‘What does he want? Why is he back? Why am I in his car? What the fuck am I doing?’
Thoughts popped into her conscious brain, one after the other. But for some reason, only her subconscious knew, Shanaya pushed them away.
He jerked his head towards her in surprise. Little did he know just how surprised she herself was at the action."That was easy. I didn't need to persuade you. I thought I'd have to."She gave him the side-eye and said, "What makes you think I got in because you wanted me to?" "Why did you, then?" he asked his eyebrow in confusion. With a smirk, Shanaya opened her palm. "Where's the other gift?" "Oh," Dhruv sighed and laughed to himself, amused. "You haven't changed at all!" "Don't tell me it's another bouquet. Of roses. Or chrysanthemums. Eww." Dhruv laughed again. The sound was pleasant to her ears but she tried not to think more of it."No, don't worry. And I'm allergic to chrysanthemums."
"Really? How sad." He placed a hand on his chest and said dramatically with a deep frown, "Sadly, yes." "Don't change the topic now. Where's my gift? Or are you lying?""Even you wouldn't accuse me of something like that," Dhruv claimed, causing the smirk on her face to widen. "You think so? Try me." "Let's not waste time on that. We could be doing something else instead," Dhruv claimed, his voice suddenly lowering to a seductive whisper. Shanaya smirked, gazing out of the window to hide her flushed cheeks. "You're the one wasting time." "I'm only waiting for you to ask me why I've returned," he said, his voice going from sarcastic to serious with a blinking. Shanaya tensed again. She turned her head and looked dead into his eyes, ignoring the intensity. "You'll wait till the end of time.""Why?""I'm not going to." "Why not?" "Three words: I don't care."But she cared. Shanaya cared so much that she wanted to scream at Dhruv. Why had he returned after cruelly tearing her apart? Where was he when she needed him? When the whole world was turned against her and all she wanted was to be in his arms?
Dhruv shook his head gently, humming. "You're good at many things. But as far as I remember, lying isn't one of them."Shanaya steadied her breath, but on the inside, she felt like a sensitive switch, ready to cause an explosion at any moment. "How do you know I haven't got better at it in your absence?" "Shanaya.""Dhruv."The way he was looking at her made the hair on the nape of her neck rise. She couldn’t help but stare at his lips. The thought of wanting to close the distance between them was hard to keep at bay.
Why did he still have such an effect on her? She knew she hated him, but now in his presence, the attraction she felt was undesirable.
He turned his head back to the road, finally accepting his defeat. "Okay," he said, "You win. For now." What he didn't say was: I'll have you begging me for the answer. Shanaya took the fleeting seconds for which her sense returned and sent a quick text to Neil, informing him that she had to go back to her apartment for some reason. The key turned and the engine started and soon the car revved across the road. "Where are we going?" Before Shanaya had the time to think over it, the question was out. The amusement on Dhruv's face was visible from miles away when he claimed, "Somewhere."The urge to ask more was strong but she settled it by losing herself on the sight outside. The noisy part of the city had passed. They were heading somewhere quieter, surrounded by more trees and lesser skyscrapers.The pounding in her chest made a return. She worried about what this gift may be. A surprise of some sort she hoped. When the thought of him possibly wanting to introduce her to his wife and two years old child appeared in her mind, her heartbeat ceased for a second.‘He's not married,’ she assured herself. ‘He can't be.’ If the situation was any different, a quick G****e search would've cleared her doubts but she couldn't risk it with him sitting close enough to get a peek. She had no mind to amuse him any more than she had done.Shanaya was more concerned about his reason for returning though she made all efforts to conceal it. She counted on Neil to give her the answer. Her cousin was close friends with Dhruv's younger sister, Kirti, and thus likely to know what had caused him to enter her life again.
The car stopped outside a big house. It wasn't his family home, Shanaya knew long before they halted. She had spent too much time there to not recognize it from miles away.Thanks for reading! If you're liking the story, consider voting with gems or leaving a review!
Shanaya hesitated at the doorstep. She pictured how the night would end and if she would come to regret her decision of meeting him. But something kept her going, a silent force that wanted to know, satisfied with any answers she could get for his absence. Dhruv considered her with a look. “Well, what are you waiting for? Come in.”While on the outside she admired the mansion’s grand beauty, on the inside Shanaya couldn't stop thinking of how his return wasn't a quick decision. It was very well planned out if he had purchased a house for himself. The grandeur of the mansion did not surprise her. Dhruv was a billionaire now. He could buy fifty such houses without batting any eyelash. The front door opened and the lights turned on, one by one.As if reading her mind, Dhruv said, "I moved in a week ago. I told Mom about my plans a month ago and as you can guess she wasn't happy about it. Neither was Kirti.""About you returning or living separately?" Shanaya laughed and took long stri
A low hum began playing from a source Shanaya failed to locate in the scant lighting. In an instant, Dhruv’s arm slid around her waist and his palm pressed into her small back, pulling her closer. Despite the thickness of her dress's fabric, she felt his warm hand sending a shiver down her spine. As a reflex, her hands rose to his shoulders and settled there and soon they were lost in each other's eyes. "What song is that?" Shanaya asked in a whisper, swaying slowly in his arms along with the tune. Her eyes remained glued to his. Stupid as it seemed, she was unable to take them away from his face. Up this close, he looked even more handsome. And tall. She failed to realise it earlier but she only barely touched his shoulder. Craning her neck to not lose sight of his eyes, she held her breath, waiting for an answer. "I don't know. I don't care," he said in a husky tone. It may have been just a game her mind was playing on her, but she sensed him leaning closer as they moved their bodi
The sun rays passed through the window panes and kissed Shanaya's face, fuelling her annoyance. She barely slept the previous night. Dhruv wouldn't let her. The little time that he did allow her, she wasted away by thinking constantly of what had happened between them and what it meant.Her head ached from the lack of sleep, making her frown as she lifted herself from the bed, covering her naked body with the white sheets. On the other hand, Dhruv slept peacefully on his stomach, snoring lightly. The sheets concealed the lower half of his body, keeping the other half on display for her eyes and she smirked. The smirk vanished as soon as she recollected moments from the previous night. Dhruv provoked her and she reacted just as he wanted her to. With a groan, she closed her eyes, gathering her hair into a messy bun. Her eyes darted around the room in search of her clothes—the striped dress she wore the previous night, but all she found were the bits and pieces of what remained of her
It slipped Shanaya's mind that she was wearing nothing but an oversized T-shirt. She slid the door wide open, allowing Shaheer who stood outside to take a good look at her. The calm over his face vanished in an instant. His cheeks blushed pink and he lifted his eyebrows in embarassment, clearing his throat at the same time. "Oh," Shanaya said to herself, realising what had happened and in a haste almost closed the door on his face. Luckily, he stepped behind on time. She sighed deeply and counted to three, letting her erratic heart go back to normal before slightly jerking the door open to peek out. "Did you get what I asked?" She said hurriedly and for a moment Shaheer's brows furrowed in confusion. "What? Oh, yes. Yes, here it is. Ms. Arora," He said and passed through the little gap a bag with her clothes. Shanaya grabbed it without another glance and turned around to find Dhruv looking at her with a smirk. "And who might that be?" He said, more to himself than to her and too
Kabir shrugged and the smile slipped away, getting replaced by a serious look. His gray eyes stared at her with curiosity. "But seriously, Shan, where were you last night? I called you like a hundred times." She ran her fingers through her wet hair strands as the light buzzing of the machine continued. Pretending to not hear his question, she said looking at herself in the full view mirror, "Do you think it's okay for you to be in my room while I'm not here? And even when I am. With me. Alone?" "Let's not pretend like I didn't spend half of my teen years here," He shook his head as his eyes went over the room, quickly examining it. Picking up a pillow, he flipped it and then stuffed it behind his head, relaxing even more. "You're not scared of what Dadi has to say?" His eyes flickered away from her but a small smile appeared on his clean shaven face. "She stopped doubting me a while ago. Precisely on the day I got married to Noor. Unless she considers me able enough to have an extr
Ahail, was a hero. Her saviour. Her protector. Or at least, he had been; once upon a time before the whole Arora family descended into the ruins. Shanaya had been a notorious teenager. With her heart on her sleeve and her mind in her mouth, trouble was always lurking around, and she attracted it like a magnet—picking fights with girls and boys all the same. But Ahail was there. He was always there to clean up her messes. He'd beat up guys and flirt with girls until they thought no more evil of his little sister. Ahail was the perfect guy—tall, handsome and smart. They were both blessed with a good combination of their parents' genes but while Shanaya struggled with Math, he excelled. With the ability to make friends at just the wave of his hand, he was a charmer. He sang sometimes and played music at pleas of girls. He was the life of every party he attended. Such was the Ahail she knew and loved and admired. The one she was about to meet, however, was a completely different person
"He'll be here in a minute," Shanaya said in an instant, earning a head tilt and a long gaze from her granny before the old woman settled on the seat as the head of the family. Her brother entered moments later, displaying a freshly shaved jaw and carried out the walk of shame with his head low before sitting down. "Now that everyone's here," Suhala began with a small but genuine smile, "I'd like to introduce everyone to Raunak Mehta." So the trouble's named Raunak this time, Shanaya thought as she examined his face carefully. He smiled at her grandmother's words but the moment his gaze met Shanaya's he blushed and looked away. The latter continued to glare. "Ms Chahal is here with her with daughter too," She added with a forced smile. "Mithila, right?""Mridula, Dadi." The girl corrected politely and lowered her head, smiling. "Yes, yes." Shanaya resisted the urge to roll her eyes and sighed instead, failing to maintain a fake smile. Times as such reminded her of why she prefer
When Monday morning dawned, Shanaya could not be more eager to leave her family house. She had always expected it to be a haven; a place to relax after a long week—to heal and recover from the burnout, but it had never felt that way. Going to her family house felt more like an obligation—a duty she was committed to doing. She did that every weekend. Sometimes, she felt guilty for perceiving like checking up on her grandmother and Ahail, were merely tasks on her to-do list. Shanaya sneaked out as always, tiptoeing to the front door. It was still dark outside, but the chirping of birds had replaced the quietness of the night. She needed some time to restore her sanity before reaching her workplace. She was about to turn the doorknob when someone cleared their throat behind her, causing her to freeze in her place. She sighed, feeling like a thief caught red-handed. "One day you'll regret not saying goodbye before leaving," Suhala's throaty voice fell on her ears. Her grandmother was