“Okay Mom. I’ll pick up the brat and bring her home. Will you let me go meet my friend after that?” he asked, tongue-in-cheek. Anyone listening to him would believe that he never crossed a line drawn by his mother.
“You do that and I’ll consider letting you go in the meanwhile,” said Ratna, as much of a tease as her son. “I owe you one, Ansh,” said she, before hanging up.
Ansh opened the message from his mother to check out Sanya’s picture. The thin little girl who used to hang around with him and Arth had grown up to be very different it seemed. Ansh whistled as he noticed the attractive features of the woman in the photo. While he couldn’t recognise or connect this one with the kid he knew, it looked like Sanya had grown up to become a beauty indeed. He started the car as he thought to himself that he wouldn’t mind meeting this lovely adult that irritating brat had transformed into.
Sanya got up from her seat the moment her flight came to a stop. Her heart was hammering away in her chest as she wondered whether Arth would be at the airport to meet her. She willed it with all her heart, crossing her fingers surreptitiously. She removed her hand baggage from the rack above and fell into step with the people queuing down the aisle.
It took her all of forty-five minutes to collect the two other suitcases that she had brought along before she walked to the entrance. Her eyes scanned the people who were waiting for the passengers. No one appeared to be holding a placard with her name on it. In a way, she was glad as that would have been so impersonal.
Sanya turned as she heard her name being called and saw a tall man waving to her. She felt her heart almost break free from her chest when it leapt in joy. He looked so handsome. She was sure that he was Arth. Her dream had come true. The love of her life had come to pick her up at the airport.
She moved forward with a wide smile on her face. “Hello!”
Ansh beat her to it as he came forward to take charge of her luggage trolley. He moved it out of the way before he turned to her. He didn’t quite know what came over him as he lifted Sanya up in his arms and swung her around jubilantly. Her picture hadn’t done her justice. She looked simply gorgeous. He couldn’t believe this was the same scrawny kid whom he had given hell.
Ansh brought Sanya down after a couple of turns and hugged her tight. “Hi Sanya! Welcome to Mumbai. How do you do?” he asked, his eyes crinkling with laughter.
Heart in her throat, Sanya looked up at the laughing grey green eyes. They were lit up with mischief and joy. While her body thrummed from his touch, her heartbeat slowed as Sanya realised that he was not Arth. She recognised that nick on his chin. That belonged to Ansh. He was the only one who would have got into a scrape that had left a mark. Ansh had been in a fist fight with a boy who had been double his size. Arth was too gentle for that. She couldn’t stop the feeling of disappointment that showed on her face. This had to be Ansh. Yeah, her reception had been great unlike the way he used to treat her before. But it wasn’t the same as being welcomed by Arth.
Ansh’s hands fell back as he realised that all wasn’t well. “Is something wrong, Sanya?”
Large brown eyes the colour of amber looked at him reproachfully. “How can you ask me that? You’re Ansh, right? You don’t like me. So don’t expect me to be enamoured on meeting you,” she said spitefully, the deep-rooted childish anger surfacing on seeing him.
Ansh looked at her askance. “Don’t tell me you dislike me because of what I did to you as a kid?! But I was too young to understand that I might have hurt you,” he said, keen to restart on a clean slate.
Refusing to be pacified, Sanya glared at him. Oh, she so hated Ansh! Where was Arth, the twin she loved? “Where’s Arth?” she demanded.
Ansh wondered whether she was always so badly behaved. Well, maybe she was just angry with him since he had treated her obnoxiously. Time to make amends then.
With a small grin of apology, Ansh said, “Arth’s still at work or probably on his way home. Shall we go? My parents are so looking forward to your visit.” He decided to be careful not to tease her into running away. He found her too enchanting and was keen to know more.
Sanya nodded her head without saying anything and went along with him. Very few words were exchanged between them as Ansh drove them home to the Sharmas’ bungalow in Versova.
5
Sanya was filled with a strong sense of nostalgia when the car entered the gates to Panorama, the Sharmas’ bungalow. It had got the name as it offered a panoramic view of the sea at the back. Her heart picked up its heavy beat again as it rose up to her throat. She was bound to meet Arth now.
She opened her door the moment Ansh stopped the car at the portico. Two bundles of fur launched themselves at her the very next second, tails wagging furiously as pink tongues licked Sanya’s hands and face.
“Sunny, Sandy, down!” called out Ratna through the wide open double doors as she walked out to greet their guest.
Sanya giggled as the dogs vied with one another for her attention. She rubbed both their heads and said, “Hello guys! Cute doggies!” It was a couple of minutes before the Labradors—one black and the other golden—listened to their mistress’s command and let go of the guest.
Sanya turned a grinning face to Ratna, happier after her interaction with the dogs. She was overwhelmed when the older woman gave her a warm hug. While Ratna was diminutive and slim to a fault—not quite the typical mother figure—she had more than enough warmth to compensate.
“Sanya, my dear!” she said as she kept the young woman at arm’s length to study her from head to foot. “You’ve grown up to become a beautiful young lady,” smiled Ratna.
Sanya turned red at the heartfelt compliment and hugged Ratna wholeheartedly. “How are you, Ratna aunty? It’s been so long. And I’m very angry with you and Shantanu uncle. You both never bothered to visit us in London,” she accused.
“So, a young lady with a temper, huh?” teased Shantanu as he walked into the hall to greet their young guest. He hugged Sanya too before smiling down at her. If anything, Sanya turned redder. She wondered where Arth was. Why hadn’t he come out to welcome her?
The three of them walked into the house with Ansh and their driver Ramakant following them with Sanya’s luggage.
There was a lot of back and forth amidst laughter as they sat talking in the main hall. Ratna pointed to the dogs at her feet and said, “The black one is Sandy. She’s two years old and a lady, no less. This naughty young man is Sunny who is a year and a half old. You need to watch out for him. Given half a chance, he would chew just about anything he can sink his teeth into.”
The dogs ‘woofed’ in turn as if they knew that their mistress was talking about them. Sanya loved animals and had always wanted to have a dog. That had never been possible for whatever reason. But she reckoned it would be a wonderful treat for her to spend time with Ratna aunty’s pets.
Jaya, the housekeeper-cum-cook, served them tea and snacks. Sanya grinned at the old woman widely as she recognised her. The housekeeper had always held a soft spot for the little girl who used to visit the Sharmas so often before. She got up to hug Jaya and enquired after her and her family. All the while, however, her eyes were looking for the fourth member of the family who had failed to turn up till now.
Finally, after an hour, Sanya couldn’t stop herself from asking, “Where’s Arth?”
Ansh gave her a knowing look before saying, “He must be at his home.” He had cancelled his evening with Suren as he wanted to get to know Sanya.
Sanya was shocked. Arth had his own home? Did that mean that he was settled along with a wife and family? She turned pale.
Ansh watched her avidly, curious about her reaction.
Ratna explained, “Arth has his own cottage on the grounds here. He prefers to live there by himself.”
Sanya glared at Ansh as she realised that he had deliberately misled her. She was sure he understood her feelings for Arth. Ansh shrugged wide shoulders, his eyes glowing more green than grey in the artificial lighting.
She turned to look at her handsome escort. Yeah, he was too good looking for his own good. And she was sure that he must have a string of women running behind him. Having the kind of looks he did and his fun-loving nature, Ansh had always been popular among girls, even in those days. She wondered whether he was seeing someone.
Ansh felt her keen gaze and turned to look at her. “So Sanya, what’ve you been doing all these years besides growing up to become the sexiest woman on earth?” he asked.
Sanya glared at him. Flirt! She should have known that he must have not changed over the years. She felt his gaze moving from her face to her neck and down over her body as he made a thorough study. Sanya felt a sudden urge to cross her arms across her breasts as she felt the razor edge of his gaze on them. Darn it! Her nipples had puckered. She turned away, startled at her reaction.
Ansh was pleased to notice her physical reaction to him. He decided to stop bothering her and began whistling tunelessly as they reached the point where the staircase split into two branches. He took the left fork and she followed him. The master suite was on the right while the twins’ bedrooms and two other guest rooms were on the left. She could have walked around the house blindfolded as she had been there so many times.
She turned towards a large window that was open. A strong breeze blew from the sea, bringing with it a salty smell. Oh, how she loved it! Sanya stopped at the window to breathe in deeply, her eyes scanning the dark beach. Small waves were foaming towards the compound wall of the huge property. It was too dark to notice much though. She looked to the left to see a tall figure walking towards the main house. Could that be… yeah, it was Arth. An excited Sanya leaned out of the window and waved to catch Arth’s attention. When he didn’t look up, she shouted, “Arth!”
Sanya was extremely disappointed when he didn’t look up even after she called out twice.
Ansh saw her drooping lips and felt sorry for her. He noticed something that Sanya hadn’t—Arth was talking on hands free, with his earphones on. He put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her to the window from where he had been looking out.
Suddenly, Sanya found him too close for comfort. She was startled by the spark of electricity from his touch on her shoulder, though it looked like only she was aware of it.
Ansh said, “Can you see that Arth is talking to someone on his phone?”
Sanya dragged her eyes away from the man next to her. Her body was totally aware of his nearness and thrummed in response. Oh, but he was the wrong twin! It was Arth she loved. Sanya pulled away from Ansh’s grasp and leaned out of the window to see Arth talking. Satisfied that he wasn’t ignoring her, she decided to freshen up in her room before meeting him.
She turned away from the window without saying anything and walked on, Ansh following her. Ansh enjoyed a ringside view as she strode away from him. He watched her walk briskly down the corridor, her slim hips moving gracefully, her pert bottom looking sexy in the form fitting jeans that she wore. Her back and shoulders were straight as she marched on.
“Sanya,” called out Ansh when she reached the second last room to the left of the corridor. She half-turned to acknowledge him. “That’s your room,” he said, pointing at the door.
Sanya walked ahead of him into the room where a lamp had been left on. She breathed in deeply to absorb the lovely atmosphere as Ansh switched on more lights. The room was huge by any standards, especially when compared to her bedroom back at home. It was decorated in lovely shades of green and yellow and was too beautiful for words. Fresh flowers added a riot of colour and a gentle perfume to the room. A blue coloured cut glass bowl held pastel pink rose buds and sat prettily on a side table. White carnations and red anthuriums were tucked together in a casual arrangement into a ceramic vase that was placed on a centre table between two single sofas next to the ceiling-to-floor window. The cutest of all was the flaming orange chrysanthemum that looked up at her from the dressing table. Sanya felt so welcome here in the Sharmas’ home.
A huge bed occupied the centre of the room. Her suitcases were nowhere in sight. Wondering about it, she opened the wardrobe next to the door to keep her handbag inside. That’s when she noticed that all her luggage had been unpacked and the clothes hung neatly inside. To a pleasantly surprised Sanya, it looked like she was to live in the lap of luxury over the next few weeks.
She turned around to thank her host to find him sprawled on the bed, his hands folded under his head. His grey green eyes were watching her keenly. What the hell was he doing here? Couldn’t he see that she wanted to change out of her travel clothes? Sanya glared at him only to have him grin back at her as he settled in more comfortably.
Ansh covered his mouth as a yawn overtook him. “Okay then, Sanya! Just wake me up when you’re ready and we’ll go down together. Don’t be late,” he ordered, “I’m hungry and it’s already way past dinner time.” It wasn’t that the Sharmas were sticklers for timings, but it gave him such joy ruffling Sanya’s feathers.
Sanya watched in horror as Ansh turned over on his side and went to sleep or pretended to. Gritting her teeth in anger, Sanya kicked off the travelling shoes that she was wearing and pulled her socks off. Looking into the wardrobe, she picked up the first dress that came into her hand, pulled out some undergarments and marched into the en suite bathroom. The sight that greeted her eyes cooled her temper somewhat.
The bathroom matched the colours of the bedroom to perfection. Green floor tiles that were slightly rough felt cool against her feet. One wall was completely mirrored with a pale yellow fitted washbasin. Green marble shelves on both sides of the washbasin held a new toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, bath gels and every other luxury one could desire. There was a hair dryer fitted near the mirror at a comfortable height. Sanya turned to see a western toilet in a matching shade of yellow. Two-thirds of the bathroom was cordoned off by glass. She pushed the sliding door and gasped. A beautiful yellow, circular bathtub—large enough to hold two people—gleamed at her. The shower fittings were rather complicated but once she deciphered them, they were a dream. Extra thick green bath towels were placed on a rack opposite the shower.
Sanya removed her clothes in a hurry and threw them in the cane laundry basket that was placed under the washbasin. Promising herself the treat of a luxurious bath the next day, Sanya stepped into the bathtub and opened the shower. The warm water washed away all her travel weariness as she soaped herself. She shampooed her short bob and rinsed it. There was a knock on the door just as Sanya was towelling herself. She wrapped the towel around her hastily and stepped out onto the bath mat as she thought she heard the door open.
“Don’t you dare!” she called out as she guessed that it was her arch enemy.
What’s up with her? She sounded so angry, thought Ansh. He was only knocking louder than before as he thought that she had probably not heard him over the sound of the shower.
“It’s past ten, princess, and my stomach’s growling louder than ever. Are you done?”
Why can’t he just go away?! And how dare he call her ‘princess’? Sanya went up to the door and locked it before answering, “Will you just get lost Ansh? I’ll take a while.” As she spoke, she towelled herself vigorously, her movements angry. The feeling of relaxation that she had cherished in the shower had fled completely.
After donning her panties and bra, Sanya pulled her dress on to see that it was a halter neck one. She couldn’t wear her bra beneath it. Oh, it was so vexing. She was sure Ansh m
ust still be in her room. It was so typical of him. She had no choice but to remove her bra and go without.
Sanya looked in the mirror as she dried her hair in a hurry. Much against her apprehensions, the dress looked perfectly fine and fitted her well. It had an extra layer of padding to hold her breasts in place as wearing a bra with it wasn’t practical. She turned sideways to check that her taut nipples were not showing. Satisfied, she stepped out of the bathroom. She had been right. Ansh was sitting on the bed, waiting for her. Sanya glared at him as she looked for matching sandals to wear with her dress.
Ansh didn’t utter a word as he admired Sanya in her halter neck dress. It was in shades of mauve and blue shot with white, the hem reaching a couple of inches below her knees. Her shoulders and back were bare and he simply enjoyed the skin show. It didn’t really bother him that all the efforts she had made were to impress his brother and not him.
As Sanya strapped her dainty feet into white sandals, Ansh got up to hold the door open. She walked towards the door as he drew in a deep breath. “Hey, that’s a lovely perfume you’re wearing.” Before she realised what he was about to do, Ansh bent down to nuzzle her neck and her skin broke out in goose pimples. He pressed his lips to her racing pulse before getting out of harm’s way.
Sanya chased him all the way down the corridor and then the staircase to the hall as he jogged ahead of her, always out of reach, his laughter grating on her nerves. She got off the last step to see him standing in front of her, smiling innocently like an angel. In a flash of temper, Sanya raised tightly clenched fists and hit him on his chest, the blows raining hard. She didn’t notice the startled expression on her victim’s face as hot anger blinded her. Ansh had driven her up the wall from the minute she saw him at the airport. Why couldn’t he stop tormenting her?
She was forced to stop beating him when her hands were held in a firm grip. “Excuse me Sanya! What’s up with you? We’ve barely met and I’ve offended you so badly to provoke such a strong reaction, it seems. I know you called out to me from the window, but I was on an important call and couldn’t get distracted. I don’t deserve such a beating for that, do I?” Gentle grey green eyes twinkled at her as Sanya noticed the long straight hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. This was not Ansh. Her eyes widened in horror as she realised she had been hitting out at Arth. Her shocked eyes flashed again with temper as she caught Ansh a few feet behind his identical twin, a merry grin on his face. Her temper threatened to get out of control when she saw that he was enjoying himself too much at her expense.
Flaming Sun Collection 3: Perfect Twins Find Anya (Box Set with 3 novellas) Page 2
