Chapter Thirty-Three
Arya
I make a detour to my apartment to feed Pihu and play with her. She’s always waiting at the front door and eagerly climbs up my legs until I hug her tight.
She’s growing bigger and more beautiful day by day.
And becoming quite naughty too.
She also loves playing with water. I almost tripped when she spilled her drinking water from the bowl I kept on the floor.
As I head for the door after changing into my favorite pair of jeans and tank top, Pihu trots after me on her little paws. She mewls when I grab the house keys.
“I’ll be back soon, cutie-pie,” I murmur to her, kneeling to pet her.
She hisses louder, jumping into my lap. Staring into her piercing green eyes, my heart melts at her adorable face.
How am I supposed to walk away now?
“Fine,” I sigh. “Guess Bianca will have two guests over.”
A triumphant purr leaves her mouth, knowing she pouted her way to come with me.
“You have me wrapped around your little paw.” I laugh, standing up. Holding her against my chest and my tote bag hefted on my right shoulder, I unlock the door and step out. Locking the place with one hand, I trudge to the elevator and ride to the parking lot.
In the car downstairs, I place her on the passenger seat and my bag in the back seat.
Putting Bianca’s address in the GPS, I turn the ignition on and glance sideways. “You ready, Pihu?”
She purrs twice as I hit the gas and drive out of the basement and into the night traffic. The city lights sparkle in the sky, adding to the thrill and happiness of spending time with Bianca after so long.
A day I never thought would come again.
I won’t lie that I’m harboring a twinge of fear of my parents finding out she and I are hanging out together.
They’ll see it as a betrayal. Mom surely would, along with guilt-tripping me into cutting ties with her again, while my dad would either threaten to disown me or try to create a divide between Bianca and me.
He still hasn’t forgiven me for the broken engagement, even though it wasn’t my fault. It’s why I’ve been avoiding going home.
What breaks my heart even more is that they haven’t invited me over. Mom texts me here and there. All of it superficial.
Was Bianca right? Should I leave them before they do the inevitable?
The thoughts keep plaguing me all the way to her home in a gated community. I turn down the driveaway, becoming blown away by Bianca’s house. The more accurate word is a gigantic mansion, sprawled across a beautiful piece of land with greenery all around. All lit with pretty lights.
There’s also a garden to my right, with a swing below the canopy of roses.
My heart goes full that she’s built such a lovely home with her husband. It’s fit for a family with lots of children. My sister had always been a hopeless romantic, dreaming of marrying a man that sweeps her off her feet.
My brother-in-law, Dash, has done just that.
God! I can’t wait for them to have kids, so I can be the cool aunt. I’m kind of shocked that Bianca isn’t pregnant already.
Hmm, will need to ask her about that.
Parking my car, I lift Pihu and march up to the double doors. I’ve barely rang the doorbell when the door swings open.
A grinning Bianca, dressed in denim shorts and a man’s T-shirt, greets me.
“Aru!” she screams joyously. “I can’t believe you’re here. And aww, who have you brought? When did you get a pet?”
“Very recently.” I chuckle and wave with Pihu’s paw. “Meet Pihu.”
“Pihu? What an adorable name,” she coos, peering down at her. “Can I hold her? Wait… she won’t scratch me, right?”
“Oh, she’s super friendly. Loves to cuddle with everyone she meets.” However, only after my approval. Nathan was the exception to whom she went to of her own volition. Did she sense the loneliness in him like she did with me?
Bianca takes her from me. “Whoa, she’s soft as a cotton ball.”
“Touch her ears. They’re like silk.”
“Oh my,” she cries. “That’s it. I’m getting a cat too.”
“They can be best friends.”
“Totally.” Suddenly noticing I’m still on her porch, she gasps, “Oh, where are my manners? Come inside. Rosa and Iris just barge in whenever they visit, so I’ve forgotten how to treat guests.”
Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve hung out on someone’s porch. “It’s okay.”
I cross the threshold, following Bianca and Pihu into the foyer. Abstract paintings adorn the walls while a chandelier on the ceiling glitters down on us. We walk past a spiral staircase and into the vast living room. The inside is as pretty as the outside.
On one wall across the couch and the coffee table there are photo frames of Dash and Bianca from all over the world. In most of them, he’s gazing at her possessively or smiling lovingly. “You guys travel a lot, huh?”
“We go on vacation every year. Dash loved traveling when he was younger, so I made it a mission to make it happen often.”
“That’s sweet.”
“I’ll give you a house tour after we eat.” Taking us to the world-class kitchen, she smirks. “I hope you’re hungry.”
“I’m starving.” I can smell the aroma of the spicy bhaji and the buttered bread, making my stomach growl.
“Have a seat.” She points to the stool across the island, where she puts Pihu, who starts to roll around on the shiny marble. “How are things with you?”
“I’ve been busy with work. I was on leave for months after the disaster wedding, so I have a lot to catch up on.”
“In other words, you’re burying yourself in work,” she scolds in a motherly tone. “That’s unhealthy, Aru.”
“Maybe in the beginning.” Nathan’s face flashes behind my eyes. His intensity and cockiness. The primal heat on his face when he caresses me. “Not anymore. I’ve moved on from Aryan. I hardly even think about him.”
“That true?” She slides two full piping hot plates, along with two bottled waters and side salad. Rounding the island to sit beside me, she murmurs, “You were together for several years.”
I cut a piece of the pao and dip in the bhaji. “He wasn’t the one, Bee. After you left, I wasn’t in a good place. In those two years, I think our love fizzled out. I was too wrapped up in my grief to notice it. Or maybe I didn’t want to see what was right in front of me.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I feel like it’s my fault.”
“No,” I firmly reply. “Everything that happened, though sad, turned out to be for the best. I would’ve ended up with the wrong man, which most likely would’ve led to a divorce or worse. Papa and Momma would’ve ended up mad.”
“They’re continuing the silent treatment?”
“Oh yeah, big time.”
“They’ll come around.” She nudges my shoulder with hers. “You have always been their favorite daughter.”
“Not anymore.”
She gives a consoling smile. “Eat. The food’s getting cold.”
“It’s delicious,” I compliment after the first bite and immediately go for a second. Pihu mewls, asking for a taste. “The paos are perfect. Crispy and buttery.”
“Really?” Her eyes light up like the Fourth of July. Reaching for her phone, she points the camera in my face. “Will you repeat that so I can record it? I’ll send it to Dash and Rosa.”
“Why?”
“Because they didn’t think I had it in me. They’re always teaming up and banning me from kitchens.”
I crack up, imagining a pissed-off Bianca. “Fine, I’ll say it again.”
As soon as I do with a lot more enthusiasm, she hits send and sits back in satisfaction. We eat in amicable silence. During which my mind travels to Nathan.
Every time after we’re intimate, he becomes closed off. I didn’t think it would bother me as much as it is, but I was only lying to myself.
There are brief moments where he’s evoked emotions of jealousy, possessiveness, and longing that caught me off guard.
Does this mean I have a crush on him? Is it more than mere attraction and lust I’m feeling toward him? A deep connection? Am I in denial about it all?
God! That would be catastrophic.
He warned me, didn’t he? And we’ve only been together once since our arrangement. Worse, it’s unrequited. Perhaps that’s why he puts up a wall.
Was I fooling myself thinking I’m capable of a casual relationship?
Panic spreads through my chest, tunneling my vision for a second.
A hand touches my arm, followed by Bianca's worried voice. “Arya, you all right?”
I jerk and clear my throat. “Yeah, sorry. I zoned out about work.”
“Nathan?”
I freeze, sputtering, “What about him?”
Does she know we’re hooking up?
Even Pihu sits up straight at hearing his name.
“His case is one of the complicated ones you must be handling,” she replies. “I assumed that's why work must be hectic for you.”
“Oh.” The tension eases from my shoulders. “You’re right. His situation has worsened after those leaked texts. I do have a plan to fix it.”
“Hmm.”
Her tone irks me. “What?”
She pushes her plate away. “Do you want the truth?”
“Always.”
“Nathan deserves to suffer,” she answers vehemently.
My brows rise and I stare pointedly. “Because you don’t like him?”
“Because he hurt Iris terribly after she stayed loyal to him.” Her expression becoming torn, she grits out, “I hate she’s becoming collateral damage yet again.”
“Did you know their engagement was fake?”
“Yes. Iris told Rosa and me after Kian kissed her and called off her engagement in front of everyone at Rosa’s party.”
I stare aghast. But Bianca isn’t finished dropping bombs.
“Nathan did everything in his power to break them up because of his need for revenge against Kian, whom he despises. Iris thought of him as a best friend and he selfishly used her. Why else do you think I warned you to watch your back around him? He has the world fooled with his good boy charm. He’s nothing but a manipulative and lying bastard. ”
Exactly what I thought of him months ago.
Not anymore.
Despite everything Bianca is telling me, which I do believe because neither she nor Iris are liars, I think she knows only one side of the story.
Even though I don’t know Nathan’s side fully, I have the strong urge to defend him. However, it’ll fall on deaf ears.
“I’m sorry Iris had to go through that,” is all I say.
“Yeah.” Standing up, she picks up our plates and carries them to the sink. After washing her hands, she turns and smiles. “Let’s get rid of the bad energy. Do you want to watch a movie or have a house tour?”
I force a grin. “Movie!”
Grabbing Pihu, who’s half asleep, I follow Bianca. We walk through two hallways before she stops before a black door and opens it.
I gasp, walking inside. “You have a theater room?”
“Dash wanted all amenities in our house,” she replies sheepishly. “He loves to have me all to himself, so he made certain we’d never need anything outside of our home. We even have a tennis court in the backyard after I joked I was joining to join a country club.”
“You don’t mind him being this possessive?”
“Nah, I love it.” Her grin is infectious. “The possessiveness is mutual.”
“How did you get him to open up?” I curiously ask. “He’s so scary and quiet.”
“Quite the opposite, actually.” She chuckles.
“What do you mean?”
“Dash was an open book when it came to his feelings for me. Our marriage wasn’t fake for him, while I did everything in my power to not let him in. I fought our connection tooth and nail because I feared getting my heart broken a second time.”
Dash’s younger stepbrother, whom she dated in college, cheated on her. She came back as a different girl.
“What changed your mind?”
“His unshakable belief that we belonged together. We had to face challenges, but he never gave up on me and taught me how to fall in love again.”
“You’re lucky.”
Peering at me intensely like she sees right into my broken soul, she says, “Don’t close yourself to love like I did, Arya. Or you might let the man meant for you slip away.”
But what if he’s the one shutting me out?
How do I keep him?