She told herself it was better this way as she pulled off his hoodie. She held it for a moment, taking in his scent, then handed it off to him. ‘Thank you for everything. I’ll never forget this night,’ she said quietly.
Giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, Siya turned around and walked away. She couldn’t watch him leave, so she didn’tlook back even once. Her heels clicked into a practiced rhythm, and as the doors opened, she made sure the poised smile she reserved for the cameras was firmly in place.
The waitstaff pressed a chilled champagne flute and a microphone into her hands at the foot of the stage, and she quickly climbed up the two stairs. The spotlight shone down on her, bathing her in a soft amber light, and she hoped it wouldn’t magnify the quiet tremor in her fingers.
Industrialists, socialites, and celebrities gathered around the stage with curated and curious looks. The elite of Mumbai were all here, and Siya had never felt more apart from them.
She brought up the mic and began, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here tonight, and for being a part of yet another year where we’ve grown together. I see a room full of ambitious and driven people, who have played such a significant role in the success of Kashyap Luxe this past year, and I can’t help but feel inspired and hopeful for the upcoming year.’
Behind the facade, a quiet ache pooled inside her. No matter how badly she wanted to live her life on her terms, she had to face the bitter fact that she always had to come back to this castle.
She told herself to accept it, to close the chapter, to move beyond closure, but she felt instinctively drawn to the back door of the ballroom. Her gaze lifted, and she foundhim.
He stood leaning against the far wall, his hoodie hanging loosely over his one arm. His eyes, dark and unreadable, were fixed on her like she was the only person in the room.
Even from across the ballroom, she could feel the weight of his gaze caress her skin with a blazing intensity that slowed everything around her. Her fingers tightened around the mic.
He was the man she’d kissed without knowing his name, the one who had looked at her like he’d known her far longer than the few stolen hours they’d shared, the one who had made her feel more alive than she’d ever felt. He was a beautiful stranger who somehow felt like the most familiar person in the room, and he’d come back.
Could it be for me?
Suddenly, it was easier to breathe. The speech she’d rehearsed slipped from her mind, replaced by the memory of their kiss.
Everyone’s attention was on her, but she only looked at him as she said, ‘I’ve always thought of myself as someone who needs predictability. My days are ruled by checklists and agendas, and I always need to know what comes next. But today, I feel inspired to take a leap of faith and to live a little, and that’s exactly how I wish to walk into this new year.’
The lights dimmed as the final countdown began. The room followed the count in a loud, cheerful chorus, and when the clock struck midnight, Siya held up her glass, and announced, ‘Here’s to unpredictability, to taking a leap of faith and to living a little. Happy New Year!’
The room echoed her toast, and the clink of glasses rang loud in the air. Siya held his gaze from across the room as she endured polite embraces and air kisses with guests who stopped her.
The moment she was free, she walked straight to him, her heart pounding so hard she could feel it in her ears. ‘You came back,’ she said, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks.
‘I couldn’t leave.’
‘Why?’
‘I didn’t want to,’ he admitted.
‘Why?’ she asked again.
He let out a soft breath. ‘Because I knew if I walked away tonight, I’d spend every day of my life wondering what might’ve happened if I didn’t.’
Her heart lodged high in her throat.
‘I will fly back to Delhi tomorrow,’ she said, reminding herself more than telling him.
‘Then give me every minute of tonight and let me start this year by worshipping you,’ he said, tangling his fingers with hers.
A shiver ran through her, down to her toes. ‘I have a room downstairs.’
His nod was slow and deliberate, and he held her hand firmly as they made their way out of the ballroom to the end of the corridor where the elevators were.
Enclosed in the tight space of the steel box, the tension between them hit its peak. Their eyes met, and he pulled her into his arms.
‘I’ve been trying to behave since that kiss, but if you keep looking at me like that, I won’t make it to the room before I do something reckless,’ he confessed, his lips caressing her jaw, then trailing down the curve of her neck.
How did he keep saying things that sounded dirty and sincere all at once? It should have terrified her, but it didn’t stop the heat pooling in her lower belly.
‘Then maybe you should stop behaving,’ she said, tugging at his V-neck with a finger.
