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Taking the helmet from him, she put it on, while he wore one too. He took her around the corner where a white BMW bike was parked. He climbed on it and she quickly sat behind him, keeping as much distance between them as she could.
He twisted the accelerator and the bike flew. Tiya fell forward against his back. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she held on for dear life as he zipped across the streets of Dubai. And while the initial few minutes she was worried for her life, soon, she realized that Vihaan was quite an expert. He rode the bike smoothly and confidently, and despite their complicated circumstances, she began to enjoy the ride.
Buildings flew by in a blur and the streets melded one into the other. Minutes later, they were entering yet another basement car park, this time of the building that housedLa Soiree.
Her curiosity buzzed, but she held her tongue. She climbed down the bike as soon as he parked, and soon they were riding up the elevator to the thirty-second floor.
Her eyes met his worried ones in the lift mirror. “Tiya, I’m trusting you with something very important and I need to know that no matter what, you won’t breathe a word of this to anyone.”
“I won’t. You can trust me.”
The elevator opened and Vihaan rushed to an apartment in the corner. He’d just put his hand on the keypad lock when the door flew open. A woman crashed into his arms, crying softly.
Shock held her still. Who was this woman? An odd heaviness filled her chest as her vision darkened. Jealousy for this weeping woman slammed through her heart, shaking her. The urge to rip this woman out of Vihaan’s arms plagued her, but she didn’t act on that pulsating impulse. Vihaan had promised her answers and she’d wait to ask them.
“He’s sick, Vihaan,” the woman cried against his chest. “The fever is not going down. I’ve tried everything. I’ve given him medication, I’ve put ice packs on him, yet he’s not getting better. He’s just muttering nonsensical stuff. I’m so worried. One minute he was fine, with just a little cough, and the next he was burning with fever.”
“Don’t worry, I’m here now,” he whispered softly, kissing the woman’s head. “Take me to him.”
He gave Tiya a sideways glance and held his hand out to her. Unsure, Tiya put her hand in his.
“Hey,” Vihaan addressed the weeping woman, “I have someone I’d like you to meet.”
The woman stepped away from him and stared at Tiya through tear filled eyes.
“Tiya,” Vihaan drew her forward, “This is my sister, Avantika…Avi. And Avi, this is Tiya.”
Sister?!
Holy hell on earth! His sister was alive? And yet he’d never spoken of her, not once. In fact, she distinctly remembered mentioning about her and the fire together, and he’d led her to believe that his sister wasn’t alive. Even when her dad had questioned him, he'd spoken only of Aaryan. Neither Myra nor Shaurya had ever spoken of this woman gawking at her. Tiya’s mind was in a tailspin.
“God! I can’t believe you got her here,” Avi breathed out. “Are you out of your mind?”
Ignoring his sister, he walked deeper into the house and made his way to a bedroom in a far corner.
“Not now, Avi,” Vihaan said, over his shoulder. “We’ll talk on this later.”
Tiya shut the main door behind her and followed the brother and sister duo, feeling at an absolute loss. She was totally confused when she entered the bedroom and was even more shocked to see a young boy sleeping on the bed, his face all red and blotchy.
Vihaan put a hand on the boy’s forehead.
“What happened?” he asked his sister. “Tell me again.”
“He was fine. He’s been having a bit of a cough, but then he went out with his school friends in the evening and had something cold to drink and he also ate some ice cream. He was fine when he fell asleep, but something about him didn’t look right to me, so I came to check on him a few hours ago and he was warm. The fever’s just risen since then.”
“When did you give him the medication?”
“Just before I called you,” Avi explained. “But it’s not going down. I don’t know what more to do. I feel so helpless seeing him like this. Should we go to a doctor? Yes, let’s take him to a doctor.”
“Calm down, Avi,” Vihaan coaxed her. “It’s just a fever and let’s give the medication time to take effect. Okay?”
She nodded.
Vihaan put a finger in the ice water bowl near the boy’s bed. He began to roll his shirt sleeves. “We need more ice and some fresh strips of cloth.”
“I’ll get it,” Avi said, leaving the room.
Vihaan climbed on the bed and set to work changing the iced cloth on the boy’s head. The boy winced in his sleep.
