And again… nothing.
I almost drop the phone beside me for a second before picking it again. This is ridiculous. That’s when a thought pops into my head, and I type again.
‘Are you with Kriti? Is that why there’s no reply?’
The message barely leaves my screen when I see it.
He is typing…
A smile immediately tugs at my lips. There he is. His reply comes in a second later.
‘What does Kriti have to do with this?’
I actually let out a soft laugh as I shake my head and type back.
‘Don’t act like you don’t know.’
I send it without offering any explanation, on purpose. And right on cue, he is typing again.
My grin widens.
‘Know what, Siya?’
I bite down lightly on my finger, holding back another laugh as I type my response.
‘Abhi bataane ka mood nahi hai.’ (Not in a mood right now.)
I hit send, and before he can reply, I close the app. A small, satisfied chuckle escapes my lips as I get off the bed.
Whatever this is… at least it isn’t one-sided silence anymore.
CHAPTER 15
SIYA
Late Afternoon
I’m standing by the pool table in RK Estate’s game lounge with cue stick in my hand, trying to distract myself. My phone has been buzzing all day with Parag’s messages. His name alone is enough to sour my mood.
It wasn’t always like this. When the alliance was first proposed, his messages were tolerable. He’d say things likeLooking forward to our futureorCan’t wait to make you mine. I never encouraged him, though, never gave him anything beyond the bare minimum. If he sent ten messages, I replied to one. Sometimes not even that. Just enough to keep the situation from turning into a full-blown family drama.
But now, things have changed. Ever since the date is fixed, the wedding is no longer a possibility but a deadline, and his messages have changed with it. There is a tone in them now that makes my skin crawl. An assumption that he has rights over me that he’s never earned.
I’ve told him to stop.More than once.But he laughs it off every time, hiding behind the same excuse.We are getting married anyway, Siya. What is the problem with a little dirty texting?
Because in his head, I’m already his. If he were standing in front of me right now, I would probably wipe that smug expression right off his face with the cue stick I’m holding.
That’s why I stepped out for a walk, hoping the fresh air would clear my head. And when I saw the game lounge lit up, it felt like the perfect distraction. Then I saw the pool table, and everything else faded away. All I could think about was Dad. He used to play this game like it was an art form. I can still remember standing by the side, watching him line up his shots and listening to his laughter with his friends and business associates.
He looked his best when he played… relaxed and at ease. If he were alive, this marriage would not be happening. I tighten my grip on the cue stick and force myself back into the present. I’m good at riding, combat, and handling weapons. But this… this is different. Pool requires patience, focus, and a steady mind, all of which I do not have right now.
Still, I walk around the table, studying the angles before setting up my next shot. I strike, but the shot goes wide. The balls scatter in all the wrong directions. Nothing lands. Just like everything else in my life right now. From the past thirty minutes, every shot I’ve played has missed its mark.
“Focus, Siya,” I mutter under my breath, lining up another shot. “It’s not that hard.”
But my mind refuses to cooperate. The days are slipping away and the wedding is getting closer. Every plan I have thought of feels incomplete and risky, full of loopholes. What if nothing works? What if I’m dragged into that life no matter what I do?
No.
