Page 59 of Obsession

She lifted her nose. “Who says I like you?”

“Oh, so you just like my hot body?” He chuckled. “Nice. I knew I was a divine God in bed.”

She slapped his arm playfully, her cheeks pink. “Stop teasing. But seriously, I do like how down-to-earth you are when it concerns your wealth.”

He didn’t reply, simply finished her sandwich in silence. How could he tell her that, at one time, he was the poorest of poor? That until he was eighteen, he was just a destitute orphan from a small town in India? How could he tell this beautiful, cultured, sophisticated woman that he’d fallen for, that at one time, he wasn’t even fit to kiss her feet?

That was one of the reasons he hadn’t told her much about himself. She only knew Armaan’s and Vedant’s names, and so far, she’d seen them only in the few photos he’d shown her on his phone. He hadn’t shared any pictures of Alexander with her. He wasn’t yet ready to answer all the questions that would surely follow once she saw Alexander.

However, to give her credit, Anna didn’t ask him too many questions. She didn’t dig into his past. She seemed happy to be with him, just him. For some strange reason, she had assumed that his family lived on an estate close to London. Of course, they did own an estate in the English countryside. The misunderstanding had arisen when he’d absently used the word ‘estate’ when referring to his home. She’d assumed he was talking about England, and he hadn’t corrected her. But soon, he’d have to tell her everything. He couldn’t keep her in the dark forever. Hopefully, she wouldn’t judge him for his humble beginnings.

He looked up and found her watching him, her face serious.

He raised his brows. “What?”

“My sisters are coming to stay with me when the semester ends,” she said. “They want to meet you.”

“I didn’t know you’d told your family about me…” He gave her a thoughtful look. “See, you do like me.”

She linked his hand with hers. “I like you more than you can imagine. This, you and me, it’s getting serious, isn’t it? It’s suddenly exploded and become so much more than I expected.”

“It’s more than I expected too,” he said softly, his heart clenching. She was more. She was too damn important to him. She was becoming his reason to wake up in the morning. He lived to meet her, to spend time with her, and to see her smiling face.

“Right now, only Navya and Reina know,” she explained. “I haven’t told Rajiv yet. He’s too protective. He’d come running here to see for himself if you were worthy enough to be dating me. And I don’t need him going big brother on me right now. I’ll tell him later. In fact, I was thinking maybe you could come with me to Dubai after we’re done with the finals. I’d like to introduce you to Rajiv and my parents as well.”

Mihir’s heart soared. Meeting her family meant so much. It meant taking their relationship forward by so many steps. And he was ready for it. Anna meant the world to him. He already knew in his heart what he felt for her. He just needed the perfect moment to tell her. Soon. He would tell her everything soon.

He’d heard enough about her family from her. Anna came from a strong, healthy, affluent family in Dubai. It was thanks to her solid upbringing that Anna was this smart, sassy, confident, and bold woman.

“So, will you meet them all?” Anna queried.

“Of course,” Mihir replied. “Let’s plan this properly. I have to tell my brothers about you. I’ll ask them to visit London at the same time as your sisters. We can all meet together. What do you think?”

She beamed. “Perfect. That sounds perfect.”

“And after the finals, we go to Dubai to meet your brother and parents,” he said. “I’ve never been there.”

Her eyes brightened. “Oh my God, you will love it. It’s my favorite city in the whole world.”

“Anna,” he said. “I want you to meet my dad as well. He will adore you.”

She smiled. “I can’t wait.”

Now, he, too, was excited to tell his family about her, to introduce them to her. They would be delighted for him. His father would adore her, he was certain of it.

“Wait, let me tell the plan to my sisters,” she told him.

She immediately began texting her sisters. He knew Anna was very close to her siblings. She’d told him that the girls were actually her cousins via her maternal uncle. That Anna’s family had formally adopted the girls only a few years ago. He also knew that Reina was studying medicine in London, and since her college was a distance away from Anna’s, she lived on her own. Navya, on the other hand, was studying fashion in Edinburgh. Anna constantly complained that she hardly got to spend time with her sisters, and their visits to London were few and far between. Her brother was already heading their family business in Dubai, Poseidon Corp. Mihir knew how much Rajiv loved his sisters, and that Anna doted on him. He liked everything Anna had told him about her brother. Perhaps, one day, Mihir could be friends with him. It would be nice to have more people in his close circle.

“Are you done?” she asked. “I have a class in twenty minutes.”

He stood up. She wound her arm in his as they made their way to his car. “By the way, I have to tell you something. Asha is getting married after the semester ends.”

He paused. “So soon? How come?”

“Her grandmom is unwell, and she wants to see her married. Her parents, too, want them to get married soon, and since Sunil is from London, they’re having the wedding here. There’ll be the wedding plus a few pre-wedding festivities. And Asha’s invited you as well. So, will you come with me?”

“To be honest, I don’t do well in crowds, especially among people I don’t know.”

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