by T. A. Chase
His jaw had dropped and he closed his mouth, opened it, then closed it again, having no idea what to say. His thoughts were a confused mess.
She reached for him and he gently took her hand. She patted his with her other one.
“I’m tired. I’m going to go lie down. Would you please get Mrs Kapoor for me? And give Karishma my regrets.”
He nodded automatically and rose. For a moment he thought he could see tears twinkling in his mother’s eyes, then she blinked and they were gone. He turned and left the room, feeling his mother’s gaze lingering on him as he went.
Karishma and Mrs Kapoor were in the sitting room, and he passed along Maa’s messages to them. As Mrs Kapoor headed to the salon, Rajan escorted Karishma out and into the waiting car. He instructed the driver to take them to Karishma’s house.
She waited until they were underway then she pounced.
“What the bloody hell was that all about? This ring? I thought you sent it to me. I even thanked you for it, you git. I showed it to you the other night. I knew you weren’t paying attention to me.”
“I’m sorry for that. And I had no idea she sent it, or that she would even be that presumptuous. She practically has us married in her head.”
“Well, we practically are, aren’t we? Don’t you read the press?”
He didn’t and she knew that, so he took that as rhetorical.
“Raji, you need to suck it up and start caring about your career and our relationship. I swear, sometimes I think you don’t even want either one!” That hit way too close to home, but of course, she thought she was just being dramatic. “Don’t you give a shit?”
“Of course I do,” he lied.
“Well then for fuck’s sake start behaving as though you do!” She settled back, looking disgruntled and, he thought, a bit embarrassed maybe.
“What’s wrong?” he ventured.
She shrugged quickly.
“Tell me,” he coaxed. He really did think of her as his friend and this sort of emotion on her part didn’t sit well.
She looked up at him, for once without artifice, and he was stunned to see real pain on her face. “I really thought the ring was from you. And I was very happy to get it,” she admitted. Her eyes filled, and she dashed at them angrily, her lips pressed together. Without hesitation, he leaned over and gathered her against him.
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, well…” She sniffed against his chest and he patted his pockets, wishing he had a handkerchief to offer her. “I guess it was a bit much to expect that getting an engagement ring by messenger really meant something.” She made a strange noise and, alarmed, he pushed her away in order to see her face.
Her lips twitched then she began laughing. “Bloody hell,” she got out. “Engagement by messenger.”
Relieved that the odd emotional moment had passed and the Karishma he knew was back, he grinned. “I’m romantic that way.”
They passed the short rest of the drive in a relatively comfortable silence. Rajan was still busy trying to process all that had happened when they dropped her off.
About to tell the driver to take him home, he hesitated, then pulled out his phone before giving him a different destination.
Chapter Seven
His phone ringing brought Ajay out of his meditation, and he shook his entire body once before reaching out to grab the annoying piece of technology. He should’ve turned it off, but he had foolishly hoped Raj would call or text him at some point.
Glancing at the name on his screen, Ajay’s heart skipped a beat. Speak of the devil.
“Hello?”
“Ajay, it’s Raj. I was wondering if I could stop by?”
Ajay shot to his feet, all sense of peace gone. Raj wanted to come over? As much as he’d hoped it would happen, he’d never really imagined Raj would take him up on his offer.
“Ajay? Are you still there? Is it a bad time? I don’t have to come.” Raj sounded doubtful, but underlying the hesitation was a hint of need.
“No… I mean I’m still here and it’s not a bad time. You’re more than welcome to stop by, Raj. When should I be expecting you?”
“I’m, um, sort of out front. At the gate.”
Ajay raced across his meditation room to glance out of the window overlooking the driveway. A car idled at the wrought iron gate guarding Ajay’s privacy.
“Oh wow…okay. I’ll buzz you in.”
He didn’t wait for Raj to answer before he hung up on him. His skin goosebumped when a cool breeze washed over him, and Ajay remembered that he was naked. He hated meditating while wearing clothes—he found it distracted him.
“Shit! I have to get dressed. Greeting him while I’m naked doesn’t really get the whole ‘no strings attached’ vibe going,” he muttered as he dashed out of the room towards his bedroom.
“Master Singh, there’s a car at the gate,” Mrs Mehra called up to him.
“I know. Can you buzz him in for me?”
“Yes, sir. Should I start some tea?”
“Thank you,” Ajay shouted as he skidded to a stop in front of his closet. What should he wear? Christ! If he picked the wrong thing, it would look like he was trying too hard, but he didn’t want Raj to think he didn’t care.
After he’d thrown four pairs of pants over his shoulder, Ajay stopped and took a deep breath. He needed to get a hold of himself. Raj hadn’t shown up on his doorstep looking for sex or a relationship. That hint of something in Raj’s voice when they’d talked meant he was looking for a friend.
The intercom next to his bed buzzed, and he snatched up the first pair of pants that came to his hand.
“Yes?”
“You have a guest,” Mrs Mehra told him in her usual calm voice.
Apparently having Rajan Malik, one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, show up on Ajay’s doorstep wasn’t that big a deal for her.
“Put him in the blue room. I’ll be right down.”
“Yes, sir.”
Ajay tugged on a shirt and the pants. He didn’t check to see what he looked like. Raj was here in his house and waiting downstairs. After practically falling down the stairs, he paused outside the room where Raj was, and took another calming breath.
He was acting like a teenager with his first crush. Of course, Raj had been his first love, though not his first sexual experience. No, Ajay had been sexually active since he’d been sixteen. It hadn’t been hard to find guys who’d wanted sex, even if they weren’t necessarily gay.
The sound of cloth rustling brought him back to the situation at hand. He reached out to shove open the door. Raj whirled around to face him as he walked into the room.
“Sorry I kept you waiting,” Ajay apologised.
“That’s all right. I kind of surprised you by just showing up like this.” Raj had his hands tucked into his pockets, and his shoulders were slightly hunched. “I had lunch with Maa and Karishma today.”
“I’m sorry,” Ajay blurted out, then he winced. “Sorry about that. You don’t want to hear how I feel about either of them.”
“I know how you feel about Maa and my co-star, Ajay. I’m not going to be upset by what you say.” Raj chuckled softly, though there was little humour to it. “They are hard to understand at times.”
“But they are people you care about, and so I need to keep my opinions to myself.”
Ajay gestured towards the veranda. “We can sit outside. Mrs Mehra will be bringing us tea soon. Would you like something to eat as well?”
“Biscuits would be good.” Raj rubbed his stomach. “I really didn’t get much to eat at lunch.” His face twisted into an ironic expression and Ajay could sense that something about the luncheon was the reason behind his visit. Something had happened to send Rajan looking for…distraction? A friendly ear? Comfort? More? Whatever it was, Ajay was willing to provide it.
“All right.” Ajay walked over to the intercom on the wall. He buzzed the kitchen. “Mrs Mehra?”
“Yes, sir.”
“
Could you bring some biscuits for us and some naan?”
“Certainly, sir. I’ll bring a full tea in a few minutes.”
“Thanks.” Ajay went out onto the veranda, intensely aware of Raj closely following him.
He sank down to sit cross-legged on the rug he’d had put out there. There wasn’t a lot of furniture in his house and Ajay loved the uncluttered feel of it. Raj sat so close to him that Ajay could feel the heat rising from his skin. Ajay fought the urge to lean over and bury his nose in the triangle at the base of Raj’s neck. All he really wanted to do was breathe in Raj’s scent, which was something he’d loved when they had been together at university.
“Do you want to tell me what happened at lunch? Is your mother all right?” He held up his hand when Raj started to say something. “Again, I might not like your mother, but I’m still sorry she’s sick and I wouldn’t wish this disease on anyone.”
“She’s dying.” Raj looked so lost at that moment. “I’ve known that for a while, but she actually admitted today that she knew it was going to happen. I just never really thought about how it would feel when she finally gave in.” He leaned a bit, swaying towards Ajay.
Without thinking, Ajay wrapped his arm around Raj, encouraging him to lay his head on Ajay’s shoulder. He pressed his lips to Raj’s temple.
“I’m sorry, love. I know how much she means to you,” he murmured against Raj’s skin.
Raj took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Thank you. I’m not sure why I came here, but after I dropped Karishma off, I just needed to see you.” He huffed. “Oh, and apparently we’re engaged. Not us, of course,” he clarified, pointing between them. “But me and Karishma.”
Engaged? Ajay shouldn’t have been shocked to hear Raj confirm the rumours. “Should I offer you congratulations and ask when the wedding is?”
Apparently he hadn’t been as careful with his tone of voice as he’d thought, because Raj raised his head and looked at him warily. “We’re not really. That’s just what my maa wishes to be true. So much so that she actually sent Karishma her own engagement ring and told her it was from me.”
“Raj, I know your maa is dying, but you need to stand up to her at some point, unless you do want to marry Karishma. If you don’t, you’re going to find yourself married to a woman you don’t love.” Ajay paused for a second, then continued, “I’m not trying to relive an old argument. I simply want what’s best for you, and I don’t think being married to her is it.”
A knock sounded on the door, and Ajay sent a silent prayer up to the gods. It was good timing for Mrs Mehra, because Ajay had a feeling if she hadn’t come when she did, they would’ve got into another fight, and Ajay didn’t want that.
“Come in,” he called, easing away from Raj.
While he was pretty sure his housekeeper wouldn’t say a word of what she saw inside his house, Ajay didn’t want to give her an opportunity to prove him wrong.
They watched Mrs Mehra set up the tea on the small table to the side of the rug they sat on. She didn’t say anything, and simply nodded when she left. He poured out the tea for Raj, then offered him a plate of biscuits.
“Thank you.” Raj immediately ate one biscuit, then snagged another and took a sip of tea.
“You’re welcome.” Ajay reached out to touch Raj’s knee. “I’m glad you came here, Raj.
No matter the reason for it. Like I’ve said before, I’ve missed our friendship.”
“I’ve…missed you too.”
Ajay was surprised when Raj set his tea aside, then practically threw himself into Ajay’s arms. Ajay managed to put his cup down before anything got spilt on the rug. He wrapped Raj in a tight embrace, lying them down. Somehow, without any conscious thought, Ajay’s lips landed on Raj’s.
Oh bloody hell! He’d forgotten how wonderful it was to kiss Raj…how their bodies fit together in all the right places, and how Raj would open to him without hesitation. Ajay swept his tongue into Raj’s mouth, tasting the sweetness from the milk in Raj’s tea, and the sugar from the biscuit he’d eaten before the kiss.
He moaned as Raj buried his fingers in his hair, holding him close. Ajay settled between Raj’s thighs, then ground his groin into Raj’s. The hard length that greeted his own erection told him Raj was on the same page.
Fate was smiling on Ajay that day, and he wanted to take advantage of the gift it had given him. He broke off their kiss to nibble along Raj’s jaw. There were so many things he wanted to do to Raj. So many memories he wanted to relive.
“Hey, Ajay, I wanted to come and invite you to my mother’s for dinner.”
Ajay and Raj broke away from each other so quickly, Ajay was afraid one of them might have caught fire. By the time Neel made it out onto the veranda, Ajay and Raj were back in their original positions on the rug. He hoped Neel wouldn’t notice how his hand trembled as he lifted his cup to his lips.
“Oh! Sorry, Ajay. I didn’t know you had a guest.”
He looked up to see Neel standing just inside the room, staring at Raj. After standing, Ajay smiled.
“No worries, Neel. I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine, Rajan Malik. Rajan, this is my friend and fellow cricket player, Neel Malhotra.”
Raj shook hands with Neel. “It’s nice meeting you, Neel. I’m a big fan.”
“I’m a big fan of yours as well.” Neel shot Ajay a questioning glance.
“I have to get going. Thank you for the tea.” Raj didn’t look at Ajay.
“Wait. Do you need me to call a cab for you or something?” Ajay didn’t want Raj to leave. He wanted to go back to those moments before Neel had shown up. The minutes where he and Raj had gone back to the way they had been before that awful day when everything had changed.
“No. That’s all right. The car is waiting out front. I didn’t have him leave.” Raj rubbed his hands on his pants. “I hadn’t planned on staying long.”
“All right.” There wasn’t anything else Ajay could say. He couldn’t very well beg Raj to stay with Neel standing there. “I’ll walk you out.”
“There’s no need for that. Stay with your friend.” Raj practically ran from the room.
“I’m really sorry, Ajay. I saw the car, but I didn’t know he’d be your guest.” Neel looked upset.
Ajay dismissed Neel’s apology with a vague flip of his hand. “It’s no big deal, Neel. We were simply talking, that’s all.”
When he bent down to stack up the cups and plates for Mrs Mehra to take, he noticed a phone lying on the rug. He picked it up, realising it must have dropped out of Raj’s pocket.
“He left his phone,” he said before strolling out of the room towards the front of his house. By the time he had got to the driveway, Raj was gone.
“Damn,” he cursed, more upset than he should be about a left behind phone.
“Hey, man, I can drive you over to his place, so you can return it to him.” Neel had followed him outside.
“You don’t have to go to your mother’s for dinner?” Ajay asked absently as he tried to accept the fact that Raj had run away from him.
“We can stop on the way. You do have his address, don’t you?” Neel pulled out his keys.
“Hell, everyone has his address. It’s been printed in every newspaper in Mumbai, and Bollywood tour buses stop in front of it. We could just drive around the neighbourhood he lives in, looking for the crowd of media.” Ajay frowned. “Let me go in and change. I can’t go to your mother’s dressed like this.”
“Fine. I’ll wait out here.”
After going back inside, Ajay went to tell Mrs Mehra he wouldn’t be home for dinner, so she could leave whenever she wanted. Then he quickly changed into the appropriate clothing for dinner at Neel’s parents’ house. He grabbed his keys and phone before leaving.
Ajay climbed into Neel’s car and told him Raj’s address. They drove off in silence. Neel seemed to respect Ajay’s wanting not to talk. He turned the radio on, so the sound of India’s popular music filled the car. Ajay le
ant back against the headrest, trying not to think about the missed opportunity. He might never get Raj alone again, if the speed with which Raj had left was any sign.
“I think this is it, right?”
Glancing at the house number and the crowd of people milling around on the sidewalk, Ajay nodded. He was grateful that Neel had the tinted windows rolled up, so no one could see who was in the car. He didn’t need any more pictures showing up online or in the tabloid magazines. It was bad enough someone had taken a picture of them at the café the night before. Rumours would really fly if the media found out Ajay was visiting Raj at his house.
“The gate’s opening. That’s weird,” Neel muttered. “You would think they would have tighter security. It’s like anyone can just drive on up to his place.”
No wonder Raj needs a place to hide. They couldn’t keep a mouse out of here. Ajay didn’t understand why Raj didn’t do something about the easy access. Ajay would’ve gone crazy a long time ago if anyone could walk into his house.
They continued to the house. Neel put the car in park, then Ajay climbed out. He took the front steps two at a time to get to the front door. He rang the doorbell, impatiently waiting for someone to answer.
He took a step back as the door opened. A thin man dressed all in black stood there.
“Can I help you?”
“Hello, I’m Ajay Singh, a friend of Rajan’s. Is he here?”
The rather disdainful look the man shot Ajay told him what the guy thought of him.
Not that Ajay cared. He really just wanted to see Raj.
