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She hugged him, her heart overflowing with love for him.
Who knew she would fall in love with her rival?
Chapter 23
Rana could not contain his excitement to see his parents as the flight touched down in their hometown. He looked at Nami’s watch wrapped around his wrist and smiled. There was no denying he would miss everything about her—mostly her sweet smile that made him feel like he didn’t need to give a crap about anything else in the world.
He wanted to text her, but she had made him agree to a pact about not messaging each other. She was going to work on her project so she could have it all wrapped up by the time he was back. She had also promised him that she would go away with him for a full weekend.
A smile formed on his face at the thought of having her all to himself with no distractions. Time with his own sweet distraction. He gently ran his fingers over the watch he had on, just like he had when she had it on her. It truly reminded him of her.
How did he go from hating the very sight of her to wanting to take every breath filled with her beautiful scent?
“Veeru…” He heard the loving voice of his mother as soon as he got out of the car. She was the only one who called him by that name. It was also a short form of his maternal grandfather’s name.
“Ma, so good to see you,” he said as she hugged him.
She pulled his head down and kissed him on the forehead. “How did you get so much taller than me, baby?”
He chuckled in response like every time she had said that the last few years. “Where is Dad?”
“Outside. I told him you weren’t gonna get home until midnight, so it’s a surprise for him.” She walked next to him, holding onto him like she needed support when she was the one who held the family together during the dark times.
The traumatic events were hard to forget, but in the light of happiness, they seemed to be lost in the shadows. He knew his girl had a lot to do with him overcoming the anger. He wasn’t proud of the way he made her slog, but the spirit and grace with which she handled him, he fell for her flat and hard.
Rana knew he had to tell his parents about Namrata at some point but not then. That weekend was about the celebration of his beloved Aunt Vaishu’s life along with the new stage of recovery for his father.
They stopped at the tall glass doors that led to the deck and garden outside. “There he is.”
He looked out into the open garden and saw his father standing on his feet while he pruned a tree—a sight he thought he would never see again after that accident. He still remembered the way his father’s legs lay limp like all the bones had turned to mush.
Like she could read Rana’s mind, she patted his arm before taking a step away. “Go talk to your dad. I’ll see you boys in a few minutes.”
“Okay.” His voice was weak as he walked slowly toward his dad. He had imagined running to him as a kid, especially days after he was brought back from the hospital when he woke up thinking his dad would be up and be back to normal.
The disappointment he had felt day after day melted with every step he took toward his father. He had forgotten how tall his dad was, and everything about him felt new. As if he felt his presence, his dad stopped what he was doing and turned.
Rana froze and like every ounce of pain left in him turned into joy magnified a million times, happy tears gathered in his eyes. He broke into a cry as his dad took him into his arms, holding him tightly. “My boy, you are all grown up.”
He held onto his father and let out everything he didn’t know he was holding in. His father laughed, rubbing Rana’s back when he pulled back to look at him like he was figuring out if it was a dream. “Dad… I still can’t believe this… I missed you so much.”
His father nodded. “Your ferocious mother’s persistence. I had given up on all the treatments.”
Rana chuckled. “I can’t even imagine everyone’s expression tomorrow when they see you.”
His father laughed. “I’m worried I’ll get beaten up by my brothers for keeping it from them for this long.”
Rana shook his head. “It’ll be a good one. It’ll be a mad celebration of Vaishu Aunt’s life tomorrow.” He chuckled, running his fingers through his hair and saw his father’s eyes fall on his wrist.
“Rana… that watch… how did you get it?” His father was struggling to speak.
He was taken aback that his father was asking about the watch Namrata had given him. “I… it’s a gift from my friend.”
His father was batting away tears as he inspected the watch closely. “I can’t believe it. After so many years, it still looks the same.”
Rana was confused. Why was his father getting so emotional about the watch? He knew it was Namrata’s father’s watch. If he somehow recognized it as his rival’s watch, it was not the reaction he was expecting. He was thrown off by the fact the watch caught his father’s attention, and what was a complete toss was the joy he saw in his father’s eyes.
“Dad… I—”
