As the sun started to set, orange and crimson tones began to fill the open sky. Suhala shifted the folds of her pale blue saree once more before clearing her voice. It was difficult to ignore her impatience. Shanaya pulled out her cell phone once again, dialling Ahail’s number. He did not bother picking up this time either. Sighing, she looked at her grandmother who was watching her intently. “When is he coming?” Suhala asked, her voice coarse like sand. “He said he would come.” “I don’t understand why we’re wasting our time here,” Aruna, Neil’s mother, remarked. Folding her arms, she continued, “He never comes to any such events. Let’s just leave, Harish. I don’t want to be late to my son’s art exhibition. It’s an important day for him.” “You’re right, Aruna,” Suhala agreed, fixing her daunting eyes on the woman. “It is indeed an important day for Neil, which is why he asked all of us to be present. Together. As a family.” Aruna had the audacity to scoff, bearing a look on her fa
[DHRUV]The incessant noise of honking cars and flashing red lights was starting to give Dhruv a headache. But he was not the type of man who would lose his temper over something as petty as traffic. However, he was definitely the man to make a grand late entry to any event. No mattered how much Dhruv tried, he knew he would not be able to evade being the centre of attention that night. If only he could enjoy the allure of art without any random people wanting to strike a conversation with him…This was not going to be concerning, if things had been the way they were a decade ago. Dhruv was—as much as he hated to admit—the nerd, devoid of any charm. He was awkward. A fork could hold soup better than he could hold a conversation back then. And all of a sudden everything had changed. He had made the hard decision to move to a different country in pursuit of his dreams, leaving everything behind. Fast forward to that day, he had become the Dhruv Kapoor, a sensation. A living legend. A
Shanaya felt betrayed by her own eyes. They wandered of their own accord in an attempt to steal another glance at Dhruv. Their gazes met. Not once, not twice, but three times!She knew she was fidgeting, her words fumbling. Her gaze was unsteady, and her mind was distracted during each conversation. She was aware that it was a dangerous thing. With her family so close, she could not afford to reveal that she had already met Dhruv before; no one could know they had made any attempts at reconciliation. Is that what it was? she asked herself. Reconciliation?The feud between Aroras and Kapoors was common talk a decade ago—it had directly affected the families that depended on their business partnership. People had their speculations. There were several rumors floating about, and while the matter had been resolved publicly, the fire still burned deep inside their hearts. Suhala yawned, her watery eyes coming back to Shanaya’s face. “We should leave now. I’m feeling tired.” She appeared
The revelation had numbed Shanaya’s senses. Since she had looked into Neil’s eyes, her mind had barely registered anything she was doing right until his car had halted outside a restaurant. Sometimes during the drive earlier, it had started raining. The windows had turned hazy, cutting off her view of the world outside. Her mind was in a similar state—unsure of how to respond to the news of Neil wanting to get married to Kirti. “We’re here,” Neil said, nudging her arm lightly. Without a word, she stepped out and walked inside. Shanaya sensed their collective gazes burning holes into her back but pretended to not notice. A few more minutes passed. Shanaya knew of the awkwardness she was making the couple feel, and yet she could not bring herself to act normally. This is not normal, she thought to herself. Suhala would never agree to this. Dhruv decided to break the silence with his cool voice. “Well, this is interesting,” he commented, his teasing eyes glued to her face. “Neil
“You can stay tonight,” the words left Shanaya’s mouth before she could hold back. She bit her tongue then, an inaudible curse rising from her chest. Dhruv’s dark eyes swept to her face in an instant. In them, she found uncertainty and curiosity. She was sure he was wondering what intentions she held. If only she knew herself… As their eyes met, the air stood still for a moment. She heard the sounds of their breath mingle, and her gaze drew to his lips impulsively. Feeling her cheeks heat up, Shanaya looked away. But she knew it was too late. He’d caught her."You don’t have to say please, Shanaya. Not to me. Just promise not to smother me in my sleep. My parents are still holding out for that party," Dhruv said, stepping out of the car. His voice was calm, his steps smooth. However, on the other hand, Shanaya felt like she was losing control of herself, like sand slipping between her fingers. There was no point in even trying. Dhruv walked closely behind her, quiet as a ghost. This
What began as a slow, teasing kiss soon became demanding. Dhruv’s lips moved in a rhythm similar to hers while his hand held her neck, pulling her closer still. Shanaya felt her toes curl, her veins filling with desire. Involuntarily, she shifted and settled on his lap. His lips were warm and welcoming, and when he moved his lips to her neck, sucking the soft skin there, Shanaya bit her lip to stop herself from moaning. This feels so good, she thought, noticing how her body shivered at his touch. She opened her eyes momentarily to look at Dhruv—leisurely tracing lips further and further down her neck—and felt her cheeks burn. She wanted him. All of him. And there was no denying that. He noticed her eyes on him and paused, his lips forming a smirk. “Enjoying this?” he whispered, leaning so close that her lungs defied her, refusing to breathe. His dark gaze met hers and she drowned herself in those eyes. “Very much,” she replied, her voice almost inaudible. Lowering her eyes to his
Shanaya recalled how the night had ended: with a kiss that was light and quick and yet so fulfilling. She wanted to seal that moment and keep it forever in her mind. “You’re tempting.”“I’m happy you’re not denying that,” Dhruv expressed, beaming. “Can you also agree that this is very comforting?” He drew her close until their breaths mingled. She nodded, her nose brushing against his. “But this isn’t what I should be doing right now,” she reasoned. “Who decides that?” Dhruv raised a brow, and continued in a low voice, “I think you’ll spend the rest of the day thinking about the offer.”“Let me prove you wrong,” she told him, making an impulsive decision. She called Shaheer as Dhruv watched her, mouth agape wondering what she was about to do. “I’m not coming today, Shaheer. I’ll see you directly on Monday,” she conveyed, her free hand caressing Dhruv’s back. As soon as the call ended, his lips collided with hers in a rough kiss. Shanaya could not help but smile and recovered soon
Kabir exhaled heavily and placed his elbows on the desk. “Okay,” he said in a way like he always did when it was not. "How old is Neil?" Shanaya sighed, remembering how that was the first question that had entered her mind when Dhruv had told her about the matter. "Twenty-three. He's five years older than us." "We should've known that they're more than friends, " he commented. "I admire how well he managed to keep it hidden though. And he already proposed!""A diamond ring," she said, trying to sound bored. Kabir regarded her with a look she did not understand. "Kirti would expect nothing less." Shanaya had just recited all that had gone down in the last few days, excluding particular details of the previous night. She was in his clinic, sitting across his table piled with reports and notepads and medicines and pens that lay astray. The view was distracting. Her hands itched. Discreetly, she picked another pen and placed it in the holder. Kabir’s eyes watched her action closely,