Page 106 of Since You Stole My Heart

‘Kashvi?’ he prompted.

‘Shopping.’

Luv turned to face her, raising his brows in disbelief. ‘You asked me to wake up early… to go shopping? Why am I being tortured? Where’s Swayam?’

She adjusted her damp palms on the wheel, driving along a slow curve as she said, ‘It’s for him. He needs a new kurta.’

‘Are we sure this is the same man who thinks two shirts are enough for a week-long vacation?’ Luv snorted. ‘What’s the occasion?’

Kashvi sighed. She’d hoped to avoid this conversation, but if things moved forward between Swayam and Aisha, this would come out soon. ‘He’s meeting someone today.’

‘Wait,’ Luv blinked, sitting up straight. ‘Are you telling me Swayam is going to meet a girl?’

‘Yes.’

‘Is it the same one his maasi insisted he should meet at his cousin’s engagement?’

‘Yes,’ she said through gritted teeth, her gaze flickering briefly to the rear-view mirror.

A hint of a grin tugged at his lips as he lightly scolded her. ‘It’s barely ten in the morning, Kashu. If you’re going to crack such bad jokes, at least get me coffee first.’

‘I’m not joking.’

His amusement faded as he studied her face. ‘So you mean to say that he’s going to meet this girl, and if things go well, then what… wedding bells?’

‘If he likes her, then his maasi mentioned they might get engaged today,’ Kashvi said, dragging the answer out.

‘Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you and Swayam get married? Or was that just a glitch in the matrix?’ Luv asked, a trace of playful sarcasm in his voice that did nothing to soften the question.

Silence stretched for a few seconds, filled only by the muted sounds of the city passing by. Kashvi blinked hard as the same weariness from yesterday settled over her again.

It did not feel any less hollow as she repeated the same line. ‘We knew we only got married as a temporary arrangement. That was always the plan. It’s not… it’s not a big deal.’

‘That doesn’t seem to be true for him. He doesn’t seem like he’s just passing time until this arrangement ends. I’d bet on it if I had to. He’s not in this halfway,’ Luv insisted gently.

The certainty in his voice cut deeper than anything, and Kashvi shook her head, wishing he would stop. ‘I know what we agreed on.’

‘Not from where we were standing,’ Luv said after a heavy beat.

‘Look, it’s not complicated. You just have to get him something decent to wear,’ Kashvi let out a frustrated breath as they inched ahead in traffic. ‘And, Luv, no jokes that put him off, okay? Just help him pick a good kurta, then drop him back at his cousin’s place. That’s all.’

Luv hummed softly. ‘Alright, I’ll behave. What about you? What’s your grand plan in all of this?’

‘I’ll leave after I drop you both at the mall.’

‘Why?’

Because she could not bear it. Her ears rang as Kashvi remembered how close she’d come to another breakdown last night, and this was the only shield she had. She knew it was a coward’s call, but she had to protect at least one piece of her shattered heart if she wanted to survive. ‘I have work.’

He fell quiet, and Kashvi let out a relieved breath when he let it go.

‘Whose idea was it?’ Luv asked casually, but there was an undercurrent of tension in his tone.

‘His maasi and fufa know the girl’s family, and they think it’s a good match.’

‘That’s not what I asked,’ he pointed out, dodging her deflection with ease. ‘Whose idea was it to agree to this?’

‘How does it matter?’ Kashvi shot back.