Falling For Him (A Celebrity Romance)

by P. G. Van

  “Good thing you are not going anywhere.” He tightened his hold on her.

  “My mom and sister are out of town for a family wedding.”

  “Are you excited about your sister’s wedding?”

  “Yes, I am so happy for her.” She smiled.

  “When is the wedding?”

  “In two months. It will be right after we are done with the show. It worked out well.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Veer… will you go with me to my sister’s wedding?” she asked, almost cautiously, and her heart flipped with excitement when he gave her his glorious smile.

  “I thought you’d never ask.” He smiled.

  “I wasn’t sure if…” Her voice trailed off when he pulled her to him his lips closing on hers.

  “I’d love to go with you, sweetheart,” he mumbled against her lips, making her smile.

  She pulled back looking at him. “I’m so excited. You’ll get to meet my sister and mom.”

  “I have to wait till the wedding to meet them?” He raised a curious eyebrow.

  “I don’t want my sister or mom to be distracted by what we have going on… no distractions from the wedding prep.” She laughed.

  “You are going to show up at the wedding with me in tow? That will be some surprise.” He shook his head, smiling.

  “I like that, that would be awesome.” She hugged him.

  He smiled and slowly ran his fingers through her hair. “I want you to meet my parents.”

  “Do they live close by?”

  “Yeah, down south. It’s my mom’s birthday in a few weeks. Will you go with me to the birthday party?”

  “I’d love to.” She nodded without looking up at him.

  Ariya wanted their relationship to be a secret, worried about a repeat of what happened when she dated a man from her professional environment, but it didn’t take her long to realize it was different from any other time she had thought she had fallen in love. Being with Veer felt right, her in his arms felt perfect. She wanted to climb the tallest building in San Francisco and announce to the entire world.

  *****

  Later that day, Veer and Ariya were hanging out by the pier enjoying the cool breeze that blew in from the Pacific Ocean. She snuggled closer to him and stood looking at the blue waters.

  “I like hanging out with you,” he whispered, his lips close to her ear.

  “Me, too.” She turned her head and planted a kiss on his chest.

  “What do you want to do tonight?”

  “I want to be here… all night.” She chuckled.

  “We can come back and stand right here… right after we get something to eat.” He crooned.

  She turned around in his arms to look at him. “What do we do after we are done with the current assignment?”

  He looked down at her, a puzzled expression on his face. “Work on the next one.”

  “I know silly, I mean… what if we are not on the same assignment?”

  “Don’t be mad I did this, but I told Stefan and the executives at the network that I would not do any other assignments if you are not my photographer.” He laughed.

  “What? I’m stuck with you now?” She went up on her toes to kiss him, and he pulled her closer for a devouring kiss. She was lost in the sweetness of the delicate kiss until Veer pulled back breathing heavily.

  She looked at him wondering what was wrong, and then she heard her phone ring in her pocket. She dug into her pocket and pulled out her phone and saw her mom was calling.

  “Hi, Ma.” She smiled looking up at him.

  Veer saw the beautiful smile of the woman he loved, the smile he woke up to every morning for the past few weeks and wanted to every day. He looked down at her and saw the smile fade and a look of shock creep on her face.

  “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” he asked when she hung up the call, a blank expression on her face. She did not respond but buried her face into his chest, a sob escaping her.

  “Baby, is everything okay?”

  She shook her head, and he felt the moisture from her eyes on his chest. He hugged her to him giving her a moment before pulling away and making her look at him. “Talk to me… I can’t see you like this.”

  “My father…” her voice trailed off into sobs, and he wondered what it was about her late father that had her so emotional.

  “Let’s go home,” he said, walking her away from the wooden railing.

  “We… we need to go to San Francisco General Hospital,” she managed to say.

  “Who is at the hospital?”

  “My father… had a heart attack.” Veer heard her words and was convinced she was referring to her father’s relative who had a heart attack.

  “Okay, let’s go.” He walked her toward the parking lot, and as soon as she saw Veer’s car, she dug her heels into the ground and stopped suddenly.

  “I… I don’t want to go in the car.”

  Veer cupped her face in his hands. “Ariya, we need to go to the hospital, and I will drive you there. You can sit in the back seat.”

  She nodded, and he walked her to his car and helped her into the compact back seat of his sports car and clipped on her seat belt. “I want you to keep your eyes closed. We are not too far from the hospital.”

  “Okay.” Her voice was weak as he turned on the engine. She had gotten comfortable riding in the passenger seat with him behind the wheel over the past month but at that moment he knew her fears had resurfaced. He wondered what was triggering old memories of the childhood accident, she had talked about a while back.

  Ten minutes later, Veer pulled his car in front of the Emergency entrance of the hospital. He stepped out of the car and tossed his keys to the valet and held his hand out to help Ariya out of the car.

  She shook her head slowly. “I don’t want to see him. I hate him.”

  Veer squatted next to the low-slung car and wipe the tears from her cheek. “Whoever is in there means something to you. Let’s go.”

  She broke into uncontrollable sobs as he helped her out of the car. She hugged him like she had no strength to walk. “I hate him, Veer. I don’t know why I want to see him.”

  “Baby, you can’t hate anyone.”

  “Him. I do, Veer.” She was angry.

  Veer stepped them to one side of the lobby. “Take a deep breath, tell me what is going on?”

  “My father had a heart attack, and my mom asked me to go see him,” she growled.

  “Sweetheart, but…”

  “This man is my biological father and the man who was responsible for the death of my biological mother.” She was no longer in tears. She was outraged.

  Veer took in the new detail and knew there was more to the woman he loved than the beautiful smile and the tough exterior she put up every day. “Let’s go in.”

  “I’m doing it for my mom… my aunt. She asked me to go check on her brother.” She sniffled.

  “Your mom…” His voice trailed off, and she nodded.

  “My mom is technically my aunt, but she is my mom.” She started to sob again.

  “Sweetheart, let’s go.” He walked her to the check-in desk.

  “How can I help?” the woman behind the desk asked.

  “I’m here to see… Jaideep Devaraya. I’m his relative.” Her voice was wobbly.

  The woman checked her computer. “Mr. Devaraya is in room number 173. You’ll need your ID validated by security at the door behind you.”

  “Okay, thank you!”

  She walked to the double doors reaching for her ID in her pocket to show it to the man who stood at the door.

  The man smiled like he recognized her and pushed the door open for her. “I don’t need to see your identification, Ariya. Please go ahead.”

  Veer held the door open for her. “You are Devaraya’s daughter?”

  Jaideep Devaraya was a well-known name in the broadcast industry, an award-winning director turned producer for highly-acclaimed shows.

  “I’m not his dau
ghter. He happens to be my biological father and my aunt’s brother.” She sounded angry.

  “Okay.” He took her hand in his and silently walked toward the room. They followed the turn and stopped when they saw a few people standing right outside the room. Another man in a security uniform stood by the door and next to him, a woman and a young man seated on the chair holding each other.

  The young man looked up at Veer and Ariya and smiled. “You came. Papa will be so happy to see you. He is doing okay. The doctor is checking on him.”

  Veer saw the confused look on Ariya’s face and turned to the boy who seemed to be a teenager. “Hi, I’m Veer.”

  “Veer, I’m Aryan, Ariya’s brother. It’s very nice to meet you.” Aryan seemed happy to see Ariya, but she looked overwhelmed.

  Ariya’s eyes moved away from the teenage boy and slowly toward the large glass window. She saw a man who she hadn’t seen in almost seventeen years. He was looking away from the window talking to the doctor.

  As if the man sensed her presence, he turned to look at her and a smile played under the oxygen mask he had on his face. Ariya’s lips curved up like she had no control over them, and tears started to run down her cheeks.

  She dug her fingers into his palm, and Veer pulled her to him. She placed her cheek on his chest looking at the man behind the window with tears in her eyes.

  “Ariya, don’t cry. He will be okay.” Aryan put his hand on her cheek and wiped her tears like it was the most natural thing to do, and Veer wondered if that was how the bond was between siblings. Veer watched as she reached out to put one arm around her brother and pat his shoulder.

  Veer held Ariya close to him and looked at the woman who stood looking at them. She smiled at him, and he smiled back at her and could tell that she was the boy’s mother. He noticed Ariya did not look in the woman’s direction.

  The doctor stepped out, and the woman and boy approached the doctor, but Ariya stayed in Veer’s arms. She looked at the man lying in bed with the hospital equipment around him.

  “Baby, do you want to go talk to him?” Veer whispered.

  “No. Take me home.” It was a plea, and he wasn’t going to convince her to talk to her father.

  Veer looked at the woman who was still in conversation with the doctor. Aryan looked at Veer and stepped away from the conversation and stepped closer to Ariya.

  “Ariya, the doctor says he doesn’t need surgery. He is doing okay, and they are going to send him home tomorrow morning. Don’t cry.” Aryan sounded like a responsible older brother, even though he was many years younger than her.

  “Thanks, Aryan. I’m going to take her home now.”

  “Thanks, Veer. Take care of my sister.”

  “Will do.”

  “Veer, just so you know… I’m a huge fan and have been following you from the time I was old enough to have an online account.”

  “Thanks, Aryan.” Veer smiled.

  “Are you guys together?” The teenager asked bashfully.

  “Yes.” Veer smiled back.

  “I saw the picture of you guys when you were in the rainforest.” Aryan smiled.

  “Okay, buddy. Take care of your mom.” Veer patted Aryan on his shoulder.

  “Ariya, come see Papa. You don’t need to talk to him, come look at him.” Aryan pleaded, but Ariya stood frozen.

  Aryan looked at Veer. “Veer, tell her. I know she wants to see him.”

  Veer looked down at the woman who looked vulnerable in his arms. “Aryan, this is a lot for her.”

  “I know… I’m happy she came. I never saw her outside of the pictures Papa keeps showing me.”

  Veer nodded at the woman before turning away to walk Ariya away from the room.

  “Baby, are you okay?”

  She nodded, tightening her hold on him. “Thank you, Veer.”

  “You don’t need to thank me, love.”

  She stopped walking and looked up at him. “I love you. I’m so glad you were with me.”

  Veer kissed her forehead and led her out of the hospital lobby.

  Chapter 21

  Veer drove back from the hospital in complete silence. She sat in the passenger seat without panicking as she did on their way to the hospital. He pulled his car into his assigned parking spot and walked around to open the door for her.

  He bent down to click open the seat belt and scooped her into his arms. She wound her weak arms around his neck resting her head on his chest. He carried her into the elevator holding her like a delicate doll.

  “I need you to eat something before you go to bed,” he said, his voice soft.

  She didn’t respond, and instead, tightened her hold on him to bury her face into his neck. He stepped out of the elevator and set her on the chair in the dining room.

  “Don’t leave me,” she pleaded when he was about to step away.

  He squatted next to her. “I’m right here, love. I am going to fix you something to eat, really quick.”

  Ariya’s mind whirled with her childhood memories of her father. The man who was everything to her abandoned her mother and her for another woman. She hated him for what he put the family through, but she could not figure out why her heart writhed when she saw him in the hospital. She couldn’t explain the tears or the urge to put her arms around the man.

  Veer made her a loaded omelet and sat with her while she absentmindedly chewed on her food. He let her take her time to eat how much she wanted and took her to the bathroom. He ran the shower and gave her a quick wash and washed himself before helping her get into her night clothes.

  He pulled on a pair of lounge pants and a t-shirt and led her to the bed. He pulled the big clip he had used to keep her hair dry in the shower and slowly ran his fingers through her thick, dark hair.

  “I want you to sleep, Ariya. Get some rest.”

  “Sleep with me, don’t leave me.” She hugged him.

  “Sweetheart, I’m right here.” He pulled the sheets back and helped her get into bed. He dimmed the lights and slid into bed next to her.

  Ariya turned to her side pulling his arm around her body. He pulled her back into his chest and hoped she could get some sleep after an emotionally draining few hours. She held onto him in silence, but he could tell she was not asleep. He had a lot of questions for her, but he knew it would only make her feel worse that night if he asked.

  “I should have told you…” she whispered.

  He hushed her and hoped she would go to sleep, but she turned in his arms to face him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you about me. It wasn’t because I didn’t want you to know. I don’t consider my father a part of my life, my aunt is my mom and my cousin, Siri, is my sister.”

  “We don’t need to talk about it now.” He kissed her cheek.

  “Veer, I hate that man so much. I don’t know why I felt so sad when my mom told me he was in the hospital.”

  “Hate is a very strong word.”

  “No, you don’t understand. This man cheated on my mom with that woman, and my mom was in so much distress, we had that accident, and she died in vain… she died with so much sadness in her heart, Veer.” She sobbed.

  “Baby, please.”

  “What he did to my mom scarred me for life to the point where I couldn’t let any man close to me… and when I did, that asshole did exactly what my father did with my mother. Veer, whatever you do… please don’t cheat on me.”

  “Sweetheart, I will die before I cheat on you.” She swallowed his words into her mouth when she brought her lips to his.

  “I love you, Veer, don’t break my heart.”

  “Baby, please… I won’t…” he whispered against his lips.

  She pulled back to look at him, tears brimming in her eyes. “I know you respect him for what he accomplished, and you don’t need to know what he did in his personal life.”

  “I only care about you. We don’t need to talk about anything that makes you sad,” he whispered.

  “I want you to know. I want to tell you
what happened.” She let out a deep sigh.

  “I’m here if you want to talk.”

  She took a deep breath and looked up at him. “Where do I start?”

  “I realized today that your fear of riding in a car has something to do with your father.” His tone was cautious.

  She nodded. “Yeah. The accident I told you about… my mother and I were in the car, and she had a huge argument with my father. She was so distracted, she rammed the car into a pillar and… we were fine, but my mom called the ambulance, and they took us to the hospital. I don’t know how my mom had such a bad injury… she didn’t make it.”

  “I’m sorry, baby.”

  “She loved him so much, Veer. My mom kicked him out of the house when she found out he was cheating on her with that woman… the woman who is now his wife. He kept telling my mother he wasn’t cheating on her, and that she was his colleague. My mother was heartbroken because she still loved him but that man… he threatened my mother that he was going to go to court and get full custody of me. My mother was so upset that she told me not to go to my father and that I should stay with my aunt, no matter what happened.” She sniffled.

  “Is that why you stayed with your aunt?” He pushed a strand of hair off her cheek.

  “Yes, my aunt and uncle adopted me after my mom passed away because I refused to live with my father.”

  “Your mom was okay with you staying with your aunt even though she is your father’s sister?” Veer sounded surprised.

  “My mom and aunt were best friends. They knew each other since elementary school. My aunt introduced my mom and father, and they fell in love.” Her breath hissed.

  “Your aunt… doesn’t she talk to her brother?”

  “Well, she does because she is forgiving, but she doesn’t mention him to Siri or me. Siri told my mom she doesn’t want him at her wedding,” Ariya growled.

  “That’s sad… must be tough for your aunt… not having her brother around to help with her daughter’s wedding.”

  “She knows what he did, and that’s why she made him sign the adoption papers, so she could take me as hers, legally.”

  “So, when you told me your father passed away, that was your uncle you lost when you were twelve?” His voice was soft.