Page 76 of Strictly Solo
After an hour, the presentation concluded, and the group burst into polite applause. Mr. Bakshi beamed at her.
“Well done, Naina. You have a solid grasp of what we’re aiming for here.”
“Thank you, Mr. Bakshi,” she replied.
The moment Mr. Bakshi turned his attention to another conversation with Deborah, Ruhaan moved closer, leaning down with a low whisper. “Seems like fate brought us together after all.”
She stiffened. “I don’t believe in fate. Not when it comes to us.”
He raised a brow, a half-smile on his lips. “Maybe it’s time you started.”
Before she could answer, Mr. Bakshi turned to them, breaking the spell.
“Ruhaan, what do you think of this campaign? Anything you would like to add here?”
“Uncle, I …” he paused to glance at Naina once, an idea forming in his head to grab this chance he had to talk to her alone. “I have a few key points to understand before I give my inputs. Maybe Miss Naina can help me understand those.”
Naina clenched her jaw realizing what he was doing.
“Of course, Naina will help you know this campaign better,” Deborah replied. “Right Naina?”
She was caught in a situation where she couldn’t deny openly. This was her job and she couldn’t risk upsetting Deborah or this project.
“Sure,” she replied with a half shrug before shaking hands with Bakshi again who was ready to leave.
A minute later as Deborah led Bakshi out, Naina led Ruhaan down the hallway to her office. She couldn’t afford to be vulnerable here, not now and especially not in front of him. But the moment they entered her office, Ruhaan reached out, shutting the door with a quiet thud and blocking any escape as he took hold of her arm and turned her to face him.
“Naina…”
“Don’t, Ruhaan.” She pulled her arm from his grip, stepping back. She could barely contain her frustration. “This is my office. You’ve already complicated my personal life enough; I don’t need you to make my work life difficult too. You don’t care about the details of this campaign. It’s just an excuse to talk to me. But I don’t want to talk. So, just…leave.”
Ruhaan saw the fury and hurt in her eyes. “I’ll leave, but not until you hear me out.”
“Hear you out?” she scoffed, crossing her arms defensively. “There’s nothing left for you to say. That day, your silence spoke volumes. You chose silence over me…over Neil.”
Her voice cracked. “And I know it’s not your fault. You made it crystal clear from the start. This was all casual, right? No strings, no commitments. I was a fool for agreeing, for even letting you close to Neil. But I’d warned you that Neil shouldn’t get hurt. And yet, here we are. That day...webothhurt him. You, by not saying anything. And me...by letting him believe this would last.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks. She hadn’t planned to bare her soul, but the floodgates had burst open.
Ruhaan stepped forward, his hands reaching for her face, but she jerked away, swatting at his hands. Yet, this time, he held on firmly, pulling her to meet his gaze.
“You think all this is not hurting me? It is, baby. That day, the way it all happened, I... I couldn’t—”
“Yes, you couldn’t,” she interrupted. “Despite all that happened between us... youcouldn’t. That’s the point.”
Fresh tears spilled as she continued. “Your words and actions didn’t match. A silly part of me thought that whatever was happening between us meant something more to you. Because God knows it did to me.”
She fisted his shirt over his chest, her knuckles white with tension.
“I thought you, me, and Neil could be... together... forever.”
“We will,” Ruhaan interjected, his eyes intense. “That’s what I want too, Naina. But why does it all have to end at marriage? You don’t understand what I saw growing up in that huge joint family of ours. A perfect marriage on paper that was nothing but a facade hiding hell behind those closed doors.”
He paused, his breath catching as memories flooded back. “My uncle—” his voice cracked, “—he was everything society praised. The model husband in public. Religious, successful, respected. The perfect head of the family. But at home?” A bitter laugh escaped him. “He made my aunt’s life a living nightmare. And she stayed, Naina. She stayed trapped in that cage because of that sacred institution called marriage.”
His hands trembled as he continued, “Their son, my cousin brother... God, he was just sixteen when he couldn’t take it anymore. Watching his parents destroy each other daily, being caught in that crossfire of hatred and ego... he just... disappeared one night. Ten years, Naina. It’s been ten years, and we still haven’t found him.” His voice broke. “The police have given up. Most of the family has given up. My aunt... she couldn’t bear losing her son. The trauma of that loss, coupled with years of abuse... it just... it consumed her. She died waiting for her son to return, blaming herself, blaming that marriage that kept her bound to her misery.”
His hands cupped her face, but they were shaking now. “You think I’m against marriage without reason? My sister…my brilliant, beautiful sister who’s built such a successful career in UAE... You should have seen her wedding. Seven pheras, elaborate promises, destination wedding. But did those sacred vows stop my brother-in-law from betraying her when they found out she couldn’t have children? Did it protect her from the snide remarks, the humiliation?”
