Realising she was babbling to a customer, the waitress said, ‘I’ll get her number from the front desk and I’ll bring your drink and muffin.’
Kaavi pulled her suitcase out of a cupboard and dragged it to the room that she’d made hers since moving into Sen’s apartment. She opened it and turned towards her closet but stood rooted to the spot. What was she doing? Running away. That’s what she did. She always ran. But she didn’t want to this time. She loved Rally. She loved the connections she’d made here. She wanted to be here and Neel Naran wasn’t going to drive her out of town.
She sat on the bed, pushing the suitcase away from her. She realised she would have to face this problem head-on. She couldn’t run.
She stood up confidently and reached for the suitcase. After packing it away, she planned to conduct a web search to find an out-of-town lawyer to draw up divorce papers, when her cellphone rang.
She shook her head. Sen was probably calling to check up on her again. Did this man know what a honeymoon was!
But when she retrieved the ringing phone from the kitchencounter, she saw a number she didn’t recognise.
‘Hello?’
‘Kaavi, it’s Neel.’
Her heart started to race. Kaavi didn’t know if it was anxiety or excitement. That’s the effect Neel had on her. She always felt giddy around him.
‘Neel,’ she squeaked.
‘Would you like to go out for supper tonight? It would give us a chance to discuss the matter at hand,’ he asked casually, like it was every day that you went out for supper with your hot, estranged husband. Hot. Kaavi reached for a softcover book on the nightstand and started to fan herself.
Supper with Neel. It sounded like a nightmare. She would spend the whole time blushing and wanting him. Yes, he still had that effect on her. Also, she didn’t want anyone to see her out with him. People in Rally loved to talk. Her grandfather, aunt and uncle would probably know about him before they could order their meal.
But she had to see Neel. They had to talk about a divorce. It had to be done.
‘Can you come over to the apartment for supper?’
She felt like a teenage girl asking her crush out. The butterflies in her stomach were in full flight.
‘Are you sure?’ She heard him say.
‘Yes. I’ll order some food and we can talk,’ she replied.
‘Is there anything I can bring over?’
‘No. I’ll see you at seven?’ Why was her voice suddenly so squeaky!
‘Seven it is.’
She didn’t even wait to say goodbye. She pressed the disconnect button and began to pace. Neel Naran was coming over for supper. And they were going to talk. The same Neel who made her feel out of control by just looking at her. The manwho’d seen every inch of her and with whom she would most likely fall into bed.
No! She shook her head as if it could erase that thought. She had to make plans. What was she going to get for supper? What would she wear?
She stopped herself again. This was not a date. She would have to put on her bitchy supermodel mask to get through the evening. Neel would see right through her, but at least it would give her a fighting chance.
A fighting chance? She started laughing, a little louder and then almost uncontrollably. Was she losing her mind? She caught her reflection in the decorative mirror in the kitchen.
‘Kaavi, who are you kidding? You want that man,’ she confessed to the face looking back at her.
eel grinned broadly. What else could he do? It was a shit show. A real shit show. When he’d arrived for dinner about 30minutes ago, Kaavi had opened the door, wearing the most hideous dress he’d ever seen.
It was an ugly green, with huge mismatched flowers printed on it. The hem reached her ankles and the dress was shapeless. It was as if she was wearing an ugly bedsheet. To make it worse, it had a collar that buttoned high on her throat. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she wasn’t wearing any makeup.
He still told her she looked lovely, because she did. He knew exactly what she was doing. She thought her attire would put him off. Or was it her shield to stop herself from feeling sexy around him? But he still complimented her.
And then the shit show began.
Something took control of them both and they were in each other’s arms before the door closed. They got as far as her dress lifted to her knees and his shirt buttons open before they realised they had to stop.
