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“If your love is eternal and true, then you sure can make the person fall in love with you. Love has the power to tackle any obstacles that come your way. And what’s most important is that the deeper your love is, the more you’ll be able to hold on to them.”
Absentmindedly, I swirl the small paperweight on the desk while pouring my heart. “I’m not sure if Alisha will ever be able to fall in love with me, given the circumstances we got married in, to say nothing about my playboy tag. But I don’t want my past to taint my present. I love my wife with all my heart, and if there’s one thing in this world that I’m afraid to lose, it’s her.” I am enjoined by my conscience from wearing my heart on my sleeve.
He fixes me with a bleak stare before he speaks, “Give it some time. You have only been married for a few days. I know my daughter. I am sure she will come along. Haven’t you heard that love happens when you least expect it?”
My jaw drops on hearing him, while I am unable to get any words out. I didn’t expect this to come from his mouth. I thought he would again lash me with his rude words.
With a warm smile on his face, he rises from his chair and walks towards me. Standing next to me, he places his hand on my shoulder. “Have faith and be patient. I can see the love that weighs heavily in your eyes.” I open my mouth to say something, but he beats me to it. “And I don’t hate you. Maybe you are not my choice for my daughter, but I can’t turn a blind eye to the fact that you love my daughter with all that you have.”
I gulp at his words. “Thanks.”
“I’ll be back in a moment. I need to go check on the crowd.” Saying that, Alisha’s dad walks out of his office.
The heaviness in my chest doubles. Alisha’s dad is not wrong in asking me to give it time. And if I am being honest, then I was trying my best to be patient. I know I need to let Alisha come to me on her terms. I will always stand by her side and pray that her father is right and that my love finds a way into her heart.
Chapter 22
Alisha
“So, how is married life treating you, Mrs Seth?” Rewa glances at me, her expression and voice sarcastic.
“Stop addressing me by that name. You very well know that we’re married for namesake. And why are you even asking me that in the first place? You’re not married, I doubt you’ll understand anything I say.”
“Now that has me curious, I want to know. Please, Alisha, at least share something.”
I let out a huff. She won’t drop the matter. “All I can give you is that my husband is treating me like every woman deserves and wishes her husband to treat her,” I try to keep my face neutral and get involved in arranging the clothes on the rack, as I am sure that a blush has crept up on my face. It’s past seven in the evening, and we are ready to clock off.
“That’s good. I have nothing to worry about then. Marriage looks good on you. The glow on your face is evident, making you all radiant. You are definitely under the spell of what they call ‘love after marriage’.” She chuckles, but I levy a glare at her.
“If you are done, can you please stop discussing my marriage?” My voice has an annoyed edge as I move to my desk with her right behind my heels.
She shrugs, taking her seat opposite me. “Nope, I still have a few questions to ask. C’mon, that can’t be all. You are married to one of the richest men. How does that feel? I bet you must be living the life of the queen with all the luxury at your disposal.”
“I am still the same. Nothing has changed for me. And, also that’s not what I was looking for when I married him. His assets have no value to me. I only want….”
“Your husband.” She completes the sentence for me, which makes my eyes go wide. “Maybe somewhere down this fake marriage, you have started developing feelings for your dear husband, which you are refusing to accept.”
I don’t say anything, because it’s the truth. And it hurts me more to think that my love for him is growing every day, but I can’t do anything about it. The stain of my past relationship failure is hard to ignore. The little minions in my heart and head are scared to fall in love again, because honestly, I have no capacity to go through another heartbreak.
As if reading my thoughts, Rewa utters, “Are you scared to love because you think you will end up getting hurt again?” I don’t answer and keep staring at her, biting my lips. I guess she senses my uncertainty as she carries on to speak, “Alisha, just because your heart broke before, it doesn’t mean that the second time will also come with suffering. Don’t be scared to fall in love again, because not everyone is like your ex.”
I give her a weak smile and lower my eyes. “I need to reply to some emails and check the pending order history before I leave for the day.” Knowing me better, she takes the hint and doesn’t push it further.
“Okay, I won’t discuss your happy married life. How about we discuss our plans that we have for tonight?”
“What plans?” I ask with knitted eyebrows. I don’t remember planning anything with her.
“Did you forget? Today we are going out to celebrate our first anniversary of the boutique.”
I rub my forehead ruefully. “Damn! It totally slipped out of my mind.”
“I knew you would forget, that’s the reason I am here to remind you. I have gone ahead and booked our table at a bar. It’s supposed to betheplace to go from what I have heard so far.”
“I don’t know if it’s a good idea,” I bite my lip. I did promise Ranveer that I would not step into a bar without him and am immediately hit with guilt for going back on the promise I made him.
“We are going, and you are not coming up with any silly excuses. Please, Alisha, it’s a happy proud moment for us. Please don’t ruin the fun by refusing. We deserve this celebration.”
Her words reflect on my thinking, and I push back the guilty feeling. I see no harm. He was upset with me for serving tables at Dad’s bar. I am sure he won’t have any issue with me going out to celebrate with my friend. Also, tonight Ranveer and Dad are working on interviewing new staff, which doesn’t require my presence. I am sure Dad knows that today I have completed a year with my boutique, which is why he messaged me earlier to take an off tonight. And when I checked with Ranveer, he too agreed with me, taking it easy. I am glad Ranveer and Dad are getting along. That’s another reason I decided to not drop by at the bar, giving them a chance to bond together. Dad did mention that he is happy to have Ranveer around. I don’t know why, but this matters to me more than anything.
