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She had his huge decision to make now. And if she chose to continue down the road with him then she’d have to be bloody careful. For her own sanity, she’d have to find a way to not let him affect her again. She’d have to kill this dratted attraction she felt for him one way or the other.
Going forward, she’d have to believe with all her heart that this was nothing but a mutually beneficial understanding between them. Once it was over, he’d go his way and she’d go hers. Nothing more could come out of it.
But if she took the other road and broke off with him, then it meant telling her parents the truth and accepting her failure in front of them. How could she show her face to them then? How could she not accept their matchmaking after this terrible debacle? How could she bear to see the disappointed look on their faces after she exposed her folly to them?
She chewed her lip, thinking. No matter the choice she made today, one thing was absolutely clear in her mind. She deserved to be with someone who wanted her back. She would never be the woman who forced herself on a man. Ever.
17
Vihaan stood at the door watching Myra and Tiya interact. Myra kissed her friend’s cheek and then approached him.
“She’s hurting, Vihaan,” Myra whispered. “You have to tell her something. She needs to understand why you choose to be alone and that it isn’t about her.”
Vihaan gave her a nod. She patted his arm and left.
He exhaled. If only she knew. If Myra learned his true reasons for keeping away from Tiya, she’d knock him down with a hammer for even agreeing to Dev’s terms. But he’d accepted Luthra’s challenge and Vihaan would do anything to make him go away from all their lives, including letting go of the only woman who’d managed to warm his cold dead heart. The only way he could avoid hurting Tiya was to keep her at bay. She needed to understand that she and him could never have a future.
He pivoted to face Tiya. She was standing still, watching him. Thankfully, she looked calm and not ready to murder him, like earlier. Tiya and Myra were very close. He was almost certain that Tiya would have confided in Myra, considering the amount of time they’d been together alone. Perhaps, Myra had been able to get through to her. He shifted on his feet. Nonetheless, he had to make up to her for being insensitive to her feelings and more importantly, he hoped and prayed she didn’t end up hating him once all this was over.
“Hi!” He was quite unsure of what to say to her.
“Hey.”
She began to gather her equipment from the table in front of him.
“Uh…can you give me a haircut?”
She froze. “Um…what?”
He pulled at an overly long strand of hair from his forehead. “It’s grown rather unruly and Aaryan’s been on my case since forever. I’ve been meaning to go to a stylist, but I’ve just been avoiding it.”
He stepped closer to her. “And you’re here and well, you have everything set up already anyway, and Myra says you’re the best. So?”
She indicated to the chair in front of her. “Take a seat.”
She draped a cape over him, adjusting the ties behind his neck. Her hand grazed his forehead lightly and sparks danced on his skin. She combed her fingers through the strands of his hair, moving them this way and that and more sparks erupted. He fought through them all. Keep it casual only, he warned himself.
“How do you want it?” she asked, meeting his gaze in the mirror.
“I don’t know. You decide. Do something new.”
Her brows shot up. “You trust me to decide your new look?”
“Yes,” he replied, his eyes never wavering from hers.
A slow smile crept up her mouth, exactly the way he’d hoped it would.
“What if I give you one of those mohawks?” She twisted the strands of his hair, keeping them bunched in the center. “I could shave both sides of your head bald and keep it fluffy only in the center.”
He grimaced. “It would be bad for my image as COO and my brothers would make fun of me for the rest of my life, but I’d deal with it.”
She frowned. “You’re being very agreeable now.”
“I think I have a lot to make up for.”
She continued playing with his hair. “No, you don’t. I’m sorry for being unreasonable about your feelings.”
His jaw dropped. That was not what he’d expected her to say at all. After her reaction when she’d seen him earlier, he’d expected a lot of resistance from her. He’d even expected more anger from her. Just not this easy acceptance.
