After a few minutes, Mia slowly came out. She still had to deal with her friends, who were now looking at her with worry and curiosity. She gave them a faint smile and said nothing in response to the unasked questions. Not now, not when she was still raw and aching after seeing him after all these years.
Chapter 1
A few months later…
Mia arranged the cake carefully on the huge table. She placed the single plate with the silver cutlery by the beautiful three-tiered, pink-champagne wedding cake. It was the post-wedding party of two of her close friends - Natasha and Arjun. She arranged the cutlery and the pale pink napkins on autopilot as she thought about the tumultuous journey of the ex-army man Arjun and the beautiful Natasha. Their love had withstood many storms to culminate into wedded bliss. Smiling, she recalled their love and sighed wistfully. There was some romance left in this world, after all!
After being harassed by a crazy stalker, Natasha had come out of that difficult phase with a lot of grit. It was Arjun who’d protected her against that terrible ordeal. Now, all was well and they were man and wife at last. Being the daughter of a famous politician, Natasha’s traditional wedding had happened in Delhi and was attended by the uber-wealthy and the famous. But, the couple was keen to have a small, intimate reception in Bangalore for their friends. Mia and Tanya couldn’t let the opportunity slide by and did everything in their power to make it memorable for the newlyweds.
Tanya had taken care of the venue and arrangements, while she had taken over the food and cake. Thus, the beautiful wedding cake personally made by her.
Soon enough, Arjun walked in, looking dapper in a dark-blue, three-piece suit, while Natasha followed him barely minutes later. Mia and Tanya almost gasped when they saw the beautiful bride draped in a lavender-colored, off-shoulder chiffon gown.
“Wow!” Tanya openly admired Natasha, who smiled and joined the two ladies.
“You look stunning. And, a very happy married life, honey.” Mia smiled, joining the two women for a group hug.
“Ladies, may I offer you a drink?” Neil, Tanya’s handsome husband, had ensured the drinks were circulated. He joined the women with two champagne flutes.
Charmed, Mia and Tanya took the drinks from Neil. They saw Arjun walk towards them with his wife’s drink. Before they could strike a conversation, the other guests started filtering in through the doors, into the banquet hall. The next hour passed by in a blur. With some more friends and Natasha’s regular clients coming in to wish the newly married couple, the entire room was filling at a fast rate; faster than Mia had anticipated.
It had been months since she was in a crowded room. Not knowing how to handle all the noise and chaos, she desperately wanted to seek some reprieve. Mia was past caring about what anyone would think; she swiftly walked towards a set of huge doors that led to a huge balcony. Dimly lit, the open space instantly soothed her nerves and calmed her breathing.Breathe in and breathe out, she told herself.
After ten minutes, or what could have been more, she felt herself relax for the first time in hours. The music was muted due to the thick doors along with the noise of general chatter and celebrations. Long ago, she too had been a bride and had gone through the ceremony, the reception, all the guests, and finery. Swallowing against the remembered pain, she turned away, mindlessly gazing towards the horizon.
“Not taking part in the celebrations, huh?”
When she heard his voice directly behind her, Mia whirled around to see a stunning Armaan who looked like he had directly stepped out of a glossy, fashion magazine. She gulped. Sporting a stubble and his hair styled to perfection, he was every woman’s dream come true.
“Huh? Yeah, something like that.” Her breathing quickened once more; this time for a different reason. Wiser and more aware of the consequences, she ignored the reaction.Not this time, she thought. She was determined she wouldn’t fall for these silly, physical, or chemical reactions that her body threw her way.
Armaan stepped forward, almost invading her space. Belatedly, he noticed her pale pallor and her disturbed expression. His usual, lop-sided smile vanished, leaving a confused frown in its place. He caught her wrist and heard her swift intake of breath. “Are you okay?”
Mia subtly tried to move away from him, but his grip only tightened. “I need to leave.”
“Okay, but why are you so fidgety? Is something not alright?” The usually carefree Armaan was bothered. He noticed Mia looked panicked. If there was one woman who was his...friend, it had been Mia. Try as he might, he couldn’t switch off his concern. Stepping closer, he caught her chin and looked into her greenish-blue eyes.
Mia’s throat turned dry at his piercing stare. She couldn’t deal with the whole need to be desired all over again! Once upon a time, she’d let herself fall in lo...NO! It wasn’t anything. He’d friend-zoned her. Stupid hormones, they wouldn’t listen then nor were they listening to her now. That meant time to leave! Hadn’t she learned in therapy that she had to immediately move away from triggers? “I am fine. I have to leave now.”
“Huh? But the party is still on. Mia…”
“Parties aren’t really my scene anyway. I’ve stayed long enough for the couple. I’d like to leave now.” Mia’s face became pinched, filled with a melancholy her eyes couldn’t hide. Before Armaan could react, she left the balcony quickly.
He stood looking at her departure with the same, disturbed frown.What was wrong with her? She hadn’t been this guarded or evasive all those years back, he thought to himself. When he’d stepped in, he’d unconsciously anticipated her presence. When he realized she wasn’t around, he had directly come to the terrace, hoping she’d be here. He hadn’t been disappointed. Standing near the railing in her pale green dress, her curls left loose, she looked like a curvy goddess.
He switched back to the present at the sight of his friends who stepped into the balcony with their respective drinks. Neil nodded at him, while Arjun raised a toast before speaking. “Thanks for the visit, buddy.” Rahul too joined the guys. As usual, he’d arrived in a hurry for the event at the last minute. Being an upcoming politician wasn’t easy on social calendars, and the others knew that and respected his attempts to balance public service and personal relationships.
Armaan gave an absent nod, his mind still on Mia. He gave a start when Neil called his name forcefully, and apparently for the third time. “Jesus, what’s with all this brooding and preoccupation, man? Don’t tell me something’s brewing in your life. Thanks to this asshole next to me, I am done with problems and screw-ups for a while.” Neil grimaced and recalled Arjun’s and Natasha’s stormy path to finding her stalker.
Arjun shook his head but looked at Armaan with a piercing glance. Heading a huge security firm, Arjun usually didn’t miss anything. At the moment, he wanted to know what caused the usually annoying Armaan to suddenly go silent.
“Don’t tell me we are discussing feelings. Since when have you all lost your dicks?” Armaan was quick to get back to his cocky and irritating self. But this time it didn’t fool his friends who were looking at him with calculated determination.
“Really? Asshole!” Rahul muttered, immediately draining his drink. “How come you’re late this time? Usually, it’s me. And, what’s with the long break from India? All good with the business and your old man?”
“Where are the girls?” Armaan attempted to change the subject. A poor attempt! None fell for it, of course.
“Is it your dad?” He’s okay, huh?” Arjun asked him immediately.
