Chapter 21
“Aren’t you looking gorgeous today?” Rithwik took a turn around her playfully. Then he paused in front of her. “I like it very much.”
Raashi laughed as he touched her earring.
“So where have you been, Raashi? You’ve avoided going out with me for a while now,” Rithwik complained.
“I have just been busy at work.”
“With work or with Sameer Sehgal?” Rithwik asked point-blank.
“You know we are working together,” Raashi said.
“Are you sure that’s it?”
“Yes, now what exactly did you want to talk about?” Raashi asked, desperately wanting a change in subject. Her feelings for Sameer were too new and too raw to discuss with Rithwik.
“Well, my father is refusing to budge an inch on his marriage ultimatum. I spoke to him again but it’s of no use. Have you given any thought to my proposal?”
“No,” she replied honestly.
“Why not, Raashi? I don’t need to reiterate how good we can be together.
We’ve been friends forever, we know each other very well and the last months we’ve connected much better than before.
I am not seeing anyone else and you also claim that you are not.
I think that’s quite a lot to get us going. ”
“But...” Raashi started to say before she paused.
She couldn’t marry Rithwik especially now when she had all these feelings for Sameer that she hadn’t yet sorted out. She knew what these feelings were but she wasn’t ready to accept them yet. Not even to herself.
Her eyes automatically flitted to Sameer and what she saw left her shocked. She saw Natasha lean forward to kiss his cheek and then hug him. And Sameer hugged her back. His arms were around her waist and Natasha had her arms around his back, her head on his shoulder.
If he was indeed not with Natasha like he had her believe then why was he holding her so tight? She was crazy to have believed everything that came out of his deceitful mouth. She saw him turn to look at her. Their eyes met. Her eyes flashed fire, declaring war.
She turned to Rithwik. “Kiss me!”
“Wait what?” he staggered a step behind, his palm raised.
“You heard what I said. You want to marry me, right? If I agree, we’d get around to kissing sometime. Well then, do it now.”
“But we’ve never...”
“I said now,” Raashi said louder.
“Now?” Rithwik asked again, clearly taken aback.
“Yes, kiss me and show me that you mean it.”
“OK,” he said and moved closer to her.
He put his arm around her waist and drew her closer to him.
Raashi watched him. He looked unsure as if he was still convincing himself to kiss her.
Slowly, he leaned forward. His lips hesitated over hers, still deciding.
Their mouths were less than an inch apart when Raashi realized this was wrong.
She couldn’t go through with it. She turned her face just as Rithwik’s lips descended and met with her cheek instead.
Sameer rushed towards Raashi and paused mid-way.
His eyes widened and his stomach fell. Rithwik was going to kiss Raashi, right in front of him and she was allowing it.
And then he saw her turn her face away, the kiss landing on her cheek instead.
The vice around his heart loosened slightly, but his anger did not fade.
Another man still had his arms around her, his mouth on her cheek.
He felt disgusted. She had deliberately done this to annoy him.
Well, she had succeeded. His head was pounding.
Blast the woman for making him stark, raving mad.
He was absolutely livid with her right now.
The moment his lips met her cheek, Rithwik whispered, “Oh, Thank God!”
Finally, still holding her, he moved slightly away. She looked into his eyes and said regretfully, “I’m sorry.”
“No, please don’t apologize. I should be apologizing to you for pushing this thing between us, for trying to change our friendship into something else.
Raashi, you are wonderful and beautiful, but I have to be honest, trying to kiss you made me feel sick.
It felt like I was violating some sacred friendship code,” he admitted.
“This does mean that you have to stop forcing this marriage on me,” Raashi told him.
“After this, no way! You’re too special to me and I do really care for you. I was a fool to think that our friendship could be the basis for a successful marriage.” He winced.
Raashi nodded.
“By the way, was that kiss just to prove a point to me or to someone else?” he asked. “Because Sameer Sehgal is headed this way and it looks like he is ready to murder me.”
Raashi tilted her head and saw Sameer storming towards them.
Rithwik whispered, “I never stood a chance, did I?”
Raashi was unable to reply to him. She stepped out of Rithwik’s arms and came face to face with Sameer. They stared at each other, each one fuming silently.
He was furious, she thought. Well, so was she. Whom she kissed and what she did was none of his business. After witnessing the spectacle he had made with Natasha, he had no right to question her.
After several seconds of terse silence, Sameer said, “We are leaving, now.”
“You can go right ahead. I am staying,” Raashi retorted.
“You are leaving with me.”
“Hey, she said she doesn’t want to go,” Rithwik added from beside her.
Sameer gave him a murderous look. “Stay out of it, Rithwik. This is between me and her.”
“Not from where I see it,” Rithwik countered.
Sameer grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Rithwik leaned into Sameer unwilling to back down. Raashi stepped in between them and separated them, pushing them apart.
“Stop it, both of you,” she yelled.
She turned to Sameer. “Stop creating a scene.”
“I am not the one who created this scene,” Sameer roared.
Raashi’s head throbbed. How dare he behave like a caveman?
“You wanted to leave, right? Let’s go then.”
When Rithwik started to say something, she raised a hand to stop him.
“I’ll be fine.”
Sameer glowered at Rithwik before he held Raashi’s elbow and dragged her with him towards the car. She tried to shrug him off, but he held firm. When she protested, he just ignored her and kept walking straight to the car.
From another corner of the lawn, Kabier and Rishi had witnessed the entire incident.
“I cannot believe this. What’s gotten into Sameer?” Kabier remarked, splaying a hand at the scene that had just ended in front of them.
“Yes,” Rishi agreed, “my normally calm and collected brother almost got into a fight in the middle of a party. It’s about time he staked his claim.”
“After this, I bet we’ll be hearing of a marriage proposal soon.”
Rishi nodded. Thinking aloud, he said, “I am sure he’s dealing with these obviously intense feelings for Raashi.
Feelings he won’t admit or is unwilling to accept to himself.
So the marriage proposal is definitely a sure shot thing.
But I’ll give him more time to come around.
I bet you five thousand bucks on Sameer proposing marriage to Raashi in less than two months. ”
“Ten thousand and I’ll make it a month,” Kabier said, shaking hands with him.
Rishi gave a hoot of laughter.
“This is just the beginning and believe me, I’m going to enjoy every bit of this. The bet is on,” Rishi said, pleased with the entire situation.
“What bet?” Kabier heard his wife Keya speak up from behind him. He turned to look at her. She was glowing in her pregnancy, simply lovely, he thought. He just couldn’t stop the rush of emotion that engulfed him each time he looked at her.
“Hey, sweetheart!” Kabier said, “It’s nothing. How are you feeling?”
Keya linked her arm with his. “I am fine, Kabier. You’ve asked me that at least five times already since we arrived.”
Kabier drew her closer to him. “I worry about you and the baby.”
“I know,” she replied warmly. Kabier had become obsessed with her wellbeing since he had heard she was pregnant. But she loved him for it. Looking at him now, she couldn’t believe how blessed she was. He was a great husband and would be an awesome father.
“So what’s this bet I heard you guys talk about?” Keya asked both of them. Kabier related to her what had happened. She smiled. “Make it twenty and I bet a fortnight!”
“Works for me,” quipped Rishi.