Page 32 of Born in Sin

“No.” She met Virat’s gaze, her own steady. “I won’t leave you.”

Chapter Twelve

CARA

For the second time in two days, she found herself standing outside a door that led to him. Years, how many years, had she spent wishing she could see him just one more time? Twice in two days…the younger her would have been flying, joy giving her wings. Now all she felt was nerves…

“Are we going to stay here all evening? On the doorstep?”

Kabir’s deep voice brought her out of her thoughts. Behind them, their security stepped back a little to give them space. Two chairs had magically materialised for the security guards beside the elevators. Thoughtful, she thought, glancing at the chairs.He’dalways been thoughtful.

“Okay, if you’re not going to do this, I will.”

And with that, Kabir leaned forward to press the buzzer. The butterflies in Celina’s stomach took flight, morphing into fire breathing dragons. Footsteps sounded on the other side of the door and then it was hauled open. Ishaan’s glance went fromCelina’s composed face to Kabir’s grinning one before he silently stepped back, allowing them to enter.

“Hi,” Kabir said. “I’m-“

“I know who you are,” Ishaan interrupted. “I would have had to be living under a rock not to know who you are.”

Kabir raised an eyebrow. “And your charming self would be?”

“Ishaan Adajania, CEO of Techrat,” Celina interjected, forcing herself to sound bored. Her gaze was on the rest of the group gathered in the living room. He wasn’t there. Her gaze scanned the entire space, but he wasn’t there. The fire breathing dragons roared in disappointment making her gut churn. Amay got up and walked over to them.

“Dr. Amay Aatre,” Celina said before anyone else could.

“Please to meet you,” Amay said politely, holding out a hand for Kabir to shake.

Behind Amay, a muffled squeal sounded, and he rolled his eyes.

“My girlfriend, Dhrithi, is a huge fan of yours,” he told Kabir. “If you don’t mind…”

“Of course I don’t,” Kabir smiled politely, looking around Amay to where Dhrithi was bouncing on her toes trying to get a better look at him. Beside her, Mayukhi was standing, smiling indulgently at Dhrithi.

She looked toward them, and her gaze caught on Cara’s. The amused affection faded immediately to be replaced with a cool challenge which Cara returned. Mayukhi and she hadn’t been friends in school. She doubted that would change now.

The sliding doors that led to the balcony opened at that instant and Virat stepped in. The second he walked in, everything changed. The air around Cara seemed to crackle with an intensity that made her feel like she was standing in the eye of a thunderstorm, and she was the lightning pole waiting for the storm to break.

She had been the eye of his storm.

Then. Now. Always.

His gaze flickered from her to where Kabir stood beside her. Nothing in his expression changed and still she felt it, the tug at her heart, the urge to go to him, to hold him, to ease the pain he was feeling. She almost stepped forward, but a strong arm slid around her waist, anchoring her in place. She looked up at Kabir, who held her close and looked down at her, eyebrows raised. Cara forced a smile to her face and leaned into his casual embrace.

He tightened his grip on her and led her over to where Virat stood. “Kabir Raizada,” he said, smiling that movie star smile of his.

“Virat Jha.” He didn’t smile back.

They shook hands, Virat not looking her way even for a second. A loss she felt so keenly, she thought she’d regressed to her girlhood.

“So, Dhrithi,” Kabir said, looking away from Cara and toward her childhood friend. “I hear you’re a fan.”

Cara allowed herself to be pulled along in Kabir’s charismatic wake as he charmed her friends into gibbering idiots withinminutes. As Kabir signed a napkin for Dhrithi, Yukhi stepped closer and nodded at Cara.

“Hey.”

Cara felt herself tensing and had to remind herself to relax. “Hi Yukhi.”

“Would never have known Cara Ferns was you.” Mayukhi smiled slightly.

---