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He walked over to her, read the labels, and nodded. “Good choice. Both reds are fruity enough and are rounded to cut through the fat from the biryani.”
“Wow, you sound like a pro when you talk like that.” She giggled, suddenly at ease. It felt like the air was intoxicated with the wines, but she knew it was her nervousness that was making her be extra enthusiastic.
“Want to try a few before we take them back?” he asked, reaching for a decanter and a couple of wine glasses. She nodded, the extra enthusiasm still running high, excited that she was in a very different setting than usual.
Somehow, it felt special that he brought her to a place only he visited, and no other family members had. “Thank you,” she said, her eyes on him as he handed her a small pour of the red wine she had chosen.
She was too nervous to be in a small space with him and hoped the alcohol would calm her. She took a sip of the wine and swirled it in her mouth just as Aish had shown her. “This is really good.” She looked at the glass in her hand, enjoying the fruity flavor of the drink. “What is it?”
He stepped closer to her and took a sniff of her drink before taking a sip. “It’s a sangiovese, perfect for the highly-spiced food we have cooking back at the cottage.”
She nodded, smiled, and held her glass. “Keep it coming. My husband finished my drink.” He scoffed at her comment and poured her a big drink.
“I poured you enough to last an hour, I hope,” he taunted before setting the bottle down.
She shook her head and stepped close to him to stop him from pouring another glass. “Jai, I was kidding about the drink. It’s too much for me. We can share this. Don’t pour another one for yourself.”
He looked at her for a long moment and smiled. “We’ll both need a drink because there is something we need to celebrate. Also, you can see how much wine we have.” He looked around the wine cellar.
She was suddenly curious about the celebration. “What are we cheering for?” she asked, watching him pour himself a glass of the same wine.
Jai silently walked close to her and held his glass close to hers, his eyes locked with hers. “Cheers to new beginnings for our region with Vayu Airlines, exclusive to our state.” He clinked his glass with hers and smiled as she processed his words.
A new airline? Is that what he said?
She still could not believe her ears. “A new… airline?” Infrastructure suffered in their home state, one due to misuse of funds by corrupt politicians, and also the terrain constraints made it hard to build and develop the area leaving it decades behind neighboring states.
He chuckled at her shocked expression. “Breathe, Sanjana.” He took a sip of his drink and gestured for her to do the same, even as she still seemed to process the news. “Yes, a new airline that will not only have large planes but private ones and helicopters people can use to move between the smaller towns with ease. More airports will be funded over the next few years, and this should create the economic boost we have been waiting for for years.”
She let out a cry of joy before taking a big sip of her wine. “This is great news! How come I didn’t see anything about it on TV or in the newspapers.” She placed her wine glass on the table next to her, worried she would spill it as she was still shaking from the news.
He leaned closer, a smile on his face. “Other than the teams who have been working on the project for over a year, no one knows. You are the first one to know, and I expected you to have this reaction.”
Thrilled to hear that she was one of the first to hear about the awesome news, she let out a cry of joy before throwing her arms around him. “Thank you so much. This is wonderful news. It’s going to do so much good for everyone, just like the new airports.”
Somewhat taken aback by her sudden burst of emotion, he lost balance just for a moment, and he held her to him as his back crashed into the wall while he held his wine glass away from them. His arm wrapped around her and held her to him, and that’s when she heard the haphazard beating in his chest that matched hers. She slowly looked up at him, and their eyes locked in a heated gaze. Her lips longed for his touch, and just as she anticipated the kiss she had been waiting for, an alarm started beeping in his pocket.
“That’s the timer. We should head back.” He nodded and stepped away to gather the wine bottles.
She followed him out of the wine cellar, jittery from the news he shared and the way she heard his heart thump. Did that mean he had matching emotions like her or was she reading too much into his excitement to share the news with her?
There was no denying an intense attraction fed to the lust they felt the night at the penthouse and the sweet moments they shared, but she didn’t know if he felt anything more.
Was what she felt pure attraction? What about the sadness she felt just at the thought of everything they shared coming to an end in seven months?
Chapter 22
A few minutes later, they made their way back to the cottage, and she was still lost in thought, processing his reaction when she hugged him, breaking down every sensation she felt to see if he had anything that matched how she felt. The one thing she could not do was fall for him, but over the past few months, she had done just that.
“Sanjana, Vayu Airlines will be looking for pilots of all experience levels. Will you be interested?” he asked as they walked next to each other back to the cottage.
Oh right! They will need pilots, and that’s the job she was looking for, but why was there no excitement from her? She wasn’t even thinking about that potential job opportunity as she was so focused on understanding her emotions. She cleared her throat when she realized she had lost her voice and said, “I… yes, I think so.”
“Good,” he said, his eyes forward on the path, and added, “I’ll let the recruiting team reach out to you.” His tone was casual, but she heard her heart crack a bit.
Despite the sweet and passionate moments they shared, it seemed like his intention was to stick to the contract. What had seemed like the dream job just a few months ago didn’t excite her anymore. Being with him was what she wanted. She could not explain the anxiety and sadness about her leaving at the end of the contract period. She should be excited about her new life with the job she had been looking forward to, but she wasn’t.
She took in a deep, hissy breath when she realized she only had a limited time with him, but she wanted to live her life with him. She knew no one else would make her feel the way he did, and she wanted everything about him etched in her mind and heart.
