Chapter 25
Adull ache throbbed at the base of Akash’s head as he sat back, waiting for his bodyguard to pull the car to a stop beneath the porch of the restaurant Nirvaan had chosen for the night.
He sighed. Seeing his father had shaken him more than he’d expected.
The entire drive from the office had been spent on a conference call with Keya, Kabier, VJ, and Janak as he filled them in on everything. Together, they’d dissected the entire conversation with his father. None of them could make sense of why his father was back or what exactly he wanted from them.
All of them had agreed that he and Keya needed to be careful, and Janak was relieved that they had security watching over them at all times.
Thankfully, the news of his engagement to Shauna wasn’t out yet.
But when that happened… and it would happen soon after the board meeting…
God, he had to protect her as well. Keep her safe. She was too damn important to him.
He sighed again. At least she had a bodyguard trailing her. He’d arranged that immediately after he’d seen his father trespassing in his house.
He exhaled slowly. He had to tell Shauna about this latest development. And he would. Just not tonight. She was out with the girls, and the last thing he wanted was to ruin that.
The car came to a smooth stop, and Akash stepped out. He gave his name to the hostess, who greeted him politely before ushering him inside. He slowed his steps once he entered, taking in the space around him.
The restaurant was stunning, every detail carefully considered, from the soaring ceilings to the antique finishes that lent it an old-world elegance.
Soft amber light bathed the room, while quiet conversations and the gentle clink of glasses created a steady, calming rhythm.
Dark antique-print wallpaper adorned the walls, elegantly restored arches framed the room in quiet grandeur, and baroque pillars added a timeless charm.
Victorian tables and chairs were arranged with effortless precision, each corner of the room exuding a refined, old-world sophistication.
For a moment, he let himself absorb it. Let it settle him.
Le Grand Salon was a stunning restaurant. Truly, Raashi and Sameer had done a brilliant job of converting this old heritage villa that had once belonged to Sameer’s grandmother into this beautiful restaurant, which was also connected to the spa wing of the Marquis Hotel.
He scanned the space, searching for his friends and found them all seated at a table in the corner, drinks in hand, deep in conversation. Nirvaan noticed him first, lifting his hand in acknowledgment. Akash made his way over to them.
All the men rose to their feet as he approached, greeting him with easy familiarity, pulling him into quick hugs before settling back around their table.
“It’s good to see you, Akash,” Rohan said, clapping him on the shoulder.
Vir gave him a naughty smile and a wink. For once, his famous friend wasn’t in disguise. No cap, no glasses. Yet, even in an exclusive restaurant like this one, he’d chosen to sit with his back to the room, out of view of any prying eyes.
Akash smiled as he took his seat with them, instantly feeling at ease among his friends.
Nirvaan pushed a whiskey glass toward him. “It’s a Bowmore. I know you like it.”
“Thanks,” Akash said, taking it.
“Oh, and we have a surprise for you,” Dheer said.
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“I see you’ve all started without me, da?” an accented voice said from behind Akash.
Akash turned and broke into a wide smile the moment he saw his friend, Armaan Oshnov.
“Armaan!” he said, rising quickly and pulling him into a quick hug. “You’re here?”
“My friend has gotten engaged, so I had to come and see you, moy drug.”
Moy drug—my friend. Armaan and his brothers had spent years in Russia after being adopted by the oligarch who’d raised them. Hence, Russian phrases slipped into his speech without thought. By now, Akash knew enough to understand what he meant.
He looked at the others. “You all knew?”
“Of course,” Vir replied. “We planned it. It was high time the whole group was complete and together for a night.”
Akash grinned. With Armaan here, his circle was indeed complete. He gave Armaan another hug. God, it felt good to have him here. This man had been a friend to him when he had hardly any in Dubai. Armaan was the reason he loved that city so much.
Rohan handed a glass of vodka to Armaan. Nirvaan shifted his black-rimmed glasses up his nose before raising his own glass in a toast. “To Akash… congratulations on heading Sehgal Media and on finally getting hitched to Shauna. All your fighting with her never really seemed like hate to me.”
“I agree,” Rohan smirked. “All that verbal sparring seemed a lot like foreplay.”
Dheer, who had been quietly observing, took a slow sip of his drink before speaking, his tone calm, almost thoughtful. “You were never as indifferent to her as you pretended to be.”
“I’ve heard only fragments about the back-and-forth between you and Shauna.
That too most of it from these guys,” Armaan said.
He looked at the others, a naughty glint entering his eyes.
“You know, one night, Navya and I took him to a nightclub in Dubai. One of Navya’s model friends was there, and she’d been eyeballing him the whole evening.
But he wouldn’t even give her a second glance.
In fact, he never went out with a single woman while he was in Dubai, no matter how hard I tried to convince him to.
Now, I believe it was all because of Shauna. ”
Of course, it was because of Shauna. No other woman had appealed to him after their night in Singapore. And if he were being honest, even in the past, every other woman had paled in comparison to her. That’s why he’d never been in a serious relationship with anyone.
Vir leaned back, grinning. “So can we finally agree you’ve crushed on her for years?”
Akash scoffed, shaking his head. “Not admitting that to you. Ever. But I will admit that I am happy with her now.”
“So anyway,” Nirvaan said, lifting his glass with a grin. “You and I are going to be brothers-in-law. Cheers to that.”
Akash clinked his glass against his. The conversation drifted easily between them as they caught up on work, business deals, and the personal details of their lives.
On his side, he filled them in on everything—his father’s sudden appearance and his conversation with him. His friends listened without interrupting, their expressions shifting from curiosity to quiet concern as he spoke.
“How are you doing?” Dheer asked, worry etched across his face.
“To be honest, it’s all a bit much,” Akash admitted, feeling the tension surge through him again. “Meeting him like that was unexpected, and I’m feeling drained.”
“Let’s hope he stays away from now on,” Vir said, his eyes narrowing faintly. “You don’t need him complicating things again.”
“I’m glad you’ve increased the security around yourself and Keya,” Rohan added.
Akash nodded, glad to have the opportunity to catch up with them. Between the chaos of work, his father’s return, and everything else going on in his life, it felt good to just sit there, unwind, and be with his friends.
“So tell us honestly,” Nirvaan said, changing the subject. “How do you really feel about the engagement? I mean, I was there when you and Shauna announced it to the family. But I don’t believe for one second that it’s all about the business.”
Akash leaned back, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Well, it started that way, but somewhere along the way, it’s begun to feel more. Like I’m standing on the brink of something special.”
“I suppose all that unresolved chemistry finally found an outlet in Singapore,” Rohan said, a smirk tugging at his lips. “I believe that may have helped your situation now.”
Akash blinked, caught off guard. Then he exhaled, shaking his head as a reluctant smile broke through.
“Why am I even surprised?” Akash muttered. “Of course, the girls told you everything.”
“Which you never did,” Nirvaan pointed out dryly, raising a brow.
“What happened in Singapore?” Armaan asked. “And why do I not know about it?”
“You’re not the only one,” Dheer added with a frown. His gaze shifted to Vir.
Vir immediately took a large sip of his drink.
Dheer’s eyes narrowed slightly. He pointed a finger at him. “You know, don’t you?”
Vir didn’t even bother denying it this time, a slow grin spreading across his face. “I might.”
“Fuck,” Nirvaan swore.
Before the others could press further, Akash cut in. “Look, the only reason he knows is because he called me that morning in Singapore. I… wasn’t in the best headspace, and I told him everything.”
Armaan’s gaze sharpened. “Told him what?”
Akash exhaled, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.
“About Shauna,” he said simply. “About what happened between us that night.”
“You slept with her?” Dheer asked, looking shocked.
“Blyad,” Armaan cursed in Russian, the equivalent of fuck.
“He so did,” Vir replied, grinning.
Akash glared at him. But the others were all looking at him, so he continued, “It was hard for me to confide in all of you. I mean, I couldn’t believe for the longest time that she and I…
that we’d…” He shook his head, looking at Nirvaan and Rohan.
“And later, when neither of you spoke about it, I was certain Shauna hadn’t told your girls, which meant I couldn’t tell you both either. ”
He addressed Dheer and Armaan. “And as for the two of you, I just couldn’t process it in my own head enough to tell anyone else about it.”
They both gave him an understanding nod each.
“But all’s well now, right?” Rohan asked, studying him carefully.
Rohan had been his first mentor after Janak, and because of that, he was always a little protective of him. Akash genuinely appreciated that about him.
“It’s all good,” Akash said, shaking his head lightly.
“But right now, please don’t press me for details.
Shauna and I… we’re still figuring things out.
” His tone softened. “After years of tension, this… whatever this is… finally feels right. I don’t want to rush it.
I just want to let it grow. Figure it out with her first.”
“It’s like that, huh?” Vir asked, a knowing grin on his face.
“It is something, for sure.”
His mind immediately went to her. Her laughter, her smiles, the way she touched him so easily as if he were hers.
Fingers clicked in front of his face.
“That bad, da?” Armaan chuckled. “I like seeing you in love, moy drug.”
“It’s not—”
“—don’t finish that sentence,” Vir said. “I don’t want to hear your protests again. Let’s talk about this a few weeks from now.”
Akash glared at him, but Vir simply rolled his eyes. His friends were wrong; he wasn’t in love with Shauna.
His heart lurched. No, he didn’t want to be in love with her.
While things were getting better between them and they were both trying to make their relationship real, the fact remained that they had signed a contract, one which would expire in five years.
He couldn’t afford to fall in love with her.
His heart would never survive the heartbreak if she left him after five years.
The conversation, thankfully, shifted after that, drifting into lighter territory, on to shared stories, old memories, harmless teasing, and Akash found himself relaxing into it. They ordered two more rounds of drinks, and by the time they ordered dinner, he was feeling pleasantly buzzed.
His thoughts drifted again. To her.
Shauna.
He’d texted her before heading out. Just a quick message letting her know he was meeting his friends for dinner. She’d replied with happy emojis. He smiled. Perhaps they really were becoming a regular couple.
Almost without thinking, he picked up his phone again and sent her a quick text.
I need you tonight…
He hit send, leaning back in his chair, a quiet satisfaction filling his chest as he listened to the conversations unfolding around him. Just a few more hours and she’d be in his arms, where she belonged.
Vir flicked his nose. “You look like you’re yearning again.”
“Oh, fuck off,” Akash shot back.
The others were already watching him, varying degrees of amusement on their faces.
Vir grinned wider. He slammed his glass down on the table. “You know what? Let’s finish dinner and go to a nightclub.”
Dheer groaned instantly. “Absolutely not.”
Rohan looked mildly horrified. “I agree. I hate nightclubs”
Nirvaan leaned back, already suspicious. “Not tonight.”
“Oh, let’s go, da,” Armaan said. “It should be fun.”
Akash glanced between them. Dheer, Rohan, and Nirvaan were always so serious.
The only time he’d seen Rohan and Nirvaan truly at ease was when they were around their women.
Dheer had been like that once too, but after everything that had happened to him, that ease had disappeared, replaced by something quieter and heavier.
“Oh, come on,” Vir said. “You’ll enjoy it. I promise.”
“You will,” Armaan said. “I don’t come to India often. Let’s go scope out the party scene in Mumbai.”
“No,” Dheer muttered, looking unimpressed.
Akash leaned back, watching with quiet amusement as Rohan and Nirvaan exchanged apprehensive looks and subtly tried to dissuade Vir and Armaan, who weren’t budging an inch.
A quiet sense of peace settled over him as he watched his friends bicker. He exhaled, finally letting go of the tension that had been wrapped around him since his encounter with his father.
His father leaving them had perhaps been the best thing that had ever happened to him and Keya. Because in his absence, they had built something of their own. A good life. One filled with people who had chosen to stay. Who had stood by them without obligation, without condition.
Blood didn’t make a family. But friendships like these, this loyalty…
This did.