Page 89 of Since You Stole My Heart

I don’t give a fuck what you have in mind. Leave me alone!

‘Kash?’

She whirled around to see Swayam watching her, his eyes tight with concern. ‘You okay?’

Kashvi forced a smile as she nodded. ‘Yeah, just someone at work being annoying.’

‘Need me to slay your monster, princess?’ Though he joked, the determination in his eyes showed he meant it.

In that moment, all she wanted to do was shove her phone at him and tell him everything. But she couldn’t, not until she knew who this was. ‘I’ll tell you when I need you.’

‘Good. Do you want to leave?’ he asked.

Kashvi shook her head, giving him a reassuring smile. ‘No, no. I’m excited to meet your maasi.’

‘I’m sure she’ll love you,’ he said, tapping her nose once.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat as she nodded. His eyes lingered on her for a moment, but then Lavanya called out his name, pulling his focus away.

The phone vibrated in her hand, and another message slid into view.

Tell me, babygirl, are you planning to fuck him tonight?

The crude, invasive words burned through her screen, scalding her. Her jaw clenched, and she gritted her teeth until it hurt. For a second, she saw red.

A part of her wanted to lash out, but it was clear that he was baiting her into a reaction. She refused to let him provoke her into a breakdown.

She took a deep breath and slowly typed out a reply.

I’ll answer that if you tell me who you are.

She was so tightly wound that she flinched when Lavanya’s phone rang with a shrill tone.

Lavanya nervously answered the call. ‘Haan,Mummyji? Yes, Swayam is here. Okay, we’ll be right down.’

She ended the call with a sharp tap of her thumb and opened the side drawer to retrieve a key. ‘C’mon, she’s waiting for us downstairs.’

Swayam raised a hand to stop her. ‘I’ve got it. The bride isn’t supposed to do all this.’

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and Kashvi noticed the faint tremble in her hand.

Lavanya chuckled, and there was a bitter note to it. ‘Don’t worry. I plan to carry the empty suitcase.’

‘Who brings an empty suitcase?’ Kashvi asked, confused.

‘Dhanush Fufaji. He expects to get loaded with gifts from my family because he’s the groom’s uncle. My mother sold one of her earrings to buy enough things to fill it.’

Swayam shook his head, disappointment evident on his face. ‘I’ll never understand how Maasi supports any of this.’

‘You know how it is for her. We all make exceptions for the people we love, even when we shouldn’t,’ Lavanya said, regret shining in her eyes. ‘Anyway, let’s go,’ she dragged out the word, urging him to move.

‘You go on. I’ll be right behind you,’ Swayam told her. Then he turned to Kashvi and asked, ‘You’ll be okay here for a few minutes?’

Kashvi nodded. ‘I’ll be fine.’

Swayam trailed the back of his fingers along her jaw as he warned, ‘Get ready for a lot of chaos.’

She let out a hesitant laugh. ‘Can’t wait.’