by Mahi Jay
Even if it was a fake engagement, why couldn’t they be happy for her? Or at least pretend to be, thought Nina tiredly. Aadith saw her eyes cloud with pain and felt an unreasonable urge to pound some sense into her parents.
‘I bet you’d enjoy rubbing this in your boss’s face,’ guessed Aadith with a sly grin.
‘Believe me, there is nothing better I’d like to do,’ she said fervently. Aadith burst out laughing at that and Nina joined him.
The laughter in her face—that was what he’d wanted to see. The sense of satisfaction he felt should have rung alarm bells inside him, but strangely it didn’t.
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘YOU AND AADITH?’ exclaimed Mohit Shah incredulously. ‘To say that I’m astounded would be an understatement.’
Hearing the surprise and hurt in her brother’s voice as he phoned from Switzerland, Nina wished she’d told him the news herself. Instead she’d copped out and let her parents do the deed. She hadn’t felt strong enough to lie to him as well.
‘Truthfully it was a surprise to both of us as well,’ explained Nina.
‘Don’t you think this is hasty? Knowing Aadith, it’s all too easy to see how you could imagine yourself in love with him, but is he the one?’ he asked doubtfully.
Mohit and his now wife had dated for four years before they’d taken the step towards marriage. Nina and he were all too alike. They never made insane, impulsive decisions. At least not until a couple of days ago when she’d thrown caution to the winds and slept with Aadith, mused Nina.
She laughed shortly to make light of it. ‘Mohit, it is six in the morning in India and way too early for such deep and profound conversations!’ she protested. Then, ‘How does Pranav like his new school?’ she enquired about her five-year-old nephew.
Mohit did not miss her attempt to sidestep his question. His relationship with his sister had improved a lot over the recent years yet he still wasn’t comfortable enough to press the issue. He didn’t want to come across as the overbearing elder brother.
‘He can’t wait to go to school. He loves being around other kids.’
Nina heard the smile in his voice and felt a pang. ‘I miss you guys a lot,’ she said. Mohit heard the note of loneliness in her voice and wished he could be there for her. ‘So do I.’
‘And I hope you know that I’ll be there if you ever need me,’ he added shyly.
‘I do. Now, don’t get me all maudlin,’ said Nina fondly as she bid him goodbye.
Post-production work had demanded Aadith’s attention so Nina had spent the night by herself. She stretched and rolled over to the side he’d slept on just a night ago. If she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply she thought she could almost smell his scent lingering in the room.
Damn, I’m getting fanciful, she thought with a shake of her head as she slid out of bed.
A volley of congratulations greeted her at the office. It seemed as if the engagement was all everyone could talk about. Nina smiled distractedly as she put up with some good-natured ribbing from her friends. She couldn’t wait for the dust to settle and for it to become stale news.
Aadith had arranged to pick Nina up at the end of the day to have dinner with his father and grandmother. It had been a long night and an even longer day, he thought as he waited in the parking lot for Nina. As she climbed down the marble steps, with a blue chiffon duppata floating behind her, she was a sight for sore eyes. He’d been impatient to see her the whole day.
Nina’s heart stilled when she caught sight of Aadith. Designer sunglasses concealed his eyes as he lounged against the side of his car. A slight stubble shadowed his face and made him look incredibly handsome. He was made to rock denims, she thought lustily as she made her way across to him.
‘How was your day?’ he enquired with a patience he didn’t feel. All he wanted to do was crush her to him and ravish that delectable mouth of hers. He settled for a tame kiss on her cheek in case of hovering reporters.
Tingle after tingle raced down her spine as his rough whiskers grazed her soft skin. She lifted thickly lashed eyes to meet hungry grey ones. Nina had to draw in a deep breath before she could even form a reply.
‘I thought the day would never end,’ she admitted on a soft sigh.
Aadith’s eyes glittered hotly at her words. If the driver hadn’t been there the car would certainly have seen a bit more action, he thought in chagrin.
Nina felt desire grip her body and there was no doubting that Aadith was aware of the sudden sexual tension too. His jaw clenched, a nerve pulsing in that tightness. His mouth was compressed and his eyes … they were feverish with desire.
‘Why did we agree to go to dinner with my family tonight?’ he growled in her ear.
‘Maybe because your daadhi would box your ears if we didn’t,’ retorted Nina cheekily.
‘No doubt she would!’ he agreed, with an indulgent smile on his face.
As they settled in the back seat of the car Aadith laced his fingers with hers. Her long elegant fingers were capped off with perfectly manicured nails painted in a shimmering silver. It gave him a high just to see his fingers enmeshed with hers. It reminded him of the night they’d spent in a wild tangle of limbs, never an inch away from the other.
Catching her eyes in a smouldering gaze, he raked his fingertips in circles across her palm. Pleasure rushed through her in a warm, unstoppable stream. She gasped and bit her lip to stop herself from moaning.
He lightly trailed his fingertips up and down her forearm. Her heart was hammering so loudly in her ears that she was sure Aadith could hear its wild tempo. She wanted to throw herself at him and beg him to take her right then.
This is too intense. I need to stop it, thought Nina desperately. She turned over the hand he’d been holding lightly and raked her fingers down the side of his thigh sensuously.
Aadith jerked upright involuntarily. It felt as if he’d been burned where she’d touched him.
God she made him feel like a randy teenager in the back seat of a car. She’d turned the tables on him in a second and he desperately wished they were alone. He needed to put some distance between them pronto.
When Aadith withdrew his fingers and moved a bit further from her, Nina felt bereft. She missed the warmth of his hands enveloping hers. But at least it had worked, she told herself wanly.
‘I need to pick something up, so we’ll be making a small stop before we head for dinner.’
Nina nodded her head absently as she gazed at his perfect profile, with its sharp nose and strong jawline. She dared not speak lest she asked him to hold her hand again. The car stopped at a prestigious jewellery store that boasted of catering to the rich and famous of the city.
‘My people have tipped the paparazzi off so they’re bound to be around,’ he warned.
‘You let them know about your errand?’ asked Nina in confusion.
‘It will serve our purpose so, yes, I did.’ Before she could question him further, he’d come around to her side of the car to escort her inside the luxury store.
Aadith was greeted with an effusive welcome that bordered on reverence. Nina arched her brows questioningly and muttered in an undertone, ‘Your long line of ex-girlfriends must have made you their most frequent visitor!’
‘Actually this is only the second time I’ve visited the store,’ he clarified.
At Nina’s disbelieving snort, he winked at her and added, ‘My secretary is a much more familiar face around here.’
Ah … that explains it, she thought acidly. ‘So what are we doing here now?’
Aadith could not contain his wicked grin as he replied, ‘We are here to pick a fabulous engagement ring for my fiancée.’
Nina glared at him. It was just like him to spring this on her. ‘Is it really necessary?’ she asked through gritted teeth.
‘Of course. A ring will be the first thing the media will look to report on. It’s indispensable,’ said Aadith firmly.
Since she couldn’t refute the truth in his
statement, she gracefully conceded defeat.
A selection of exquisite rings was brought to her on a midnight-blue velvet tray. The rings on display, though exquisite, were all rather showy and hard to miss. Nina’s eyes constantly strayed to the section that held diamond eternity bands. She knew it wasn’t an appropriate choice when they were not headed towards happily ever after. But her heart yearned for the simplicity of it.
Aadith watched her as she struggled to make her choice. The women he usually dated wouldn’t have had any such problem. They would have made a beeline for the biggest rock offered for selection. Not so Nina; there was nothing about her that screamed look-at me-look-at-me but she never failed to draw attention either. There was an understated elegance about her that shone, much more than a mere overload of bling ever could.
She turned to look at him helplessly.
‘The only other time I was here was to pick a gift for my grandmother. I chose a diamond stud brooch that she promptly exchanged,’ drawled Aadith lazily. ‘After which, she didn’t hesitate to inform me that my taste in jewellery left a lot to be desired. So don’t look to me for help,’ he warned laughingly.
Nina felt a burst of happiness at his words. It had been nagging her that he had visited the shop once before for someone special. Now she couldn’t help but feel giddy at the thought that he’d made an effort to come with her. That he hadn’t regaled her to the long list of women he’d merely slept with.
‘Just make sure you pick something sizable. I don’t care to be labelled as stingy,’ declared Aadith practically.
Nina felt her bubble of happiness burst at his words. This was merely an empty gesture for the world; it was a PR exercise at most. It meant nothing and she would be better off keeping that in mind. Repressing her natural taste that ran more towards elegance rather than indulgence, she chose a diamond ring in an emerald cut, with three diamond baguettes flanking each side of the central stone. The ring fitted her perfectly.
After Aadith was done with the discreet transaction, he didn’t offer to put it on her finger and she didn’t wait for him to do so. This blasted ring is about to serve its purpose, thought Nina darkly as they moved towards the exit.
The paparazzi, who had been patiently awaiting their return, went crazy. She flashed her ring for them at their eager request. Nina could just about manage a smile whereas Aadith was the consummate actor. He held her hand, smiled at her, fielded questions easily and played the part of an adoring fiancé perfectly.
They were soon speeding away towards the house he’d bought for his father. Surprisingly, it was not an ostentatious one. It had a big lawn in the front with the driveway covering either side of it. Two huge columns stood at the entrance of the house. At the sound of their car drawing up, his father came out to meet them.
Aadith could read the apprehension in her eyes. ‘Relax. They’re not people you don’t know. Dad likes you and Daadhi loves you … so it can’t really be that big an ordeal,’ he stated.
‘Easy for you to say. It’s been ages since they’ve seen me and after the media splash we caused I wouldn’t be surprised if they thought I was a floozy,’ protested Nina huskily.
‘They’ve read so much worse about me that this would probably have come as a breath of fresh air,’ he predicted.
‘I hope so.’
Aadith’s dad welcomed her with a warm smile. Nina remembered him as a very sober person, although admittedly much more demonstrative than her own parents had been towards her. She wondered where Aadith had got his exuberance from. He was an out and out extrovert, a charmer. They couldn’t have been more different. He must take after his mother, she concluded.
Nina frowned; she couldn’t remember ever seeing a picture of his mother around the house. It seemed odd to her now. She made a note to ask him about it later.
At his grandmother’s testy tones summoning them from inside the house, they hurried to join her. She was seated on a comfortable armchair with her feet resting on a low footstool. A walking stick was perched by the side of her chair. Wearing one of her pastel, plain cotton saris with her hair done in a neat bun, she still radiated a cheerful vitality that put everyone around her in good spirits.
Nina went to her side swiftly and hugged her. She barely managed to check the surprise tears that pricked her eyes. ‘Daadhi, you don’t look a day older than I last saw you.’
‘But you, my dear, have grown beautifully into the woman I always knew you would be!’ she remarked. ‘No wonder my grandson fell for you. He must have just seen what I knew years ago. That you were perfect for him.’
Nina blushed at her words and said, ‘You’re too kind.’
‘Nonsense. Ask anyone around me, they will tell you—I’m positively a harridan.’
‘That’s what you want everyone to think, when in actual fact you are a soft touch,’ chimed in Aadith, venturing forward to place a kiss on top of her head. Nina could see the love shining in his eyes. It did something to her insides. The longing she’d always felt to be unconditionally loved surfaced once again.
‘Good that you came along now. I was worried one of his bimbos would manage to sink her claws into him long enough to drag him up the aisle,’ admitted his gran happily.
‘Daadhi, there was never any need for you to worry. Nina has always been in the back of my mind. I would have looked her up sooner or later on my own,’ stated Aadith as he wound an arm around her shoulders and guided her to a couch.
As Aadith uttered those words he wondered why they felt so true. Had she really been in the back of his mind? Had he known how perfect it would be between them? Was that why he’d jumped at the chance to work with her and wangled his way to make sure she agreed to work with him?
He felt dazed at these unfamiliar emotions coursing through him. He hated feeling anything more than desire for a woman. Feelings left you open to pain, and he wanted no part of it. He determinedly steered his thoughts away from Nina and looked up to catch his dad watching them keenly.
Nina knew those words from Aadith had to be false but they didn’t fail to warm her. How she wished he’d meant them.
‘You ended up with the girl after my own heart despite the string of idiots you dated. Even as a boy you always managed to land on your feet when you took a fall,’ said his grandmother proudly.
Nina was fascinated to hear more about Aadith. Back in Pune she’d dared not ask about him for fear that her crush on him would be revealed. But now that she was playing the part of his betrothed, she could.
‘What was he like as a child?’ she asked curiously.
‘A live wire. After my own son, who was a quiet child, Aadith was a surprise to me. He was a handful. I guess he took after his mother in most ways.’
It was the first time Nina had ever heard mention of Aadith’s mother. She looked up to see his face look as if it had been carved in stone.
‘I’m sure I have some old photographs of him lying around, if you’re interested,’ his grandmother continued, oblivious to the sudden tension in the room. She bade Aadith to fetch them for her. Aadith groaned.
‘Daadhi, stop. I’m sure she’s not.’
‘Oh, no … I would love to see them,’ interrupted Nina.
He grumblingly did so and handed Nina a small bunch of photographs.
Nina noted that Aadith’s father seemed like a totally different person then. He had his arm around an astonishingly beautiful woman who carried a toddler in her arms. It wasn’t hard to see that the child was Aadith and that his father had been head over heels in love with his mother. The series of photographs revealed that his mother had been with them until Aadith had been a boy of around nine or ten. Her death must have been a blow for Aadith and more so for his father, thought Nina sadly.
‘Yes. He most definitely resembles his mother,’ she said lightly.
‘If we delay another minute, you will probably hear my stomach growling,’ piped in Aadith, forestalling any more talk about his mother.
They took the
ir cue from him and headed for dinner. The table groaned under the weight of tons of soft rotis, spicy curries and juicy starters. Nina was astonished to note the amount of food Aadith heaped onto his plate.
‘Did you skip lunch?’ she asked.
‘I never skip a meal,’ was his haughty response. ‘I’m planning to burn a whole lot of calories later tonight,’ he murmured just for her ears alone.
His breath almost singed her ears. She coloured as an image of them engaged in a writhing embrace arose in her mind. She sputtered as her soup went down the wrong way. Aadith thumped her back at once. Nina’s eyes watered as she coughed into her napkin. He was still stroking her back gently after she’d returned back to normal.
Nina was embarrassed to see his dad and daadhi watching them in fascination. ‘I’m all right now,’ she said, trying to shrug his hands off.
‘Are you sure?’ he asked, his voice filled with concern, oblivious to the interest they were garnering from the other two.
‘Yes, I am. Somebody must have thought of me,’ she remarked, alluding to an old wives’ tale that said you were in someone’s thoughts if you choked a bit while eating.
‘If that’s true, you are not going to be able to eat any more at the rate I’m thinking about you,’ he teased softly.
Their gazes held until she dropped hers shyly. Her pulses raced erratically at the heat in his eyes. The loud sound of a glass being placed on the table broke the spell. The rest of the meal progressed smoothly with his daadhi effortlessly keeping the conversation flowing at all times.
Aadith had dismissed the driver as soon as they’d got there so he walked around to the driver’s side of the car after bidding goodbye to his family.
‘We’ve got years to catch up on, so visit soon,’ commanded his grandmother as Nina hugged her. Aadith’s father held her hand lightly and said, ‘Welcome to the family, my child. You are all that I ever wanted for him.’ Nina felt a lump form in her throat. It was hard lying to such genuine and loving people. They would be hurt when the inevitable happened. She wished she’d never embarked on this pretence. She blinked her eyes to keep her tears at bay.
