-40-
Jayasvi looked at Aahan, thoroughly confused when she noticed the phone pointed directly in her direction. Was he checking the directions on some navigation app, or simply trying to find a network signal? She had no idea. She approached him with a deep, prominent frown marring her face.
"You were here this whole time? I've been looking for you for such a long time," Jayasvi spoke, the sharp tinge of frustration audible in her voice. He was standing directly opposite her, yet she had been searching the surrounding area for the last ten minutes.
"I am sorry. I didn't see you either. I thought about messaging you, but then you found me," Aahan stated, flashing his charming smile, which did absolutely nothing to calm Jayasvi's nerves at the moment.
"It's fine. It's a new place. We hadn't already decided on a specific spot where we should meet. It was bound to happen. I just thought you'd be waiting inside the cafe," she let out, explaining the reason for all the confusion while looking back at the exterior of the establishment.
"Behind you," Aahan spoke smoothly, showing her the way inside and opening the door for her like a true gentleman.
For a moment, Jayasvi was genuinely surprised.
Is that how all guys act? Raghav actually did.
But wasn't it simply because he was her fiancé?
Or is this just normal behavior for all men?
Chivalrous much, she wondered, slightly pulling out her lower lip as her eyes darted to the rich interior of the cafe.
She knew with just one single glance that she would love to come here again.
It practically screamed luxury, yet maintained an air of quiet elegance with how calm the surroundings felt despite the expensive decor.
Aahan politely pulled out the chair for her, letting her settle down properly before sitting opposite her, giving her his full, undivided attention. She looked at the place again already terrified of the bill when a waiter came to greet them and placed two glasses of water on the table.
"You wanted to meet? Is there something significant you wanted to talk about?" Jayasvi questioned while taking a small sip from a glass of water.
"You cut off contact so suddenly out of nowhere.
I thought I did something to trouble you.
I believed meeting here would help get rid of all the misunderstandings," Aahan explained, leaning back comfortably in his seat.
His eyes simply couldn't stray away from her sweet, innocent face.
Why hadn't he seen her in this light before?
She was literally everything he had ever wanted in his life.
Jayasvi raised her eyebrow when she noticed him staring at her without blinking. What was wrong with him? Gazing at her without blinking, as if she might disappear at any given moment.
He shook his head immediately, running his fingers back through his hair to quickly compose himself.
"So, what is going on in your life?" he asked her, attempting to change the subject, though he really wanted to know absolutely everything about her at the moment.
She shrugged her shoulders before a heavy silence enveloped them. She leaned back in her place, trying to decide exactly where to start and how much she should reveal. "I am getting married soon."
Aahan knew that very well, but hearing it while she sat this close to him hurt much more than he had anticipated. He adjusted his collar, continuing to maintain his charming smile while shifting in his seat. He rested his one leg over the other, trying hard to keep the power in his court.
"And do you love him?" Aahan questioned, desperate to know more about this alliance.
Jayasvi stopped for a moment. Nobody had ever asked her that question before today.
Everybody just wanted it to be a standard arranged marriage where deep feelings aren't involved before the wedding.
Nobody actually cared for her to love him; they just wanted her to be an obedient and submissive wife to him, someone who listens to his commands like a silent doll.
But did that mean she no longer loved him? No. She knew her feelings weren't wiped out completely, even though she tried to make herself believe it was pure hatred. She had once imagined her entire future with him.
"Honestly, I don't know," she whispered, much to the secret delight of Aahan. She didn't want to tell him she loved Raghav, not because she was ashamed, but because she had no time to explain the entire complicated situation to him.
"So why go ahead with the marriage when you have no real feelings for him? Family pressure?" Aahan questioned further, trying his best to hold back his growing excitement.
"Family pressure is one of the reasons, yes.
Not that I don't like him. I was asked during the initial stages, but the marriage is happening far too soon," she explained.
Finally, for once, she felt her head getting lighter.
Staying at home all these days, she couldn't share her raw emotions and thoughts with anyone.
Now, finally, somebody wanted to hear her out.
"Why don't you just say no to this proposal if you are so upset?
I mean, if the guy can't respect your wish of wanting to get married later, he doesn't really deserve you.
Your wish should be his command," Aahan offered.
Jayasvi absorbed his words, which weren't entirely wrong. Her wishes had deep importance as well.
"Because he is Raghav Hooda. And his name itself grants me things I have only ached for all of my life," she confessed.
Aahan felt entirely numb for a moment when he heard the name, but what shook him more was the sheer determination on Jayasvi's face when she stated how important Raghav was to her.
"Call it selfish, Aahan. All our extended family always looked down upon me and my parents.
They thought staying near and helping us in any way would only make us a burden upon them.
Every person wants to be associated with a successful person.
When our family didn't give them any material gain, they started to maintain their distance.
I can't even count anymore how many family functions my mother cried at because of the silent humiliation subjected to her, or the passive taunts.
My father was never respected in the family; he was always looked down upon," Jayasvi's voice shook for a brief moment, as if she was actively reliving the scene when a little Jayasvi ran behind her mother, who had just rushed to the washroom to cry yet again after another relative made fun of her.
"And do you know the funny part?" Jayasvi spoke, almost laughing humorlessly at the absolute audacity of people.
"Ever since my wedding got fixed with Raghav, those exact same people see my family as pure gold.
They try to stay in our good books just to get future favors from Raghav.
I can't lose that. For once, I am getting that respect in my life where people approach me and my family instead of viewing us as a liability that would harm them in the future. "
"I can't just let go of this stability because I am not ready for marriage," she accepted, even though she knew her words sounded very bad at the moment.
Aahan was actually taken aback by her words.
He had expected many things as her answer, but not this.
Never this. The sweet Jayasvi he knew, who only thought from her heart, actually possessed a sharp, practical brain as well.
But she wasn't sounding like a gold digger.
She just sounded like someone who had finally tasted respect for the first time in her life.
"Is it worth it? I mean, is Raghav a good partner to be with?" Aahan enquired further just as their hot coffee was served.
"You know Raghav?" she asked, looking almost surprised. Aahan simply shrugged his shoulders as if it were the most absurd thing in the world.
"He is Raghav Hooda, Jayasvi. It would've been a major surprise if I didn't know him.
If I am not wrong, he is expanding his business into airlines very soon.
Their family is just everywhere. Be it politics, luxury hotels, restaurants, and now even airlines," Aahan stated, though a part of him knew all this because of how incredibly small he felt in comparison to Raghav in every single sense.
Jayasvi nodded her head, still trapped in deep thought. Aahan obviously knew better about Raghav; after all, he was also from a prominent business family.
Aahan inspected her face for a while, seeing how she always seemed lost whenever she spoke about Raghav.
"Do you both actually want to get married?" he asked again. Jayasvi went even deeper into her thoughts. This conversation was making her think about her relationship with Raghav in a whole different light, like she never had before.
Her mother had never asked her such things. Now that she thought about it, her family didn't even care if she'd ever find true love with him. They were merely seeking financial safety for her. But is financial safety truly enough to keep a wife happy her entire life?
Emotional intimacy is just as important as the continuous cash flow in a marriage.
But does she actually want to get married to Raghav? Aside from the stability and respect he'll grant her?
It was a much deeper question that needed a detailed analysis, and she had no time to think about it. A hand slammed down on the table, pulling her violently out of her thoughts. She gasped, thoroughly shaken up, looking directly at the angry intruder.
Raghav Hooda.
"I hope I am not interrupting something," he spoke, his lips lifting up into a mocking smile before he tilted his head to look at Aahan.
For once, she was frightened, seeing the murderous intent flashing in Raghav's eyes when he stared at Aahan before he looked back down at her.
The air suddenly changed to something very heavy.
"Is your family aware that you came out to see this guy while being actively engaged to me?
" Raghav declared, leaning closer toward her.
She let out a deep breath. Even when she knew she did nothing wrong, a part of her felt incredibly guilty.
Guilty for sneaking out and meeting Aahan, even when she knew exactly how everyone would view it.
"Raghav, you know it's not what you think it is," she tried to explain, quickly getting up. He let out a harsh, humorless laughter shaking his head which frightened her even more. She gripped the edge of the table tightly, watching Aahan rise up as well with a calm expression.
"Of course, I know it's not what I think it to be.
He is Aahan, right? That guy who always messages you?
I made it very clear to you that I don't like you talking to this person.
Do my words mean absolutely nothing to you?
" Raghav almost growled, reaching out to clutch her elbow.
The grip wasn't painful, but it was deeply possessive and claiming.
Jayasvi took a shaky breath, shaking her head rapidly, wanting him to understand her situation.
"Raghav, I was just here to talk about a few things. It had nothing to do with your words. We have nothing going on between us. We are just friends," Jayasvi explained, trying to make him understand her side. Raghav observed her face, a distinct flint of disappointment in his eyes.
"You remember Aneri, Jayasvi? You were so aggressive when you only heard her name mentioned with me.
You wanted to claim me as yours the very next moment because you can't even bear the thought of me with some other woman, even if we fight.
And here I step into a cafe only to find my wife busy in a deep, personal conversation with the man I clearly warned her about," he implied, his voice calm yet the fire clear behind his words.
His eyes boring into hers made her see exactly how disappointed he was in her.
Her breath hitched when he explicitly called her his wife, not expecting that at all.
For once, she had absolutely nothing to say. Not because she was entirely wrong in the situation, but because it was hypocritical of her to expect one thing from him and then want him to understand her position.
"If you are so sure about you being right, you won't mind me telling your family what I found here, right?
" Raghav raised his eyebrow, pulling out her phone already.
Intense panic rose in her as she shook her head, knowing the worst repercussions, trying frantically to snatch the phone back from him.
"Raghav, please no. You know it wasn't like that. Please don't blow up the issue. I am so sorry," she almost cried, which made Raghav freeze instantly in his place. Yes, he wanted her to realize her mistake, but he never meant to make her cry because of him.
His eyes darted toward Aahan, who was standing silently to the side.
He knew at that exact moment that this man wasn't good news based on how he looked at Jayasvi.
His grip around her elbow tightened before he pulled her straight out of the cafe without giving her any chance to look back.
Not that she would have, anyway. There were a lot more important things that needed to be handled before she cared about Aahan.
Her eyes observed him putting on a helmet the moment they stepped outside, covering his face while still pulling her along with him.
She froze upon seeing a sleek sports bike parked outside.
Was he taking her on it? She looked back up at Raghav, who was looking back down at her, closely observing her reaction.
"Sit in the back," he instructed, getting on the bike.