Chapter 27
The city blurred past as Aditya drove by.
Even now, a week later, the ache in his chest stubbornly refused to dull.
He’d just returned from a work trip to Dubai and was on his way to Keya’s son’s second birthday.
Maybe being surrounded by friends and laughter would help him remember there was still life outside of her. Maybe.
He sighed. She was everywhere. Her absence hurt like the devil, and he missed her so Goddamn much.
He rubbed a weary hand down his face. After his altercation with Sabrina, he’d taken the first flight out to Dubai.
His business demanded he work from there a few days each month, and he’d thrown himself into it, hoping that the long hours and endless meetings would dull the ache clawing at him.
But no matter how many contracts he signed, no matter how many skyscraper boardrooms he sat in, the emptiness remained.
Distance hadn’t healed his aching heart.
Thus, he was exhausted, working longer and sleeping less than usual. Fuck. He exhaled. There was no point to these thoughts. Sabrina had made her intentions clear. She didn’t want him. And he had to learn to get on without her.
Still, his heart wasn’t getting that message, because he kept replaying her laugh, the tiny frown on her head when she was agitated, the way she looked at him when she thought he wasn’t paying attention, and those whole-hearted smiles he’d thought were reserved only for him.
He hated that he still remembered the way she tasted, the way she melted into him when he held her, and the way her breath caught when he touched her.
And it wasn’t just her absence that gnawed at him—it was Ahaan’s too. The boy’s curious questions, his wide-eyed excitement when he talked about cricket, even the stubborn way he wrinkled his nose at math homework and his determination to get better at it—he missed it all.
God, he’d never teach that boy to swim. He’d never get to watch him grow up. His heart clenched. Ahaan wasn’t his, then why did he feel like he was meant to be his?
He even missed Maya. He missed her happy yips and the way she laid her head on his lap. He missed them all so much. Stop it, he told himself. None of it was meant to be. Not when Sabrina had chosen to walk away.
His jaw clenched, and the familiar burn of resentment curled in his chest. She hadn’t even given him a chance.
He was convinced that there was something in her past that was holding her back, and it sucked that she gave that more importance than being with him, than trusting him.
She’d chosen to shut the door on their relationship without an explanation, as if what they’d shared had meant nothing to her.
As if he had meant nothing to her. He thumped a fist against his aching chest. He was a fool.
Perhaps it was exactly as she’d said… that she didn’t love him. God, that knowledge hurt so bad.
He was in love with her, and she didn’t love him back. This fucking sucked so bad. The one and only time he’d fallen in love with a woman, she didn’t want him enough to take a chance on him. His chest twisted in pain.
Enough. He needed to get his head out of this spiral.
He turned the car into the Sehgals’ driveway, telling himself he was here for Keya and Kabier’s little boy.
Kush was turning two, and Aditya wasn’t about to ruin that.
Parking his car, he entered the lawns of Keya’s home.
He stopped at the threshold, taking everything in.
The lawns had been transformed into a cheerful carnival of color.
Strings of pastel balloons arched over the garden, swaying gently in the warm evening breeze.
Round tables draped in bright linens were scattered across the lawn, each crowned with a small vase of tiny balloons and balls.
A bouncy castle sat in one corner, the delighted shrieks of children tumbling on it filling the air.
The scent of freshly popped popcorn mingled with the sweetness of cotton candy from a small stall near the gazebo, while waiters in crisp white shirts weaved through the crowd with trays of bite-sized appetizers.
Parents chatted in clusters, while little Kush toddled about holding his mom’s hand, giggling as guests crouched down to greet him. Aditya smiled, taking it all in.
Spotting him, Keya handed her son to Kabier and rushed to him, her arms open, wrapping him in a warm hug. She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. Her smile was all sunshine.
“Aditya, you’re here!” she grinned. “I’m so glad you came.”
“I would never miss any of your kids’ birthday parties,” he said.
Kabier neared him, Kush clinging to his legs. Kabier gave him a friendly hug.
Kabier Sehgal was a man of few words, but when he spoke, people listened. Quiet, headstrong, and steady as a rock, he was the anchor that kept Keya grounded, and the reason her smile was always so bright.
Tiny hands pressed against Aditya’s legs. Leaning down, Aditya scooped Kush in his arms. “Yes, I should have met you first. Happy birthday, my dear Kush. You’re so big now.”
The little boy’s chubby face broke into a sunshine smile, his tiny fingers curling into Aditya’s shirt.
“Where is your sister?” Aditya asked him.
The little boy pointed at the side, and Aditya saw Keya’s four-year-old daughter, Kiana, running with some kids, her hair blowing in the breeze, a candy floss in her hand.
“She needs to stop eating that cotton candy. She’s had two already,” Keya said. She looked at Aditya. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”
From beside him, Kush’s eyes caught on the bright red-and-yellow figure of a clown juggling near the bouncy castle.
With an excited squeal, Kush wriggled out of Aditya’s hold.
Kabier stepped forward, and the boy immediately reached for his father’s hand, tugging him toward the clown with eager little steps, his laughter trailing behind him.
He looked ahead and smiled as he saw Sheena, Kabier’s younger sister, approach him.
“Hi Aditya,” Sheena said, her face lighting up.
Aditya’s lips curved into a smile. He leaned in, giving her a warm hug. “It’s good to see you again, and so soon. I didn’t know you were coming too.”
Sheena laughed softly. “Luckily, Kush’s birthday fell on the weekend, so we could make it. It’s good for the kids to be with their cousins.”
Aditya nodded. He’d caught up with Sheena and Rajiv recently, during his trip to Dubai.
A familiar voice joined them. “Aditya.”
Rajiv appeared at Sheena’s side, his easy smile in place. Aditya clasped his hand and pulled him in for a brief hug.
“Hey, Rajiv. How are you?” Aditya asked once they parted. “How are your sisters doing?”
“I’m good, but my sisters…” Rajiv rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “They’re a bunch of troublemakers. As you know, I’m glad Navya and Reina are somewhat settled. I’m just hoping they decide to marry soon. But Ananya…” His tone dipped with concern. “I’m still worried about her.”
Aditya addressed Rajiv. “It was one thing for Navya and Reina to fall for the younger Oshnov brothers. But Ananya! I still can’t believe she had a history with the eldest brother.”
Rajiv grimaced. “I never thanked you when I met you in Dubai.”
“For what?”
“For everything,” Rajiv said. “You went to Moscow for her. It means a lot.”
“No worries,” Aditya replied.
Aditya smiled. Of the three sisters, he was closest to Ananya.
They usually caught up when he was in Dubai, and this time when he met her, she’d noticed his misery at once.
Gently but firmly, she’d coaxed the truth out of him, and before he realized it, he had told her everything that had transpired between Sabrina and him.
He’d even shown her a photo of them, one they’d clicked on one of their outings in Singapore.
Back home, he hadn’t even considered the possibility of discussing his situation with Sabrina with anyone else.
There would be too many opinions and judgements formed.
Too many of his friends were closely tied to Sabrina.
But Ananya was different. She hadn’t judged, nor had she tried to fix anything.
She had simply listened to him. Talking to her hadn’t erased the hurt, but it had eased the weight on his chest, if only for a little while.
She’d taken him for dinner to her house, where he had seen firsthand the complexity of her own life and the dilemma she was in, with regards to her own love life.
Aditya spoke to Rajiv and Sheena for a few more minutes before they left to attend to their children. Keya joined him immediately.
“Hey, I’m back,” she said. “I’ve told Kabier to watch over the kids. Now we can catch up.”
Aditya smiled as he addressed Keya, “Your kids are growing too fast.”
“They are,” she said, eyes glowing with happiness.
From the crowd, he saw Raashi nearing him.
“Hello, handsome,” Raashi said. “Where have you been? We haven’t met you in ages.”
“I know,” Keya said. “First, you were in Singapore for so long, then you returned and kept insisting you were too busy to meet us, and then you went off to Dubai. Is everything okay?”
“Yes.” He smiled at the girls, masking the tightness he still felt inside his chest.
“I missed you. We all missed you,” Raashi said. “Come on, give me a hug.”
“Are you sure?” Aditya teased, glancing around with mock caution. “I don’t want your husband targeting me. You know how Sameer still gets annoyed whenever Rithwik so much as stands close to you.”
Raashi’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Oh, Sameer’s ire is reserved only for Rithwik.”
Aditya chuckled. “Rithwik was an idiot before he met Aisha.”
“Did I hear my name?”
They all turned to see Rithwik strolling over with Aisha, and their kids, Arnav and Raisa, trailing behind them. Aisha gave them a wave before letting her son tug her toward the bouncy castle.
“So, why are you all talking about me?” Rithwik asked. “Wait, I hope you’re only saying good things. Actually, I’m great. There is nothing bad to say about me.”