Chapter 15 Vedika
VEDIKA
A strange shiver coursed through her at the feel of his breath against her neck.
And then it was gone. He was gone. Back to his spot in the sand, a handsbreadth away from her.
A restless craving took root inside her, one she had never ever felt before.
She had the bizarre urge to grab him and pull him back to her, to ask him to… to what?
Mortification rushed through her at her thoughts.
She was marrying his brother in less than a month!
And yet, she’d never felt this way for his brother.
She snuck a glance at Daksh. He really was ridiculously good looking.
Maybe that’s all it was? A reaction to his blinding good looks.
She was pretty sure every woman who looked at him felt the same way. Tingly, shivery, and breathless.
There was no larger predator than him. Not to her.
“What do you fear?” she asked, huskily, her gaze determinedly on the horizon. “Failure?” It had always been her biggest burden. Aakash and Kanak Thakkar’s daughter did not fail, could not fail.
“My family labelled me a failure when I was fifteen.” His quiet words floated over the air even as he stared out at the ocean too. “After that, there was no fear of it.”
“Why would they do that?” Bewildered, she looked over at him. She’d seen his parents with Ashish. They were nothing but loving and kind.
“It might have had something to do with the fact that I actually failed my tenth board exams.”
Oh!
“I’m so sorry,” she said softly. “Did you suffer from a learning disability?”
He laughed, a loud burst of sound. “No,” he chuckled. “I did not. I suffered from laziness, carelessness, and a profound love of women. I suppose, girls at that point.”
“You didn’t study for your exams because you had a girlfriend?” Shock coursed through her.
“No,” he looked over at her, still grinning that reckless, irreverent grin. “I didn’t study because I had many girlfriends. I went to school but I didn’t spend much time in the classrooms.”
A choked laugh escaped her though she was still a little scandalised.
At fifteen, she’d topped her board exams, ranking second in the state.
At seventeen, she’d topped the state in the twelfth board exams and was in the top three in the country.
She didn’t think she’d even looked at the boys, forget bunking class for them.
Her hair blew into her face and she pulled it back, starting to loosely braid it.
“Don’t,” he said, his voice rough. “Don’t tie it back.”
Her hands froze in her hair, that shiver working its way through her again. She held his dark, intense gaze for a long moment before dropping her hands, letting the heavy mass of her hair fall to her waist.
“Your hair is…” He cleared his throat and looked away. “You shouldn’t restrain it. You shouldn’t restrain any part of you.”
“I don’t think I’ve been very restrained with you,” she said wryly.
Daksh smiled, a slow, sexy smile that had her stomach flipping again. Damn that prawn!
“I tend to bring out the worst in people.” He flopped back on the sand, his gaze on the night sky, his body sprawled with a careless elegance she could never hope to match.
“I think we bring out the worst in each other,” she said, lying down beside him, trying to see what he saw.
“Do we?” he mused, a dimple winking into sight as he smiled. “I think we just bring each other out.”
Her phone rang, breaking the moment, but for the first time, Vedika felt no compulsion to answer, to find out who needed her and for what.
She flipped over on to her stomach, tossing her hair out of the way and looking at him. She didn’t miss the way his gaze followed the movement. “I bring out an arrogant ass?”
“It takes one to know one,” he retorted blandly.
She punched his arm in retaliation.
“Ow!” he said mildly. “You’re a violent sort.”
“That’s what you bring out,” she giggled, then stopped short in amazement. Giggled! She was not a giggler, never had been.
A long, bony finger poked her in her side and she squeaked.
“Do that again,” he murmured.
“What? Punch you?” She balled her fist in preparation. “It will be my pleasure.”
“Laugh,” he said, looking over at her. “You don’t do it enough.”
She felt hot and cold all over, every part of her seeming to flood with sensation.
For a long moment, she did nothing but stare, holding that intense gaze.
And in that moment, there was nothing but him.
Nothing but the two of them, the carpet of stars in the sky, and the crashing surf feet away from where they lay.
Her phone rang again, breaking the moment and Vedika blinked, looking away from him. She pushed herself up, fruitlessly trying to dust the sand off herself. Her phone stopped for a second and then rang again.
This time, she answered. “Pa?”
“Hey Vedu.” Her father’s deep voice flooded through the phone, grounding her and focusing her scattered emotions. “Ma and I wanted to check in and see how you’re doing.”
“I’m good, Pa,” she murmured, standing and walking a little away from Daksh.
“Hopefully, I can be home tomorrow. I’ve got the Banlay thing under control, I promise.
” A twinge of discomfort made itself felt as she remembered her last conversation with Ashish.
But it was under control, she reminded herself. It was getting done.
“I didn’t call about Banlay,” Aakash rumbled. “I called to talk to my baby girl. I’m worried about you being stuck in that mess, all alone.”
Vedika smiled. “I’m fine. Truly. And I’m not alone. Daksh is here, Ashish’s brother.”
“Oh right, I forgot. He’s the older one, right?”
“Yeah.” Vedika nodded though her father couldn’t see her. “He is.”
“He’s the good looking one.” Her mother’s voice came through suddenly. Her father must have had the phone on speaker. “I looked him up online.”
Vedika stiffened. “Are you trying to say Ashish isn’t good looking?”
“Well,” Kanak sounded abashed as she backpedalled. “Of course not, I’m just saying the brothers don’t really resemble each other. One is rugged and sexy and the other is…nice.”
“Stop talking sweetheart,” her father interjected. “Vedu, do you need anything?”
“No Pa,” she murmured, hiding a smile. “I’m good.”
There was a moment’s silence and then her mother said, sounding surprised, “You do sound good.”
“I am.”
“You sound…relaxed.”
“Didn’t I tell you to stop talking?” Aakash murmured.
“When have I ever done what you’ve asked me to do?” Vedika’s mother countered.
“It would have been nice if it had happened for once,” her father grumbled.
Vedika grinned, her heart settling at the sound of their familiar bickering.
“Vedu,” her mother said now, her voice lowering to a shady whisper.
“Yes?” Vedika whispered, automatically mimicking her mother.
“Is he there? Ashish’s brother?”
Vedika’s gaze flicked over to where Daksh was sprawled out, his eyes closed.
“Yes,” she whispered cautiously.
“Is he as good looking in person as he is online?”
Vedika muffled a laugh as her father groaned. Her mother, it would appear, had fallen down the rabbit hole of cyber stalking Daksh. Vedika didn’t blame her. She’d spent a little time surfing that same hole last night.
“Better,” she replied now.
Kanak squealed and laughed. “Oh my God. That man won the genetic lottery, didn’t he?”
“He did, Ma. He won every lottery ever invented in that department.”
“Alright ladies,” Aakash good naturedly cut them off. “I’m sitting right here.”
“You could just go away,” Kanak offered.
Vedika was laughing too hard to even pretend to be stealthy now. She glanced over at Daksh and saw him smiling back at her.
And for this little sliver of time, she forgot all about her million and one worries and laughed, allowing herself to just be.