strangers,' she said. 'Oh, look. There's Faisal.'
Soon after, Faisal joined them and they did not get a chance to spend any time alone. Arjun just kept feeling like Shambhavi was extremely sad inside. He tried to get it out of her, but with Faisal around, he could not prod. Also, he feared that she would tell him that he had no right to know ... no right over her. So he kept shut. He regretted having forced Faisal to come. He would have preferred his assistant watching a movie with his friends' circle, after all.
He wanted to ask Faisal to give them privacy, but he could not do that without giving Shambhavi the wrong idea. He had done that before, and it had not ended well. He knew better than doing that again.
So he just kept stealing glances at Shambhavi, trying to figure out her problem. Every time she found him staring at her, she smiled politely and turned away, resuming her dinner. She chatted fake-happily with Faisal, about everything under the sun, while Arjun's heart sank lower and lower, as he realized that it was probably the last time he was seeing her.
Three months had passed since he had last seen her. There had not been a single day when he had not thought of her and missed her, in his own convoluted way. He had decided what needed to be done. He wanted her back. He wanted to give themselves-and any relationship which could ensue between them-a chance.
Other than that, there was another reason why he was willing to take a leap of faith-had she been a gold-digger, she would not have gone out of his life so easily and completely. She would have done something to have another shot at him. But she had not. Not once in the three months had she tried to contact him in any way. That gave him a little something to build some faith on.
He promised himself that he would be careful. He knew she probably was not after his wealth. But she was in need of money ... that much he was sure about. She had been working tirelessly on the Ahluwalias' assignment for the paycheckshe admitted that herself. She liked to paint; interior designing was to make a living.
After telling himself for the hundredth time to tread carefully, he picked up his phone and called her number. He got a busy tone. He tried again, with the same outcome.
It was in the evening, when he was engaged in polishing his latest article of furniture-a teak wood dresser-that his phone rang. His thoughts went to her immediately. And sure enough, it was Shambhavi's cell number, which was displayed on his phone's screen.
'Hello?' he answered the call.
'Hi. Arjun?' she asked.
'Yes, Shambhavi. How are you?'
'I'm good. How are you? Long time. It's the craziest thing ever-I was just thinking about you. And I check my phone and find your missed calls.'
'Is that so? And why would you be thinking about me?' Arjun asked, pleasantly surprised.
'I was just in one of your showrooms and saw a few new designs. That maple wood chest, I tell you, it was beautiful. So ... perfect. I mean, the texture, the design, the detailingeverything.'
'Thank you. I am glad you liked it.'
'Liked it? Loved it. I told the salesman that I personally know you and have worked with you, but I don't think he believed me. He just eyed me from head to toe and shrugged,' Shambhavi said. Arjun could almost imagine her making a face and crinkling her nose at the other end of the phone. He had really missed that, he suddenly realized.
'There might have been some other reason for that, you know-the eyeing from head to toe,' he said, tongue-in-cheek. It was tough to be with Shambhavi and not get into the same light mood as hers. She was almost contagious.
'Ahh! I see your humour has developed over the last, what, two months? Three?'
'Three.'
'Phew. Long time, really. I thought you must have forgotten me, seeing as you do not make friends, just business acquaintances,' Shambhavi said. 'I must say-your call came as a surprise.'
'I had expected it to be so.'
'Hmm. So, what is going on?'
'I
Soon after, Faisal joined them and they did not get a chance to spend any time alone. Arjun just kept feeling like Shambhavi was extremely sad inside. He tried to get it out of her, but with Faisal around, he could not prod. Also, he feared that she would tell him that he had no right to know ... no right over her. So he kept shut. He regretted having forced Faisal to come. He would have preferred his assistant watching a movie with his friends' circle, after all.
He wanted to ask Faisal to give them privacy, but he could not do that without giving Shambhavi the wrong idea. He had done that before, and it had not ended well. He knew better than doing that again.
So he just kept stealing glances at Shambhavi, trying to figure out her problem. Every time she found him staring at her, she smiled politely and turned away, resuming her dinner. She chatted fake-happily with Faisal, about everything under the sun, while Arjun's heart sank lower and lower, as he realized that it was probably the last time he was seeing her.
Three months had passed since he had last seen her. There had not been a single day when he had not thought of her and missed her, in his own convoluted way. He had decided what needed to be done. He wanted her back. He wanted to give themselves-and any relationship which could ensue between them-a chance.
Other than that, there was another reason why he was willing to take a leap of faith-had she been a gold-digger, she would not have gone out of his life so easily and completely. She would have done something to have another shot at him. But she had not. Not once in the three months had she tried to contact him in any way. That gave him a little something to build some faith on.
He promised himself that he would be careful. He knew she probably was not after his wealth. But she was in need of money ... that much he was sure about. She had been working tirelessly on the Ahluwalias' assignment for the paycheckshe admitted that herself. She liked to paint; interior designing was to make a living.
After telling himself for the hundredth time to tread carefully, he picked up his phone and called her number. He got a busy tone. He tried again, with the same outcome.
It was in the evening, when he was engaged in polishing his latest article of furniture-a teak wood dresser-that his phone rang. His thoughts went to her immediately. And sure enough, it was Shambhavi's cell number, which was displayed on his phone's screen.
'Hello?' he answered the call.
'Hi. Arjun?' she asked.
'Yes, Shambhavi. How are you?'
'I'm good. How are you? Long time. It's the craziest thing ever-I was just thinking about you. And I check my phone and find your missed calls.'
'Is that so? And why would you be thinking about me?' Arjun asked, pleasantly surprised.
'I was just in one of your showrooms and saw a few new designs. That maple wood chest, I tell you, it was beautiful. So ... perfect. I mean, the texture, the design, the detailingeverything.'
'Thank you. I am glad you liked it.'
'Liked it? Loved it. I told the salesman that I personally know you and have worked with you, but I don't think he believed me. He just eyed me from head to toe and shrugged,' Shambhavi said. Arjun could almost imagine her making a face and crinkling her nose at the other end of the phone. He had really missed that, he suddenly realized.
'There might have been some other reason for that, you know-the eyeing from head to toe,' he said, tongue-in-cheek. It was tough to be with Shambhavi and not get into the same light mood as hers. She was almost contagious.
'Ahh! I see your humour has developed over the last, what, two months? Three?'
'Three.'
'Phew. Long time, really. I thought you must have forgotten me, seeing as you do not make friends, just business acquaintances,' Shambhavi said. 'I must say-your call came as a surprise.'
'I had expected it to be so.'
'Hmm. So, what is going on?'
'I
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