And she couldn’t bear it if he didn’t. The worst part was that they were in this position because he’d been forced to sign a contract with her. For five years only. What if, at the end of it, he wanted to walk away?
Her chest hollowed. No, she couldn’t afford to tell him.
“Tell him, Shauna,” Rhea urged softly.
Before she could reply, her phone rang. Her heart skipped, then broke into a happy little dance as she glanced at the screen.
Akash.
A smile lit up her face as she quickly answered. “Hi, Akash.”
“Shauna, it’s actually Vir on the line.”
She blinked, her smile faltering into a frown. “Vir? Where’s Akash? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, all good,” Vir replied easily. “Armaan is here with me. He wants to say hi.”
The phone went on speaker, and she could hear music in the background.
“Hi, Shauna,” Armaan greeted her. “How are you?”
She smiled. “I’m good. I didn’t know you were coming to Mumbai.”
“Well, my friend here got engaged, so I had to come meet him,” Armaan replied. “Good plan,da?”
She laughed. Armaan was Rajiv’s brother-in-law and she’d met him and his brothers several times during her visits to Dubai to meet Sheena.
From the background, she heard Akash’s annoyed voice. “Give me my phone back, you idiots.”
“No,” Armaan laughed.
“What’s happening?” Shauna asked in confusion.
“You see, Shauna,” Vir said, his tone easy and familiar, like they’d been in touch all this time, as if years hadn’t passed since they’d last spoken. “We’re at a nightclub, and instead of enjoying himself, my friend here has been absolutely miserable.”
She heard a muffled protest in the background.
“And,” Vir continued, clearly enjoying himself, “it seems to me that he’s yearning for you.”
Another scuffle. A low, irritated, “Vir?—”
“So,” Armaan continued, taking over from Vir, “how about you save all of us from this tragic situation and come to Tryst,da?”
“I am not yearning,” Shauna heard Akash say in the background.
“No?” Vir asked. “Then why have you been ignoring that girl from your college? She’s been practically clamoring for your attention ever since you walked in here. And you refuse to talk to her.”
“Vir, I swear to?—”
Vir and Armaan laughed, completely unfazed by Akash. But Shauna’s head was spinning as fire erupted in her chest. Which girl? Who was trying to get Akash’s attention?
“Okay, we gotta go,” Vir said quickly. “Akash’s very enthusiastic friend is heading this way, and she’s brought backup. And wow… they are gorgeous. Someone has to entertain them. Bye.”
“Hello, ladies…” she heard Vir say before the line went dead.
“Bloody fucking hell,” Shauna cursed.
“What happened?” Rhea asked.
