Page 21 of Always? Forever.
“I don’t think I have seen you here which explains why you are in front of my elevator.” He wonders. I smirk at that. I tried to get her to come to me.
“I’m sorry I heard you say ‘your elevator’? As in this is your private elevator? Oh my gosh, I am sorry, I was annoyed at him, and I don’t live here…” she started again and stopped once he put his hands on her shoulders to stop her. Why wouldn’t he stop touching her? This man was getting on my nerves now.
“Relax, you don’t seem like a stalker, besides if anything I would be lucky if I had a stalker as pretty as you.” he winks again. I’m sure his eyesight is bad at this point. No normal guy winks this much. And what’s more baffling is that she eats it up, she is blushing. She replies something back and they start having a conversation about his game. What is happening right now? It does not sit well with me, at all. I clear my throat again, because I am somehow invisible as they talk like they are in their own world where I don’t exist for her. I do not like the fact that another guy has her attention. I do not like her like that, or at all. I tolerate her. But I do not want any other guy liking her, she’s about to bemyfiancée. Technically she already is considering I fake-proposed. Finally I have their attention.
Chapter 16
Samaira
I hear someone clear their throat. I had almost forgotten Kartik was with us as I was talking to Chace. First off, I couldn’t believe I was having a full-blown conversation with Chace. Aria is going to be so jealous.
I didn’t understand why he was so pissy. He probably did see Chace every now and then considering they lived in the same building. I still can’t digest the fact that I was talking to Chace. He asked our names, which Kartik very grumpily replied. Kartik stood there with his arms folded across his chest. Even with Chace Wilde standing in front of me and passing cheeky and flirty comments, I thought Kartik looked better. Like sure Chace looked drop dead handsome. But in front of Kartik, I felt Kartik was more handsome. And that was unsettling. Kartik was annoyingly happy all the time. He right now however looked like he could kill Chace. He looked hot with that expression. His t-shirt highlighted his biceps. Huh, I never realised I wasinto men’s biceps until now. Woah wait what. I wasn’t into Kartik. Surely we were about to be engaged. But I was not into him. At all.
“If you are done chit-chatting, can we go home?” he said, sounding annoyed. I raised my eyebrows. I huffed out a nervous laugh. “Jaan…” I stressed on the term of endearment he had said a couple of minutes ago. Oh I hadn’t forgotten about it. It shook me when he said that. Jaan means life or loved one in Hindi. Hriday, my ex boyfriend used to call me that. It was our thing. Until it wasn’t. Until he used it to mock me, to shout at me, to scream at me. He ruined that wonderful memory for me. It was my favourite nickname. But one thing he couldn’t take away from me was that I would definitely want my significant other to call meJaan. Definitely not because it would remind me of him. Never. But the fact that it was so beautiful to be called someone’s loved one. Hriday had ruined so much for me, I wouldn’t let him ruin a beautiful word for me. It was healthy.
The reason it shook me when Kartik said that was I guess I am not over the trauma the break-up inflicted on me as much as I thought I was. It was like how that saying goes “I am over him, just not over it.”
“...you need to develop patience” I continued glaring at Kartik. He had the audacity to look a bit amused. Chace looked back and forth between us before he laughed.
“I’m sorry dude, didn’t know she was taken. My apologies. But I shouldn’t be surprised that such a beautiful lady istaken.” He said with a charming smile. I lost count on how many times I’ve swooned.
I opened my mouth to correct him that I in fact wasn’t taken and very much single but before I could do so, Chace said, “How about a photo?” He took the phone from my hand and handed it to Kartik who looked like he would combust into flames. Kartik however turned the camera into selfie mode as I settled standing beside Chace which didn’t help the scowl on Kartik’s face to turn into a smile. Kartik clicked a selfie. I snatched the phone to check the photo, Chace’s smile felt like heaven touched the earth, I was looking like a clown smiling ear to ear, while Kartik had a permanent scowl on his face. I have never seen a man scowl so much in the span of ten minutes.
“Hope I bump into you soon.” Chace said with a smile as he left. Kartik quickly chose that time to direct me to the correct elevator. Once we were inside and Kartik pressed his floor. I let out a scream which seemed to startle him. I started jumping, unable to contain my excitement of meeting Chace Wilde.
Kartik
She started jumping and giggling to herself once we were inside the lift. I couldn’t help but chuckle, no matter how much it annoyed me to see them interact, her excitement was infectious. I don’t know why I was such a moody bastard. I don’t behave like that. I have met so many stars and I am always the guy they talk to. I wasn’t jealous hespoke to her instead of me. Hell, I would ignore anyone if it meant I would have her entire attention on me. But I won't deny that I wasn’t jealous. I definitely was jealous. Jealous that she had her attention on him, a guy who is 10 times better looking than me. When she finally calmed down was when I left her inside my apartment and then she screamed again, “What the actual fuck?”
“Excuse me?” I am so confused.
“You mean to tell me I can see the entire Central Park from your apartment?” Now she looked like I hung the stars. I liked that. I didn’t know what to say so I just shrugged.
My phone buzzed indicating Aarush was here with a guest, most like Aria as Samaira was busy admiring the view from the window. Accepting the request from the building app to let them in, I turned towards her. She was stunning. However that was a short lived feeling as she now looked annoyed.
Inside the apartment she kicked off her heels, tossed her bag on the sofa, done with me. I should’ve let it go.
I didn’t.
“You should wear the ring,” I said.
She stopped halfway down the hall. “What?”
I took two steps and stopped in front of her, close enough to kiss her, which was exactly the problem. Jealousy wasn’t something I handled well. It sat in my chest like static,too loud, too hot, and completely out of place. I wasn’t supposed to care. I wasn’t supposed to notice. But I did. And the worst part wasn’t that some other guy had her attention, it was that it bothered me. That it got under my skin. I reached out before I could overthink it, and when her lashes fluttered, I told myself it didn’t mean anything. My fingers found the chain she’d tucked under her collar, and I pulled it free. The ring swung between us, catching the kitchen light, catching more than it should’ve. It was just a ring. Just a stupid, fake ring. So why the hell did it feel like a line I didn’t want her to cross?
“If we’re going to keep pretending, it works better when it doesn’t look like you’re hiding it.”
“Wow,” she said.
“It’s not that.” I met her eyes. Let her see mine. “I’m just not interested in guys thinking there’s space to stand where I’m standing.”
Something flickered across her face...surprise first, then something she shut down fast.
“Just wear it,” I said, softer this time.
And I walked away before I said the thing that was actually burning a hole in my throat: that I liked the way her name sounded next to mine. That I hated the way he looked at her. That this wasn’t supposed to matter—and it already did.
“Why did you call me Jaan?” She asked, stopping me.
