Page 124 of She will Always be Mine

Ten minutes later, we get into his car and pull into the traffic. During the ride, I admire the tall buildings, the posh areas, and the greenery as he drives us to the surprise location.

I recognize the street asKoregaon Park, which turns into a whole other city at night. It never sleeps and is famous in Pune for its nightlife. It’s also where I met Riaan after moving here and it feels like another lifetime.

I’m still clueless as to what he has planned for us and excited to find out.

My brows scrunch in confusion as he parks in a private spot outside a closed restaurant and cuts off the ignition.

I’m familiar with the place since it’s a very famous and expensive pizzeria in the city and I’ve always wanted to come here. Before I can ask Riaan, he gets out of the car, rounds it and opens my door. Taking my hand, he pulls me out and I stare up at him.

“Are we late?” I ask, staring at the sign behind him.

“No.”

“You do realize the restaurant isn’t open.”

“Only for others,” he answers smoothly. “I reserved the whole place for just the two us tonight.”

“You did what?” I ask, flabbergasted. “Why would you do that?”

“Because you’ve always wanted to come here and since you also mentioned wanting to cook a pizza, I thought we could make both happen at once.”

“I can’t believe you arranged this.” His thoughtfulness shocks me and melts my insides. It must have cost him a fortune, and it’s all because I said it in passing. Sure, I wanted to try it out, but not at a five-star restaurant. Do they even allow just anyone to cook in their kitchen?

“Come on. The chef’s waiting for us inside.”

Instead of taking the front, we round the building and walk into a private entrance that leads to a shiny lobby. We are immediately greeted by the manager who has a professional smile for us.

“Mr. Ahuja.” He and Riaan shake hands, then he nods at me. “Miss Ahuja. Please come this way.”

The architecture of this place is gorgeous and inspired by an Italian pizzeria with an open kitchen in the middle surrounded by large dining tables and a few booths in the corner. The whole vibe is wholesome and the entire place is decorated beautifully.

The delicious aroma of food teases my senses and my mouth waters. The manager leaves when I see the chef round the corner and I’m surprised that he’s young, around Riaan’s age.

When a friendly grin brightens his face, I realize that they know each other. He walks up to us and man-hugs Riaan. He’s handsome in a boy-next-door kind of way and is built just like Riaan but is slightly shorter.

It’s also the first time I’m meeting a friend of Riaan so I’m nervous on how to introduce myself.

“Look who finally found time from his busy schedule.”

“Says the guy who can’t even bother to pick up my call,” Riaan jabs before pulling me to his side with his arm around my waist. “Nyra, this is Vedant. The head chef of this restaurant and also one of my closest friends. We went to high school together.”

Vedant turns to me with interest and curiosity burning in his gaze, then says with a flirty grin, “Nyra… beautiful name. I’m glad to be at your service tonight.”

He leans closer to take my hand when Riaan growls threateningly, “Flirt with someone else. She’s mine.”

Vedant backs away with a low chuckle and says to me, “You must be real special to have caught his attention. I guess he finally found someone who could bring him down to his knees.”

“Oh, I do,” I reply with a grin, making Riaan’s fingers tighten around my ass roughly, away from his friend’s eyes. I bite my lip to stifle the moan.

“How did you two meet?” Vedant asks. Even though it’s a normal question to ask, it’s anything but that for us.

Riaan’s fingers starts to play with the hem of my dress when I tense and he smoothly answers, staying close to the truth, “I’ve known her my whole life. We reconnected when she moved to the city.”

“Are your families close?”

“Yeah,” replies Riaan.

“I’m glad you found someone, bro.”

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