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She nodded, leaving his office. He stared at her departing back. He was still reeling from her words. He’d not expected her to say what she had.
His PA began to list the meeting agenda. He, however, didn’t hear a word. All his thoughts were on Jiya and her words that had changed everything, yet again.
17
Where was she? Her message specifically said half past seven, but it was fifteen minutes up, and she wasn’t here yet. She wasn’t even answering her phone. He paced back and forth in the hotel lobby, waiting eagerly to see her again. He’d been on edge, his mind abuzz after her revelation. Would she expect him to say the words back to her? Was that some sort of a rule in a relationship? Would it be her rule too? He didn’t know.
Suddenly, he stilled. Something in his chest shifted. He faced the entrance, and Jiya stepped inside through the revolving doors. Everything inside his chest righted. All his confusion vanished as he stared at her.Shewas meant to be.
She was gorgeous. She’d gone home and changed for tonight. For him. Dressed in a pale pink dress that hugged her chest and fell in soft folds above her knees, her makeup soft and understated as always, her hair left in loose waves, her red tips flowing as she walked, she was an absolute vision. Her eyes met his and they lowered. She looked unsettled, and he didn’t like it. He wanted to wipe her fears and worries away. He wanted to try with her…try for a future, one happier than he’d ever envisaged for himself. What if he set all his fears and his past aside and tried…for Jiya?
Without thinking, he moved toward her.
He reached her halfway and caught her face. “You look beautiful.”
She met his gaze head on. This was more like her. This was the bold woman he knew.
He tilted his head. “While I may have been the one to suggest dinner, seeing you dressed like this…I’ve changed my mind. I’d rather haveyoufor dinner instead.”
She giggled. The throaty sound rattled inside his chest, as usual, making him smile.
“Okay, forget this,” Rohan said. “Cancel dinner. We are going home.”
He took her hand and began pulling her toward the exit.
She laughed, drawing him back. “I’m hungry.”
He scowled. “That’s what I meant. I’m hungry too…”
“Rohan, food first,” she said.
He leaned forward and kissed her lips. Her eyes widened in shock, before her beautiful smile lit her face. He wiped the corner of her mouth.
“It’s a good thing I didn’t wear red lipstick,” she stated. “The red is hard to wipe off.”
He sighed and led her to the restaurant she’d selected. The hostess guided them to a table.
“Are you going to say anything about my admission earlier?” she asked, point blank as soon as they were seated. “I won’t let you ignore it. We have to talk about it.”
This was what he liked about her. She was fearless and wouldn’t let things lie. If they were to have any future, then he’d have to let her in. And he was ready to.
Before he could reply, someone pressed a hand to his shoulder. He turned, and his whole body stiffened. Age-old familiar pain and misery washed over him as he looked into the face of the well-dressed, older woman standing in front of him. He recognized her instantly. He’d never forget her face ever.
Nandini Grewal. She had been close friends with Diksha Bali, until Nandini had destroyed his birth mother. He rose, his heart rioting as images from the past dashed through his mind in a dizzying rush. He blinked them away and stared at her. She was older now, probably in her mid-fifties, although she didn’t look a day over forty. Her face was clear, her eyes sharp, and she still had that same smug smile on her lips.
“You’re Rohan, right?” she asked.
Another voice cut in, “Nandini, who are you talking to… Is that? Is that Vaibhav’s son?”
Fuck. He knew that voice. It had echoed in his house all his growing years. Pavan Grewal was older now, balder, and had a thicker midsection. Over the years, Rohan had hoped he’d forgotten their faces. That maybe if he tried to forget them, then he could come to terms with his past. Suddenly, he knew better.
All the hate, the anger, the anguish, and the pain he’d suffered came crashing back to his mind as he looked into the faces of the two people who had been the reason for his parents neglecting him, for all the wrong things they’d done, for their troubled marriage, their fights, and eventually their deaths.
“You look so much like Vaibhav,” Pavan chirped excitedly, totally oblivious to the storm growing inside Rohan.
“We miss them till date…” Nandini pouted. “Returning to Delhi never felt the same since they passed. But now, we’re here for good. Maybe we can reconnect with you as a means of staying closer to them.”
Rohan felt sick to his stomach. He didn’t want them around him. He’d never allow them entry into his house, ever. They’d reaped enough destruction on his life once. Never again. He barely noted that Jiya was now standing beside him, clasping his hand.
