Chapter 8
8
A nanya watched Mihir unbutton his shirt. She had to lift her jaw from the floor when he chucked the shirt aside and stretched his arms over his head.
Holy mother of God in heaven. He was… He was divine. His broad, muscular chest tapered into a narrow waist, lined with rows of sharply defined abs, ending with a vee that disappeared into his red shorts. His toned arms looked powerful and sculpted. The muscles in his legs rippled as he moved. Her mouth watered. Fuck . This was no longer the boy she had fallen in love with. Mihir Oshnov was all man, and he was hot. Damn .
Her eyes returned to his chest. She squinted. There was a tattoo on the left side of his chest. It looked like an arrow. No… it was an anchor.
So many questions played in her head. When had he got that tattoo? Why an anchor? Why on his chest? Knowing him, he’d have a valid reason for everything.
A hand touched her shoulder and turned her around. Her sisters glared at her.
“Care to explain why you’re staring at Mihir?” Navya asked.
“How come you’re here?” Reina asked. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy you’re here, and I’m even happier that Mihir didn’t push you in the pool because you’re here, and that you didn’t fight.”
“And you kissed his cheek,” Navya said. “Sheena was busy with the kids, so she didn’t see the kiss. But the rest of us saw it.”
“Yeah, what she said,” Reina concurred. “What the hell is going on, Ananya? And first, why were you staring at him right now?”
Ananya laughed. “I wasn’t staring at him; I was watching him with Nia. Look at them.”
From across the pool, Mihir entered the water. He called Nia to the ledge and held his arms out. She jumped right into the pool, squealing in delight as she bobbed back up, thanks to the floats on her arms. Nia said something to him, and Mihir propped her on his shoulders. Nia stood atop him, and on a count of three, she jumped from his shoulders and into the water. Her happy laughter echoed around them. The little girl wrapped her tiny arms around Mihir’s neck and kissed his scarred cheek. He gave her a wide smile. Something in Ananya’s heart melted at the sight. For the first time in a very long time, she had actually seen Mihir happy.
She’d spotted him with Nia the second she’d entered the party. He’d thrown his head back and laughed at something the little girl had said. Her mind had flashed to the past, to the time when he used to laugh so freely with her. Seeing Nia in his arms, the two of them talking, had made her heart ache. At one time, she had wanted a little baby girl just like Nia. Hers and Mihir’s baby. She had even dreamt of her. The urge to go to him had blindly driven her forward. But then his brothers had stopped her. Still, she’d moved past them and gone straight to Mihir.
He’d been alone then, looking serious and grumpy again. Unable to resist, she had kissed his cheek only to wipe that sullen expression off his face. Sure enough, his demeanor had changed instantly. That sour expression had disappeared replaced by shock and something else. Something that?—
Navya shook her shoulder. “You are staring again.”
“Oh, I am not,” Ananya replied.
Navya’s eyes narrowed a fraction. “Really? Credit us with a little intelligence. You were ogling him. Again.”
“Alright!” Ananya sighed. “I can’t help it that I find him hot.”
Reina gasped. Navya opened and closed her mouth.
Ananya shrugged. “Please, stop behaving over dramatic. He’s hot. There is no denying that. Besides, to answer all your other questions, he invited me to this party.”
Reina gasped again. Ananya glared at her.
“I cannot help reacting like that,” Reina said. “You and he were like a war waiting to happen. All of us walk on eggshells around you two, not knowing when a mention of the other person will tick you off. And now you’re saying that he invited you . Forgive me if that sounds a little unbelievable.”
“Agreed,” Navya said. “Also, can we circle back to the fact that you kissed his cheek?”
“It was to get a rise out of you all!” Ananya said casually. “It worked.”
Ananya studied them both. Navya wore a blue bikini and Reina was in black.
“You both look good…” Ananya gave them a smile. “I hope you’re covered in sunblock. It’s bright today.”
Reina scowled.
Navya threw her hands on her hips. “What the fuck is going on? Explain now, and no deflecting or talking in circles to confuse us.”
Ananya dropped her bag on the lounger next to her.
“Mihir and I met last week,” Ananya said. “We decided to call a truce for all four of you.”
Reina blinked. “You met? And you’ve called a truce?”
“I don’t believe you!” Navya squinted. “What is the catch?”
Ananya stepped out of her slippers and took her hat off.
“No catch,” Ananya said. “He and I have agreed that our cold war was putting a dent in your lives. Hence, we’ve decided to work towards being more amenable to one another.”
“Just like that?” Reina asked, looking very doubtful.
“Yes.”
“It can’t be that simple,” Navya said.
“He wants his brothers to be happy, and I want you both to be happy. We’re doing this for you all. Can you not see that?”
“But what about his problem with you?” Reina asked.
“He still won’t talk about it. But he has agreed to put it aside for the sake of our truce.”
Navya gave her a disbelieving look. “Then why did you still publish that gossip about him in your magazine today? Wasn’t that your grand revenge scheme to destroy his reputation?”
“Who says it was him ?”
Her sisters simultaneously folded their arms on their chests, glaring at her.
Ananya clucked her tongue. “We have some rules we agreed upon. Me publishing about him wasn’t included in them.”
“Rules?” Navya scoffed. “This sounds so made up.”
“My writings don’t bother him. At least, that’s what he says.” Ananya lifted her chin. “I am here and so is he. Wasn’t that what you both have wanted for the longest? Can you both stop the inquisition and allow us all to enjoy ourselves?”
When her sisters continued to stare at her, Ananya shooed them away with a hand. “Go, be with your men. Both of them look like lost puppies without you.”
Her sisters swiveled, and they waved at the guys.
“We will talk later,” Navya said. “I don’t fully believe that Mihir and you have simply agreed to a truce. There’s more to it than just that.”
“I agree,” Reina said. “We will circle back on this. But neither of us wants trouble between Mihir and you today. So, please don’t ruin anything.”
Ananya exhaled when the girls finally left her alone. She ought to have considered that her sisters wouldn’t be convinced so easily. They’d seen her mourn him and then hate him. She’d have to put up a pretty credible performance to convince them.
From the corner of her eye, she could see Mihir playing with Rajiv’s kids in the pool. She took in her surroundings. To the right of her, the sea rumbled, its waves swelling and ebbing. To her left was a pool house made of all black stone and glass. Behind it, stretching as far as her eyes could see, were the massive lawns of this estate. And right in front of her, three large interconnected villas stood majestically against the blue sky, each the residence of one of the Oshnov brothers. Both Navya and Reina lived here now, and it was sad that Ananya didn’t even know which villa was whose.
The one and only time she’d been here in the Oshnovs’ grand property was when she had come charging here after Sheena had told her that Armaan and Navya couldn’t get married because Mihir had stipulated that he wouldn’t attend their wedding if she did. That meeting had ended in a disaster with both Mihir and her threatening to go to war with one another. That occasion had been the catalyst for her starting her gossip column in Noir.
From then on, everything had further gone downhill, with Mihir not attending any of the events hosted by her family and she doing the same when it came to his, until today and now.
She looked at her sisters. They were back to their men. The four of them were talking, heads bent, no doubt about Mihir and her. She smiled.
Mihir and she had come to an agreement for them. However, getting a divorce from Mihir was also for her. It was the final step that would help her get over him. She’d lost years of her life mooning over him. But that had to stop. Her feeling anything for him had to stop.
Removing a clip from her bag, she tied her long hair atop her head, refusing to address the pertinent fact that she was still attracted to Mihir. He was still the only man who made her heartbeat accelerate. He was still the only man who made her skin heat. She’d spent many a sleepless night in the last week, remembering their encounter in the coffee shop parking lot. She’d been one second away from kissing him then. And that would surely have been the biggest mistake of her life.
Mihir had made it amply clear what he thought of her. Then why had she behaved recklessly and gone and kissed his cheek like she had earlier? She had to seriously stop trying to get a rise out of him.
A sudden burst of anxiety swarmed over her. Her emotions for him were all jumbled, like she was being pulled in several directions at the same time. She didn’t want to feel like this anymore. She wanted to feel nothing in his presence.
Rajiv sauntered up to her, wiping his face with a towel.
“Hey,” he said.
“Go away, I’m not talking to you about anything,” Ananya snapped.
He laughed. “I haven’t asked anything yet.”
“I’ve already faced the third degree from the sisters. I don’t want more from you.”
Rajiv put an arm around her shoulder. “I’m glad to see that Mihir and you have settled your differences. Although, I do believe it is for the sake of your siblings.”
“I’d do anything for the girls and you,” Ananya said.
Rajiv nodded. “You know I have always respected your privacy and your reasons for staying silent on this issue with Mihir. I will continue to do that. But I need you to answer some questions.”
“Alright.”
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine, Rajiv.”
He studied her. “Have you gotten over him?”
She clucked her tongue. Before she could argue, Rajiv held a hand out.
“I entertained the idea of being friends with Mihir because he’s kept his distance from you and assured me that he wanted nothing to do with you. It is you who’s been obsessed with him all along. I’m more than happy if you’ve decided to let go of him, Ananya. You need to get closure, and if you both have decided to let go of your problems for the sake of your siblings, then I’m all for it. You both are important to all of us.”
Her brother was always brutally honest.
“However,” Rajiv continued, “You will always come first to me. And your well-being and happiness matters the most.”
“I truly am fine,” she said.
He nodded. “Good. But remember, if you ever want to talk, then I’m right here.”
“Thank you, Rajiv,” she whispered, feeling overwhelmed by his kindness. She pressed a kiss on his cheek. “You really are the best brother.”
He grinned. “I know that.”
Rajiv looked into the distance. “Looks like I have to go rescue Mihir from my kids. They’ve taken a liking to him, as you can see.”
She turned to where Rajiv was looking. Mihir was still in the pool. Shiven and Nia were sitting on one of his shoulders each, holding their hands above his head, bouncing up and down. She watched Rajiv jump into the pool and take Shiven from Mihir. Sheena handed them a ball, and the five of them began to toss the ball around.
She smiled at the scenario. She loved seeing her brother happy like this. A light entered his eyes when he was with his family, as if they were the reason for his entire existence.
Rajiv was the backbone of her family. He treated all of his sisters equally and adored them all. The world had forgotten that Navya and Reina were their adopted sisters. The girls were actually her maternal uncle’s daughters. They had come to live with them after their mother had passed away when they were twelve and eleven. Ananya’s parents, Sara and Anvay Mehra, had managed to adopt the girls a couple of years later. The four of them were as close as real siblings. They fought and laughed and chatted and fought again, all in the space of a few hours. Ananya loved them all to bits.
She watched as Rajiv high-fived Mihir as they continued playing. This bond between Rajiv and Mihir was unexpected, but she knew it was important to Rajiv. Rajiv had very few friends, and Mihir was definitely on that small list. Her brother genuinely liked and cared for Mihir. His friendship was also reciprocated whole-heartedly by Mihir, and that was visible today.
It reinforced her belief that she was doing the right thing. Rajiv didn’t need to know about her marriage to Mihir. Without question, Rajiv would side with her, and that would create an unmendable rift between the two men. And she didn’t want that. Telling her sisters… God, she couldn’t even imagine doing that. They would go to war with the men they loved for her.
Even before her family had become so intricately involved with the Oshnovs, it hadn’t made sense to disrupt their lives with her news. As it was, they hadn’t known much about her short-lived relationship with Mihir. They only knew that she had fallen in love with him while studying in college in London and that he had died in an unfortunate accident. Years later, when she had learned that he was alive, it had been too late to tell them. After the yacht incident, she hadn’t wanted to tell them at all. And now, it made no sense to stir things up.
Mihir and she had made a mistake in the past. They’d barely known one another when he had proposed to her. Hence, for the sake of their siblings, they’d simply end their marriage quietly and go on with their lives with no one being the wiser.
It was best that way. The only way forward.