She was living in her cousin’s apartment. She wasn’t tied to anything in South Africa. Not a job. Not a plan. Not a future. Just Neel. And even that was up in the air. After all, he had said only one clear thing: chemistry.
Was that what they were doing now? Banking on chemistry? Was he going to fly in and out of Rally just to see her? Just to sleep with her?
Yesterday’s conversation, if you could call it that, still played on a loop in her head. It had left her more confused than comforted. She hadn’t told him that. Probably never would. But the truth was, it irritated her. They weren’t speaking the same language. Or worse, they were avoiding the real one.
Now this email, from a top design house asking if she’d modelfor a shoot in Miami, had landed out of nowhere. And she was actually considering it. Three weeks ago, if someone had asked if she’d ever go back to the runway or step in front of a camera again, she’d have laughed and said never. But her father had died. Her husband had reappeared. Everything had shifted. And the fact that she was even thinking about saying yes scared her more than anything.
She quickly snapped her laptop shut as the girls shuffled into the conference room, all energy and chatter, buzzing for the next workshop. Today was eyeshadow application, but Kaavi had something more in mind. She wanted to talk to them about real beauty, the kind that came from confidence, from holding your head high, from meeting the world with direct eye contact. Makeup was fine, fun even. But it wasn’t the point.
To her surprise, she was actually enjoying these sessions. They felt purposeful.
The workshop flowed smoothly. The girls asked questions, giggled and experimented with colours. Just as Kaavi finished showing them how to apply eyeliner, she got the feeling that someone was watching her.
She looked up.
Neel: leaning casually against the wall in a dark suit with his dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar. His eyes were on her. He smiled.
She smiled back, and just like that, damn, he was right. The chemistry? Still there. Still hot, still alive, still impossible to ignore.
She blinked herself back to the moment. ‘Okay, that’s enough for today, girls. I’ll see you tomorrow. If you can start packing up your kits … Everyone has transport home?’
A chorus of yeses.
Bags zipped. The chatter moved out the door.
The room was quiet. Just Kaavi and Neel.
She slung her laptop bag over her shoulder and walked towards him.
Neel smiled. ‘Hi. You’re a natural.’
‘Thank you,’ Kaavi said shyly. She wasn’t sure how much of the lesson he’d seen, but it felt good that he’d seen her doing something that mattered.
She gave him a quick once-over. ‘Productive day?’
He nodded. ‘Yeah. Now I’m going to take you up on your offer to show me the town. Show me Rally.’
Kaavi stepped back slightly, thinking. ‘Hmm … I know exactly where to take you. They serve the best cakes. Actually, everything they make is amazing. It’s called Come in Carmen. I just know you’re going to love it.’
‘Lead the way,’ Neel said.
They left The Grand Meyer and stepped out onto the street. The humidity wrapped around them like a stifling blanket. Neel tugged at his collar.
‘Should I go back up and change? Shorts and a T-shirt?’
Kaavi gave him a slow look, head to toe. ‘Nah. I like the way you look right now.’
He raised a brow. ‘Kaavi, are you really showing me the town or …?’
She laughed. ‘Don’t get any ideas. That’s not happening right now.’
Then she grabbed his hand and pulled him along.
They strolled along Main Street.
‘Come in Carmen,’ Neel said, reading the sign ahead. ‘That’s an interesting name.’
Kaavi stopped in her tracks and looked at him, eyes lighting up. ‘Yes! I can finally play tour guide.’
