70| Youre never returning to him. #3
That's when out of nowhere, Rivaan blurts, "Why the hell are these women so goddamn immature?!"
But his mouth snaps shut as both Aashika and Tara shoot him murderous looks.
Sensing the danger, he slowly grins. "I mean... not all women."
"You fought with Kainaat?" Aashika asks calmly.
"No," he answers, walking toward her. "She picked a fight with me. And I've been the one trying to fix things for the past two days. But sometimes, she's just so damn childish."
"Then you're lucky," Tara chimes in, sitting upright. "Women act childish only around the men who feel like home to them."
Rivaan sighs before saying, "That's not the point, Bhabhi. I do everything I can to make it up to her. Even the most embarrassing things. Hell, I even cook for her-"
"So what?" Tara cuts in, fixing him with a glare. "Cooking for your partner is the bare minimum. Aayansh cooked for me too."
Utter disbelief crosses Rivaan's face. "What?!"
Even Aashika looks up, momentarily caught off guard.
"Yes," Tara says confidently, a full blown grin stretching her lips. "Twice! And you know, the first time he cooked was when I cried that I wouldn't eat anything unless he cooks for me."
A faint smirk tugs at Aashika's lips as she murmurs, "So... he just cooked?"
"OF COURSE NOT! HE-" This time, Tara's words die abruptly as the memory of Aayansh eating her in the kitchen while he was cooking for her flashes through her mind. Heat creeps up her cheeks, and she clamps her mouth shut.
"He... what?" Rivaan presses, suspicious.
That jolts Tara out of her unholy thoughts.
"I-I mean... His cooking is disgusting! He only knows one thing in the name of cooking... porridge." She says it quickly, but both Rivaan and Aashika raise a brow at her, knowing she was about to say something else.
"What?" Tara asks innocently, glancing between the two of them. "I'm serious!"
Then she looks straight at Aashika.
"You know, your brother isn't an easy man! I was pregnant and still he-"
Her lips freeze mid-breath, her smile fading as she realizes what she'd just said.
At the mention of pregnancy, something shifts in Aashika's expression as well.
Rivaan's face quietly dims. He already knows about Tara's miscarriage. Aashika, however, knows nothing.
Tara looks away, the light dipping from her face as Aashika asks, "Pregnant?"
Tara says nothing. She silently returns to the settee and sinks into it once again.
Sensing she isn't willing to talk about it, Aashika lifts her gaze to Rivaan, a clear question in her eyes.
A strange sadness settles over Rivaan's face. "Bhabhi had a miscarriage ten months ago," He says softly, not looking at Aashika. "It was a twin pregnancy. I don't know much... but please don't bring it up with her."
Aashika's eyes find Tara once again. There is no pity in them-There never could be-And Tara wouldn't want anyone's sympathy anyway.
For a long moment, Aashika stays silent, knowing this isn't something that could ever be shrugged off so easily.
Beside her, Rivaan walks away without another word.
Then finally, Aashika rises and walks over and quietly settles beside Tara.
"Hey... where's the girl who was flashing all her teeth just a few moments ago?" she asks gently.
Tara lets out a slow breath, forcing her emotions back under control before looking up at Aashika.
She still says nothing.
Aashika's gaze softens, just slightly.
"Honestly, I don't know how to comfort anyone," she admits.
"I don't need to be comforted," Tara replies, leaving no room for argument.
That earns a small smile from Aashika.
"So you're stronger than you know."
"So are you!" Tara responds.
Aashika stills again, her gaze lingering on Tara as though she were looking at the innocence she herself had once been.
"Well, yes," she murmurs, almost to herself.
After taking her time, Tara finally speaks.
"There are things in life you can never truly prepare yourself for," she says quietly. "So when all that happened, I was lost for I don't even know how long."
Aashika doesn't interrupt, knowing this is the first time Tara has opened up to her like this.
Tara's fingers subconsciously tighten around the fabric of Aayansh's blazer, seeking his lingering warmth as she stares blankly ahead.
"You know... only two things in my life have truly broken me. Losing my babies is the second." She adds. "The first is... marrying your brother."
Aashika's brow creases.
Seeing her expression, Tara lets out a slow breath. "I meant... the way he married me."
"I wanted my father and brother by my side when I got married... With their blessings. But none of that happened. I was manipulated against my... my own brother." She trails off, her eyes unfocused. "In the end... I betrayed both him and myself."
Aashika lets the anticipation settle between them before asking, "So... Marrying Aayansh is a regret for you?"
"No," Tara says, holding Aashika's gaze this time. "But the way it happened... That is."
Neither of them speaks again. Aashika has questions, but she lets them rest. Tara, meanwhile, is still lost somewhere in the past.
And, sensing her heaviness, Aashika smoothly redirects the attention.
"Well..." she asks, a hint of curiosity in her voice. "How did you two first meet?"
Tara leans back with a soft sigh and shuts her eyes, trying to hide her hesitation. How is she supposed to tell her that the first chapter of their story had begun with a tragedy?
"I can't tell you," she mutters, sinking deeper into the leather, her nose wrinkling.
Aashika cocks a brow.
"I mean... if I told you all that," Tara continues, completely serious, "you'd be like, 'WHAT THE FUCK?'"
"You'll be traumatized. Trust me."
Aashika reaches for the coffee pot, calmly pouring herself black coffee. "Try me."
Tara peeks at her through one half-open eye, then lets out a long, thoughtful inhale before finally speaking.
"That was the first time I'd come to India. I was at a party with my friends when some bitch of a bastard mixed something like-like viagra... into my drink."
"And in that condition, I ended up in Aayansh's room... someone I didn't even know. I'd just heard his name from my brother a few times."
"I was obviously not in my senses."
"And had a one night stand with him."
The cup pauses halfway to Aashika's lips. Then, as though nothing had happened, she takes a casual sip anyway.
"I was on my periods."
Aashika nearly chokes on her coffee, her eyes widening ever so slightly as she looks at Tara.
"See?" Tara shrugs. "I told you. Nothing about us is normal."
"Of course," Aashika murmurs to herself, genuinely horrified.
"But that was only the first time I met him. He'd already met me long before that... when I was just nineteen."
This time, Aashika doesn't dare ask another question. She simply lets Tara continue her wonderfully nonsensical story.
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12:07 AM.
As the formal ceremony comes to a close, the night flows into an elegant cocktail reception, where guests mingle in conversations beneath crystal chandeliers with champagne in hand.
The grandeur of the evening is softened by warm lights, intoxicating music, and understated luxury.
Then, slowly... almost sinfully, the lights begin to dim. Until only a chosen few remain beneath their glow.
And almost every eye in the massive ballroom is drawn to the figure who enters with unhurried grace.
Aashika Oberoi.
No longer in tailored formals, she's now dolled up in a cherry-red saree hugging all her curves just right, its borders tracing her figure to perfection, paired with a sleeveless blouse, while kohl-darkened eyes, cherry-red lips,
and freely falling shoulder-length hair make her look every bit as lethal as she is beautiful.
Tara, equally graceful in a maroon saree, is at her side, her gaze lingering on every unfamiliar face and opulent corner.
"This is so boring," she mutters under her breath, as there's nothing here to catch her interest.
As they move ahead, a few business associates pause to greet them, but it's Aashika who effortlessly commands their admiration.
Amidst it all, a pair of eyes stays locked on Aashika in quiet reverence. Moksh Deewan.
After a moment's hesitation, he finally makes his way toward her, a glass of red wine cradled in his hand.
"Hey, Ms. Oberoi," he says, his voice low and gentle. "You look... different tonight. I mean, not intimidating like you usually do. Just... delicate."
The corner of Aashika's lips curls almost imperceptibly... not at the compliment itself, but at the word delicate.
"Well, a woman can be both delicate and destructive in the same breath," she whispers, her voice dipped in sin. "But sometimes, she simply chooses which version she's willing to let you witness."
"Right... and you-" he starts, only to be interrupted.
"Ms. Oberoi?!"
Tara turns toward the voice, her nose wrinkling almost instantly. The very same self-obsessed bitch she'd encountered before-Malang Deewan.
Aashika, however, doesn't spare him a glance.
"You're here... thought you'd be looking for a handsome as fuck man's company?"
This time, she turns and glowers at him, keeping her expression completely devoid of emotion as he adds. "... For dance."
"But where is that 'handsome as fuck' man?" She asks, slowly looking him up and down. "Because all I can see in front of me is a clingy asshole. With zero self respect."
Malang's brow lifts in amusement. "Rude. Temptingly rude."
Then he cocks his head, a smug grin spreading across his face."Well, I know controlling yourself around me is difficult for you. That's fine."
Tara's expression sours instantly.
Moksh, meanwhile, looks utterly confused.
Aashika stays silent for a few beats, her eyes turning glacial, before she leans a little closer and warns in a low, dark tone. "Stay-The Fuck-Away from me. Boy."
The reaction on his face is instant.
Aashika ignores it.
"Boy?!" Malang scowls, "Excuse me, that wasn't acceptable. I'm 27. And a cardiologist, you can't..."