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

by Sundari Venkatraman

“Why don’t the two of us go out and have an Italian dinner? We can also go dancing if you like,” he tempted, glad that she was free from kitchen work that day.

  Even if he had not expected Sanya to jump with joy, he didn’t quite foresee the light in her eyes dim at his suggestion. Was he going about it the wrong way? How to make her understand that Arth was not, will never be, interested in her? Ansh had a problem on his hands. If he said anything, she would probably hate him all the more. He mentally shrugged his shoulders, realising it wasn’t up to him to enlighten her. Let her learn about things in her own time. In the meanwhile, he decided to bombard her with his attention. Her body responded like a fine-tuned violin to the mildest of his touches and that pleased him no end. It appeared that he could live in hope.

  Ansh grinned widely as he shook Sanya’s slender shoulders lightly. “Not keen? Do you wanna catch a film, maybe?” he asked.

  Sanya’s expression perked up a bit. “Which one?”

  “Rustom was released on Friday. Been reading all good reviews. Akshay Kumar plays the lead along with Illeana D’Cruz. I hear it’s a bit different from the usual films. Want to go?” He continued to keep his fingers crossed, keen that she agreed to go with him.

  Sanya looked at the handsome hunk standing in front of her. If she wiped out all those childhood incidents, she couldn’t find a single fault in his behaviour. Okay, there were the few times that he teased her, but he wasn’t hurtful, not at all. Moreover, he seemed to be really making an effort to spend time with her, unlike his absentee twin. Sanya made an attempt, harder than ever, managing to stop her lips from drooping and gave him a slight smile, nodding at the same time.

  A visibly excited Ansh, took out his iPhone to book their tickets online. He bought the tickets when they agreed on the 10 pm show at INOX, Inorbit Mall, Malad. He decided to take her to The Lotus Café at JW Marriott for dinner.

  They left by seven, a smiling Sanya ensconced in the front of Ansh’s car. His eyes almost popped out on seeing how attractive she looked, especially with the wide smile on her face directed exclusively at him.

  While the 24-hour coffee shop had no intimate seating, the tables were far enough apart to render a degree of privacy. As they waited for their orders to be served, Sanya turned sideways to check out the mashaals from outside the ceiling-to-floor windows that were at least three storeys high.

  “They look so lovely and unique,” she commented, a soft smile on her lips, her honey brown eyes reflecting the flames on the mashaals and shining all the more for it.

  To the man sitting on the chair opposite, Sanya appeared to glow under the light of the chandeliers. She was wearing a short dress that barely reached mid-thigh. The geometrical pattern in vibrant shades of shocking pink and flaming orange flattered her honey complexion, with long sleeves tucked at her wrists. Her delicate feet were covered in orange pumps that drew attention to her ankles. Her hair was brushed into a silky bell and Ansh was hard put from keeping his hands to himself. He had been unable to take his eyes off his date from the moment she had stepped down the staircase at home.

  To his credit, Ansh had been better prepared this time round. He had messaged his twin to stay away from the main house that evening.

  Sanya had a pleasant time as she interacted with Ansh for the first time without letting their past overshadow her reactions. He kept the conversation flowing smoothly as he spoke as well as listened. That evening the two of them got to know one another way more than they had since her arrival in Mumbai.

  After the film, the two of them got out of the theatre, completely unaware of the people around them. They had both enjoyed the film and were discussing it heatedly on their way to the car park. Sanya’s laughter rang out into the night catching the attention of people as a number of them turned to look at the young and attractive couple as they got into the low slung sports car that zoomed away into the night.

  11

  Sanya barged into Arth’s office the next day at 11 am.

  She had casually questioned Ratna aunty about Arth’s daily routine, before deciding to visit him at his shop in Vashi without warning.

  The evening spent in Ansh’s company had shaken up Sanya more than she cared to admit. All this while, she had been able to keep the evil twin at arm’s length only because of her remembered hatred. With that taken away from the equation, Sanya couldn’t help the growing attraction that she felt for him. And that was something she just couldn’t allow.

  She loved Arth. It was Arth she wanted to get together with.

  Ansh had almost swept her off her feet with his charismatic behaviour last evening. He had given her his complete attention and had been chivalrous to a fault. What she had never thought possible was that the two of them would get along like a house on fire. Even their tastes in films matched so perfectly. And he was so bloody attractive. She had had the toughest evening of her life, trying to keep her gaze away from the handsome figure he cut in his casual cotton trousers and an opened necked half-shirt. The top two buttons had been left open and Sanya had had the devil’s own time trying not to peek at his mile-wide chest that had a light smattering of hair on it. She had somehow managed not to let Ansh kiss her. But that definitely hadn’t been due to lack of temptation. Oh God! It had been so difficult not to curl up against him and let him have his way with her.

  But that had never been her plan. Sanya had tossed and turned through the night and had finally reached a conclusion. The best way to deal with a bull was to catch it by the horns. That’s when she had spoken to Ratna aunty and got the details of Arth’s activities.

  And here she was, at Arth’s office, to surprise him. And astounded him she had.

  His expression wasn’t exactly welcoming. He looked at her in startled surprise, getting up the moment he realised who his guest was. With outstretched hands, he welcomed her, “Hey Sanya, this is a surprise,” he smiled. Sanya looked at Arth’s calm eyes that appeared greener than the turbulent grey of Ansh’s.

  Now, why the hell was she thinking about Ansh’s eyes, of all things? Sanya shoved the thought to the back of her mind with an effort as she placed her hands in Arth’s. She smiled at him widely as she moved closer and hugged him. She was disappointed when she discovered no sparks there. One more thought that she determinedly moved to the back burner.

  “You should have told me that you wanted to come over. I’d have brought you here along with me,” said Arth, indicating a visitors’ chair in front of his desk. He moved over to sit on his swivel chair and with an angelic smile on his face, said, “So tell me Sanya, how’s your trip going so far?”

  Sanya wanted to hit him hard on his head and tell him clearly that her trip was going just nowhere, considering that she had come all the way to spend time with him. The gentle smile that she had always found soothing grated on her nerves this particular day. Had he any sensitivity at all? Should she tell him that she was interested in him in that many words? Sanya stared at her idol, wondering what she was missing.

  Arth waited patiently for her reply and it took him a while to realise that there was none forthcoming. Wondering at it, he asked her gently, “Would you like to have some coffee or tea?”

  Sanya gritted her teeth hard, holding back her rising temper. “Nothing, thanks,” she said, not too bothered about being polite. Arth continued to sit good-naturedly, waiting for her to get to the point.

  Sanya straightened in her chair and decided to tackle him head on. “Arth, I don’t get to see you at all. How come?” she asked.

  Arth shrugged his wide shoulders, the gesture reminding her so much of his twin’s. “This is festival time and all of us are working double shifts, meeting orders. This is going to be the scene till Diwali which is sometime in November. That’s why…” he shrugged again, much to Sanya’s irritation. Why did everything have to remind her of Ansh?

  “But Arth, your brother manages to get home by six every day,” she complained, getting desperate.

  Arth smiled indulgently. Ansh h
ad a playful side to him and that’s the reason their father had put him in charge of the west zone. The Navi Mumbai shop catered to all the population this side of town and kept Arth and his staff members on their toes. Ansh probably sold about 50-60% of what Arth did on an average. The festival season saw Arth’s sales increase way more than that.

  He explained this to Sanya who didn’t care for the situation at all.

  “But Arth, I so want to spend some time with you and get to know you better.” There, she had said it out loud.

  Arth had a look of mild surprise on his face when he heard that. He sat up to take a better look at Sanya. He hadn’t expected this. He had always seen Sanya as a little sister and been there for her, especially with the mischievous Ansh bothering her no end. But it looked like she thought of him not as an elder brother but something else altogether.

  “But Sanya…”

  She wouldn’t let him have his say. “I can understand that you are busy Arth. But can’t you at least spend some time with me? I’m sure you have able managers who can take care of your shop when you aren’t around. You can’t work all the time. And more than that, you must be getting home to sleep, even if it’s late. You never come to the main house.” Sanya’s lips drooped as she complained, feeling almost tearful.

  Arth came to a decision and said, “Alright, I’ll get back home tonight. But don’t expect me before 9 pm.”

  Sanya gave him a wide grin as she said, “May I have that cup of tea you offered earlier?” Her throat felt parched as she had had a powerful adrenaline rush in confronting Arth.

  Arth nodded before lifting the phone to order two cups of tea. “So, Sanya, how’s it going otherwise? I heard that you’re doing a lot of cooking nowadays.”

  “All my adult life I never knew what I wanted to do. But watching Jayaji cook and tasting her food made me want to learn the art. Ratna aunty’s been a great help. I…”

  “Mom? But I don’t think she even knows how to light the gas stove,” teased Arth, a soft smile on his gentle features.

  Sanya smiled widely in return. “Yeah, I know. But she knows a lot about careers. She was the one who advised me to learn cooking from Jayaji. I’m hoping to have my own restaurant soon. I’m only not sure whether I want to start one here in Mumbai or in London.” She looked at him from the corner of her eyes to check out his expression. She so wanted him to say that he was at least a tiny mite attracted to her too. But there was no special reaction from Arth as he kept nodding his head, listening to her with mild interest.

  The tea came and the two of them drank it as they chatted comfortably. “So, how do you like the lunches that you’ve been getting recently?” asked Sanya, eager to hear him praise her efforts. After all, most of them had been targeted towards the man of her dreams.

  Arth’s expression turned vague. “Huh? You mean the lunch that I’ve been getting from home? It’s nice, of course. Why do you ask?”

  Sanya felt rather violent as she got up from her chair with a jerk. It took humongous effort to stop herself from throwing something at his head. It looked like all her work of love had been a waste. She wasn’t to know that Arth ate to live and didn’t really care about what food he had as long as it was edible. Sometimes, when he got involved with something, especially work, he even forgot to have a meal.

  Arth looked at her in surprise. “You’re planning to leave? Don’t you want to see my showroom? It’ll take barely half-an-hour,” he said.

  Sanya looked at the man in front of her. She couldn’t make out from his expression whether he really wanted her to see his shop or if he was just being courteous. She wasn’t even sure that he would give her the grand tour himself or relegate her to one of his staff. Did she know Arth at all? This man in front of her was nothing like the teenager she used to know.

  “Are you going to show me around?” she asked outright.

  Arth placed his teacup carefully on the table and got up from his chair. “Of course I am!” he said before leading her out of his office.

  Arth led Farhan into his office once Sanya had left. The other man appeared preoccupied while Arth looked at him in a puzzled fashion. “What’s up?” he asked, a smile splitting his face as he looked adoringly at the younger man.

  Farhan frowned at Arth. “Who’s Sanya? Do you…”

  Arth didn’t let him finish the sentence as he held Farhan’s arms firmly, before pressing him down into the chair that Sanya had recently vacated. “Why? Are you jealous?” he teased, confident of being loved. He sat on the corner of his desk close to his guest.

  Farhan’s scowl deepened. “Don’t be crazy, Arth. That young lady’s keen on you,” he declared.

  “You are jealous,” insisted Arth in turn. “You don’t need to worry Farhan and you know it better than anyone else.”

  Farhan looked at his lover, the frown leaving his face. He raised a hand to touch Arth’s cheek. “You’ve got me wrong, Arth. I don’t feel insecure about you. It’s Sanya. I think she’s in love with you.”

  The shock on Arth’s face was genuine as he stared at Farhan. Could that be true? He thought about the few times he had been with Sanya since her return to Mumbai. Everything indicated that Farhan was probably right. Holy shit! How could this have happened?

  “Look here, Farhan. We’re going to my parents for dinner tonight. I don’t want any excuses.”

  Farhan looked at Arth with affection and nodded his dark head. “Okay, you’re the boss.”

  12

  Ansh walked into the kitchen as Sanya was preparing the basics for the Italian meal that she was to make for dinner. The moment he saw her expression, he realised that all was not well. He had heard from Arth and was aware of her trip to the Vashi shop. It was obvious that the outing had not been quite the success that she had expected. It was no wonder she was put out.

  “Hi there, Sanya,” he called out cheerfully, a smile on his face. Sanya turned to look at him, her eyes dull with a lingering sadness. He walked close to her and tilted her face up, a finger under her chin. “What’s up, princess? Something’s bothering you?” he asked, his voice soft, bringing out her skin in goose bumps. His nearness played havoc with her nerves.

  Unable to resist, Ansh placed his lips on hers and kissed her lightly. Sanya felt her eyes closing in response as she felt the gentle pressure of his lips right within the core of her being. A deep sigh exploded from her the moment he lifted his mouth from hers. She had totally lost control of her life!

  Sanya’s eyes were shimmering with unshed tears as she looked up at her tormentor. Why was it that Ansh who had been a terror all those years, seemed to be interested in her these days? She was in love with Arth. Couldn’t he see that? What did the twins want her to do? Shout it from the rooftop?

  The tour around Arth’s shop had been uneventful. It had been an excursion into his professional world and Arth had been totally impersonal as he took her around the various sections that held electronic devices belonging to a number of brands, both Indian and foreign. He had treated her like a guest. Okay, maybe a special one at that. Grr…! By the end of it, Sanya had been all set to climb the walls in frustration.

  Towards the end of the tour, a slender young man had walked towards Arth and Sanya had lost his attention completely. Arth held the stranger’s hand and introduced him as his partner to Sanya. Someone called Farhan Merchant. Arth had shown more interest in talking to Farhan than to her. She wasn’t even sure he realised that she had left their side when she walked towards the entrance.

  “Sanya,” Arth called out to her when he finally sensed that she was leaving. Sanya turned to look at him. His face was radiant with joy now unlike before, as he asked, “How are you getting back home?” For a minute there, she had believed that he wanted her to stay back. Her lips took on a downward curve as she said, “I drove here and will get back the same way.” She waved vaguely in his direction before stepping out of the shop.

  Sanya couldn’t recall how she managed to drive home safely in her d
isturbed frame of mind. She simply couldn’t swallow the fact that Arth had been more interested in talking to Farhan than to her. She could have managed to compete with another attractive woman. But how could she vie with a male friend?

  Ansh snapped his fingers in front of Sanya’s face to draw her attention back to him. “What’s bothering you? Tell Uncle Ansh!” he ordered.

  With great difficulty Sanya managed to hold back the tears that were on the verge of falling. What could she say to him? She would rather he didn’t crowd her space. She decided to tell him just that.

  “Ansh, can’t you keep your hands and mouth to yourself? I don’t want you anywhere near me. Just go away, will you?” Sanya was unaware that she had raised her voice and neither did she realise that she was being extremely rude. Ansh had, after all, only been trying to help.

  Ansh felt as if he had been slapped on his face. The offensive words in that tone, coming on top of that sweet kiss, was like a kick to his solar plexus.

  “I’m sorry,” he said quietly, before walking away.

  Now what had she done? Deep within her Sanya realised that she had crossed the boundary of being a guest who had been welcomed by the Sharmas with open arms. Ansh had been nothing but friendly during the trip. Yes, he had teased her some, but he had never hurt her. In fact, it was Ansh who had spent the maximum time with her. And she couldn’t quite blame him for kissing her the times when he had. Her body had welcomed him with enthusiasm.

  What the hell was wrong with her? How was she even going to apologise?

  Ansh was in a disturbed state of mind as he drank a couple of pints of chilled beer over at his own home. He had never expected to fall for Sanya. It had all begun in fun. She was extremely attractive and being the red-blooded male that he was, he had only wanted to flirt with her. That her body responded to him like a finely tuned musical instrument was an added bonus.

  He couldn’t understand her obsession with Arth. His twin had spent barely a few hours with her during the whole visit and that too in company with someone or the other. It was obvious that she was in love with the idea of the young hero that Arth had been as a teenager. Today, Arth’s life had taken on a totally different track and he was just not interested in her. Ansh knew that better than anybody else.