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 extra-marital affair, I don't see why I should be scared of her. And I assure you she knows I'm not capable of that. And of all people with you. Yuck." "Why are you here, Kabir?" "So, I can't come to see my best friend? I know she prefers to be lonely and pretends to ignore questions thrown at her but that..." He sighed and she caught his eyes in the mirror. "You know what, I have no idea where I was going with that. So, go on, spill it." "Why are you here, Kabir?" "Okay, stubborn Shanaya. Dadi invited me over for lunch. Unlike you, she remembers me. And let me tell you, I'm only here because she asked me to come. Not because I'm friends with a certain stubborn businesswoman who loves solitude." "Okay. But why did she invite you? What's the special event?" She asked, running a comb through her hair. "That's what I wanted to ask you." A groan left her lips and she unplugged the hair dryer. "Apparently, everyone is hiding things from me these days. So, we're equal there." Kabir nodded his head slowly. "I think I might know why. Dhruv Kapoor." Shanaya gasped and turned her head to him. "What did you say?""Yes, Shan. He returned a few days ago. A friend told me he's staying somewhere in Mumbai. Your grandmother must've found out somehow." Shanaya raised a brow at him. "What's the connection between him returning and you being invited to lunch at my house?" She gaped at him, trying to catch something but her mind had gone totally numb. Kabir stared at her, his brows knitting together. He stared at her some more before he opened his mouth in shock. "You met him last night," He finally concluded. She had no idea how he had arrived to that conclusion and the panic kicked in. "Why-Why do you think so?" "Because you didn't react as I expected. You knew about this. You were with him last night," He accused her, his face twisting. Shanaya gulped as realisation dawned upon her. There was no way out. She couldn't lie to Kabir. Gently putting down the hair dryer, she tiptoed to the door to ensure it was close before tiptoeing back to the bed. She seated herself on the edge uncomfortably. "Go on, tell me," Kabir promoted and she could sense the irritation in his voice. "Look, please don't scream," She requested, holding his arm. He flinched at the contact. "Shan, no... " Shanaya closed her eyes, shaking her head before she guilty admitted in a low whisper, "I had sex with Dhruv last night." "You did-what?" Kabie yelled and abruptly got up from the bed. He ran a hand through his hair and his gray eyes watched her with disbelief. "Don't be so dramatic, Kabir," She said exhaling heavily. "I'm not proud of it but I don't regret it either, okay? Dhruv... He's really muscly now. Not the lean nerd we knew once. And what matters is, he's good at it. Like really really good." Kabir closed his eyes and held a hand at his throat. "Spare me the details. I might puke right now." "The bathroom's that way." "What if your grandmother finds out?" Was his next question and Shanaya had to shake her head to confirm she had heard it right. Her heart hammered against her chest at the notion. "Huh? What? What do you mean? I don't tell her about my one-night stands." "One-night stand? That's what you're going to call it?" Kabir asked as he sat on the edge of the bed, considering her with a challenging gaze. Shanaya nodded. "That's what it is. It was." He shook his head and laughed nervously. "I know you and I knew him and I knew of you both together. Shanaya, you meet your ex after eight years for the first time. Eight years. And you bring it on the same night before you can exchange even two words." "No. No, Kabir. That's not how it happened. You're exaggerating the situation.""Understand my point." Shanaya sighed and held his shoulders. "Calm down. It's okay. I've already forgotten about him. Calm down, Dhruv. Er-Kabir." "See?" His widened and lips quivered. "Look at me... Kabir." With hesitation, he lifted his head and met her gaze. "It doesn't matter. I'll forget about him. I'll find someone hotter tonight. Yes, I'll do that," She said to herself more than to him and then shook her head. "Dadi won't find out. She cannot find out." A nervous chuckle left her throat. "And you'll pretend to be oblivious about his return. Okay?" He lowered his eyes before replying with a softer, genuine voice, "Okay. I just don't want what happened before to happen again... ""It won't happen, God dammit!"He flinched at her sharp voice and no words left his mouth after that. She had her authoritative voice up again. It worked outside of work more often than it did in her office. "Go down and wait for me at the table while I get my brother Ahail ready." Kabir nodded his head and quietly left the room.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
Despite its beauty, Shanaya frowned as she picked up the bracelet and examined its delicate design. To the touch, it was cool, sending tiny shivers through her fingers. Dhruv's smirking face flashed through her mind and she tried her best not to recall fragments of the night they spent together. What was all of this supposed to mean? What was he up to? Why did he suddenly choose to flood her with his attention after ghosting her for the last eight years? Dhruv was the last person she wanted on her mind that morning, but he was utterly unsettling like a wine stain on her conscience. Shanaya placed the ruby and gold bracelet back in the box with equal care and shut it close. “What an idiot,” she whispered to herself, remembering their conversation. Well, the next time I'll bring you roses carved out of gold. How about you never bring me any flowers? Of gold or otherwise. Dhruv had done just what she had told him not to. That was expected of him. It annoyed Shanaya but she found
[DHRUV]When his eyes opened, Dhruv feared he had slept through the afternoon. The watch on his wrist, however, displayed the time to be ten o’clock. He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply before deciding to begin his day. His body was still trying to adapt to the change. It took most of the night to fall asleep, causing him to wake up much later than he intended to. Alarms had never worked for him, so he did not bother setting them up now either. Standing up on his feet, he wandered around, taking in the emptiness of his room. A bed and a wardrobe were the only pieces of furniture inside. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done, he noted to himself. Dhruv had his old friends from Mumbai hunt for some bungalows while he was still wrapping things up in the U.S. The one he had ended up buying was perfect for him—just as he had pictured.However, everything had been done in haste and there was no housewarming ceremony which aggravated his mother, who was mad in the first place be
Sucking in a deep breath, Shanaya took another peek out the window. Dhruv still stood leaning against his car, dashing in a white shirt. While it made no sense to her, Dhruv wearing white clothes was a sight that had always appealed to her. She recalled a white hoodie he once owned that had ended up being hers. He occasionally looked up toward her window, but she was sure he couldn’t see her. Even though he had been standing there for fifteen minutes, Shanaya still wanted to keep him waiting. She removed the glistening bracelet from her wrist and placed it back into the velvet box. A moment later, Shaheer knocked on her cabin door. “Ms. Arora, I’m leaving for lunch. Are you sure you won’t be joining us today?” he asked solemnly, his hands clasped together. “Absolutely,” she replied without missing a beat, grabbed her handbag, and walked around the oval table. Turning around briefly, she glanced across the room. “Ah, Shaheer. Could you please find a nice vase to place those tu
“What a pleasant surprise it is meeting you here!” he expressed, his smile widening even more. Shanaya lied, maintaining her fake grin, “Likewise.”“You look very beautiful today.”“Thank you so much,” she said. Her cheeks were starting to ache. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't come up with a polite way to dismiss him. “Are you here all by yourself?” he asked, his eyebrows rising in curiosity. In addition to his voice, Shanaya hated the intrusiveness he exhibited, making her want to get rid of him immediately. Sighing loudly, she replied, “Oh, no. I’m here with a client. Business deal discussion.”“Should’ve expected that. Your grandmother admires your working attitude.”“Does she? I did not expect that.” She chuckled. “Raunak, I think I should go. Keeping your clients waiting too long is not a good work ethic.”“Right. So silly of me to keep you here.” He moved to the side, freeing her path. Shanaya sighed in relief, walking with quick strides. But when she reached her tabl
“Shanaya, I think that’s quite enough. We should leave now,” Kabir tried to communicate over the loud music playing in the club. “You’re already too drunk,” he said, stating the obvious. Noor, his wife, stood beside him, shifting on her feet every few seconds as she glanced around. She wore a crimson dress that fitted her figure beautifully. Her dark brown hair fell in loose curls around her shoulders. She was breath-taking in every sense; she only lacked the confidence. While Noor said nothing, the look on her soft round face conveyed all her concern. Grabbing her arm, Kabir yelled, “Shanaya, let's go!” “Stop screaming in my ears,” Shanaya yelled back at him and then chuckled, swaying her body along the rhythm. This song was really getting her into the mood of dancing. If only her supposed best friend would let her do as she pleased. “I’m only pretending. I’m not really that drunk. Yet,” she emphasized. “I’m not leaving until I see two Kabirs standing in front of me.” Turning t