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He shrugged. She put a hand on her waist and arched a brow.
“Okay, I did look,” he confessed with a straight face, but she could make out the sparkle in his eyes. “But my intentions were very pure, I swear.”
“Why do I find it hard to believe you?”
“I can’t help it if you have a dirty mind,” he deadpanned.
She threw a pillow at him. It missed him by a long distance.
He rolled his eyes. “Terrible hand-eye coordination as ever.”
He left the room with a big smile on his face. The first real smile she’d seen on him. It rammed straight inside her chest. God! His smile was still a sight to behold.
The old Dev she’d known used to smile a lot. This Dev, however, rarely smiled. He teased and joked, but his smiles were rare. She turned, freezing as she saw her reflection in the mirror and the huge grin painted on her face.
Her heart jumped. She was smiling with him now. With Dev? God! That was the last thing she’d expected to do when she’d agreed to this arrangement with him. But Dev was shocking her at every turn, forcing her to rethink the past and, with each conversation, intriguing her to give in and hear his side of the story.
Her heart melted the tiniest bit. What if she did hear him out? What if, like he said, there was more to the past and his actions back then?
Her phone rang. She picked it up. It was Neil.
Seeing his name served as a harsh reminder. She couldn’t give Dev another chance, no matter what. Whatever Dev’s reasons were for doing what he did in the past, it was his actions that had led her and her siblings down a different path than what had been intended for them. She had her son to worry about now, and that’s why she couldn’t and wouldn’t give Dev a chance. She’d trusted him once, and that trust had been broken irrevocably, and now she couldn’t put her faith in him a second time when she had more to lose than ever before.
Sighing, she locked the door behind her, went to the bathroom, locked that door and then answered her son’s call. Neil’s safety would always come first and foremost for her.
* * *
Avantika dragged in a deep breath.Fresh air filled her nostrils. After two whole days of being sick, she felt way better. A long bath and a hair wash had also improved her own sense of well-being.
Sitting outside, sipping tea and eating lunch in a café after being stuck indoors was utter bliss. The day was warm and the sun was out. The café was situated on a side street in Mayfair and served the most amazing sandwiches and desserts. She had to bring Neil here the next time she visited. Her son would love it.
Neil. God! She missed him.
Her heart clenched. Thankfully, Neil was enjoying his holiday with Aaryan and Sanjana in Switzerland, and he looked happy when she’d spoken to him on video call earlier. Neil had known about Avantika being ill and was delighted that she was back on her feet and talking to him. Sanjana, true to her loyalty to their family, hadn’t breathed a word to Dev that she was out on vacation.
Her fingers tightened around the cup she was holding. This situation was so messed up, and it was getting worse with each passing day as her confusion over Dev grew.
Her mind delved back into that time at the carnival when she’d been in his arms and kissed him. It was…it had been…God! She didn’t want to say the words out loud because saying them would make them final, and she didn’t want to even admit to herself how hot she’d burned or what she’d felt so strongly when she’d been in the arms of her sinner. Even thinking about those moments with him made her blood burn. While in the last few days she hadn’t been lucid to recall her actions on that day, now her mind wouldn’t stop dwelling on Dev and that kiss—the kiss that never should have happened, but it had.
She sneaked a peek at him. He was sitting silently, sipping his coffee, and looking in the distance. Dev in a suit was stunning to look at, but Dev dressed casually in simple jeans and a plain dark blue shirt that stretched fabulously across his broad shoulders and chest was no less devastating. The shirt had its top two buttons open, and the sleeves were rolled up his muscular arms. She’d appreciated his casual attire when they’d visited the carnival the other day as well. Back then, however, she’d been too mad at him, but now, after the way he’d cared for her the last two days, she…she didn’t know how to feel about him.
His amber gaze fell on her. Amusement filtered through his eyes as he caught her gaping at him. She ignored it.
“So,” she began. “These last days, while I was unwell, you looked after me and kept my family in the loop. I am grateful. Thank you, D…” she paused before continuing, “Mr. Luthra.”
He smirked. “You can say my name, you know. It’s very easy on the tongue. Try it… Dev.”
“No.”
“Why? There was a time when you couldn’t get enough of me or my name. You used to scream it each time I—”
“—stop!” Her cheeks burned at the implication in his words, angering her. “I haven’t said your name aloud in twelve years except on that day I bargained with you to return Sanjana to Aaryan.”
He rocked back as if she’d slapped him. His throat bobbed as he stared at her.
“Then I hope a day comes when I get to hear my name from your lips again,” he said, his voice heavy with an emotion she failed to recognize. “Until then, if you’re really grateful to me, tell me something about your life after…that night.”
She scowled. “You never fail to grab an opportunity to talk about the past, do you?”
