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He sighed. Chance or not, he only had six days left with her. Time was slipping through his fingers, and with every second that passed, the thought of giving her up was becoming too difficult to even consider. But there was still one thing he had which could push her to listen to him. He’d refused to use it for the longest because he knew how it might affect her. But now, he didn’t have many options left, and hopefully, once he gave it to her, she may just want to hear him out.
12
As soon as they reached the suite, Avantika made a move to go to her room when Dev called her name.
“Avantika, can you wait here a moment, please? I need to talk to you.”
“Okay, let me change quickly and return.”
Entering her room, she dropped her purse on the table and stepped out of her heels. What did he want with her now? She pressed the back of her neck. It had been a long day. She was exhausted, and all she wanted to do now was to talk to her son and then sleep.
They’d visited a museum and The Tower of London, followed by lunch in a local café. And then the dinner with Mr. Fayadi. Being with Dev today had been less awkward. They’d spent the day like two people visiting places they both enjoyed, and talking about their mutual love of history. She’d learned that he was an avid art collector and was well-versed with the works of the Renaissance masters and could speak volumes on Picasso, Rembrandt and others.
Being with him had been fun and entertaining.
Her heart stuttered. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought a time would come when she’d actually enjoy being with Dev. But she had. He wasn’t fussy and let her take the lead in deciding how they spent their time together.
Of course, they argued—it was Dev, after all. He wasn’t meek or compliant and had an opinion on everything. They argued over trivial things like which direction they needed to walk in, whether the bus was a faster route to the hotel—which it was, and yet he refused to take it and forced her to take a cab instead. He also got majorly pissed off if she tried to pay for any of their meals. She insisted, nonetheless, but he never allowed her to pay. Other than that, he’d been fun to be with.
In fact, she was beginning to believe that all he wanted was to be around her and to be with her. His reasons, however, were still unclear to her. But being with him and talking to him today hadn’t been hard at all. It had been easy. God! Was she really warming up to him?Him? Her enemy. Her sinner.
She breathed out. Of course, she hadn’t forgiven him. She’d never be able to do that, but since she was stuck with him, it had been a relief to not be at war with him. She hadn’t realized how taxing that war mode between them had been until she’d experienced firsthand how calming the normalcy between them was instead. His behavior was most definitely contrary to everything she’d expected from him.
He was a conundrum, and her mind was constantly in a jumble, thanks to him. She didn’t know whether to hate him or to…to… No. God no! She wasn’t saying it aloud in her mind also. She didn’t like him. She couldn’t.
She quickly changed into track pants and a cropped t-shirt, and returned outside. Dev was standing by the television, remote in hand. He slowly turned as he watched her approach and pressed a button on the remote.
Happy sounds filled the air. They were the sounds of children playing and elders laughing at their antics. Goosebumps erupted on her skin. Her stomach plummeted, and a tightness curled inside her chest. It spread and spread until it was choking her. Her eyes burned as she stared at the TV screen. She recognized all the people. How could she not?
Dev was watching her throughout. He knew the impact this would have on her. It took her a few seconds to even formulate her words.
“Oh God…” she breathed out. “These are my parents… It’s us…Me, Aaryan, and Vihaan.”
“Yes.”
She looked at the screen again, tears stinging her eyes, her heart on the verge of bursting. Her mother had been so beautiful, her father so handsome. She watched as Aaryan and Vihaan pushed a tiny her on a tricycle. The screen shifted to her being older, perhaps ten, and running behind Vihaan because he’d said something to upset her. Her mother was calling out to them.
Her mother! God!
“I only remembered them from m…memory.” Avantika’s voice shook as she spoke. “I haven’t…I haven’t seen them again, not even their pictures, since… I can’t even...”
She looked at her mother. She was wearing a black shawl. In all her memories, her mother had always worn a shawl around her neck. It was her signature look.
“Her shawls… She loved wearing them,” she gulped. “They used to be fragrant with her scent. I started using lavender scents in my childhood because of her. I’ve never told this to my brothers because it sounds insane, but there are times I get a whiff of lavender…and it feels like dad and she are with me, watching over me.”
“I’m sure they are with you always,” Dev said.
Her eyes were glued to the screen. “That year when everything…” She shook her head. “That year, I was supposed to go to college in Delhi. Each time I hugged my mom, I’d dig my nose in her neck, in her shawl and inhale her special scent. I remember telling her that I was going to take one of her shawls with me so I’d always feel her around me.”
“I know. I was there when you told her this,” he whispered. “It was the day when you’d told her about…us.”
“She was so happy that day,” Avantika recalled. “She told both of us to always listen to our hearts. She promised to tell my dad about us. She…she never got the chance to, though.”
“I remember…” Dev said softly.
She swallowed thickly. “How…how do you have these videos?”
“I saved a few CDs for you and your brothers. I remember your parents recording several home videos over the years. I changed them to USB drives to retain them better.”
