Chapter 32
Iremained distracted through my last meeting. Honestly, I was distracted since I dropped Tara off, but I couldn’t cancel or reschedule my conferences. With another impending visit to India, I had to make every minute count. I still had to figure out how to break up with Aarti without hurting her. And I wondered what Tara would think of me when she learned about how I treated Sangita and Riya. Would she hate me? Or leave me for good?
Shoving the negative thoughts back to some dark corner of my mind, I called the caterers to confirm the time of delivery. Instead of taking Tara to a busy restaurant, I had placed an order for a four-course meal and a specialty cake that morning. She deserved to be treated like a queen, my queen. I wanted to shower her with the love and attention she deserved. Something I should’ve done years ago. She was Tara, a star, my star.
Aarti called just before my final meeting of the day. To say she was unhappy about the fact that we hadn’t spoken since the engagement was an understatement. I could hear her disappointment quivering beneath every word, and I had only just managed to placate her when my clients arrived.
One of the earliest lessons Mihir implanted in me was how to manage meetings with bossy, swanky, or presumptuous clients without exhaling a whiff of dismissal. My client was none of these things, but I still managed to cut our meeting short while appearing charming and gracious.
I rushed home, showered, and put on the blue shirt that Tara loved. The doorbell sounded just as I finished styling my hair. It was the catering service. With appetizers and entrees in a warm oven, I popped the salad, dessert, and cake into the fridge. While I put everything away, the good man from the caterer’s set up the table as requested, complete with candles and flowers. I wanted everything to be perfect that evening. When I was satisfied, I drove over to Tara’s. This was going to be our evening.
I found her in the lobby of her building, waiting with a small overnight bag. She didn’t need much to look gorgeous, and in the simple, stunning red dress and gold heels, she looked devastating. What caught my eye was her deep neckline, but of course, I wouldn’t tell her that. I wasn’t stupid.
“You know, I had to take a nap this afternoon,” she said when we started.
“Well, be prepared to lose more sleep, because tonight neither of us is getting any.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve seen your ambitious plans. You’ll be asleep on the couch before I realize you’re no longer listening to me.”
I burst into laughter. She was the only one who could outsmart me with her quips.
With one hand covering her eyes, I led her into my apartment and to the round table by the windows. The look on her face was worth every effort the caterers had put in. “This looks wonderful!” she said, putting her arms around me.
I lit the candles on the table and pulled out a chair for her.
“What’s on the menu?” she asked as I headed to the kitchen to retrieve our first course.
“I thought Spanish would be a good change.”
“I love all food, and I trust your choice.” She smiled as I put the small portion of Spanish croquettes and patatas bravas before her, then poured us some wine.
“I trust the food will be to your liking,” I said with a dramatic bow.
“Everything looks perfect!”
I settled at the table and raised my glass. “Tara, this is a new start for us, and I want to celebrate you every single day for the rest of my life. You are the brightest star in my universe. Happy Birthday, my love.”
When I stood and kissed her cheek, the tip of her nose turned a deep pink. “Are you blushing?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I never blush.” She took a sip of her wine. “That toast was terribly sappy and clichéd, by the way,” she said, but her dusky skin had plum undertones.
I gloated with a smile. “I love you, Tara.”
“I’m not so sure,” she said, delicately slicing into a croquette. “If you did, you would’ve let me win this afternoon.”
“Oh, you won, trust me,” I said, flashing a cunning smile, and found her blushing again. I could get used to this bashful Tara. Again, I wouldn’t risk telling her that.
“Mmm, this is really good, Sameer. The saffron aioli is exquisite!”
“I’m glad you like it. It’s one of my favorite restaurants here. Wait till you try the entrée.”
“What is it?” Watching her eyes gleam with pure pleasure, I decided to spoil the surprise.
“Braised lamb shank. You won’t believe how good their recipe is. It’s incredibly tender and so flavorful!”
Her eyes held mine in an amused smile. “I didn’t know you were this passionate about food.”
“Well, just because I can’t cook doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the talent that goes into making something delicious. Like your chicken curry.”
“Is that flattery?”
“It’s the truth.”
“Hmm, I’ll soon have you cooking though, the basic stuff at least. It’s a life skill, and you need to learn,” she said eating a potato from her fork.
“I love it when you claim your rights over me.”
After our second course of a fresh, crisp salad tossed in a deliciously tangy vinaigrette, I was about to serve the promised lamb shank when the doorbell rang. I froze, casting a nervous look at Tara. Her face revealed the same fears.
“Sameer!” Her body tensed. “What do we do?”
“It will be okay, love,” I said, and we heard a key slip into the lock.
We both left the table and stepped toward the door. Tara stopped near the couch in the living room. As the door swung open, I ended up face-to-face with a smiling Aarti.
“Surprise!” she said sweetly, but turned somber at the look on my face. “Sameer?” She stepped inside, saw Tara, and stopped. “What’s going on?” She looked between the two of us.
“It’s Tara’s birthday,” I said. “We’re having dinner.”
Her eyes traveled to the table and the flickering candles. “An intimate dinner?” Dark shadows crossed her face. Her eyes flitted to Tara, then to my hand. “Where’s your ring?”
“Aarti, we can talk about this tomorrow. I’ll come over and explain everything.”
“Explain?” she cried with an angry frown.
“Tomorrow,” I said. “Today is Tara’s day. I don’t want to ruin it for her. We can discuss everything tomorrow.”
Tara crossed the few feet between us and touched my arm. “Be kind,” she said softly, and Aarti’s face flared into full-blown anger.
“So, I was right. You are sleeping with her.” She turned to Tara with a derisive scowl. “What was that with Mihir? Are you sleeping with him too? Or are you just fucking everyone within reach? Mihir, Sujit, and now Sameer—”
“Watch your mouth, Aarti!” I growled at her, bubbling with rage.
“You bastard,” she screamed back. “You’re a fucking cheat. A fucking lowlife cheat.”
Tara clutched her dress, and her face changed, but she remained silent. I stepped over and put an arm around her. She tried to resist, but I clutched her tight. “You can shout at me all you want, but don’t you dare say anything to Tara.”
Aarti’s eyes turned dark with anger, and her fists clenched hard. “You fucker! You had everything. My father placed the world at your feet. I gave you my love, my whole self, and you fucked it all up for a few nights with her? We would’ve had a glorious life. You’d have been the envy of everyone around you. All you had to do was keep your fucking dick in your pants. You couldn’t even manage that?”
My grip tightened on Tara’s shoulder, and my fingers dug into her flesh as a bolt from my past hit me. I had heard those same words once before. Tara tapped on my chest before stepping out of my arms.
“Stop it, Aarti,” she ordered in a calm voice. “You’re hurting him.”
“So you’re his keeper now?” Aarti fumed.
“Do you want to learn the truth? Or do you want to keep abusing Sameer? You have a choice. You can stay and let Sameer explain. Or leave with this rage and carry the grudge for life. Neither will change the fact of his betrayal, but you can choose how you want to resolve this.”
I stood behind Tara, holding my breath as Aarti gaped at us, tears pooling in her eyes. I knew she wouldn’t let us see her vulnerable. She rushed to the door but stopped and turned to us. “You seemed so nice, Tara,” she cried, tears now rolling down her cheeks. “How could you do this to me?”
“Would you like to hear us out?” Tara asked instead.
Aarti flinched at the word “us.” She looked at me with puppy eyes I had never seen on her before. A pang of guilt and shame shot through my heart as I nodded and walked over to close the door.
Putting her arm around Aarti’s shoulder, Tara escorted her to the couch and sat beside her. She signaled me to get water. I brought a glass and handed it to Aarti before taking a seat on a recliner near her.
“I can’t figure out what went wrong,” Aarti said, tears streaming down her beautiful face. “Did I push you away, Sameer?”
“We’ve liked each other since we were nineteen,” Tara said calmly.
“What?” Aarti’s eyes scanned me.
“Yes, and I never got over her.” I let those words sink in for a moment. “Aarti, I was going to tell you everything the day after the party. But you proposed, and I was called away to India.”
She gave a confused frown and swiped away the tears. “Did your father know about this? Because he pitched us the idea for a surprise proposal. He said you’d be happy.”
I nodded. “My father and I have a complicated relationship, and he used you to get back at me. All I can do is apologize, but believe me when I say that I was going to tell you everything. I just didn’t want to ruin the day for you.”
I rubbed my hands over my face, then dragged them through my hair. When I held them out for Aarti, she stared in disbelief. Tara lent her a smile, and she reluctantly trusted her hands to me. I kissed them and said, “I have to come clean with you. I’m truly sorry to have misled you, but the truth is, I would’ve never loved you like you deserve. I would’ve always been in love with Tara. You are a phenomenal, successful woman, and you don’t deserve to wallow in the loss of a relationship that wasn’t worth it in the first place.”
“But I do love you, Sameer.” She burst into sobs.
“I know, and I am sorry,” I said, unable to meet her eye.
Tara put a soft hand on her arm. “It will hurt,” she consoled tenderly. “For a while.”
“Until you find the one who appreciates you for who you are,” I said. “For me, you were a ticket to the big league. I never deserved you. And I’m not saying this to make you feel better. I know you’ll still be angry and hate me, and you have every right to.”
Tara made sure I saw her reassuring smile. My father was right. I was lucky to have her by my side. She was the one who would stand up for me, fight alongside me, make me happy.
When Aarti left twenty minutes later, she didn’t look angry, but tomorrow would be another day. After she had talked to her family and friends, their reactions would determine how much damage this particular train wreck would cause.
I held Tara in my arms. “I’m sorry for what Aarti said about you.”
“We hurt her, Sameer. We’re the reason for her anger.”
“She liked you. I know her. She wasn’t faking her admiration for you.”
“And I caused her so much pain.”
“We,” I said, and let out a unified exhale.
“Do you want to finish dinner?” I asked.
“The meat must be dry by now…” she mused distractedly.
“Cake?”
“Sameer, I’m very proud of you,” she said with a hug.
“Why? I cheated on her and hurt both of you. What’s there to be proud of?”
“What you confessed today couldn’t have been easy.”
“Nothing’s too difficult if the outcome is a life with you, Tara. I’ve had enough. I’m tired. I need you, and now I’m going to be stubborn about it.” I placed my head on her shoulder and closed my arms around her waist.
“I’m here, my jaan,” she whispered in my ear and caressed my hair. “I’m sorry the evening didn’t turn out quite as you planned.”
“But it’s done, and I’m glad.” I raised my head to look at her. “And I have you to thank for it.” If Tara hadn’t insisted, Aarti would have darted out in anger with only half the truth in her grasp. Emotions would have festered, angers flared, families would’ve gotten involved, and a drama of epic proportions would’ve unfurled. Tomorrow would have been too late. Tara prevented it all and saved me yet again.
“What do you think will happen now?” she asked quietly.
“Oh, I do expect a heavy backlash and the possible loss of some big accounts, but it’s insignificant compared to how happy you make me. The only person I need to protect from the fallout is Mom, but this time it’s different. This time, I have you and Mihir in my corner. I’m not afraid. Not anymore.”
She smiled and cupped my cheek with her cold palm.
“Are you alright?” I gripped her icy hands between mine.
She nodded. “We did the right thing, didn’t we? I mean, we’ll be happy together, right?”
“Tara, look at what’s happened in the past month and a half and what has occurred in the last decade. If we’re still here, I’m willing to bet anything we’ll make it.”
She hugged me for what felt like both a moment and an eternity. “I have an idea,” she finally whispered against my neck.
I looked at her with raised brows.
“I know of a way to reignite our appetites.”
“What appetites are we talking about? Is that a double entendre?”
“Maybe,” she said, dropping her dress to her feet. She stood in a red plunge bra and a lace thong.