Page 6 of Right Where I Belong
Knowing Kanika, she would have engineered a scene between them at some point, at some event, where Aditya was also present, to parade her fiancé beside her, just to show the world how she’d moved on from him. Kanika was nothing but tenacious when it came to proving a point. Hence, it was better to get this over with once and for all, and on her turf, at her engagement party, where she couldn’t really afford to make a fool of herself.
Aditya knew Kanika had seen him, although she was pretending that she hadn’t. Her laughter rang louder amidst the quiet hush around them, and her spine was a tad bit straighter as she clung tightly to her fiancé’s arm.
Before dating her, Aditya had been a playboy and a party animal. But as he’d watched his friends marry and build families, a quiet longing had started to take root. He’d spent years alone, buried in work, and the idea of someone to share his life with had slowly begun to appeal to him. He too wanted the happiness his friends had found. So, he’d started seeing Kanika, thinking that maybe, just maybe, she was someone he could eventually settle down with. They’d met through common friends at a nightclub in Delhi, and she’d made a play for him immediately. They’d spent that night in his hotel room, and he’d begun dating her soon after.
She was sexy and fun to be with, was cultured and well-educated, and had an excellent family background. However, his mother and his friends hadn’t approved of her. Despite all their concerns—very valid concerns, he could admit now in hindsight, he’d gone ahead and dated her anyway.
They’d been together for five months, and while initially she’d agreed with him to take things forward slowly, very soon, she’d changed. She’d spent most of their time together pressurizing him to make them official. She’d wanted to get married, and though he’d been faithful to her, proposing to her that soon in their association hadn’t seemed… right. He’d wanted to take time to know her better before he made a commitment of a lifetime to her. As it was, he travelled a lot for work, while she was based in Delhi. Hence, the short time they’d spent together wasn’t enough to take such a big decision.
Kanika, however, hadn’t understood that. She’d blamed him for putting up walls between them, for being distant and unemotional, and for not giving her a chance. Finally, she’dthreatened to end it with him if he didn’t propose to her. He hadn’t believed her. A few days later, they’d had a fierce argument when he had once again refused to succumb to her pressure. She had called him all sorts of names before she’d stormed off. That was the first time he had seen that vicious side of her—a side that had convinced him of his decision.
Soon after breaking up with him, she’d found the next rich man willing to marry her and had happily attached herself to him, showing Aditya that he hadn’t really mattered to her. Fuck, he’d been such a fool for being taken in by her. He ought to have known better.
Kanika threw him a fleeting glance before she plastered herself to her fiancé’s side. She really was putting on a show.
Aditya kept his expression calm. He wasn’t going to give her the pleasure of a reaction. Nor would he allow the throng of people silently watching his every move to say that he was bothered by Kanika’s engagement. He wasn’t… mostly. But he was human, and he had to admit that his pride smarted at the fact that she had deliberately invited him to taunt him.
He reached Kanika in a few strides and smiled delightfully at her and her fiancé.
“Hello, Kanika,” he said.
“Oh… Aditya, you’re here! How nice.” Her bright voice cut into the hush around them. “Meet my fiancé, Soham Ganeshan.”
“Darling,” she cooed, tugging her bewildered soon-to-be husband toward Aditya, like a child proudly showing off a shiny new toy. “Youhaveto meet Aditya. He’s an old... friend.”
Aditya’s smile remained cool, indifferent even, as he shook hands with Soham. “Congratulations to both of you.” To Kanika, he said, “I see you got what you wanted.”
Kanika lifted her left hand in the air, deliberately showing off her large sparkly diamond. “Oh, you know me. I always get what I want.” She gave her fiancé a beaming smile. “Isn’t it, darling?”
“Always.” Soham looked at her, besotted, before he turned to Aditya. “Thank you for being here for our special day. It means a lot.”
“Aditya wouldn’t have missed it for the world. After all, he and I werecloseonce.”
Either Kanika had already told Soham about her history with Aditya, and he simply didn’t care, or he was too oblivious to see through the performance she was putting on. Aditya believed it to be the latter. Poor fellow. If he was indeed that naïve, then Kanika would eat him up alive and spit out his remains.
“Darling,” Kanika gushed at Soham, “Your mom is calling you.”
“Is she?” Soham asked, looking in the distance.
“Yes, yes,” Kanika said.
Aditya accepted a glass of whiskey from a passing waiter while Kanika ushered her fiancé away from them. Now she stood alone with Aditya, exactly as she’d intended.
“I can’t believe you’re actually here,” she finally said. “For a moment, I thought you wouldn’t come.”
He shrugged. “Why would I not? After all, you and I wereclose friendsonce, weren’t we?”
She spread a hand out. “All this could have been for you and me, if only you had agreed.”
He took a sip of his whiskey. “That’s just it, I wasn’t ready, and you clearly were in a hurry. I hope you’re happy with Soham.”
“Oh, I am,” she said. “But he wasn’t my first choice.”
She took a step nearer to him. Her strong perfume washed over him, reminding him of the times he had spent with her. She reached a hand out to touch his face, but he backed a step just in time.
“Stop,” he commanded.
“Oops, force of habit.” She chuckled behind her hand, and then gave him a coy look. “You and I were together for so long, at times I think you’re still mine. I haven’t forgotten you; I doubt I’ll ever forget you.”
