70| Youre never returning to him. #6
Her brows lift, knowing I'm referring to the day she was kidnapped on this very date last year.
The day everything fell apart. All because of one man.
"Now It's about tradition. About our reputation." My voice lowers-not hard, but carefully measured.
"I'm returning to New York tomorrow morning."
One slow exhale. Patient. Firm.
She doesn't flinch. "Of course, I will. HOW WILL YOU CELEbrATE MY BIRTHDAY WITHOUT ME? Just let me talk to aayansh about-"
"There's no need for that," I interrupt before she can finish.
That alone stirs countless questions in her gaze... questions I'm not ready to answer. Yet.
She thinks her birthday is the reason I'm asking her to come back. Good.
"Why?" Her eyes narrow ever so slightly.
For tonight, everyone is staying at this estate.
In one of the grand master bedrooms, Tara sits in the corner of the balcony, her knees drawn to her chest.
She's still in the same saree... lost in her own thoughts.
No matter what the circumstances had been, by choosing Aayansh again and again, she'd hurt the two most precious men in her life... her father and her brother. And that guilt is something she knows she would carry forever.
And now, she's caught in the middle.
She thinks she's returning to New York tomorrow morning just for her birthday. Where Arsh has made it clear that he doesn't want her discussing any of this with Aayansh.
That's probably only the second thing he's ever asked of her.
She knows Aayansh will obviously find out when she leaves. But not telling him herself... that would feel like breaking his trust.
And if she says anything to him, it would be disrespecting her own brother.
She has done that once.
That lesson was enough.
Funny how things seem simple from a distance, but up close, they're far more fucked up.
Well, she's so lost in her thoughts that it takes her a moment to notice his heavy gaze. She sneaks a sideways glance at him, then quickly looks ahead again, pretending she hasn't looked at all.
Aayansh is leaning against the wall, watching her, his hair tousled, still in the same clothes as he was before.
But why isn't he coming closer? Usually, by now, he'd have already picked her up and tossed her onto the bed... Tara wonders to herself.
A while passes like that.
Tara doesn't move. Aayansh keeps his eyes on her, his gaze intense and unreadable. Only he knows what's going on in his mind.
And then, with a huff, she herself stands, walks over, and nestles into his chest.
Aayansh's arm comes around her waist, lifting her slightly and tugging her closer. She quickly places her feet over his.
The soft glow of the moon envelops them.
They don't say anything. They just hold on to each other, finding the kind of comfort that nothing can offer.
Moments later, Tara sits on the bed, dressed in his oversized black T-shirt.
Aayansh steps out of the washroom, now wearing only black trousers, his upper body bare, water droplets glistening against his skin.
He sits on the sofa, tosses the towel on the table and leans back, "Come here, amour," he says.
Tara stands, her crocs still on, and slowly walks toward him before settling onto his lap.
Her mind, however, is still tangled in everything Arsh had said.
She rests her head on his shoulder and murmurs quietly, "I wanted to say something, but the situation wasn't comfortable, so..."
He lifts her legs and wraps them around his torso, cutting her off. "This is the most comfortable situation. And position, right?" he looks down at her. "say."
Tara hesitates, then finally looks up at him, "Thank you."
A small pause follows. "I know I was nervous... and you distracted me in the boardroom."
For a moment, he just looks into her eyes, knowing this isn't what she truly wanted to say, The tension in her features doesn't go unnoticed either.
His hand is already beneath her T-shirt, caressing the curve of her waist.
"There are many other ways to say that." He leans closer, letting their lips barely brush.
"Beneath me, above me, or right here... like this."
Tara's face flushes. "No! This is better!"
Then she beams, a mischievous spark in her eyes. "Now your turn. Say thank you!"
His lips find her shoulder, lingering there."You know I don't thank in words," he husks.
Her eyes flutter shut, melting into his heat, her mind still conflicted as her hold on his shoulders tightens.
But Aayansh's eyes stays open, fixed on her face. Not softly... but with something far more intense. Something darker.
"You know... whatever you said in the car that time," she admits, her eyes still closed. "It scared me. Why did you do that?"
"Sirf baaton se darogi toh jab sach mein kuch hoga..." His fingers close around her nape, tilting her neck slightly as he kisses her earlobe and murmurs, "Khaufzada ho jaogi."
Her eyes flutter open immediately.
"Kya hoga?"
And for a second-just for a second-her mind goes back to Arsh's words.
What would happen if Aayansh knew?
The thought alone sends a cold shiver through her.
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