Chapter 17
The rains had set in Mumbai. It was a deluge outside. The wind and rains were beating on the windows of the conference room. Sameer stood at the conference table, staring at drawings in front of him, his thoughts again on Raashi.
In the last week, he had met Raashi on most evenings to discuss their projects.
They were never alone and were always surrounded by his team, brainstorming various design ideas.
She had asked him to be a part of these discussions.
Initially, he had been pretty surprised by her request. But then he saw her actually paying attention to his inputs and making changes as per what he said.
He realized that she genuinely respected his opinion, which made him feel great!
He looked at his watch. It was five thirty in the evening.
She would be here any moment now. He started gathering up the papers from the conference room table, where he had spent the last hour showing his plans to Kabier and Rishi.
Kabier stood up. “I have to say this, Sameer, your plan was brilliant! It worked out well for us and for Raashi obviously. Plus, she gave the land back to you for free.”
“I was ready to buy the land but Raashi didn’t want the money. It was never about the money. It was about letting her have a chance to fulfill her dream too. This was right for her,” Sameer stated.
Rishi jerked his head up from his laptop screen. “Since when do you care so much about Raashi? Why did you go out of the way to ensure it was ‘right’ for her?” he asked, air quoting his words.
When Sameer didn’t reply, Kabier asked concerned, “What’s going on, Sameer? You know you can talk to us.”
“Nothing’s going on.”
“Oh, come on! We saw the way you handled the land situation with Raashi. It was clear that you wanted to ensure she got what she wanted. We also heard that you have called it off with Natasha. And now you’ve been spending most evenings with Raashi helping her with her restaurant,” Kabier said.
Rishi continued, “So, please credit us with a little intelligence and tell us what is actually going on.”
“That’s just it. Nothing is going on right now. We are just working together,” Sameer said flatly.
He refused to tell his brother and cousin anything more because he couldn’t admit his feelings towards her, even to himself. Right now he wanted space to work things out with her.
He saw Kabier and Rishi exchange a look and then Rishi said, “Okay, but we are here when you are ready to talk.”
Sameer stood up and stacked his papers and files together.
“We are seeing you tomorrow night for Sheena’s party, right?” Kabier asked.
He nodded.
“Oh and Shauna is landing tonight. I’m going to fetch her from the airport. Are you coming with me?” Rishi asked.
Sameer’s phone beeped. It was Raashi messaging him that she was waiting in his office.
Sameer turned towards the door and left without responding. He didn’t see the look exchanged between his brother and his cousin.
He hurried to his own office. Pure joy filtered through him, knowing that she was waiting for him, that he’d be able to spend time with her again.
He heard her tinkling laugh even before he entered his office.
He walked inside and shut the door leaning against it.
She was sitting on his desk facing the glass windows, talking on her phone.
She continued her conversation on the phone without even an inkling that he had entered and was watching her.
Sameer was besotted with her. The way she walked, the way she talked, the way she rubbed her neck when she was tired.
He had never wanted another woman as much and he was sure she felt the same for him too.
Being with her and not touching her was making him ache.
But he had given his word and he was waiting for her to make the next move.
They were finally comfortable in each other’s presence and she was back to being the old Raashi he knew, full of laughter and emotion. If only she would accept him into her life fully!
He continued to watch her as she carried on her side of the conversation.
He narrowed his eyes when he heard her say, “Come on, Rithwik, I am not going to give you an answer, right now. Definitely not on the phone.”
And then she said, “Of course, I am thinking about it. It’s not like you don’t bring it up every time we talk.”
Raashi twirled her hair and then she pushed it aside agitatedly.
“Can you stop this here?” he heard her say. “I need more time to think. It’s taken me a while to come to terms with the fact that you actually proposed to me. So stop with the pressure already.”
Sameer scowled and folded his arms as the implication of Raashi’s words hit him.
He knew Rithwik had proposed to her and there was no doubt as to what they were discussing right now.
The mere thought of Raashi and Rithwik together burned a hole in his chest. His fists clenched and unclenched.
It was just intolerable. He would never let it happen. He exhaled a tortured breath.
Raashi spun around in the midst of her conversation with Rithwik and her brows shot up as she saw Sameer. There he was leaning against his office door, watching her, obviously listening in on her conversation. Seeing him, she quickly ended the call and put her phone away.
She walked towards him. “Hey, when did you get here?”
Ignoring her question, Sameer walked closer to her. “Are you going to marry him?”
“Excuse me?” Raashi sputtered.
“You heard me, Raashi, so don’t make me repeat it,” Sameer snarled.
Raashi looked at him. Fury oozed out of him in waves. Every inch of him was rigid.
“I don’t know,” she said.
“That’s not an answer.”
Raashi took a deep breath and replied, “It would be easy to marry Rithwik. He’s my friend and he cares for me. I’d be foolish not to consider it.”
Not that she had given much thought to Rithwik or his proposal ever since Sameer had come back into her life.
But she wasn’t going to tell him that. He already was very close to breaking through the lock around her heart.
She wasn’t foolish to hand him the key to it.
He’d just simply walk blaze and break down all her barriers and she wasn’t entirely certain she wanted that – though she was tempted. Oh! So tempted to do so.
Sameer was livid. “No! Absolutely not! You cannot consider it.”
Raashi’s eyes widened at his audacity. “And you cannot dictate what I can or cannot do!”
“Oh, I can and I will. You will not consider marrying anyone until we resolve what’s going on between us.”
Raashi opened her mouth to say something but Sameer took a menacing step forward.
She forgot what she was about to say and retreated a step back.
He kept walking forward until he had backed her into the glass wall of his office.
He was standing right in front of her, towering over her, crowding her in.
She turned to the left to step aside but he placed his hand on the window by the side of her head, confining her.
She turned to the other side but his other hand blocked her.
He had caged her in, effectively blocking any means of her escape.
Raashi shut her eyes and when she opened them again, he was watching her.
He tilted his head to the side bringing his face close to hers.
“Tell me Raashi, does being this close to him make your blood sing? Does being next to him and not touching him make you ache? Can he make you feel all that you are feeling right now?”
He knew, the damn man knew how he made her feel. Her heart skid and her pulse raced wildly. She couldn’t think clearly.
“Sameer,” she said breathless, “you promised not to touch me.”
He chuckled softly. “Look again, sweetheart. Who’s touching whom?”
Raashi’s eyes widened in disbelief as she saw her own arms curled around his neck. Sameer’s hands were on the glass wall. He wasn’t touching her at all.
She was touching him.
God! She didn’t even know when she had reached for him. He smiled wickedly at her. Her eyes went to the cleft of his that she had been dreaming about and without thinking she leaned forward and put her tongue on it.
Sameer fought for a breath. Raashi was kissing his chin, licking the slight indent there.
He let out a strangled sound as his blood heated and he struggled to keep his hands pinned on the glass wall.
Her lips touched his softly, gently, but in the very next instant, she pushed him away and started collecting her things from his desk.
He folded his hands and leaned against the wall watching her.
She turned to him. “I have to go.”
“You didn’t answer me.”
She slowly backed towards his door wanting to escape.
He came forward and put his hands in his pockets. “Are you going to marry him?”
She studied him for a second. “Maybe.”
Raashi swiveled and sauntered towards the door, her hips swaying.
She threw him a glance over her shoulder and said, “Maybe not.”
Then she grinned that beautiful, mischievous smile of hers and left him standing there, smiling in return.
Raashi grinned all the way to her car. Being close to him, teasing him, felt so good.
She refused to make any sense of her reaction to him today.
There was no point. She craved for him. It was plain and simple.
There was no possibility of her moving on in life as long as he was invading her thoughts and dreams. Maybe what she actually needed was to have an affair with him, to get him off her mind.
Hell! She was almost twenty-eight. If she wanted, she’d very well do it, but on her terms this time.
If he wanted her then she would be willing but not for a one-night stand.
She wanted more and she needed to see how far this thing between them could go.
As she readied herself for bed that night, her phone beeped. It was a text from Sameer.
“After today, all deals are off!! Sleep well.”
Raashi knew she had changed the game when she had touched him. He had warned her and now he was going to come after her. She felt giddy with anticipation, delighted at that prospect. She was ready for him.