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“We... we are... Alisha… me... Alisha and me…” Siddh stutters.
“There is no me and you,” I point out, cutting him off. “You are merely an unwanted part of my past, whom I have forgotten.”
Ranveer’s hand tightens around my waist, while he holds out his other hand to Siddh. Hesitantly, I notice Siddh take it and the slight grimace on his face as they shake hands.
“I am happy to finally meet you. Alisha did mention you once. Since then, I have been wanting to meet you. And just my luck, you are finally in front of me. I owe you, Man.” Ranveer smiles, though it doesn’t reach his eyes.
Siddh’s brows furrow in confusion, and so do mine.
“It’s all thanks to your deceptive nature and the asshole of a person you are, that I am blessed to have the most amazing woman in my life. Honestly, if not for you, I would not have known what it is like to have someone whose care, support, encouragement, and love can transform life into pure happiness.” His warm hand on my waist is reassuring as he gently squeezes it. Siddh keeps standing there with his mouth opening and closing as if like a fish out of water. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him speechless. Seeing him in this dilemma has a tiny smile tilting my lips.
“Hmmmm… I think I need to go,” Siddh says as he looks at me. “Have a nice day, Alisha. We will catch up later.”
“I don’t think so,” Ranveer grunts and then turns to me. “Are we also good to go?” Ranveer asks, kissing my temple.
I nod to Ranveer, putting up with the show but don’t bother saying goodbye to Siddh. No point indulging in false niceties. Taking a deep breath, I walk on wobbly legs with Ranveer next to me, until we reach the other end of the store. I untangle myself from him and then turn to glare at him.
“Won’t you like to thank me, Wifey?” Ranveer smirks, searching my face.
I fold my hands across my chest. “I think I am capable enough to take care of myself. I sure as hell didn’t want you there, and least of all, act like my knight in shining armour, who has come to my rescue.”
“Well, as your husband, it’s my duty to protect you from unwanted jerks.” He shrugs, his black eyes on mine.
I shake my head disapprovingly. “You certainly are doing a good job at stalking me. I am not sure if I like that. Do I, by any chance, need a restraining order, Ranveer?”
“For that Siddh guy, most definitely yes. If you want, I can help you with that,” he says without missing a beat.
“Seriously, Ranveer, this is getting ridiculous.” I sigh, looking up at him.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” he smirks.
“Right.” I roll my eyes at him.
“Listen, I am not sorry for intruding. Right now, I was good to that jerk, but the next time—for his sake, I hope it never happens—I won’t be good. I will make sure he doesn’t even look in your direction.”
“Well, right now, you are being more overbearing than him,” I retort and then march away from him.
“Wifey!” he calls out. I turn to look at him over my shoulder. “You will not be able to get rid of me.” He grins and winks at me.
“I am aware of that,” I shrug.
Turning back around, I hasten away. God, that’s enough drama for a day. I hope the rest of the day goes by smoothly.
Chapter 9
Ranveer
I turn off the alarm with a curse and bury my face back into my pillow, lying on my stomach. Today is one of those days when I want to stay alone, trapped in the house. The past few days have been rough and agonising, but yesterday was the worst of all. I got a call from Ajay to inform me that Alisha’s ex, the jerk, showed up. Luckily, I was nearby, which gave me the chance to intrude on their tittle-tattle. The minute I step foot in the appliance store, I could tell by the look on Alisha’s face that their conversation wasn’t going well. She looked downright pissed off with him, which brought a small grin on my face. Nevertheless, it killed me to see her standing there with him even if she had an unmistakable flash of anger towards him. Honestly, I didn’t give a shit and would have happily broken his nose, but I knew if I wanted Alisha back in my life, this move could be disastrous. I knew I had to give her this. I knew she deserved this chance to have closure with her past. But there was no way in hell I wanted her to be alone in his company. Restlessly, I closed the distance between us, my eyes unconsciously on Alisha. It took all my willpower to behave civilly and not act like a possessive jealous husband staking his claim. My jaw twitched when he told her he would be in touch.Over my dead body.All I knew was that if he did show up, I would make it clear to him that he needed to stay away for good. When that jerk left, I let out a breath, which I didn’t know I was holding. Last night, I tried calling her to convince her again to give me a chance, which I have been doing for the past few days, only to have her give me shit and turn me down.
The loud shrilling sound on my mobile pulls me out of my train of thoughts, making me groan. Unwillingly, I lift my head from the pillow and pick up my mobile from the nightstand. Soha’s name flashes on the screen. So much to ask for a peaceful morning.
“Sorry, did I wake you from your sleep?” she asks in her sugar-coated voice. Just listening to her voice is enough to blacken my mood in flat five point two seconds.
I shift my position and lie flat on my back, staring at the ceiling, all the while praying to God to help me get through this call without losing my mind. “Spare me your fake concern and just tell me why the hell are you calling me at seven in the morning,” comes my throaty response.
She lets out a huff. “I have a party to attend tonight and can’t take Mili with me. That’s the reason I am calling you. If you don’t mind, can you look over her for today? I can leave her with her nanny, but I assume you won’t like that, and I might not even come back at night.”
Of course, she wants to party. That’s been her norm since she came here. Over the past few days, we did come to a mutual agreement that Mili would stay with Soha during the week at the hotel, and over the weekend, I would have her with me. But I have come to learn that Mili is not her priority, she just considers her an unwanted burden. All that matters to her is her happiness, even at the cost of her daughter, which results in Mili staying with me more than she does with Soha ever since they have come to India. Not that I mind, but I can see in my daughter’s eyes how much she craves her mother’s attention.
