Page 193 of Since You Stole My Heart

The late afternoon sun filtered through the window, highlighting the hard line of his jaw. His dark denim shirt was wrinkled from hours of driving, his sunglasses hooked at the collar. He turned towards her with those dark, smoky eyes and that lazy smile of his. It undid her a little every single time.

Kashvi lifted a brow. ‘Why? So you could flirt with me the entire way to the bookstore?’

‘I don’t need to be alone with you to do that. I flirted with you the whole drive here, didn’t I?’ Swayam shot back with a grin. ‘And you never complain when I take you to work on the bike.’

The way he looked leaning against his Harley was one of the reasons she had trouble focusing on work these days.

Kashvi grinned. ‘Why would I? It’s my favourite part of the day.’

Kusha let out a dramatic groan. ‘Okay, that’s enough of your lovey-dovey stuff. Some of us are still single here.’

‘It’s my car. Deal with it,’ Swayam replied with a huff.

The car jolted over a pothole, and Kashvi hissed as a dull pain flared through her ribs. Her palm was healing well, and the bruises on her face had faded, but the kick to her stomach still hurt every now and then.

Swayam looked at her apologetically. ‘Sorry, baby. It’s easier to avoid these on the bike.’

‘It’s fine,’ she murmured, lifting her hand to his scruffy beard. When the crease in his forehead didn’t ease, she blew him a kiss.

Swayam chuckled. ‘Save that for tonight, Kash. You’re distracting me.’

Kashvi laughed and turned her gaze back out the window. A large sign flashed past them, announcing they were now in Mussoorie.

The road curved ahead in long, winding bends as mist drifted low over the slopes. Tall deodar trees lined the expanse, their dark silhouettes swaying gently in the breeze, while clusters of small shops and cafés were tucked into the hillside.

The faint scent of damp earth slipped in through the cracked window, and Kashvi drew in a deep breath, taking in the fresh mountain air.

When Kusha elbowed him again to make space, Raghav protested, ‘If you had to annoy someone, why didn’t you travel with Luv in the other car?’

‘Because my brother is an idiot,’ she huffed.

Abhay chuckled. ‘I absolutely agree. What did he do this time?’

Kusha threw her hands up in outrage. ‘I spent a whole week making the perfect road-trip playlist, and Luv ditched it in five seconds the moment Siya and Meera decided to play an audiobook by the author we’re going to meet.’

Abhay stretched his hands behind his head and let out a groan. ‘I’m telling you, that’s probably why Dhruv and Vihaan decided to suffer all the way here on their bikes.’

Kashvi twisted around in her seat and asked, ‘Then why are you in this car, Jiju?’

‘Siya kicked me out,’ Abhay grumbled. ‘Apparently that car is only for serious readers.’

‘Excuse me? Why did no one tell me?’ Kashvi frowned, offended.

‘Siya said they wanted to listen to the audiobook in peace, and you tend to talk too much about themes and nuances for that to happen,’ Swayam said.

Abhay said with a hint of teasing, ‘I just hope that once you meet this woman today, you’ll finally stop talking about her.’

Kashvi scoffed, crossing her arms. ‘I’m a die-hard fan. I’ll never stop.’

Kusha glanced out the window again before typing on her phone. ‘We’re quite close to our grandparents’ house. Maybe Luv and I will drop by there later.’

‘Then coming here must bring back a lot of memories, huh,’ Kashvi remarked.

Kusha shook her head, her attention still on her phone. ‘Not for me. I rarely came here, but Luv practically grew up in Mussoorie.’

Raghav chuckled. ‘If there was a break from school, Luv was halfway here already.’

Kashvi lifted a brow. ‘Every vacation?’