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Aish did not respond but sat quietly like she needed to calm herself. Sanjana felt guilty for zoning out and needed a way to recover. “Sorry, Prince of Patola, what do you need to know for the future of your children?”
The man rolled his eyes like he was burning up energy by repeating the question. “I need to know if Aishwarya’s birth parents were of the higher caste. I know she is adopted and is not of royal descent, but I want to make sure she has good blood in her.”
Sanjana was so shocked to hear the words that she could not react immediately, and when she did, all she could think of was to haul the wine in her hands in his direction. And before she knew it, his traditional white outfit was splashed with the pink of her drink. She had accidentally tipped her glass sideways rapidly and ended up splashing her drink on him. And she didn’t regret it.
“What the heck!” The man stood up, dusting off his outfit that had no hope of being salvaged. “Who let such people dine with a royal?” The man was busy dabbing his vest that had wine seeping through it, and as Sanjana processed what had happened, Aish ended up splashing her drink on him too. “Are you mad?” the man yelled, looking at Aish and then at Sanjana.
Sanjana was shaking with anger when she heard Aish say, “Prince of Patola, too bad I’m not royal enough for you. You are excused.”
“Me?” The man was livid. “How dare you insult me like this, and you don’t get to excuse me. You are not a real royal,” he spat.
Sanjana had enough. “Mind your tongue. You were excused by the future Queen of Devaraya.”
Aish smiled at Sanjana before looking at the man, who stood in shock. She stood up and followed Sanjana out of the dining area, leaving the man grumbling to himself. They barely took ten steps away, and they burst into laughter and hugged each other.
No words were said, but Sanjana knew she had found another sister in Aish, and just like she wouldn’t let anyone trouble Deepika, she wouldn’t let some prick hurt Aish.
*****
Later that evening, Aish and Sanjana sat on the balcony off of the couple’s private quarters. Her husband was still away, so they moved the party indoors and lost count of how many glasses of wine they had as they spoke and laughed.
They were mid-conversation when the doors to the private chamber opened, and Sanjana got up to get the additional wine and cheese they had asked to be sent. “I’ll go get it.” She sprinted toward the living room and stopped short when she saw the man she was least expecting to see.
“Hi, Jai,” she said sheepishly, avoiding his eyes as he walked to her. Just as he did every time in public, he leaned in to brush his lips over her temple.But they were indoors, so why kiss her?
As if her body had a mind of its own, she tilted her face away, making his lips land much lower on his face. The brush of his lips made her quiver deep inside, and the roughness from his stubble made her jump and freeze. He stopped, his lips barely away from her skin. “All okay?”
She felt a jolt yet again, and she stepped away from him. “Yes. Yes. Everything is okay. Aish is here.”
He chuckled as he pulled back. “I know, and I’m told you two are having a lot of fun.”
Oh, that’s why he kissed her. They were technically in public.
But Aish was somewhere where she could not see you. Does that count?Another voice challenged.
Still jittery from the fact he kissed her cheek, she pushed away her thoughts and followed him to the balcony, where Aish was pouring more wine into their empty glasses. She looked up to find her brother and let out a squeal. “Jai, thank you so much for marrying Sanjana.” She hugged him, laughing. “I’m having so much fun.”
Jai planted a kiss on top of his sister’s head and hugged her. “I heard you two were a riot this evening.” He shook his head disapprovingly, looking at his sister, and Sanjana was suddenly worried about her brash behavior.
That was definitely against the contract. Does that mean he won’t get her a job as promised? She should apologize. That was way out of line to get into the royal’s business.
“Mums, the word, brother,” Aish teased, and Sanjana wondered how much of the fiasco he knows about. She was relieved when he shrugged and walked away after bidding them goodbye.
Minutes later, Aish got up and stretched. “I should get going. I will see you tomorrow unless your husband wants you all for himself.” Aish’s words made her blush. “Look at that tint on your cheeks. It’s like you were married just yesterday.”
Sanjana was at a loss for words as Aish bid her goodnight and left her standing in the middle of the room, lost in thought. She wondered if she should quickly get into bed and pretend to be fast asleep. But how much longer could she avoid him? Maybe the time had come for her to apologize for what she did at the airport and everything that evening.
Clean slate!
Just as she made up her mind to go talk to him, she felt him behind her, and the jitters were back. Was he going to get close to her? Kiss her again? Truth be told, she didn’t mind the kisses or the thrills that came with them. She waited, rooted to her spot, expecting him to get closer, but it felt like he had stopped at the doorway and was looking at her.
She took in a slow hissy breath as she turned to look at him, a weak smile on her face. “Hi… how was your trip?”
He nodded, his eyes locked with hers as he stood by the doorway in a t-shirt and a pair of lounge pants. His hair was damp from the shower, and even the smell of just his soap was so sexy. “I haven’t talked to you in a few days.”
“Yes, you were busy, and I…” Her voice trailed off when he started to walk toward her.
He stopped less than a foot from her, his eyes boring into hers. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
