Chapter 12 #2
And then, without warning, in one sudden, smooth motion, he grabbed her wrist, stood up, and turned her toward him. His hand slid to her lower back, pulling her flush against his chest. The laptop snapped shut behind him, forgotten.
She gasped. The abrupt contact made her stiffen. The files she had been holding slipped slightly from her grasp, and her breath caught as her chest pressed into his.
“You walked out last night,” he replied angrily. “You left me hanging after I laid everything bare in front of you. No response. No questions. Not even a damn reaction. You just left me there without a single word, Arundhati.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but he didn’t let her.
“And now you expect me to be warm? Cordial? Say thank you for the coffee and pretend like nothing happened so you can be the only one allowed to be angry?” His grip on her arms tightened.
“You don’t even give me the space to be hurt with you.
That’s unfair. You don’t get to run away from such important conversations and then scold me for not reacting the way you want. That’s not fair, Aru.”
She felt her guilt surge, but buried it, holding her chin high.
“And you think you get a second chance with that kind of attitude?” she asked.
“You want me back? Start by shedding that ego. Start by being the kind of man who says ‘thank you’ without turning it into a debate. Although that still doesn’t mean I am ready to give you a second chance. ”
He stepped closer again, their lips dangerously near, their breath brushing. “You want me to give up my ego?” he murmured, eyes darkening. “Then first give me that second chance.”
She swallowed hard.
“Although even I can’t promise I’ll shred the ego completely,” he continued. “Because let’s be honest, loving a wife who’s as infuriatingly hot-headed and stubborn as I am? Needs just a little bit of pride to survive it.”
Their foreheads almost touched now. But none of them were ready to cool down.
Neither looked away.
Neither blinked.
He was right there, lips just an inch from hers.
And then the door opened.
Both froze like guilty teenagers.
Raj Verma walked in, a file in hand, only to stop abruptly when he saw the scene before him…Arundhati flushed and breathless, Kushal’s hands still on her lower back, the two of them locked in what was clearly not a professional discussion.
Raj cleared his throat loudly. “Well,” he said, glancing between them. “This is… new. Back in the day, I used to walk in on your verbal arguments. But this didn’t look exactly like a fight.”
Arundhati immediately pulled away from Kushal, and glared at her uncle for teasing them at this very moment.
Raj just chuckled, unbothered. “Alright, alright. Let’s get started then.
We’ve got damage control to plan.” He took his seat at the centre of the table and opened the file.
“Sadhna’s legal team has already drafted a motion using the leaked photographs and the mystery woman, which means Noyonika’s statement.
We’ve lost some ground, but not all of it. I need a full update from both of you.”
Arundhati finally took her seat. Kushal did the same.
But neither of them looked at each other now.
****************
An hour later, the discussion inside the conference room had taken a tactical turn, moving swiftly through legal strategies and media backlash before settling into the most volatile part of the case—Noyonika Talwar.
Kushal leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, as he spoke.
“Once I land in Dalhousie tonight, I’ll make sure I pay her a surprise visit tomorrow morning. My asset has been keeping track of her movements. She’s currently staying in a private short-stay villa booked under an alias. No security, no company. It’s secluded.”
Raj’s brows furrowed. “Kushal, you shouldn’t go alone. Not when the matter’s this sensitive.”
Kushal’s head tilted slightly, but he didn’t respond.
“I mean it,” Raj added. “We can’t risk her twisting the narrative after you meet her. If she decides to tell the media something else, something against you, we’ll be fighting a new fire.”
Arundhati lifted her gaze and nodded. “You are right, uncle. We need a second presence. Someone who can verify the intent of the meeting. Someone she won’t feel cornered by.”
“I can’t take my source,” Kushal replied, shaking his head. “If that identity is compromised, we lose more than just a tip-off. I’ll handle her. Alone.”
Raj’s hand landed on the table with a quiet thud. “Then take Arundhati.”
Silence snapped through the room like a whip.
Both Kushal and Arundhati froze. Raj, either oblivious or choosing to ignore the tension, continued, “You’re both handling this case.
You’ve worked together on every stage of it.
And honestly, I’d sleep better knowing she’s with you.
This isn’t a local meeting. It’s delicate, emotional, and could turn volatile. ”
He glanced between them. “If Arundhati has a problem with this, we can always assign someone else.”
Kushal turned slowly, his eyes finding Arundhati’s with a smirk.
“I don’t think she’ll agree,” he said, casually leaning back in his chair. “Just me and her in a place like Dalhousie. I doubt that’s a situation she’d walk willingly into.”
“And why wouldn’t I?” she snapped before she could stop herself.
“Because I know you, Aru. And if I’ve learned anything over the past few months, it’s that being alone with me is something you avoid like it’s contagious.”
She could hear the arrogance in his tone. It was maddening, the way he could provoke her with just a few words, dragging her into the same sparring ring they always ended up in.
She turned to her uncle. “I’ll go with him.”
Raj looked relieved. “Good. That settles it.” He rubbed his hands together. “Let’s bring this case back under control. We’ve taken too many hits already.”
With that, he rose from his seat and left the room with Arundhati talking over other things. But Kushal? He hadn’t moved.
He remained seated, leaning back in his chair, his elbow resting on the armrest, his thumb grazing his lower lip in thought. He watched her walk to the door. There was a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes.
She was going to Dalhousie with him.
Alone.
Interesting didn’t even begin to cover what that would be.
****************
Dalhousie – Resort – Night
Kushal stood at the reception desk, completing the check-in formalities while Arundhati stood a few feet away, near the lounge area, updating her uncle about their safe arrival. The call ended quickly, but her eyes didn’t stray far from Kushal.
The resort was picturesque in the way most honeymoon destinations aspired to be, cosy, lush, and undeniably romantic.
Large bay windows revealed views of the rolling pine-covered hills, soft jazz played from hidden speakers, and everywhere she turned, couples strolled hand in hand.
One pair sat tucked into each other at the café, sipping hot chocolate, while another shared a blanket on the lawn, whispering in between shy laughter.
The whole place pulsed with the kind of intimacy she hadn’t felt in months.
And wasn’t expecting to feel now. Certainly not here. Not with him.
She turned back to Kushal and her eyes narrowed.
The receptionist was practically melting under his gaze, her fingers trembling slightly as she handed him a form, cheeks flushed. She wasn’t even being subtle, checking him out with unabashed interest whenever he glanced away.
Arundhati crossed her arms. Of course. He didn’t even have to try. It was always like this. Every woman with a heartbeat turned to smoke when he smiled.
She exhaled sharply, trying to shake the thought as irrational. He could flirt with an entire city block for all she cared.
Still, she couldn’t help herself as he finally walked back to her. “What took you so long?” she asked.
Kushal handed her a keycard, the smirk already forming. “They’d booked one suite for us,” he said simply, not looking at her as he picked up his laptop bag. “Two bedrooms, but one suite. Our staff made the reservation under Mr. and Mrs. Nair.”
Arundhati’s hand paused mid-air, stiffening around the card. “Of course they did,” she muttered, coldly.
“I figured you’d have a problem,” he added, stepping just a little too close, the scent of his cedar cologne hitting her at once. “So, I was changing the reservation. Getting us two separate rooms. That’s what took time.”
She blinked, surprised.
“You judge too quickly, Aru,” he added. “You don’t even let people finish their sentence before you’ve written your own conclusion.”
She didn’t respond. Mostly because she knew he was right. He didn’t press. Just sighed and motioned toward the elevators. “Let’s go.”
They walked side by side to the lift, silence stretching between them.
When they reached their floor, they moved to adjacent door of adjoining rooms, just a shared wall and a connecting door between them.
Arundhati struggled with her keycard, swiping too fast, too hard. The green light wouldn’t blink.
She growled under her breath and tried again.
Kushal, watching her from the corner of his eye, let out a low sigh. “Give it to me.”
Before she could protest, he took the card from her fingers with frustrating ease, pressed it smoothly to the sensor, and the door clicked open.
He raised an eyebrow. “You have no idea how expert my fingers are. This just needed my magical touch.”
Her eyes flared, catching the double meaning instantly.
She grabbed the keycard from his hand to head inside when he continued. “Let’s meet for dinner downstairs.”
“I’m not joining you for dinner. I’ll order room service.”
Before he could reply, she shut the door with a firm click between them.
On the other side, Kushal stared at the closed door for a long moment. He let out a low groan before running a hand through his hair, muttering something inaudible as he turned toward his own room.
This trip was going to test every nerve he had.
And somehow, he still looked forward to it.
Maybe that was the real problem.