Chapter 20
DAKSH
He was just tossing the last of his few belongings into his haversack when the pounding on his door began. Daksh ran a distracted hand through his hair as he went over to yank the door open before the person on the other side took it off its hinges.
“I didn’t ask for luggage pickup…“
His words trailed off when he saw Vedika standing on the other side, feet bare, hair dishevelled, her angry glare trained on his face. He let go off the door and turned to stalk back into the room. She caught the door as it was about to close and pushed it open, following him.
“You were just going to leave?” she demanded.
“Yeah, I was,” Daksh muttered. He glanced around the room and spotted a sock hiding under the bed. He grabbed it and jammed it into his bag. Zipping it up, he hauled it over one shoulder and took a deep breath. He needed to get the fuck out of here. Now!
“You’re just going to leave me here and go?” She looked betrayed and confused and mostly, she looked disappointed. Disappointed in him. Welcome to his world, sweetheart. This was what he did best.
“I’m not your babysitter, Mouse.”
The words were harsh but necessary. He saw them land, the words robbing her of the lost, little girl look on her face. He saw the hurt, the anxiety, and then the anger…he welcomed it. The angrier she was, the easier this would be.
“No, you’re not. And I don’t need one,” she retorted crisply. “But this isn’t, it isn’t, she floundered. “It’s not right. You’re not being very gentlemanly.”
He forced a mocking grin, his eyebrows raising. “Do I look like a gentleman?”
He saw her gaze travel over him, his ripped jeans, frayed t-shirt, the tattoos running up his arms, peeking out from above the neckline and then her eyes reached his face, met his own.
“No,” she said quietly, evenly. “But you are. I know you are. You stayed with me, all through this upheaval. You didn’t leave me alone. You brought me food.”
“Only because my brother insisted. Not because I wanted to.”
Her eyes shot to his, a slight flush working its way up her neck and cheeks. “Right,” she whispered.
“He’s the one who makes you feel safe, remember?” He knew he was pushing the dagger in but he needed to…it had to hurt and the reminder wasn’t for her. It was for him. He needed to bleed now, so he didn’t break later.
She hunched her shoulders, almost like the words were a physical blow that landed. But she didn’t say a word. Neither to agree. Nor to negate.
“I need to go pay my bill and check out.” He shoved his hands in his pockets so they didn’t wander in her direction and made his way to the door. Towards her because she was still blocking his path to freedom.
She stepped aside as he walked towards her. He almost made it to the door. Almost.
“Was it the lobster?”
Fuck yes. It was the lobster. He blinked hard to shutter his emotions, not turning to face her, coward that it was.
When was the last time someone had thought about what he’d liked to eat and organised it for him?
When was the last time someone had noticed what he liked, what he wanted, what he needed?
He couldn’t remember. Maybe never. So, yeah, it was the fucking lobster.
“I wasn’t coming on to you,” she said, back to sounding lost again. “I’m not…I’m marrying your brother in a few weeks, for God’s sake.”
“I know.” Oh, he fucking knew!
“Then what…” she trailed off. “Look, I’m not good with this stuff.”
“Stuff?” He was still staring determinedly at the door. He wouldn’t look at her. He couldn’t.
“People. Interacting with them. Relationships. Friendships. I’m awkward and weird and…just not the girl everyone wants around. But I thought today, I thought, we were better together…I thought, maybe we could be friends or something. I didn’t think ordering lobster would ruin it.”
Friends, he thought grimly. Fucking friends.
“I need-“ He stopped for a moment, clearing his throat before saying, “I need to get going. The car’s waiting for me downstairs.”
“Okay.” It was so quiet, he almost didn’t hear her.
Don’t look, he told himself. But he turned his head, looking at her. She had her arms wrapped around herself and was looking down at the ground.
“I’ll see you in Mumbai,” he said. “At the wedding. Your wedding.”
Her head lifted, her eyes shimmering with tears. Not one spilled over though as she watched him.
“I’ll see you at the wedding,” she echoed.
“Goodbye, Vedika.”
She didn’t respond. He walked out of the hotel room, his footsteps echoing the drumming of his heart. He needed to get the hell away, get some space, get some perspective…get his head screwed on straight.
Daksh was the family fuck up. He’d screwed up everything worth screwing up. But he was not, absolutely not, going to screw up his brother’s wedding.
The lift doors closed around him and he took a deep breath, forcing himself to let it out slowly, counting down so it eased the tension cinching his chest. He stepped out in the lobby and walked over to the reception.
“I need to clear the bill,” he told the pretty, young girl behind the desk.
She nodded, smiling as she handed him the printed bill. He scrawled his signature on it without looking and handed over his card. The minutes crawled by agonisingly slowly as the receptionist swiped it and waited for approval. And then it was done. She handed it over to him.
He took the card, shoving it into his pocket.
“Do you have any other luggage, Sir?” she asked.
“No.” He shouldered his backpack. “Thank you,” he tacked on when he realised how rude he was being.
For a moment, he hesitated, his gaze drawn back to the elevator lobby in the distance. For once in his fucking life, he was doing the right thing. The honourable thing. Why then was it so fucking hard?
He took a step towards the elevator but before he could take another, the concierge walked up to him.
“Sir, your car is ready.”
Daksh nodded. He followed the other man out of the front doors of the hotel. This time he didn’t look back.