Page 74 of Addiction

She thought through everything. She had genuinely wanted to spend a night with him. They hadn’t ever done that. And it was probably selfish of her to suggest that right now, when so much remained unanswered between them. The truth, however, was that needed him around to think—to gain clarity. The only time everything made sense was when he was around. Maybe spending the night with him would have given her the push she needed to jump off the cliff and explore the frightening unknown with him.

Her heart sped. And just like that, all her old fears resurfaced, overwhelming her. This was what happened each time she analysed their relationship when she was away from him. She was terrified of getting hurt, of being a dreaded casualty of the consequences of love, just as her birth mother had been. The easiest solution to her dilemma would be to stop meeting him. To tell him it was over and that she didn’t want anything more from him. But then, even the mere thought of letting go of Armaan made her chest hurt badly.

He had wound his way into her life so deeply that even imagining a day without him was so hard now. Her heart clenched. Which meant that there was only one option left. It was one thing to have a secret romance with him, but telling everyone… meant the beginning of more. She exhaled. Sheneeded to talk to someone, and that is why she’d insisted on a sisters’ night out with Ananya.

She had to confide in Ananya, and she’d wanted to do it away from home, somewhere outside where Ananya wouldn’t create a fuss. Of course, Ananya would, in all possibility, get mad at her, but she was less likely to create a scene in public. Nevertheless, Navya needed her elder sister’s help in understanding what she was going through. Ananya had been in a relationship once, and she’d definitely be able to help her navigate this situation with Armaan.

Sighing, Navya looked around. Club Poseidon was packed as always. In fact, tonight, it seemed busier. The bartender was taking a long time to get them their drinks.

Ananya finally handed her a vodka soda. “So, why the sudden plan to come to Club Poseidon?”

“It’s a Friday night, and I just wanted some sister time,” Navya said.

Ananya sipped her drink. “Honestly, I’m not complaining. It’s been too long since I’ve done anything like this. This feels good.”

Which was true. Ananya rarely ever went out anywhere these days. She was too immersed in her work all the time.

Club Poseidon was easily one of their favorite nightclubs in Dubai, especially considering their brother owned the place. Her eyes coasted over the crowd. In the distance and below her, she could make out people dancing on the floor. Around her, the VIP section was also more crowded than usual. There were a lot of foreigners around. Her eyes paused on a couple dancing near the railing in front of her. The man had his back to Navya. The woman with him had her arms wrapped around him, whispering in his ear as they grooved to the music, looking totally lost in each other. How would she and Armaan look dancing like that?

Her chest pinched. She looked at the couple again. She and Armaan had never, not once, gone out in public together. God. Suddenly, she ached for him to be here. She ached to spend an entire night with him in his bed and wake up in the morning with him. She wanted to begin and end her days with him. Her chest constricted. Oh, what was happening to her? It was all so damn confusing.

The couple she’d been staring at parted. The man returned to his group and the lady looked in her direction, her eyes meeting Navya’s. Navya recognized her in an instant. No wonder Navya was curious about that particular couple on the dance floor. It was Rehana with some man—maybe the elusive boyfriend she had been talking about these last few weeks. Seeing Navya, the model approached her.

Navya stood from the barstool to greet her. Rehana air kissed her cheeks.

“Navya,habibti,” Rehana chirped. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you. You’re late.”

Shit. Navya had completely forgotten that she’d gotten entry for Rehana and her friends here for tonight.

“Hi, Rehana. I hope you managed to get in easily and that you’ve got a good table as well. Are you enjoying yourselves?”

“Yes, yes. Many thanks. We are having a great time,” Rehana said. “This VIP section is fabulous, and the DJ is just awesome.” Her eyes swept past Navya and landed on Ananya.

Navya ushered her sister forward. “This is my elder sister, Ananya. And Ananya, I’m sure you know Rehana Haddad, the famous model.”

Rehana extended her hand out. “You seem familiar.”

“I’m the owner and editor of Noir Fashion Magazine,” Ananya said.

Rehana gave Navya a scathing look. “You failed to mention this when we were discussing this magazine a few weeks ago.”She turned to Ananya. “I read your article on the top models in the world. Why was I not featured in it?”

Oh no. This was why Navya needed to pay more attention to everything around her. Had she remembered that Rehana would be here tonight then she wouldn’t have brought Ananya to the same nightclub. Rehana had a solid temper and an ego the size of a hill, and Ananya enjoyed sparring with people with huge egos and putting them down a notch or two. An altercation between Ananya and Rehana was the last thing she needed when Navya’s career was going so great, thanks to this one model.

Before she could say anything, Ananya smiled. “Well, my next article will be on the top models in the Middle East, and if you’re willing, then we could do a cover with you.”

Rehana’s eyes glittered, and then her blood-red lips curved. “That sounds fine. Navya has the contact of my assistants. You can get in touch with them to schedule a discussion.”

“I look forward to that,” Ananya replied.

That was easy. Navya had barely breathed a sigh of relief when Rehana ran a cutting gaze down Ananya and said, “You’re too thin. However, you have good bone structure. You should use your sister’s assistance to dress better.”

Ananya’s face hardened at the model’s derisive comment, but before she could give an equally biting reply, Navya stepped up. “Rehana, was that your boyfriend back there with you?”

Rehana pointed to the railing, where a tall man was leaning, looking into the crowd. “Yes, that’s him.”

Navya couldn’t see him clearly through the glaring lights of the club. The man turned his head to the side. She squinted. Something about him looked familiar.

Before she could lean to get a better look, Rehana said, “Talking about boyfriends, where is Armaan? I thought he’d be coming tonight. Weren’t we to double date?”

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