Okay.
Neel jerked his head back. What? This was very bad. Natara never ever backed down. He knew his twin. Her one-word response was to throw him off a plan that was probably brewing in her mind. He didn’t respond.
His cellphone rang again. Ryan’s name flashed on the screen. No doubt Sarika had spoken to him. He let it go to voicemail.
Looking at his phone, Neel realised that he didn’t have Kaavi’s number.
He was about to do some sleuthing on the internet to try to find it but remembered that Rally was a small town, and people talked in small towns.
He shoved his phone in his back pocket and made his way down to the coffee bar where he found a seat next to a window. This room was like every other in the hotel group’s vast portfolio – it dripped with luxury. The café tables were strategically positioned for guests to have enough space to be private but also be seen. He looked over to a group of young women taking photos of their iced coffees, which came in only the finest trendy cups. A few tables over, a couple leaned into each other, sharing a slice of chocolate cake.
Neel looked away, out the window. He spotted a lake in the distance. The view was fascinatingly tranquil. While the rest of Rally, except for the apartment Kaavi was living in, was homely, this hotel was a five-star establishment with modern amenities. Yet it fitted in with the surroundings. It was like everything in Rally just fitted in, no matter what it was, from five-star hotels to small corner shops that sold everything from lollipops to power tools.
He wondered if that was why Kaavi chose to move to this sleepy town. Or did she move here forhim? The man whose apartment she seemed so comfortable in.
A waitress appeared next to him. Showtime.
‘Good afternoon, sir. Have you had a chance to look at the menu?’
Neel flashed her a big smile. He’d been told by far too many women, mostly those who wanted to secure his surname and access his bank account, that his smile melted hearts.
‘Good afternoon. I have. I’ll have a cappuccino and a blueberry muffin please.’
She nodded.
‘Is there anything else I can get you?’ she asked, noticing that he’d picked up the menu again.
Neel placed it back on the table and sat back.
‘Actually, I’m supposed to be meeting a friend in town, but I’ve just realised I didn’t take down her number. Maybe you know her?’
The waitress smiled eagerly.
‘You were here for the wedding, right?’
Neelhadbeen at the hotel when the wedding took place, so what if he stretched the truth?
‘Yes, I was. A beautiful celebration,’ he lied.
‘It was. Senthil and Shona are perfect for each other,’ she said dreamily.
Neel nodded as if he knew the couple.
‘Who is your friend? I’ll check if I can get a number for you,’ the waitress said.
Neel felt guilty about the deception, but there was no way he was going back to that apartment to ask Kaavi for her number.
‘Kaavi Archary,’ he replied.
‘Of course I know Kaavi! She hosted a workshop here a few weeks back. Well, Shona and Anni actually organised it, but Kaavi was the main attraction,’ she said.
Neel sat back and pretended he wasn’t interested, but boy did he want to know everything about it.
‘Must have been fun,’ he said.
‘It was spectacular. Shona and Anni help run the youth programme at the community centre. They’ve helped so many troubled kids. They got Kaavi to teach a couple of the teenage girls to apply makeup. It was a real girly event. The kids loved it,’ the waitress said excitedly, like it was hot-off-the-press news.
Neel was impressed but simply nodded. The Kaavi he knew would hide in the shadows when she wasn’t on the catwalk. But he also knew she was kind and would instantly have jumped at the chance to help troubled kids.
