‘Not exactly,’ she replied to Sam.
‘I don’t understand,’ he said.
Anni stood up, pushing Sam out of the booth. ‘That’s our cue to leave. I love you Kaavs. Nice to meet you Neel. We’ll see you around… maybe,’ she said, reaching over for Kaavi’s cocktail. She downed it with Sam standing next to her, shaking his head.
She slammed the glass on the table, smiled and pulled him away. Kaavi could hear him asking Anni if he was drunk as they walked out the door.
She looked at Neel and shrugged. ‘If you want another drink, this is the worst place to get one.’
‘Does that mean you want to get out of here with me or that you want me to leave?’
‘You’re not as sharp as you used to be. Let’s get out of here,’ she said.
He stood and moved aside for her to get out of the booth and lead the way.
When they got out onto the sidewalk, Kaavi took him in. He was in jeans, a branded black Polo shirt and casual loafers. He hadn’t shaved that day and it had begun to show. He smelled so good. Too good.
Kaavi groaned.
‘Are you okay?’
‘You’re a stupid man.’
‘I beg your pardon? You asked me to leave with you and that’s all I’ve done so far.’
‘Exactly. Stupid. Now let’s go,’ she said.
‘Where?’
‘If we walk across this walkway, straight through that alley, we’ll end up at my apartment … I have alcohol,’ she explained, walking off before he could reply.
Neel closed the door and as he entered the living room, Kaavi was kicking off her nude low heel sandals. She may have been a supermodel, but Kaavi was always completely oblivious to how she turned heads in even the simplest dress, like the one she wore tonight – a short black sleeveless shift dress.
Her long straight raven hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail, tiny diamonds sparkled on her earlobes and a matching, barely visible stone, rested at the base of her throat, hanging from a thin gold chain. She wore a pinkish nude lip gloss and cocoa lipliner combo, and bronzer lightly kissed her cheekbones.
‘What would you like to drink?’
Neel didn’t respond as he followed her into the apartment. Two days ago, he’d sent her divorce papers and given her a panic attack, but now she was handing him a bottle of his favorite beer. Although he wanted to get to the bottom of everything – the panic attack and outing their secret marriage to her friends – he wasn’t going to probe, so he took the bottle from her.
She poured herself a glass of wine from an already opened bottle and gestured for him to follow her into the living room. He sat on the armchair while she got comfortable on the couch, tucking her legs beneath her, her dress hem riding up, giving him a glimpse of her thighs. He took a big gulp of his beer and looked around. White, cream and grey walls with darker furniture pieces highlighted a modern aesthetic. Leather, natural woods and polished metals enhanced this high-contrast look. Everything was streamlined and uncluttered in this apartment. It seemed like a show house. The only personal effect was Kaavi’s handbag on the kitchen counter.
‘Read any good books lately?’
Okay, so they were not going to talk about the divorce or panic attack. Fine. He would play along because he wanted to be there with her. Also, he loved hearing Kaavi talk about books. Her eyes would light up as she explained plots. She’d giggle over something a character did and sometimes threatened to close a book when the story wasn’t going the way she wanted it to. But she never did because she loved reading too much. He got her a Kindle for their one-month anniversary as a married couple. He wondered if she still had it.
‘I’m behind on my reading because work has been very busy recently. My grand …’ He caught himself before he could say more. Natara would kill him if she knew he was talking about the company to someone who, in her eyes, was now the enemy – a woman he was divorcing and who could demand her half of the company their grandfather had built from scratch. But looking at Kaavi, the sincerity in her eyes, he didn’t believe for one minute that she would ‘take him to the cleaners’. But then again, he never thought she would walk out of the marriage. So, what did he really know? But what the hell … ‘My grandfather retired and I’m now the CEO,’ he continued.
‘That’s amazing, Neel. Congratulations.’
‘Thanks. What about you? What are you up to these days?’
‘According to the gossip magazines, I’m a retired supermodel,’ she said not meeting his eyes.
So, the guy she was with now had finally got her to give it all up? Neel wondered what this mystery man had that he didn’t. Was he just a test run for Kaavi to find real love? Was that why their marriage had to be a secret? But he wasn’t going to get into it with her now.
‘So Anni and Sam know we’re married,’ Kaavi said, now looking him in the eye. Neel sat back and hid a smile. She brought it up, not him. If she wanted to talk about it, he wasn’t going to discourage her.
‘It felt good to tell them,’ she said, smiling to herself.
