Page 67 of Playing By her Rules

“You are mistaken.”

She gentled her tone. She had to make him see reason. “What has gone wrong? Talk to me, please. I deserve the truth.”

“Alright then. The truth is that we tried something, and it didn’t work. Why can’t you accept that perhaps you and I are not good enough to be together?”

She stiffened at his words. Words she still believed were untrue, yet they pierced through her chest.

She banged her palm on his desk. “Not good enough? You and I were fabulous together.”

“What we had was different, sure…”

“…different can be good. In fact, it can be great,” she argued.

“What wehadran its course,” his voice was cold, emotionless, “It was becoming mundane and boring. We’d agreed to give it a try, and I tried when I never had before. But now, I know I’m not cut out to do more. I warned you about this.”

“No. I don’t accept this.”

“You and I are done, Jiya. Please don’t make this harder than it already is.”

She studied him for a short moment, her heart breaking into pieces. He looked tired, worn out, and that darkness was back. His eyes were shadowed as if he, too, hadn’t slept in days. Yet, he was behaving like she meant nothing to him. But she wasn’t going to give up on him.

She leaned forward. “You and I are not done. I will ensure that your every waking moment is filled with me. That every time you shut your eyes, you only dream of me. What you and I had…what wehaveis special. It’s rare, and it doesn’t happen to everyone. One day you will realize that too. That is apromise.”

Spinning on her heel, she stormed out of his office.

19

Three days had passed since Rohan had ended everything with Jiya. Three days in which he hadn’t seen her even once. By now, it had been seventeen torturous days that she hadn’t slept in his bed, and he hadn’t had a full night’s sleep. Yes, he’d been counting the days since he’d left her and gone to Singapore. He hadn’t slept in his own bed since he’d returned. His bed reminded him of her, and his room rang with her laughter; actually, his whole house, every nook and cranny, reminded him of her. Her presence lingered in his rooms. Her scent remained on his sheets. And his den…even that didn’t feel like his anymore.

Rohan rubbed his face. Fuck. He hadn’t expected how hard it would be for him to live without her. But it so fucking was.

That day, when Jiya had entered his office, hopping mad with him, the urge to touch her, to pull her close and wipe away her fury and hurt had raged through him. But he’d stopped himself. She had to learn to live without him. She had to move on.

He’d disappeared from her life and gone to Singapore with the sole intention of ensuring she got so mad at him that she’d never want to see his face again.

While there, he’d immersed himself in his work. He’d kept himself busy, deliberately tiring himself, hoping to sleep through the night again. But it was impossible. His insomnia had kicked in again with full vengeance, reminding him that he needed her in his arms to sleep.

He missed Jiya. He missed her strange addiction to juice. He missed her constant touches, her smiles, and her perky replies. He missed that feeling of contentment when she wrapped her arms around him, the way his heart beat when she was in front of him, her soft pink mouth, the scent of her hair… He missed her…so much.

He hadn’t set out to meet Kanika. He’d bumped into her at a hotel in Singapore. She was staying there too, and they’d just had one drink together, once. It was astounding how a photo of them had still appeared in the gossip rags. When his PR team sent it to him, he’d been annoyed at first but then thought it would be the ideal way to get Jiya to dislike him, and maybe even stay away from him. It had had the desired effect, and of course Jiya had been furious.

He rubbed his lower lip in agitation. This entire situation with Jiya was his fault. He was broken while she was perfect in every way.

He had to harden his heart. Jiya would eventually forget him and move on in life. And even though it would hurt, he’d bear the pain of her loss as long as she got to live a whole and fulfilled life with someone who wasn’t ruined like he was.

He’d been steering clear of Jiya since their last confrontation and the ensuing challenge she’d thrown at him. And strangely, despite the challenge she’d thrown his way, she’d not made any attempts to meet him again. Perhaps, she’d thought things through and realized he was indeed serious, and she’d given up on him. His chest twinged at that knowledge, but he ignored it. This was for the best.

His phone beeped, reminding him that his next meeting was about to start. A meeting where she’d definitely be in attendance.

He headed down to the finance team’s floor and entered the conference room. He took a few calming breaths. He had to go on as before…before she had entered his life.

Everyone was already seated when he took his seat at the head of the table. The meeting began as soon as he sat. Jiya was seated two places from his right, with Akash beside her.

His tea mug was already placed to his right, with the tea bag dipped in it. Jiya’s red-tipped hair glowed like a beacon, beckoning him to look her way. He rejected that impulse. He wouldn’t look her way no matter what—even though it had been three whole days since he’d seen her, even though it physically hurt him to not look at her.

The meeting progressed. Rohan listened to the presenter. He lifted the mug, allowing the warm steam and scent of the tea to soothe him. Today, of all days, he needed it. He took a big soothing sip and…spat out all the contents of the foul-tasting liquid. Fuck. He wanted to throw up. The damn tea tasted awful. It was loaded with salt.

Pin-drop silence followed his outburst. His whole team was looking at him with shocked expressions. It was downright embarrassing. He took a quick sip of water to wash out the disgusting taste from his mouth, yet it lingered on his tongue.

---