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“Because I didn’t come here for her. Like I said, I came here to spend time with you guys.” The lie rolled off of his tongue easily.
“Stop lying to yourself, at least,” Vihaan muttered, coming to stand on his other side.
Rajiv downed his drink in one go. “She’s not meant for me. You guys know that.”
“And yet, you haven’t spoken to the person youimagineis the one you will marry someday for more than a month now, right?”
His throat clogged. Avantika. He still wasn’t answering her calls. How could he, when all he could think was of another bold, fearless woman who, if he wasn’t careful, would worm his way right into his heart?! He saw Sheena whisper in Ananya’s ear and head to the ladies’ room off the corridor in the corner.
“We’ve texted,” he said. “Besides, I’ve been busy.”
“Excuses, excuses,” Vihaan scoffed.
“I will call her tomorrow. Don’t make a big deal of something that isn’t one.”
“She’s in the US on a vacation,” Aaryan put in. “She’ll be away for a few weeks.”
Rajiv didn’t reply, although he did feel relieved that he could put off speaking to Avantika for some more time. Nonetheless, he couldn’t put it off forever. Just a few days more, he told himself. Right now, he was living in a happy bubble. Just a few days more, and he’d burst that bubble himself.
“You forget, Rajiv, that we know you,” Vihaan stated. “We’ve always believed that your heart was never with our sister. But now, it’s becoming more obvious.”
Rajiv glared at him. “Don’t for one second think that I won’t marry her if she agrees when I ask her next month on her birthday.”
Aaryan leaned on the railing next to him. “The real question you need to ask yourself is, will you be able to even ask her this time…”
Rajiv’s heart stuttered.
“You need to stop feeling guilty for a crime you didn’t commit,” Vihaan counselled him. “The sins of your uncle are not your cross to bear. We’ve told you that time and time again. You’re just too fucking stubborn to listen when you’ve decided upon something.”
Rajiv gave him a pointed look. “How long do you all plan to remain in hiding? For another five years, ten years, forever? You guys will eventually feel the need to get married and have families of your own. Which woman will want to live a life in hiding with you? Or do you plan on staying single all your lives?”
When the twins did not answer, he continued. “You all can live your lives freely the way you want. All that needs to happen is for Avantika to agree to marry me. No one will harm a hair on your head once they know I am protecting you.”
Aaryan glared at him. “And will either of you be happy in this marriage? Avantika doesn’t love you, nor do you love her. Marrying her out of a sense of responsibility is not the right way.”
“According to me, it is the only way.”
Rajiv looked down. Sheena was coming out of the corridor. As if sensing him, her eyes drifted up and up until she met his gaze head on. Their eyes clashed. Her jaw lifted; pure defiance was etched on her face, her expression ripe with anger. What had happened? Why was she mad at him? Without thinking, he left his friends and went to her.
16
Ananya and her sisters were fun, and she was having a good time with them. They reminded her of her own equation with Keya and Raashi. The girls had been very inclusive, each of them taking the time to chat with her and getting to know her. It was sweet. Everything was going well; now, only if she could get her mind off the girls’ brother.
Sheena studied her reflection in the washroom mirror, wiping her hands on a paper napkin. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop thinking of Rajiv. He was foremost on her mind. Her thoughts kept spinning in circles, trying to make sense of what she was beginning to feel for him, of the image she had of him versus what she’d read about him. How was she to face him after coming to the conclusion that she was indeed falling for him?
Fuck. If he was a man-whore like the media painted him to be, then how could she fall for him? How could she be so stupid? Her mood soured. Ten years and a hard lesson still hadn’t cured her recklessness and impulsiveness, it seemed. Her taste in men simply leaned towards the unreliable. That thought sucked, pissing her off even more. And now, she was mad at herself for getting carried away the way she had with Rajiv.
Chucking the paper napkin in the bin, she stormed out of the ladies’ room. She needed a drink to cool herself down. She was out having a good time with some new friends who’d been absolutely lovely to her, and she would not ruin her night by thinking of him.
A sudden tingle shot down her spine. Her heart stumbled. Her eyes looked this way and that until she looked up at the level above. Her gaze met his. Rajiv was leaning against the railing, watching her. It further annoyed her to realize that she’d known he’d been there the second she’d looked up. It was like her heart had found him without even thinking. She clenched her teeth. She wouldn’t allow herself to feel like this about him. He wasn’t for her.
Flicking her gaze away, she went to the bar, and ordered a shot. She downed it in one go, the sweet, sharp flavor hitting her belly in a quick dash.
“Drinking by yourself, Princess?”
Warmth slid into her veins at his voice. Fuck. The effect he had on her was downright insane. Heaving a breath, she looked to the side, and there he was. She took him in hungrily, as if unable to help herself. He looked…God, he looked fabulous, dressed in black jeans and a black collared t-shirt. This was the first time she was seeing him outside of a formal suit, and he stole her breath. The overnight shadow on his jaw, the slightly messy hair…God. He was so beautiful that it hurt to look at him.
He tilted his head. “Hmm, like what you see, Princess?”
