Flaming Sun Collection 3: Perfect Twins Find Anya (Box Set with 3 novellas)

by Sundari Venkatraman

  Now why the hell had she agreed to go out with Ansh? Arth was obviously home for dinner. Oh, how she would’ve loved to stay back at home and spend time with him. Sanya immediately decided to cancel her dinner plans with her arch enemy. She had no qualms about standing him up.

  “Arth,” she called out as she got close to the man sitting on the wide sofa.

  Arth smiled at her and pointed to the sofa across, inviting her to sit down too. He was on his phone, yet again, much to her annoyance. Sanya swallowed the irritation that rose up within her and waited patiently for him to complete his call.

  It was a few minutes before Arth disconnected the line. He looked at her with a gentle smile and said, “Hey Sanya! So, how’s your holiday going so far?”

  Sanya pouted at him with lips that were painted a beautiful shade of coral pink. “Do you care?” she asked him directly.

  Arth gave her a startled smile as he said, “Of course I do. Why do you ask?”

  “I ne’er see you Arth. It looks like you’re a very busy man.” Sanya couldn’t stop the disappointment from showing in her voice.

  Well, Arth didn’t know really what to say to that. He was exceptionally busy at this time of the year, what with the festival season coming up. Electronic goods were so much in demand and the outlet he was in charge of was the only one of theirs in Navi Mumbai. Since that covered a large area, there were a lot of promotions going on just now. Then again, he was in a relationship and just about managed to keep that afloat. Sanya’s arrival had been unexpected and he just couldn’t spare the time for her. A small frown gathered on Arth’s smooth forehead. He had been under the impression that his twin was spending a lot of time with their guest. Shouldn’t she be happy with that?

  Just then, Ansh came down into the hall as if he had been conjured up by his twin’s thoughts.

  “There you are Ansh,” said Arth enthusiastically—managing to hide his sense of relief—much to Sanya’s disgust.

  She was piqued that Arth hadn’t answered her query and worse still, Ansh had already arrived on the scene. She conveniently ignored the fact that he had come well in time to take her out for dinner.

  “Hey there! Do you wanna join us for dinner Arth? We’re going to All Stir Fry at Colaba. They have renovated and reopened recently and seem to be the rage.”

  Sanya turned eagerly to face Arth. That wasn’t too bad an idea. At least now she would get a chance to talk to him, even if Ansh would be playing kabab mein haddi. “Oh, please do come along Arth,” she added her plea, keeping her fingers crossed surreptitiously.

  Arth looked from one to the other and then at himself. They both were wearing designer jeans, but the comparison ended there. Sanya wore a frilly and deliciously feminine top in coral pink while Ansh wore a pristine white linen half-shirt. He, on the other hand, was in a crumpled churidhar-kurta that he had been wearing since morning. His plans for the evening had just got cancelled and he was at a loose end. “Can you give me ten minutes? I’ll meet you outside,” said Arth, getting up to leave.

  Ansh nodded as Sanya gushed, “Oh that’s just super! Take your time, Arth, we’ll wait for you.” She couldn’t take her gaze off Arth as he went out of the bungalow. He was obviously on his way to his house.

  Ansh raised an eyebrow teasingly at her. “Oh, will we? We’ll leave if Arth delays as much as by a minute,” he threatened mockingly.

  Not catching on that he was joking, Sanya took him seriously and replied, “Don’t be silly Ansh. How can you say that? We’ll wait for Arth, however long he takes. Or you can go out for dinner all by yourself,” she declared, childish in her rudeness. She was keen not to miss an opportunity to spend time with Arth and was worried that Ansh would throw a spanner in the works.

  Ansh went to her and dragged her up from the sofa, his hands holding her shoulders in a firm grip as he said, “What the hell’s up with you? Can’t you take a bit of banter? Do you seriously believe that I’m so evil that I’d leave my own brother and go away?” He shook her lightly, a dangerous glint in his eyes that now appeared more grey than green. He hadn’t failed to notice how lovely she looked in the brightness of the centre chandelier that was the only light that had been switched on in the hall. She was perfectly turned out with not a hair out of place and the coral lips had been sending out an invitation to him right from the moment he had seen her sitting there talking to Arth. As it is, he was exasperated that he wouldn’t be having her to himself for the evening. And over and above that, she was throwing uncalled for accusations at him. There was only so much a man could take.

  Then he noticed the uncertainty and anguish in the beautiful brown eyes. She was valiantly trying to hide the sheen of tears in them. The teenage Ansh had thrived on making the young Sanya cry. The man he had grown into, however, just couldn’t stomach her unhappiness. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her close. Rubbing her back soothingly, Ansh portrayed a side of his that took Sanya completely by surprise.

  Was this the same guy who had taunted and heckled her throughout her young life? She even wondered whether he was pretending to be the nice guy he probably wasn’t in reality. But being held in his arms felt so good! Sanya snuggled closer as hugs were so rare in her life.

  The three of them had a wonderful time at the restaurant. Arth and Ansh were in a neck-to-neck contest as to who ate the most. Sanya couldn’t help laughing at them as she wondered how they both managed to remain lean and fit despite the huge quantity of food that they consumed. Both the twins egged her on to eat as much, but she refused to fall for that. After two helpings of noodles and veggies, Sanya was all set to burst if she swallowed even one more morsel. The food had been absolutely delicious and that’s when Sanya decided to add Chinese cooking to her list of things to learn.

  As she told the men about her aspirations to become a cook, Arth smiled and said, “That’s a great idea Sanya. And Jayaji is the perfect one to learn from. I’m glad you found out something that you’d like to do while you’re here.”

  Sanya’s beaming smile turned into a scowl when Ansh laughed loudly. “Arth, you need to be careful with what you’re going to receive in your lunch dubba from tomorrow. Thank God for insurance. Don’t forget to carry antacids, Eno salt and the like. I, for one…”

  Sanya punched him hard on his thigh that was close to her own from where he sat on her left. And she was glad that she had got the right twin this time round. He was such a pain and he would never, ever change, she was sure.

  “Ouch,” yelled Ansh, his reaction exaggerated. Though she had hit him pretty hard for a slight woman, he was too hard-muscled to be hurt. He simply wallowed in the drama as he screwed up his face to scold her, “That wasn’t nice, Sanya!”

  Sanya tried to match his mean expression of old as she said, “It wasn’t meant to be, Ansh.” She turned away and ignored him for the rest of the evening.

  Later that night, Sanya sat at her window, thinking back on their evening together. She suddenly realised something that she didn’t like at all. It was she and Ansh who had done most of the chatting. Arth had mainly listened, asking a question at times and listening to the answer, never sharing his opinion. She hadn’t found out anything about him and knew nothing about his life as an adult. Okay, she knew he ran the family’s electronic business outlet at Navi Mumbai. But that was it. Nothing personal!

  A slow thought wormed into her mind. Was Arth what he used to be before? Or had he changed so drastically that she couldn’t connect with him anymore?

  9

  Arth opened the small gate at the back of the compound to step out on the seashore. As he turned to shut the gate, he saw his twin walking towards him. He waited for Ansh to join him before the two of them walked leisurely along the shore, the moonlight from a waxing crescent moon shimmering on the water. The tide was low and the waves were far out. Both the men had removed their shoes and socks and had folded the hem of their jeans to walk closer to the foam. A few years ago, this used to be a nightly ritual. Nowadays, it h
appened a couple of times in a month as they had got caught up in their adult lives.

  “So, what do you think of Sanya?” asked Ansh, looking straight ahead, a thoughtful expression on his face.

  Arth turned to look at him, his hands deeply thrust into the pockets of his jeans. “What’s there to think?” He had left his long hair loose as it fell all the way to his waist. It blew at his back in the gentle breeze.

  Ansh asked, “Don’t you find that uncomfortable? I’m sure it must be hot under that long mane.” He smiled at his twin. He’d asked Arth this question many times. With his closely cropped mop, Ansh couldn’t relate to his brother’s love for sporting long hair.

  Thrown for a second by the turn in conversation, Arth caught on before laughing. “I love it, Ansh and you know it. And my partner likes it a lot too.”

  Ansh nodded, “And so you’ve said before.” He sighed, before continuing, “And talking of Sanya, I think she likes you a lot too.”

  “So?” Arth stopped mid-walk to turn towards his brother. “Do you see me encouraging her?”

  Ansh grinned, his face lighting up. “No, you don’t. She sees me as a villain though,” he grimaced.

  “Are you still that?” laughed Arth. “You used to be really mean to her, Ansh. It’s a wonder that Sanya even talks to you,” he teased. “I wouldn’t, if I were in her place.”

  Embarrassed colour ran up Ansh’s cheeks. “Come on bro. I was a kid those days.”

  “So was I.” Arth’s eyes danced with mischief.

  “An angelic kid at that.” Ansh frowned. “I wonder if I’ll ever be able to live up to those standards in Sanya’s eyes.”

  Arth placed a hand on his twin’s shoulder before hugging him. Though they were born on the same day, he was way wiser than the younger twin. “Chillax bro. You should never aspire to live up to anyone’s standards, even if it’s your own twin. You are a great guy yourself. Court Sanya if she attracts you. She’ll be yours if it’s meant to be.”

  Ansh bowed low, his eyes also glowing with mischief by now. “Thank you Baba Arth, for the vote of confidence and those words of wisdom,” he winked.

  “Are you in love?” asked Arth, turning to continue walking.

  “Hmm, don’t know really. I’m attracted to her, definitely. And so is she to me, I’m sure. Though I don’t think she will admit to it even at gun point.” Ansh grinned again, recalling the warring expression on her lovely features every time she eyed him.

  “Does the lady protest too much?” asked Arth, tongue-in-cheek.

  “I can live in hope, can’t I?” smiled Ansh, doing an about turn on the beach along with Arth to walk back towards Panorama.

  10

  Their dinner together was the last of Arth that Sanya saw over the next week as she got busy training under Jaya. Cooking was creative as well as fun. It was a joy feeding Ratna aunty and Shantanu uncle as they sincerely appreciated her efforts. And they didn’t have to pretend. Sanya had taken to cooking like a duck to water and was an absolute natural.

  Sanya was a mite disappointed that Arth hadn’t called even once to give her a feedback about his lunches. He hadn’t appeared at the main house since their night out, at least, not to her knowledge.

  Then there was the evil twin. Ansh had a lot to say and he was vociferous about it.

  Sanya walked around the balcony that ran around the first floor of the bungalow, her hands clasped behind her back. Her steps were agitated and a small scowl puckered her forehead. She had come to Mumbai for the sole purpose of getting to know Arth. But every day she ended up spending a little more time with Ansh.

  And there was her traitorous body that seemed to sizzle each time she came within a few feet of the handsome devil. Her heart cried out for Arth while her body was finely tuned to Ansh. How could such a thing be possible? Sanya was confused and too angry with him and herself. Was she one of those women who lusted after attractive men who came within touching distance? Were her mind and body so disconnected that she could feel desire for a guy who she didn’t like or respect? Sanya was disgusted.

  There was one good thing that had come out of this trip though. She had found her true vocation. Sanya had taken to discussing her various options with Ratna aunty who, while incapable of even making tea, was a great help when it came to the knowledge of cooking as a career.

  Sanya liked two ideas out of the many suggested by Ratna. One was to start her own restaurant and the other was a cookery show slot on TV. She wasn’t too keen on entering the many contests for chefs. They were too tiring mentally and she wasn’t interested in proving that she was better than ‘n’ number of other chefs. Sanya was keen to carve a niche for herself.

  Excited with her progress in the kitchen, Sanya had created a blog space for herself. She fooled around with the many designs for her blog and had typed out a few recipes on her laptop whenever she found the time. She took pictures of the dishes she created and posted them along with the recipes. Creating these blogs and sharing the pictures on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram gave her almost as much joy as cooking. Sanya concluded that cooking was the most satisfying experience she had ever had in her life.

  All that was fine, but what of her non-existent relationship with Arth? Sanya’s frown deepened as she stood at a window that gave her a clear view of his cottage at the back. Some cottage! It was Ansh who had taken her inside the square building at her request and Sanya had seen that it had a huge hall, a kitchen, a dining room and four bedrooms. All these were set on two levels and each bedroom had an en suite bathroom. The Sharmas lived like royalty.

  There was this other cottage that was further down on the other side. That belonged to Ansh. It was as big as Arth’s, but the comparison ended there. While Arth’s home was extremely sober, decorated in creams, browns, greys, blacks and whites, Ansh’s home could only be termed flamboyant.

  Ansh’s cottage was L-shaped. One fork was completely dedicated to entertainment. Ansh called it his ‘fun zone’. A third of the large hall was taken up by a stylish bar fitted with eight leather-topped bar-stools. There were all kinds of lighting that could be adjusted to one’s mood. The floor was tiled with wood, making it perfect for dancing. The room was also fitted with a state-of-the-art music system. Ansh had switched it on for her and Sanya had felt herself swallowed up by the sound. It was simply amazing.

  There was a sprawling sitting room on the same level that had squashy sofas—single and two-seaters—with plenty of jewel-coloured cushions. One wall was taken up by a book-shelf crammed with books while another had a flat screen TV that also doubled up as a video game screen.

  On the first floor was a mini-theatre with a large screen. This had twenty fitted recliners and was totally sound proof. Impressive! The other wing had the bedrooms while the area where the two wings met consisted of a cavernous square kitchen that had a dining table for four along with chairs.

  Sanya just refused to admit even to herself that Ansh’s home was more to her taste. It was a while before she realised that she had been staring unseeingly at Ansh’s home and not after Arth’s which was what she had meant to do.

  She placed the blame squarely on the twins’ heads. While Arth was absent most of the time—that was almost always—Ansh was there all the time, stepping into her space. Sanya bit her lower lip hard. How could she spend more time with Arth? He also needed to be more with her if they were going to have a relationship at all.

  Sanya didn’t understand. All those years ago when she had been a kid, Arth had done his best to take care of her and keep her happy. It was he who had held her hand during the treks over the hillsides; he was the one who had saved her every time Ansh had led her down a rocky path; he had always been there to wipe her tears when she was hurt; so on and so forth. Where the hell was he now?

  “Sanya!” came the peremptory call and her body went rigid. Think of the devil and he had arrived promptly. She gave the watch on her wrist a surreptitious look and saw that it was barely six. How was it that Ansh
always got away from work so early while Arth insisted that he had to stay at his shop till nine every night? At least, that’s what she had found out from the others by asking around surreptitiously. She was yet to meet Arth to ask him directly.

  She refused to turn around as she heard Ansh’s heavy steps on the staircase. Why couldn’t she conjure up the angel instead?

  Ansh laid both his hands on her slender shoulders that were tight with tension. He was too well aware of her state of mind. He knew that she believed that she was in love with Arth while her body zinged each time he, Ansh, went anywhere near. Like now!

  Her slender body trembled with his proximity. He wondered what it would take for her to admit that it was Ansh she was attracted to. He remembered all the incidents from the time when he had been a teenager. He had been a terror, he admitted. But that was in the past. How to make her let go of all that?

  “Hello, Chef Extraordinaire! How was your day? By the way, lunch was simply superb! The rajma dal and cauliflower sabzi were delicious,” he praised sincerely. His words went to Sanya’s head like wine on an empty stomach. She turned around with a wide smile that she couldn’t help, forgetting her animosity for once.

  “Really? You liked the food? I’m so glad. Jayaji is such a great teacher. And I just love…”

  “And you’re a great student, it appears,” grinned Ansh, hugging her with enthusiasm. “So what are you planning for dinner? Or would you rather go out?” he asked, his fingers crossed. This time he so hoped to get her to go with him alone.

  “I had planned on making pasta. But I believe Ratna aunty and Shantanu uncle are out for dinner and Arth’s never home. So…” Sanya shrugged her shoulders, her lips drooping in disappointment.