Chapter 4 #2
They could eventually be good companions for each other and have a comfortable existence together.
They would give each other space and the freedom to lead their own lives.
Their arrangement was purely business and he was happy that she knew and agreed with what she was getting into with him, that is, if things worked out.
But this was something he was sure none of the others would understand and hence he chose to remain silent.
Raashi had to agree with Keya’s assessment. She surely hadn’t liked Natasha much and was happy to know that her own opinion of the woman was not clouded by the fact that Sameer was dating her again.
“I agree with Keya, which makes me wonder what you find in her?” Sheena asked him.
“MYOB Sheena, MYOB. And in case you still didn’t get it, Mind. Your. Own. Business,” Sameer said rudely.
“I got it the first time, you jackass,” Sheena countered, throwing him a dirty look.
“Children, can we please get along?” Rishi drawled from Sameer’s side. “Your bickering is worse than the twins’ these days.”
Seeing Sheena’s angry face, Raashi inserted herself into the conversation.
“Oh! How are the lovely twins? Still keeping you guys on your toes?” she asked Rishi.
“They’re the same. Always up to something. Rhea’s back though,” Rishi replied looking down into his coffee mug.
“When did she come? She hasn’t called me,” Sheena said looking at Keya.
“Not me either,” said Keya.
Raashi saw the look that passed between the brothers. What had Rhea done now? She was well aware that the twins did plenty of stupid stuff to make the boys worry. They were very rebellious and usually because they couldn’t tolerate the over protectiveness of their older siblings.
At twenty-one, they were sharp, confident, intelligent but a tad bit wild.
They had a wonderful zest for life that unfortunately was not understood very well by their older brothers.
They were nine years younger than Sameer and Kabier and seven years younger than Rishi, making them the babies in the family.
She continued to listen as her friends conversed with Rishi about the twins.
Sameer, she noticed, looked preoccupied and stressed.
He kept checking his cell phone and twice already his staff had interrupted him.
He had even stepped aside once to talk to them.
Hearing a little commotion, she looked away from Sameer and saw some cops walking towards him.
Spotting them, Sameer excused himself and left.
Keya spoke from her side interrupting Rishi, “By the way, I overheard you say earlier that Sameer had a rough night. Is that anything to do with why the cops are here talking to him?”
Rishi nodded and recounted the events of the night.
No wonder Sameer looked so stressed, Raashi thought.
He returned back to the table as the cops made their way out and Sheena and Keya plied him several questions.
Sameer replied to them calmly but Raashi was quick to note the underlying tension in his voice and in his stance.
Her phone buzzed and Raashi lifted it up. She smiled when she saw who was calling. Seeing the smile light her face, Sameer’s attention snapped to her. Who was calling her this late in the night that made her smile?
Keya and Sheena who were sitting on either side of her, squeezed close to her to see the caller ID.
Raashi chewed on her lip, before she said, “Uh, I’ll be right back.”
And then she stood up and walked away to answer her phone call.
Sheena looked at Keya and grinned.
“What was that about?” Rishi asked.
“Oh! That was Rithwik on the line,” Sheena informed him.
“Rithwik Bali?” Sameer asked.
“The very same,” she replied smiling.
“How come he’s calling so late?” Sameer looked at his watch and his brows creased, “Or should I say so early in the morning?”
“Back off, Sameer. It’s got nothing to do with you,” Sheena snapped at him.
“Sheena!” Keya gasped.
“Now, that was uncalled for,” Rishi said. “Sameer is just concerned.”
“Oh really?” Sheena asked, her eyes flaring in defiance.
“Why are you being so rude to him?” Rishi lashed out at Sheena.
Before Sheena could respond, Keya squeezed her hand. Sheena sighed and stayed silent but not before she threw a venomous look at Sameer.
“Sheena relax, sweetie,” Keya said, attempting to dissolve the tension that had enveloped them. “We all want the best for Raashi, including Sameer and Rishi. And really you’re making too much of this. Nothing’s going on between them.”
“What’s not going on and between whom?” Sameer inquired, looking from Sheena to Keya.
“Rithwik and Raashi. Wouldn’t it be so cool if they’re together?” Sheena replied, resting her chin on her hand, a dreamy look in her eyes.
“Wait a minute. I didn’t know Raashi was seeing Rithwik,” Rishi said, voicing Sameer’s thoughts out loud. “Since when? Last time I saw them together was at your wedding, Keya, and nothing seemed to be going on then.”
Keya held her hand up when Sheena started to talk.
“Well, honestly, I don’t think anything’s going on,” Keya pressed.
“Raashi and Rithwik have bonded a lot in the past few months ever since I got married. They meet very often and they are closer than ever before. Although Sheena thinks that there is more to it, I don’t agree with her yet.
Perhaps in future, if that’s what Raashi wants then I will be thrilled for her if that happens. ”
Raashi and Rithwik! Even the thought of her with that guy left a foul taste in his mouth.
Rithwik was loud and brash and had this devil-may-care attitude towards everything, whereas Raashi was quiet, she was careful and emotional and she thought too much.
His eyes went to her talking softly on the phone.
Was she with Rithwik or were they just friends?
God! He hoped that Keya was right because the thought of Raashi dating Rithwik was intolerable.
He knew Rithwik was her close friend. The story he had heard was that Rithwik and another friend Aditya had met Keya and Raashi on a camping trip several years back and they had hit it off since then.
Rithwik was the owner of Fortuna International, a multimedia and telecommunication company that had now diversified into various fields.
They were as big as the Sehgal’s and were strong competitors in various areas.
Rithwik was extremely successful, very good looking and a strong player in business. And he knew how to charm women.
Raashi moved away from their table to answer her phone.
“Hi gorgeous!” drawled a sexy voice at the other end.
“Rithwik! It’s almost five in the morning.”
“That’s no way to greet someone who has been thinking of you the whole day!”
“All right! Hi, Rithwik, and please, can you cut out the flirting?” Raashi smiled.
“Oh, come on Raashi! Don’t hurt my feelings now,” Rithwik said.
“Rithwik, get serious. It’s way too early in the morning for this. ”
“I know you’re up and out at The Marquis, so don’t try to make me feel guilty about calling you.”
Raashi frowned. “How do you know?”
“Oh! I have my sources.”
“Yeah, right!”
“Okay! Status update by Sheena! ‘Zipping around with my BFF’s in the wee hours’ and then her check-in at The Marquis with fifty hash tags at least!” Rithwik explained.
Raashi sighed. Sheena had an excessive, unhealthy obsession with social media that maddened Raashi.
But these days it was common for most people to post every little detail about their lives on social media.
Raashi was perhaps one of the few odd ones who didn’t follow this norm.
She tuned back in to what Rithwik was saying.
“I was at a friend’s place for dinner and I was planning to head home when I saw Sheena’s post. Thus the call, Raashi. And since you refused to go out with me tonight and you’re still up, why don’t you make it up to me? Let me drive you home. I’m close and can be there in five.”
“Uh, I’m not sure. It’s really late and I...,” Raashi stopped mid-way when she caught a glimpse of Sameer watching her, a strange expression on his face.
What was wrong with her? Rithwik was being so sweet.
Not only was Rithwik one of her closest friends, he was great looking and so much fun to be with.
For some reason they were drifting towards each other the past few months.
They had met over lunch or dinner many times, but were not dating.
Raashi liked being with him. She enjoyed his attention and felt comfortable with him.
Most importantly, he didn’t make her heart flutter nervously or make her feel on the edge like she felt when she was around Sameer.
He was safe! And she needed safe right now in life, right?
Besides, Sameer had once again started taking over her mind space.
She had to forget about him. And there was no one better than Rithwik to take her mind off Sameer.
She heard Rithwik’s voice coming through the phone.
“Raashi, you there?”
“Oh, sorry...Okay fine, I’ll be out in a few minutes. See you on the porch.”
She hung up the phone and walked back towards the table.
Sheena and Keya turned to her when she returned.
“I need to go. Rithwik is waiting outside for me,” she told them.
“He’s here?” Keya asked, her eyes round. “At this time? How come?”
Raashi explained the phone call to her.
Oh great! Sameer’s jaw clenched. The guy was shadowing her on social media now.
“We ought to leave too,” Keya said. Sheena nodded in agreement and they all got up to head home.
Rithwik was waiting in his car, a huge black Hummer, at the porch just as he had told her would.
On seeing Raashi, he got out of the car and came forward.
He kissed both her cheeks and put his arm around her waist. She blushed a deep red when she saw Sameer staring at them, his arms folded in front of him.
His eyes followed her, never leaving her even when Keya came forward to meet Rithwik.
Rithwik winked at Sheena and then he waved at Rishi and nodded his head at him.
“Why is it that my two favorite girls are always surrounded by Sehgal men?” Rithwik said to Keya mischievously.
“Maybe because I am one of them now,” Keya replied, smiling at him.
“Thankfully, it’s only you. I lost you to a Sehgal, but at least I have Raashi still,” Rithwik said, giving her an impish smile.
He turned to Raashi. “Let’s go. I have so much to talk to you about.”
After Raashi drove away with Rithwik Bali, Sameer released the breath he had been holding.
Shit! He was still attracted to her. He shut his eyes for a second and exhaled before opening them again.
This attraction was going to land him in trouble if he continued down that path.
He had spent enough time with Raashi in the past to know that she was the type of woman who could make a man completely forget himself.
And he had promised himself a long time ago that he would never ever allow himself to be entrapped by a woman again.
He refused to walk down the path that led to her.
His journey was different and she was not his destination.
Seeing her again had messed up his mind.
He had to stay away from her at all costs.