“Are you going to introduce us?” I prompt.
“Yeah, sorry,” she mutters. “Nathan, this is my best friend Noor’s older brother….”
“Kabir Shah,” he finishes, extending his hand.
Ah, that’s why his name sounded familiar. I shake his hand firmly. “Nathan Singhania.”
“Nice to meet you.” His observant gaze bouncing between me and Arya, he asks, “How do you two know each other?”
“We work together,” answers Arya, sidling up to me, where she belongs.
His brow arches slightly. “He’s your client.”
“Tonight, I’m her date.”
His mouth quirks. “Only for tonight?”
“Well, obviously,” jokes Arya. “What about you? Is your girlfriend here? Noor didn’t tell me you were going to be here tonight.”
“She doesn’t know,” he replies politely. His gaze softening, he says, “Yeah, I’m here with Eleanor. She’s been supporting this charity since their early days.”
“That’s amazing.”
“I’m going to go find her and come see you later.” Bending down to kiss Arya on the cheek, he straightens and dips his chin at me in acknowledgment. “It’s good seeing you, Aru.”
“Same.”
The second he disappears into the crowd, I face Arya and drawl, “So, how close are you two,little Aru?”
She gapes at me in astonishment. “You’re not seriously jealous, are you?”
“He touched and kissed you.” Something I can’t do in public yet.
“Because we’re friends,” she states, then reasons humorously, “Besides, he’s very much in love with his girlfriend. Couldn’t you tell?”
“Obviously notverymuch if he left her alone for that long,” I retort. “I would never leave you alone for a second just to talk to another person.”
“That’s because you’re a little unhinged,” she teases.
“Don’t forget clingy.”
“Never,” she chuckles, shaking her head. “Come on, let’s find Ben.”
Chapter Fifty-One
Arya
We succeed in our mission.
Or rather Nathan does while I observe impressively.
Watching him work his charm and intelligence on Ben is nothing short of mesmerizing. Within minutes, they’re shaking hands and have a meeting set up at CodeSphere’s Headquarters for tomorrow.
Now, we’re cuddling in the back of the limousine as it drives us back to the hotel.
“I’m so happy tonight went well,” I grin.
“He’s still interested in selling, so tomorrow should go well too.”
