“The way you care for her… the way you love her, it’s impossible to miss,” she adds.
I gulp, emotion tightening my throat. “Thank you.”
She smiles at me. “And don’t worry about Meera. She must’ve kept her phone on silent. You know her, always tossing it into her bag and forgetting about it.”
I nod, but her words still refuse to comfort me. I’ve lived long enough with dangerous situations breathing down my neck to recognise this feeling. It’s the same cold weight that settles in my gut before a deal goes bad. The same tightening in my chest I felt the day I lost my mom.
But I don’t tell her any of that. I don’t tell her what’s clawing at my chest. I don’t want to scare her, especially after the quiet understanding we just shared, not after seeing the peace on her face.
Forcing a neutral expression, I say, “I’ll just step out for a minute. Get some air.”
She nods and turns back to the vegetables.
The moment I step outside, my eyes instinctively search for Meera’s car to appear. But it’s nowhere in sight, and the unease in my chest tightens its grip.
I pull out my phone, ready to call her again, when the sound of an approaching car makes me look up. Relief flares for half a second, then dies instantly as Samarth steps out, my jaw tightening with instant irritation.
Fuck. I didn’t expect I’d run into him here, especially not when my nerves are already wound tight, ready to snap.
“Hey. I didn’t expect to see you here,” he says as he steps right in front of me.
I exhale, trying to keep my irritation in check. “This is my in-laws’ house. Naturally, I’d be here.”
“Fair enough.”
“What’s your reason?” I fold my arms over my chest, my eyes narrowing.
He shrugs casually. “I drop by sometimes to check on Meera’s parents. I consider them my own.”
I nod once. I don’t want to come off like an ass and tell him he has no business here, because I can’t deny that Meera and her parents do take Samarth as family, and I can’t ignore that connection, no matter how much it irritates me.
“You look tense,” he says, studying me instead of heading inside.
I glare at him. “You don’t have to bother yourself with my tension.”
He raises both hands. “Relax, man. I am just trying to be civil. Look, with us constantly running into each other, we can’t keep biting each other’s heads off. Meera and her parents don’t deserve to be caught up in our tiff.”
He’s got me there. I can’t keep making things difficult. I run a hand through my hair, setting my irritation aside as the unease in my chest resurfaces.
“Meera isn’t back from the grocery store,” I say.
His expression tightens instantly. “How long?”
“Too long,” I admit, my stomach knotting.
He glances down the empty road, then back at me. “You tried calling her?”
“Multiple times.”
God, why the hell didn’t I ask the bodyguard to follow her?I curse silently. When we planned to stay at Meera’s parents’ house, I didn’t want my security to overwhelm anyone. I wanted her parents to feel at ease. But I should’ve been smarter. I should’ve told them to be discreet. I fucking should’ve known better.
Samarth reads the panic on my face. “Let’s go check the grocery store.”
I don’t think twice. I dash to my car, throw the door open, and slide behind the wheel, Samarth already settling into the passenger seat.
I kick-start the engine, and everything blurs around me. I don’t even know how I managed to drive, my mind racing, desperately hoping to find Meera safe. Lucky for me, the jerk kept his mouth shut the entire way.
I make it to the grocery store in no time, and the moment I spot Meera’s car parked there, with no sign of her, my heart drops straight into my stomach.
