Chapter 6
Four Years Ago, New Year’s Eve
By the time they reached the hotel, she had only a minute left. They quickly went up the stairs and in through the staff entrance.
It was time. Siya could hear the echo of her name being announced from inside the ballroom.
She quickly shook off the rest of the sand clinging to her saree and smoothed out her hair. When there was nothing else to straighten out, she finally asked, ‘Are you coming in?’ trying to keep it light.
He looked at her for a moment too long, and she thought he just might, but then he shook his head. ‘I should go.’
Siya swallowed hard, pushing down the protest. His answer stung, but she reminded herself that there had been no promises. Just one ride around the Ferris wheel. That was the deal. And she’d agreed to it, hadn’t she?
She told herself it was better this way as she pulled off his hoodie. She held it for a moment, taking in his scent, then handed it off to him. ‘Thank you for everything. I’ll never forget this night,’ she said quietly.
Giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, Siya turned around and walked away. She couldn’t watch him leave, so she didn’t look back even once. Her heels clicked into a practiced rhythm, and as the doors opened, she made sure the poised smile she reserved for the cameras was firmly in place.
The waitstaff pressed a chilled champagne flute and a microphone into her hands at the foot of the stage, and she quickly climbed up the two stairs. The spotlight shone down on her, bathing her in a soft amber light, and she hoped it wouldn’t magnify the quiet tremor in her fingers.
Industrialists, socialites, and celebrities gathered around the stage with curated and curious looks. The elite of Mumbai were all here, and Siya had never felt more apart from them.
She brought up the mic and began, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here tonight, and for being a part of yet another year where we’ve grown together.
I see a room full of ambitious and driven people, who have played such a significant role in the success of Kashyap Luxe this past year, and I can’t help but feel inspired and hopeful for the upcoming year. ’
Behind the facade, a quiet ache pooled inside her. No matter how badly she wanted to live her life on her terms, she had to face the bitter fact that she always had to come back to this castle.
She told herself to accept it, to close the chapter, to move beyond closure, but she felt instinctively drawn to the back door of the ballroom. Her gaze lifted, and she found him.
He stood leaning against the far wall, his hoodie hanging loosely over his one arm. His eyes, dark and unreadable, were fixed on her like she was the only person in the room.
Even from across the ballroom, she could feel the weight of his gaze caress her skin with a blazing intensity that slowed everything around her. Her fingers tightened around the mic.
He was the man she’d kissed without knowing his name, the one who had looked at her like he’d known her far longer than the few stolen hours they’d shared, the one who had made her feel more alive than she’d ever felt.
He was a beautiful stranger who somehow felt like the most familiar person in the room, and he’d come back.
Could it be for me?
Suddenly, it was easier to breathe. The speech she’d rehearsed slipped from her mind, replaced by the memory of their kiss.
Everyone’s attention was on her, but she only looked at him as she said, ‘I’ve always thought of myself as someone who needs predictability.
My days are ruled by checklists and agendas, and I always need to know what comes next.
But today, I feel inspired to take a leap of faith and to live a little, and that’s exactly how I wish to walk into this new year. ’
The lights dimmed as the final countdown began. The room followed the count in a loud, cheerful chorus, and when the clock struck midnight, Siya held up her glass, and announced, ‘Here’s to unpredictability, to taking a leap of faith and to living a little. Happy New Year!’
The room echoed her toast, and the clink of glasses rang loud in the air. Siya held his gaze from across the room as she endured polite embraces and air kisses with guests who stopped her.
The moment she was free, she walked straight to him, her heart pounding so hard she could feel it in her ears. ‘You came back,’ she said, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks.
‘I couldn’t leave.’
‘Why?’
‘I didn’t want to,’ he admitted.
‘Why?’ she asked again.
He let out a soft breath. ‘Because I knew if I walked away tonight, I’d spend every day of my life wondering what might’ve happened if I didn’t.’
Her heart lodged high in her throat.
‘I will fly back to Delhi tomorrow,’ she said, reminding herself more than telling him.
‘Then give me every minute of tonight and let me start this year by worshipping you,’ he said, tangling his fingers with hers.
A shiver ran through her, down to her toes. ‘I have a room downstairs.’
His nod was slow and deliberate, and he held her hand firmly as they made their way out of the ballroom to the end of the corridor where the elevators were.
Enclosed in the tight space of the steel box, the tension between them hit its peak. Their eyes met, and he pulled her into his arms.
‘I’ve been trying to behave since that kiss, but if you keep looking at me like that, I won’t make it to the room before I do something reckless,’ he confessed, his lips caressing her jaw, then trailing down the curve of her neck.
How did he keep saying things that sounded dirty and sincere all at once? It should have terrified her, but it didn’t stop the heat pooling in her lower belly.
‘Then maybe you should stop behaving,’ she said, tugging at his V-neck with a finger.
With a loud, desperate groan, he crashed his lips onto hers with a ravenous hunger. She fisted his t-shirt and pulled him impossibly closer. His fingers slid across her lower back, and her breath hitched.
Siya wasn’t sure how she was still upright. She could smell the faint trace of salt clinging to his shirt from the beach air earlier, mixed with something darker and woodsy.
Her back felt cool against the glass behind her, but her body felt feverish under his possessive touch. A moan escaped her lips when he tugged at her earlobe gently with his teeth.
The elevator opened with a soft chime, and he reluctantly pulled away. He stepped back just enough to adjust his grip on her hand before tugging her gently into the hallway. The corridor was dimly lit and lined with a dark, lush carpet that absorbed the sound of their footsteps.
She watched his profile as they walked. There was a quiet power in the way he moved that mesmerised her. For a moment, she wondered what it would feel like to see him completely undone, and that thought sent a shiver through her.
Something about him felt familiar to her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. It was driving her crazy.
They reached her suite, and she swiped the keycard.
He pushed the door open and guided her inside.
The door clicked shut behind them, and suddenly, her back hit the wood with a gentle thud.
He was standing in front of her, his palms braced on either side of her head.
Her clutch and his hoodie clattered onto the floor.
‘The minute I saw you standing on the balcony, I knew I was in trouble,’ he said, leaning closer. ‘I want to kiss you again, to know the sounds you make when I touch you in all the ways that will drive you crazy, and how you scream my name when you come apart on my fingers.’
The heat and hardness of his body against hers made it hard for her to think straight. ‘Is that so?’
‘Uh-huh, I’m going to spend all night memorising every damn inch of you,’ he said, tracing her burning cheek with his nose.
Siya knew she’d never seen eyes that were so mesmerising before, and never would again. His rich, honey-brown eyes could compel most people into divulging their deepest secrets, but it was the admiration and desire simmering in them that stole her breath.
She traced the stubble along his jaw with the back of her fingers. ‘That sounds like a great idea, but for that I need to know your name.’
His grip flexed slightly where he held her waist, and the light in his eyes dimmed. He pulled back an inch, and his expression flickered with hesitation before he said, ‘Abhinav.’
‘You don’t have to look so heartbroken about it. I like the name,’ she teased him, trying to soften the sudden tension. ‘And I’m Siya.’
His lips curved into a reluctant smile. Before she could ask him what that look meant, his phone rang. He stepped back to answer it, and she couldn’t explain the small sting of disappointment curling through her at his absence.
With a mumbled apology, he walked up to the balcony, and after a hushed exchange, he disconnected. ‘I need to meet my friend downstairs. He managed to get into more trouble. It’ll only take a few minutes.’
Siya nodded, trying not to let her face fall too visibly, and sank onto the edge of the bed. ‘Okay, I’ll be here.’
He lingered around her like he wanted to say more, but then shook his head, caressed her cheek once, and left.
Her heart was still beating too fast, and she wondered what had happened to her. She’d never done this before. She’d never kissed someone with that much heat, that much urgency, that much need. Yet with Abhinav, it felt… right. That terrified her more than anything else.
She rolled her eyes at herself and let out a soft, mocking huff. ‘Get a grip. He’s just a guy.’
The silence of the room shattered when her phone rang with an incoming call.
Dhruv.
Of course, he somehow knew she was feeling at peace and had to find a way to ruin it. She debated not picking up, but avoiding him only ever gave him more material to work with, and she wasn’t in the mood for the smug texts he would surely send later. She swiped to answer it.