Her stomach tightened.
No. She shoved the memories away.
The doors began to slide shut, and she rammed her hand between them to halt them. His eyes met hers, and the ice in his gaze stopped her short.
“Make up your mind,” Akash said, his tone cold. “Either get in or stay out.”
Holding her chin high, she walked inside the elevator. She reached to press the button for the top floor and stopped when she realized he was also going there. The elevator hummed as it began to rise, the space between them tight and uncomfortable. She studied the elevator panel, watching the numbers change as they climbed toward the thirtieth floor, painfully aware of Akash standing near her, jaw tight, still tapping on his phone.
She glanced at him. Today, he was dressed in a perfectly tailored gray suit with a white shirt, his hair effortlessly swept back from his forehead. His sharp, arrogant jaw was dusted with day-old stubble. But his eyes were a blank void as he lifted his head and stared at her.
She inhaled sharply.
She ought to have expected this after everything that had happened between them. That night, she’d lost control with him. Again. For a few reckless minutes, she’d forgotten every reason she had for keeping her distance from him. She had let herself want him. If her grandfather hadn’t called at that exact moment, they would have gone much further. The thought alone made her shudder.
After the call, Akash had stepped back, putting distance between them, as though he was determined to undo what had just happened between them. He’d looked as if it had all been a huge fucking mistake, one he alone was responsible for.
His expression had been filled with regret and a kind of grim restraint that cut deeper than anger ever could. As though he had already decided that whatever had happened between themshould never have happened at all. It had left her feeling raw, exposed. Vulnerable.
And whenever Akash made her feel that way, she only knew one way to deal with it. She lashed out. Hence, this current tension between them.
She sighed. But he was right about one thing. That night in Maldives had been a mistake. One of many she seemed to be making where he was concerned.
Perhaps this silence and stillness between them was better. They could now move on in life without getting in each other’s way. And yet, several questions burned through her. Why was he back at Sehgal Media? Was he going to start working here again? And if he was returning to Sehgal Media… then what came next?
Back in the Maldives, he’d said something on the lines that his destiny was here in Mumbai. Even Keya had said in her toast on the first night there that Akash was finally where he was meant to be. Did that mean Sehgal Media? And if it did, then what would be his role now? Where would he work? Surely not with her.
For nearly two years, at her grandfather’s insistence, Akash had interned with various businesses. First with Rohan Bali at Fortuna Finance in Delhi, then with Aditya Wahi at the Gemini office in Singapore, followed by Dev Luthra at Keystone Corp. in Dubai.
She chewed her lip. She’d always found it a bit strange that her grandfather favored Akash so much and that he’d personally groomed him at work. Her grandfather was close to Keya, yes. But Keya, Raashi, and Sheena, Kabier’s younger sister, had been besties since school days. So that connection made sense to her. But Akash and her grandfather?
No. She didn’t get it. In fact, she didn’t like Akash’s closeness to her grandfather. And now he was back here again.
The elevator dinged, and she stepped out ahead of him. She turned a corner and felt him behind her, walking quietly.
“There you are,” her grandfather’s assistant, Reema, exclaimed.
The older woman was in her late fifties and had worked for her grandfather for years. Shauna smiled at her. The older woman gave her a fleeting smile and focused all her attention on Akash. He stepped forward and removed two small rectangles from his pocket, handing them to the older woman.
“You remembered.” Reema grinned, taking the gift from him. Shauna noticed the Pistachio Kunafa chocolate bars, the new and popular chocolate treat from Dubai.
Akash smiled. “I never forget anything you say, Ma’am.”
“It’s Reema,” the older woman said. “You’d better get used to calling me by my name. Soon you’ll have to…”
Akash cleared his throat, and Reema immediately stilled. Something unspoken passed between them as they exchanged a look.
Shauna frowned.
Reema turned back to her. “Hello, Shauna.”
“Hi, Reema. I have an appointment with my grandfather.”
“I have to meet him too,” Akash added.
Reema addressed them. “Mr. Sehgal hasn’t come in yet. Why don’t you both wait for him inside his office?”
Akash gave Shauna a cold look before turning to the older woman. “I have no problem waiting with Shauna. Perhaps you should ask her if she’s comfortable waiting inside with me.”
