Chapter 26
Shauna sipped her wine, watching her sister and Jiya argue over what to order for dessert. Rhea had picked this new boho-chic restaurant that promised incredible Italian food, and so far, it hadn’t disappointed. The place was packed, alive with color and easy energy, and she liked it.
She watched as Rhea and Jiya continued debating the menu, both completely invested. On any other night, she would’ve been right there with them, arguing, laughing, insisting on her own choices.
But tonight… her heart wasn’t in it. Both her mind and her heart were on him. Akash.
A soft, almost helpless smile touched her lips as her thoughts drifted, unbidden, back to him.
To his smile. The way his eyes lingered on her like he couldn’t quite get enough.
The way his touch felt steady, sure, like he knew exactly what he was doing to her.
The way he kissed her… The way he made love to her, owning her so completely that she ached to feel it again.
She wanted to leave and go to him, especially after his last text.
I need you tonight…
Her breath caught, and a tremor ran down her spine again as she recalled his words. God. This man…
What was he doing to her? She was so far gone for him.
So completely, undeniably in love with him.
And for the first time, she didn’t need to fight it.
She didn’t need to push her emotions away or bury them under pride and anger and everything that had once kept them apart.
She could let herself feel everything she felt for him.
And she felt so much.
Rhea smacked her arm lightly with the menu, and Shauna winced. “What was that for?” she asked, rubbing the spot.
“That was for sitting here with us and daydreaming about him,” Rhea shot back, narrowing her eyes.
“I wasn’t daydreaming about him,” Shauna protested.
“Yes, you were,” Jiya said, leaning forward with a knowing smile. “You’ve barely said a word since we got here, and now you’re sitting there staring at your wine like it’s telling you secrets, smiling to yourself.”
“It’s obvious,” Rhea added. “So just admit it already.”
A soft smile spread across Shauna’s face, happiness bubbling up inside her chest, impossible to contain.
“I’m just… so happy,” she admitted quietly.
“He and I… we’ve never been at peace. It’s always been tension, arguments, misunderstandings.
And now, it feels like everything has finally fallen into place.
He’s different. Or maybe he’s always been this way, and I just never saw it.
” Her voice softened. “He’s warm, caring…
and he looks so happy to see me every time.
Like he can’t get enough of me. I’m… I’m… ”
Rhea raised a brow, her gaze sharpening. “You’re what?”
Shauna let out a small breath, her smile deepening. “I’m in love with him.”
“What?” Jiya gasped, exchanging a stunned look with Rhea.
Shauna looked at her twin. “You told me once that there could be something beyond Sehgal Media that could make me happier, and now I finally know what that is. It is him. Akash. It’s always been him.
I love him so much, more than anything else in the world.
He makes me happier than I’ve ever been.
He sees all the parts of me, even the ones I want to hide, and he loves me for who I am. ”
Rhea leaned forward. “Talk. And don’t leave out a single thing.”
Shauna let out a slow breath. And for the first time, she told them everything.
About the past. About all those years of misunderstanding and hurt. About Singapore. The Maldives. And then, quietly, with her cheeks warming, about that night a few days ago, when she’d offered herself to him to comfort him, and he’d claimed her all over again.
“You never told me about the past or how you felt about him back then,” Rhea said, with a sad smile. “I wish I’d known. I wish we could have avoided all this pain and heartache you went through.”
“You need to tell him, Shauna,” Jiya said. “He needs to know how you really feel.”
Her heart reeled.
The past flashed before her eyes, reopening wounds that had only just begun to heal. That was why she couldn’t bring herself to tell him how deeply she felt, how much he had come to mean to her… because she didn’t know if he felt the same.
And she couldn’t bear it if he didn’t. The worst part was that they were in this position because he’d been forced to sign a contract with her. For five years only. What if, at the end of it, he wanted to walk away?
Her chest hollowed. No, she couldn’t afford to tell him.
“Tell him, Shauna,” Rhea urged softly.
Before she could reply, her phone rang. Her heart skipped, then broke into a happy little dance as she glanced at the screen.
Akash.
A smile lit up her face as she quickly answered. “Hi, Akash.”
“Shauna, it’s actually Vir on the line.”
She blinked, her smile faltering into a frown. “Vir? Where’s Akash? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, all good,” Vir replied easily. “Armaan is here with me. He wants to say hi.”
The phone went on speaker, and she could hear music in the background.
“Hi, Shauna,” Armaan greeted her. “How are you?”
She smiled. “I’m good. I didn’t know you were coming to Mumbai.”
“Well, my friend here got engaged, so I had to come meet him,” Armaan replied. “Good plan, da?”
She laughed. Armaan was Rajiv’s brother-in-law and she’d met him and his brothers several times during her visits to Dubai to meet Sheena.
From the background, she heard Akash’s annoyed voice. “Give me my phone back, you idiots.”
“No,” Armaan laughed.
“What’s happening?” Shauna asked in confusion.
“You see, Shauna,” Vir said, his tone easy and familiar, like they’d been in touch all this time, as if years hadn’t passed since they’d last spoken. “We’re at a nightclub, and instead of enjoying himself, my friend here has been absolutely miserable.”
She heard a muffled protest in the background.
“And,” Vir continued, clearly enjoying himself, “it seems to me that he’s yearning for you.”
Another scuffle. A low, irritated, “Vir—”
“So,” Armaan continued, taking over from Vir, “how about you save all of us from this tragic situation and come to Tryst, da?”
“I am not yearning,” Shauna heard Akash say in the background.
“No?” Vir asked. “Then why have you been ignoring that girl from your college? She’s been practically clamoring for your attention ever since you walked in here. And you refuse to talk to her.”
“Vir, I swear to—”
Vir and Armaan laughed, completely unfazed by Akash. But Shauna’s head was spinning as fire erupted in her chest. Which girl? Who was trying to get Akash’s attention?
“Okay, we gotta go,” Vir said quickly. “Akash’s very enthusiastic friend is heading this way, and she’s brought backup. And wow… they are gorgeous. Someone has to entertain them. Bye.”
“Hello, ladies…” she heard Vir say before the line went dead.
“Bloody fucking hell,” Shauna cursed.
“What happened?” Rhea asked.
Shauna lowered her phone slowly, her expression tightening. “The guys have gone to Tryst, and some girl has been trying to get Akash’s attention. She’s at their table now. With her friends.”
Jiya’s brows shot up before a laugh slipped out. “Are you jealous?”
The truth hit her hard and fast. This… this restless, consuming urge to get up, walk out of here, find him, and make it very clear that he was hers…
If that was jealousy, then she was absolutely, unapologetically jealous.
She stood. “I’m going there.”
“Where?” Rhea asked. “To Tryst?”
“Fuck, you are jealous,” Jiya said.
Shauna shot her a speaking look. “Stop smirking. There are apparently a bunch of gorgeous women with our men at a nightclub, and last I checked, both your men are very much eye candy too. So, I’m not sitting here while my man is getting hit on.”
“Bloody fucking hell,” Rhea muttered, pushing her chair back and signaling the waiter for the bill.
“I’m coming too,” Jiya said, grabbing her purse and swinging it over her shoulder.
Within minutes, they were in her car, and her newly assigned bodyguard was driving them to the nightclub.
Her mind was a storm of fury mixed with irritation. Akash was hers, and she wanted to scream that from the rooftops.
The pulsing music of the nightclub hit them the moment they stepped inside. Lights flashed across a sea of bodies moving in rhythm, the energy wild and electric. She searched the crowd for him, her heart racing.
Where was he?
She scanned the surrounding tables, but he wasn’t there. Finally, she looked up. And there he was on the level above at a VIP table.
Akash stood between Vir and Armaan, one hand resting casually on the railing as he looked out over the crowd. Vir was completely in his element, moving to the beat, thumping his hand in time with the music, while Armaan was talking to Akash.
Vir spotted her first. A wide grin broke across his face as he waved at her. Then he leaned in, saying something in Akash’s ear and nodding in her direction.
Akash turned. And the moment his eyes landed on her, everything about him changed. His face lit up, and in the next second, he was moving, making his way down to her.
Shauna didn’t move. Her heart thundered as she watched him walk toward her, his eyes locked on hers, like she was the only one in the room. His hands came to her waist, pulling her into him, grounding her against his body as he leaned in. His nose brushed along her throat, breathing her in.
“You’re here,” he murmured, his voice low, almost disbelieving.
She placed a hand on his chest, her gaze sliding past him, back to where he’d been standing earlier. “Where are those women you were with?”
He chuckled softly, his grip on her waist tightening. “There were no women.”
She frowned. “But Vir said—”
“…Vir’s an idiot,” he cut in, amusement lacing his tone. “They both are. They knew I’d had a rough day and did what they could to get you here. So, for once, they’re actually the best friends ever.”
She blinked as the realization settled in.