want my sister to be happy, which she is, but to get the love she deserves, what about yours?"

Ignoring her question, he crossed his arms over his chest "What about you?"

Her brows furrowed "What do you mean?"

"It just seems to me that you're very family orientated, which is great" he held his hands up as her eyes hardened. "But, you deserve to be happy too, wouldn't she want you to be happy too?"

"What makes you think I'm not happy?"

His brow raised "Really? You're the furthest from happy I've ever seen" he scoffed.

"Oh yeah, what about you?"

"What about me?" Now, this was getting interesting, he couldn't deny just how much he enjoyed the fire in her eyes, she was a passionate person and there was nothing he respected more.

"Don't think it isn't clear as day just how sad you are too, you clearly use humour as a defence mechanism" her fist slammed on the desk, "Walls always come down and then we will see exactly what you think you hide so well" hitting the alarm she let her hair hide her face. "This meeting is over, get me out" she ordered.

Leila hauled the door open "What's happening here?"

Shrugging, he folded his legs atop the table "Ask stressy".

Pinching the brim of her nose, she shoved her tongue into her cheek and tapped her foot impatiently "Nothing is happening here, where is my sister? I want to go home".

"She is still doing the test, you can wait in reception" watching her storm off, her head shook. "Always have to scare them away, don't you? God" she pushed her hair away, "Men like you are why I smoke".

"Scare her away? Oh no," he jumped up. "She'll be back" he watched her leave, "She clearly can't get enough of me" slinging his arm over her shoulder, he winked "And neither can you if you're smoking because of me".

Pushing him away, she got out another cigarette "Oh, get over yourself".

"Or you could just get under me?" He shouted, falling forward in laughter as she put up her middle finger.

Abir laughed at yet another joke she made "Okay, okay, be serious" his ribs were hurting at this point. "When did you last cry about something and what did you cry about?"

"Oh, I watched titanic last night" her cheeks pinked, "Not to quote Joey from friends, but those two only had each other" she pouted. "You?"

"Uh" he scratched the back of his neck, "I can't actually remember".

"Booo, you gotta cry, tears are good for the skin, how do you think my complexion is so good?" Touching her cheeks, she turned her face as if posing for a picture. "If you could wake up tomorrow morning with one new skill or ability, what would you choose?"

"To be invisible, you know the saying to be a fly on the wall?"

She nodded.

"Well, there's a lot I'd like to witness without actually having to participate, you?"

"Oh, so you're secretly interested in voyeurism?"

A puzzled expression marred his face "What's that?"

Mishti pulled a face, her skin turning ashen grey "You, you don't know?"

He did, but he just wanted to mess around, she'd made far too many jibes at his expense, it was his turn now. His head shook.

Gulping, she played with the pages of the booklet "It's uh watching people have s.e.x" she spelt out.

"Was that an invitation?"

She gasped, jaw falling downwards "Naughty" she reprimanded, though the drop of her stomach and the pick up of her heart told her she wasn't as against his flirting as she'd have him believe. "Uh," she coughed to clear her throat, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear "Next question, what's something that you'd like to try, but that you're too scared to try?"

His smile was sly as he rested his chin on his palm "If I say you is that an acceptable answer?"

"Oh my gosh, you're just as bad as Aditya, no you can't say that, say something normal like um".

His eyelashes fluttered modestly when he mimicked her earnestly "Like?"

"Uh, you, know like um, like".

"If I knew making you speechless was this easy I would've flirted before" pushing her jaw up, he winked "You'll catch flys".

His gesture only made her face hotter, trying to move on she read the next question out: "What was your favourite book as a child and why did you like it so much?"

"Snow White, Grumpy is my favourite dwarf".

"Oh my gosh same, but I like Bashful".

"I think that says a lot about us, shy girl and a grumpy man, match made in heaven, no?" Abir's brows waggled.

"More like a match made in hell" she poked her tongue out.

"Unless you're going to do something with that tongue I suggest you keep it hidden" he stood from his chair, chuckling at her expression as he rounded the desk and placed his cheek next to hers, "You know the door is locked, think of all the things we could get up to".

"But the questions".

"I have some questions I'd like answered, like what you sound like when you lose yourself?" He groaned into her ear, "How loud you can be? Do you prefer the top or the bottom?"

Gasping, she stuttered, "See, see the next one is is uh what's the one thing about yourself that you would most like to change?"

"Hm, maybe the fact that I still have my clothes on? You haven't answered my questions" he tutted.

At that, she jumped up "Those questions aren't on the list, we should um" she tapped the paper, "Stick, stick to the list".

"Like to follow the rules do we? Never took you for the submissive kind, but whatever turns you on works for me" he couldn't deny just how taken in by her he was, she was a lot of fun and her reactions were priceless.

Stepping back, she moved on "What would be your dream vacation?" She hoped that would be a safer question.

His eyes roamed down her body "If I tell you where I'd like to go, you'll run" he warned.

Unable to stop herself, she leant forward and exhaled "Where?"

"Between your legs".

And as he said, she turned, hit the button and ran the second the door swung open.

Leila hit her forehead with the butt of her hand "You scared her too?" Honestly, she had no idea what to do with these two, they were a menace.

"Oh, you know me, gotta have a little fun and plus, she's just too easy, so how's that my fault?" Seeing her annoyance, he began to massage her shoulders, "Relax, I learnt a lot about her like you wanted and we nearly got intimate, was that not the point of the test?"

"You know damn well that wasn't the point" she bit out.

He slid past her "Aw, don't be jealous, you're still my number one".

Shoving at his chest, she pushed a fag between her lips "You and your best friend will be the death of me".

His eyes twinkled "We wouldn't have it any other way" he assured.

This chapter took me agessss! Anyway, hope you enjoyed flirty Aditya and Abir, moody Zoya and easily embarrassed Mishti! Let me know your views!

The Winter's Widow has also been updated and I'm working on the next one now!