Page 38 of Obsession

Sheena splayed a hand at Ananya. “She showed up. Can you imagine? And get this, she went straight up to Mihir and kissed him on the cheek.”

“I thought you didn’t see that,” Ananya grumbled.

“That doesn’t mean I didn’t hear about it,” Sheena retorted. “Anyway, after that, they were talking like normal adults. They didn’t fight at all.”

Avi’s eyes rounded as she leaned back in her chair. “What?”

She studied Ananya carefully. Ananya hadn’t told Avi the details of that night when she’d taken her help to escape her bodyguard and to go to Mihir’s house. Ananya had only told her that Mihir hadn’t been home. It wasn’t a lie. But it wasn’t the whole truth either.

And Sheena continued to remain blissfully ignorant of the events of that night. Despite being her closest friend, Sheena wouldn’t hesitate to tell Rajiv that Ananya had escaped her bodyguard. So, it was better she did not know. And about that encounter with Mihir at the warehouse that night? Ananya couldn’t breathe a word of that to either of them.

That night, being in his arms had disturbed her more than she cared to admit. And seeing him with those men was not something she could share with anyone. Yes, she’d written about him in Noir, but it was barely giving away anything. Why had he even made such a fuss about it? Had he not provoked her, she never would have told him she had that damn video. She’d taken the video on a whim, thanks to her curiosity.

Her mind jumped to the events of last afternoon and how things had further snowballed between her and him. Her face burned. Fuck. What had she been thinking, allowing him to touch her the way she had? Oh God… he’d known just the way to touch her, to kiss her, to make her heart race and her body yearn. He’d known how to make her shatter and come apart. Even now, she wasn’t over the impact he’d had on her.

But what about him? If she’d behaved ridiculously, so had he. He’d been as lost in the moment as her. He hadn’t been able to control himself around her. She’d even felt the evidence of his arousal. So, now, where did that leave them?

Sheena snapped her fingers in front of her face again. “Stop daydreaming and answer the question.”

“Umm, sorry, what?” Ananya stuttered.

Sheena glared at her and said, “Rajiv and the girls told me that Mihir and you have called a truce. Is that true?”

Ananya sighed. “Yes. It was high time our siblings finally started to move on in their lives without either of us being a hindrance to their wedding plans.”

“And that kiss on the cheek?” Avi asked.

“It was just to get a rise out of him.”

Her friends stared at her. Their food arrived, and the delicious aroma of the ravioli in front of her made her mouth water. They all dug into their food with gusto.

“So, you and Mihir are okay to be in the same room together now?” Avi asked between bites.

“Yes.”

“When and how did that happen?” Sheena queried.

Ananya ate another bite of her pasta. “We met for coffee last week and talked.”

“You talked?” Avi asked. “Did you clear?—”

“—no,” Ananya cut her off. “That topic is off limits with him. He’s agreed to the truce as long as there’s no talk of the past.”

“Bastard,” Avantika swore.

“Asshole,” Sheena cursed. “I can punch him for you the next time I see him.”

Ananya chuckled. She was grateful to have these women in her life. Apart from her sisters, she was the closest to these women. She hadn’t known Avantika for long, but it felt like she’d known her forever.

“So, now what?” Avi asked.

“Wait,” Sheena held a hand out, grinning, “There’s more.”

Ananya frowned. “There is nothing more.”

“Really?” Sheena angled her head. “Are we not going to address the fact that you were alone with Mihir in the pool house?”

“Oh my God,” Ananya gasped. “You saw that. You know?”

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