Page 7 of Right Where I Belong
His eyes widened at her words. Fuck. She was unbelievable. She was engaged to be married to another man. She had no business talking like that and trying to manipulate him. Her behavior confirmed why he’d wanted to take his time and not plunge headlong into marriage with her.
“Look at the ring on your finger every time you think that.” He gazed in the distance before facing her. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a friend I’d like to meet.”
He’d just taken a step away from her, when he heard her cold whisper, “You won’t be able to forget me. I won’t allow it.”
Fuck. She was behaving mental now. He rushed away from her, his mood totally ruined. The conversations around him resumed in full swing when everyone saw there’d be no drama unfolding.
He looked around the crowd, and his eyes zeroed in on Sabrina. She was instructing some of her staff members, pointing to one of the food stations. She looked up as he neared her and met him halfway, a smile on her lips.
“Hey there,” he said.
“Hi. I can’t believe you actually came here. Not sure whether it was a brave move or a dangerous one.”
“Neither,” he said. “It was plain closure.”
He and Kanika being an item and then breaking up was public knowledge, and Sabrina Solanki had become a part of his tightly knit group after his close friend Rithwik married Aisha. He didn’t meet her much socially, except on the occasions she was catering an event for one of his friends. He’d always found her to be quiet and composed, preferring to remain on the sidelines.
He looked around the beautifully done arrangements, knowing it was all Sabrina’s work. “So, all this beautiful setup is thanks to you?”
She gave him a small smile. “Yes, it is.” After a beat, she asked, “Are you okay?”
He took another sip of his whiskey, the ice clinking. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? You and her… at one time…”
“… it’s all in the past,” he said.
“At least your interaction with her was composed, very… civil,” she deadpanned.
He chuckled. “You sound disappointed.”
“Only a little. I expected more drama.”
Seeing her dark eyes sparkling with mischief, he said, “Apologies for not living up to your expectations then.”
“You coming here is enough drama for this event to be a success.” A small smile curled her lips. “However, a glass of wine thrown on someone’s face would’ve made it more entertaining and memorable. Then, even those not in attendance would want to know everything about the event. Who was in attendance? Who was the caterer? Who was the event planner... Good for my business, you see.”
His lips curved at the amusement in her words. “If you want, I can flip the dessert table for you. Would that be enough drama?”
“Tempting. Unfortunately, I’d have to decline. Mainly because then I’d have to scrape up all the chocolate ganache and Crème Brûlée off the ridiculously expensive grass, which they probably imported from Switzerland, and then also organize new desserts. Not to mention I’d also have to deal with your ex’s wrath.”
“Kanika’s been giving you trouble?”
“If several tantrums over the color of the paper napkins qualify as trouble, then yes, a lot of trouble.”
The utter horror on her face, combined with her no-nonsense tone, made him bark out a laugh, and then another, until he was laughing out loud. Her lips twitched, and then she, too, was laughing with him. Around them, people were beginning to take notice, several already watching them closely.
“I’m glad you laughed,” she finally said. “You look so much more at ease now.”
He studied her carefully, caught off-guard by the softness in her tone. It wasn’t pity or flirtation. Just plain honesty.
Something inside him had eased after talking to Sabrina and laughing with her the way he had. The tension that had gripped him ever since he’d decided to attend Kanika’s engagement had fully dissipated, leaving him feeling free. Like he could breathe properly again. And it was all thanks to Sabrina. They weren’t close friends, yet she had taken it upon herself to better his mood. It was very kind of her.
“I’m sorry,” Sabrina said. “I didn’t mean to disparage Kanika in front of you like that.”
“No apology needed. If she’s giving you a hard time, you have a right to call it for what it is.”
He looked beyond her and found Kanika back with her fiancé, but her eyes were on Sabrina and him. Leaving Soham, she began to make her way back to where he was standing with Sabrina. Fuck. He did not want to give her another opportunity to try and manipulate him in any way or say things that would piss him off again.
