Ishaan and Pari were on their way to their lunch date. Ishaan stopped his car at his hotel and immediately the staff opened the door for them. Ishaan held Pari’s hand and led her to the private elevator that took them to his private suite. He opened the door, let her enter first, and followed, closing it behind them.
Pari stood stunned at the sight of the interiors. The royal living room was decorated with her favorite flowers, and in the middle stood a table with two extravagant seats. He showed her the balcony that overlooked the city, a sit-out with a small garden, and a private pool. Finally, he opened the door to the bedroom, and Pari’s jaw dropped at the painting opposite the queen-size bed.
It was the same painting of a cottage and a garden she had drawn years ago. She turned to him, and Ishaan smiled, hugging her from behind.
“It’s your painting. You drew this when you were 11 years old. I have all your paintings safe.”
Pari didn’t know how to react to his words. She silently thanked her mother for helping her realize what she had missed all these years. At the same time, she cursed herself for misunderstanding Ishaan every time, when in reality, he had only ever loved her so much. She hugged him tightly, and Ishaan gently patted her head.
“I want to see all those paintings.”
“Not today. I’ll let you know and show you everything slowly. I don’t want to overwhelm you.”
Ishaan led her back to the living room and pulled a chair for her. He removed his blazer and rolled up his sleeves, which Pari watched in quiet amazement. He picked up the casseroles and served her. Then, pouring her a glass of water, he gave a small bow before seating himself opposite her. He picked a paneer nugget with a fork, brought it to her lips, and fed her. He kept offering her different starters every now and then.
“You have an excellent taste in interiors. I really love everything.”
Ishaan smiled, noticing she was hesitating to ask him something.
“You can ask me anything, Pari.”
She sipped her water and leaned back in her seat, looking at him. Her fingers were cold, and she fisted them against her pants.
“Varun brought me here for a dinner date before our engagement. He had booked the rooftop.”
Ishaan understood what she wanted to know but also saw her hesitation to ask him directly. He simply picked a spoonful of lasagna from his plate and brought it to her lips.
“You looked beautiful that night. I believe you loved the flowers, and finally, I was happy that you enjoyed the honey cake. Got your answer?”
Pari stopped chewing, stunned, and Ishaan chuckled at her shocked reaction.
“I’ll answer all your questions at the right time, and I’ll reveal everything slowly. Let’s not hurry, baby.”
Pari nodded, and they carried on with their lunch. Finally, Ishaan cleared the plates himself and placed a fresh one before her, lifting its lid. Pari smiled the moment she saw the honey cake. Ishaan pulled his chair closer and began feeding her little by little.
He craved for her to feed him back and as if she had heard his heart, Pari picked up a spoon and fed him the cake. Ishaan couldn’t avert his eyes from her. The food, the care, the closeness—everything felt so intimate that Pari wished the time would never end.
“Let’s go to the garden.”
Ishaan rose to his feet and stretched out his hand. Pari placed her palm in his, and Ishaan picked up an ice box as he led her outside. She smiled, running her fingers over the flowers, before they both settled on the couch.
Ishaan opened the ice box and handed her a kulfi before taking one for himself.
“God, give me patience. I don’t want to pounce on her and scare her,“ Ishaan thought, watching her enjoy the kulfi. With every lick, his restraint began to crumble.
“Pari…”
His husky voice made her glance at him. His kulfi was already abandoned on the plate, and he was staring at her like a hungry beast. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he struggled to hold back. Reaching forward, he caught her wrist and leaned closer, taking a bite from her kulfi while his gaze never left hers.
Before she could react, he pulled her onto his lap and let her taste the kulfi from his lips—then deepened it into a searing kiss. The kulfi was forgotten as their mouths moved against each other, moans escaping between them.
The chill lingering in their mouths only heightened the fire burning in their bodies. Ishaan broke the kiss for a breath, but he couldn’t stop himself. His lips trailed down to her neck, and Pari tilted her head to grant him more access, moaning when she felt his hardness pressing beneath her.
“Ishaan…” she moaned his name loudly, and that was enough to stop him from going any further. He touched her lower lip gently and kissed the corner of her lips.
“You’re so addictive that I want to kiss you all the time.”
Pari blushed and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Ishaan simply held her close in his embrace for a while before they returned to the living room.
“Did you enjoy the lunch date?”
“I loved it,” Pari replied, and Ishaan lifted her off her feet, twirling her around. Pari squealed in excitement. It felt like she was living her dream with the partner she had always wanted in her life. When Ishaan finally set her down, Pari cupped his face and rose on her toes to kiss his forehead. Ishaan felt his very senses surrender to her.
“Okay, I promised to let you meet someone. Let’s go now.”
Pari had no idea what awaited her, but she nodded enthusiastically and walked out holding his hand. Only then did Ishaan fish out his mobile from his blazer pocket and send a message to someone. Soon, they arrived at a meeting room. Ishaan pushed the door open for her.
The moment Pari stepped inside, she froze in shock. Sitting in the room was the same girl from college, the one she had once seen kissing Ishaan. Beside her sat a man she didn’t recognize. Ishaan placed his hand on the small of her back, pulled a chair for her, and sat down next to her.
“I’m sure you remember her,” Ishaan said calmly. “She was my junior in college. And he,” he gestured to the man, “was from our college too, just a different department. They’re non-identical twins. You should listen to what they have to say.”
Ishaan gestured for them to begin, then took Pari’s hand beneath the table and gave her palm a reassuring squeeze.
The girl spoke first. “Ishaan and you were the children of billionaires, and naturally, every boy and girl had their eyes on you two. A lot of girls were desperate for his attention, but he never spoke to any of them. You were the first girl we ever saw him talk with, and that made all the girls jealous. One evening, my brother, our friends, and I were having a chat. We were discussing how you had Ishaan’s attention. Later that night, I received a message from an unknown number, asking me to meet if I wanted Ishaan’s attention. My brother received a similar message, so we both drove to the address. To our shock, it was Varun’s home.
Varun and his father offered us a huge sum of money to turn you against Ishaan. They wanted us to spread the gossip that you two were dating and in love. And when Ishaan finally started socializing, I was called again. They gave me more money and asked me to get close to Ishaan. I did as they said. That day, when I saw you approaching, I tried to kiss him, but he pushed me away before I could. Later, Ishaan discontinued from college.”
Tears rolled down Pari’s cheeks as she sat frozen, listening to the revelation.
“What else were you instructed to do?” Ishaan asked them firmly.
The twins exchanged a look before the girl spoke again. “They wanted us to drug Ishaan and click obscene pictures with him. Varun wanted to ruin his image and reputation.”
Pari was about to storm out of the room, but Ishaan stopped her and instructed his PA to bring in the other person who was being held outside.
Pari looked at the man and instantly recognized him—he was the boy who had once been thrashed by Ishaan at school.
“He is my classmate from school. I’m sure you remember him.”
Ishaan’s deadly glare fell on the man, making him gulp nervously.
“My father was given new business deals by Varun’s father, and in exchange they wanted me to provoke Ishaan and portray him as the reckless, short-tempered boy in class. I got suspended for two weeks, and when I refused to return to school, Varun’s father arranged my admission in a different school,” he confessed.
Ishaan immediately instructed his PA to clear the room.
Once everyone had been taken out, Ishaan turned to Pari. Her head was hung low, as if she were ashamed of herself. He gently held her chin and lifted her face. Her eyes were swollen and red from crying, and he hated himself for being the cause of it.
“I’m sorry, Pari. I shouldn’t have called them. Please… stop crying.”
Pari suddenly threw her arms around his neck and sobbed, her body trembling against him. Ishaan’s eyes grew moist as he held her tightly.
“Please, baby… this is why I wasn’t ready to reveal anything. I hate seeing you cry,” Ishaan murmured, his voice thick with emotion.
Pari pulled back from the hug and wiped her tears with her sleeve.
“I want to know everything, Ishaan. Please don’t let me stay in the dark anymore. I want us to be transparent in everything. You’ve carried this pain all these years, and I was the reason behind it. I’ve been a fool, a coward who refused to listen and jumped to assumptions. Please forgive me, Ishu. I didn’t know people could be this cruel.”
Ishaan pulled out his handkerchief and wiped her face, tucking her hair behind her ear before pulling her onto his lap.
“You weren’t wrong, Pari. They provoked me, but I won’t deny it—I’ve been short-tempered and reckless, which you hated. So don’t be sorry. You were right in your actions whenever I made a mistake,” Ishaan consoled her.
But Pari still felt she could have handled things better. Her heart burned with hatred for Varun as she looked at Ishaan.
“What is his background? Why is his family after us?”
Ishaan shook his head and poured her some water.
“Not today. You’re exhausted, and today was supposed to be a special day for us. But once again, I was stupid enough to bring them to you. I’m sorry.”
Those words had barely left his lips when Pari grabbed his lapels and kissed him. When they finally pulled back, she rested her head on his shoulder like a child, and he gently caressed her back.
“I don’t want to be the kind and delicate Pari anymore. I belong to the world my family belongs to. I want to ruin him for playing with our lives and our family. He should regret ever meeting me.”
Ishaan hummed softly, waiting for her to calm down. Later, they walked out of the hotel where his car was already waiting for them.
“Where do you want to go? Do you want me to drop you at the office? But I won’t leave you alone today. I’ll crash on your couch and drop you home tonight.”
Pari smiled, tossed her blazer into the back seat, and leaned against his shoulder, hooking her arm through his.
“Take me on a long drive. Buy me something special for dinner and then drop me home. I want to be with you. I’ve already lost so many years because of my foolishness. I want every moment to be special with you.”
Ishaan kissed the crown of her head and started driving. The music played faintly in the background, but all they could hear was the rhythm of their own hearts beating in harmony.
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