Page 62 of Strictly Solo
She smiled back faintly, her heart feeling a little lighter. Maybe Raj wasn’t what she had expected after all. And yet, she couldn’t stop glancing behind him where Ruhaan was, his eyes almost glaring at them now. This time, there was no hiding the frustration and possessiveness in his gaze.
Ruhaan, from a distance, could see the way Naina’s body finally easing at Raj’s words. His frustration grew with every passing second. He wanted to storm over, interrupt their conversation, and pull her away from the formality of thisintroduction. He never thought that he would be so jealous over another man ever in his life but clearly today seeing Naina talking to her potential suitor made his blood boil. That no one else could fit into her life the way he did.
Rohit cleared his throat and came to stand beside Ruhaan, who was throwing glares at Raj and Naina from across the room. He had noticed and couldn’t resist teasing his friend a bit. With a mischievous glint in his eye, he nudged Ruhaan slightly.
“Don’t Raj and Naina look good together?” Rohit teased.
Ruhaan rolled his eyes and looked away, refusing to let his frustration show. “How would I know? I haven’t even seen the two of them together,” he muttered, feigning indifference.
Rohit chuckled, clearly not buying Ruhaan’s act. “Stop lying to your best friend, Ruhaan. From the moment Raj met Naina, you haven’t taken your eyes off them.”
Ruhaan didn’t bother to explain or offer excuses. Instead, he grabbed a small bowl of rabri (dessert) from a passing server and started eating it, more to divert his attention than anything else. Rohit watched him for a moment, before asking him the question that had been on his mind for a while.
“What’s happening, man?” he asked, his tone turning serious. “What is it that’s going on between you and Naina?”
Ruhaan shrugged, still avoiding eye contact. “I care for Naina,” he said quietly, the truth slipping out before he could stop himself. “Even if we couldn’t be together in the past, I still like her, and I don’t want her to make the wrong choices.”
Rohit smirked. “Bro, if that’s the case, remember one thing.” He then pointed toward Raj and Naina, who were now laughing together, clearly enjoying themselves. “He’s the right choice.” Rohit poked Ruhaan’s chest again. “The wrong choice is standing right here next to me.”
Ruhaan’s temper flared. He shrugged off Rohit’s hand and angrily set the rabri bowl on a nearby table. “Whose friend are you? Raj or mine? How can you say I’m the wrong choice?”
Rohit sighed, turning serious again. “Look, how can you be the right choice for Naina when you’re not even thinking about marriage? I don’t know about you, but Naina is definitely going to give in to her uncle’s demands to settle down soon. And if you keep standing there, doing nothing, you’re going to lose her again. For good this time.”
Ruhaan clenched his fists, unsure of what to say or do. Rohit gave him a final glance, shook his head, and walked away, leaving him standing there, boiling with frustration.
His eyes shifted back to where Raj and Naina stood. Raj was talking animatedly to Neil now, ruffling the boy’s hair and making him laugh. Naina watched them with a soft smile, and Ruhaan felt a knot tighten in his chest. Raj reached into his pocket, pulled out a small chocolate, and handed it to Neil, who accepted it happily.
Ruhaan’s anger flared again. Neil thanked Raj and ran away to play with his friends. But before he could get away, Ruhaan strode over to Neil and gently pulled the boy to him.
“Why did you let Raj mess up your spikes?” He bent down to Neil’s level and he brushed Neil’s hair back into place.
Neil blinked, confused. “Oops. I forgot my spikes. You know what, Ruhaan? Raj uncle gave me chocolate too!” He proudly held up the treat.
Ruhaan gritted his teeth not liking it a bit.
“It’s not good to take things from strangers, didn’t your mom teach you that?”
Neil shrugged innocently. “Yeah, but Mom told me to take it from Raj uncle, so I couldn’t say no.”
Ruhaan’s blood boiled more. He bent down closer to Neil, his voice firm but gentle. “Listen to me, champ. Whatever you want,you tell me, and I’ll give it to you. Don’t take things from Raj uncle… or anyone else, okay?”
Neil nodded obediently, not fully understanding the tension in Ruhaan’s voice. “Okay!” he chirped, giving Ruhaan a high-five before wrapping his arms around Ruhaan in a tight hug. “I love you, Ruhaan.”
Ruhaan felt a strange possessiveness flood his chest as Neil hugged him. The connection between them felt strong, natural, and deep. It wasn’t just about Naina anymore. Neil had worked his way into Ruhaan’s heart, and the idea of someone else, especially Raj, stepping in as a father figure made Ruhaan’s stomach churn.
“I love you too, Neil,” he whispered, pulling the boy close before he glanced back at Raj. There was no way he could stand by and let this man step into Neil’s life…into Naina’s life…and take what should’ve beenhis.
But he couldn’t deny Rohit’s words either. What could he offer Naina? He had never fully considered marriage, family, or responsibility—things Raj seemed ready to embrace.
Naina laughed politely at one of Raj’s jokes, but her eyes drifted away from him. She caught sight of Ruhaan again, across the garden, fussing over Neil’s spiked hair that Raj had ruffled just moments before. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Possessive, already? A flicker of satisfaction lit up inside her, seeing how he seemed so affected—not just by her, but by Neil as well. Maybe things were beginning to turn in her favor, or rather,theirfavor.
But what if they didn’t? What if this was as far as Ruhaan was willing to go?
Just then, Suman came over, breaking her thoughts.
“Naina, the mahurat is up. We need to help get Maa down to the mandap for the rituals. Rohit is already with Papa,” shesaid, motioning toward where her father, Subodh, was standing by the ceremonial fire.
Naina nodded and excused herself from Raj, who smiled warmly, clearly oblivious to the thoughts swirling in her mind. She and Suman made their way inside the house to help her aunt, Malti, get ready for the ritual.
