Love that lasts

Mumbai, India

===========

Escobar Club 10 PM

Mia's eyes were glued to his high cheekbones and mischievous eyes as he danced with the two girls who were vying for his attention, their svelte and sweaty bodies almost blurring and blocking her view of his broad shoulders and the taut muscles underneath his not so casual shirt. Her favorite drink Apricot Mojito on the bar lay long forgotten and her ears were barely registering the peppy music everyone was grooving to.

"Not a chance darling! That's Aryan Kapoor. He rejected me twice already and I don't want to see my bestie go through the same humiliation." Her best friend Shay warned, as she slid onto the stool next to her.

"That of course is never gonna happen!" Mia gulped down her drink and walked away from the bar, her high heels accentuating her tall and curvy body as she approached Aryan.

Ignoring the wannabes, she moved closer to him and wound her arms around her neck, forcing him to focus on her.

"Don't you think you need a better partner... I mean dancing partner?" She tilted her face to one side and asked, as her eyes leisurely scanned his tousled hair and dark beard.

His soft chuckle was music to her ears. She inched closer, swaying her body in rhythm to the music.

Three hours later, Mia was in Aryan's BMW car, on the pretext of wanting a lift to her home.

"I was wondering why you didn't drink in the club. Now I understand." She smiled, as he revved his car onto the Linking Road.

"I love my car too much and hate going in taxis. Alcohol isn't the only thing that can give a high!" he winked at her.

She couldn't agree more. Be it his chiselled body with its distinct sweet smell or his confident and suave manners, she was getting turned on by the minute.

Mia relaxed back in the passenger seat as their car raced through the traffic of Mumbai, the city that never sleeps.

Things were going just as she intended.

She was careful not to show how long she had been planning this and made sure she sounded casual and intelligent enough to spark his interest.

Doing her homework about him and how he rose to become a partner in Synergy Inc in such a short span, thanks to his brilliant innovations, came in handy.

She would prove to her friends once again that she always gets what she wants.

She could not wait to see how he looked without...

"So where exactly is your home in Bandra?" Aryan's question interrupted her blissful thoughts.

She bit her lower lip.

"I just remembered! My mum's sister and her entire family have come to visit. Don't you hate relatives who drop in like that? Why don't we go to your place instead? Hmm..."

She noticed how his jaw hardened and Adam's apple moved as he gulped down, his narrowed eyes still focused on the moving traffic.

Her confidence grew. She leaned sideways and slid her hand down his ripped abs till it reached the button of his Jeans.

His hands gripped the steering harder and she felt the car speeding up.

Till he moved his hands away from the steering and held her hand, she didn't realise that the car had stopped.

By the time she noticed the fury in his eyes, it was too late.

"Get out!" He pointed with his head, and proceeded to bend over and open the passenger seat. Next moment her bag was thrown out.

Blood rushed to Mia's cheeks but she forced a smile as she observed the curious glances of the taxi drivers at the taxi stand, where the car had stopped.

"Why this sudden change? I don't understand Aryan. What were you thinking when you were flirting with me all night?"

"Having a good time with you doesn't mean I want to sleep with you. There is no point explaining to someone like you. Just understand that I have better standards! Now don't make a scene and get into one of the taxis there. Don't ever try to meet me or try this on any other bloke if you respect yourself."

His words almost sounded like an ultimatum but Mia's pride was too hurt to let go of him so easily.

"What a hypocrite you are! Is this why you turned down every girl who comes after you? How can you be so cruel and heartless? I liked you. I wanted us to bond together and this is how you behave with me. How dare you? I will show you who I am. I will make your life hell." Expletives flew from Mia's mouth as she got out of the car and walked unsteadily towards the waiting taxi.

Once he made sure Mia's taxi drove away, Aryan closed his eyes tiredly .

His life was already a hell, thanks to Chandni..

Chandni and her betrayal made him heartless and his experiences made him ruthless and cruel! Chandni and her family destroyed everything that was dear to him... his family, his home and even his identity.

Aryan's eyes flew open as the face and thoughts of the person he fought so hard to suppress filled his mind again... Chandni!

****

11PM

Flight 203, Delhi to Mumbai

Chandni's heart began to thud louder as their flight descended towards Mumbai Airport. The luxurious first class seat and cabin of her flight did little to soothe her nervous heart.

"Are you okay Madam? Do you need a drink?" The Air Hostess asked her courteously.

She shook her head and smiled weakly.

"It's... nothing. I hate Mumbai!"

Air hostess smiled knowingly and went back to the pantry.

I hate the man who left me broken and shattered and he was from Mumbai.

Chandni looked out of the window as the tiny specks of city lights became brighter and nearer.

Her last trip to Mumbai all those years ago left her with such bitterness and trauma that she never dreamt that she would come back to this city.

But fate chose otherwise and she was now moving to Mumbai permanently.

She was not going to run away, no matter what!

She was no longer the broken Chandni who fled Mumbai all those years ago, cursing her fate.

She survived every trauma and challenge life threw at her and rebuilt her life. With the help of her loving and caring family, she had studied and worked hard to acquire all the skills necessary to run a home as well as a company. She had been studying the portfolios of various companies they were about to acquire, but Synergy and their niche products roused her interest.

The sweet voice of the Airhostess broke her chain of thoughts.

"Madam, we will be landing very soon. Please buckle up."

Chandni nodded and checked her seat belt.

She zipped the leather bag containing the folders brightly marked with the logo of Synergy Inc, a small but successful enterprise which specialised in selling niche electronic and security devices for the Indian Army and Navy.

The Company's portfolio and their products fascinated her so much that began to study about similar products currently manufactured in India and abroad.

She may be lacking in experience in running a company but she knew that was not the cause of her nervousness.

It was him and thoughts of him.

Why was she being so irrational? There was zero chance of ever meeting him here.

He must be abroad, settled happily with...

The plane's back wheels landed on the runway with a thud and Chandni gripped the handles of her seat.

*****

10 AM next day:

Hotel Leela, Mumbai.

"Where is Aryan?" Raj Singh, CEO of Synergy Inc, asked with gritted teeth as he walked towards the Conference room.

Namrata Joshi, their HR director shrugged helplessly.

"Sir, we've been calling his number all morning but there was no answer." Sanjay Verma, their Executive Manager replied on behalf of Namrata.

"What will I say to Vikram Mathur now? He was so keen to meet Aryan and I promised him that Aryan would be here today. I am sure he was partying all night and has not even woken up yet!" Raj Singh's tone was furious..

"Sir, you know very well that Ayan is least interested in these meetings and press conferences. He would rather be in the lab working on his new model." Namrata tried to pacify.

"But that won't do anymore. Aryan is a partner in the firm now, thanks to my insistence and he has to work with Vikram Mathur."

Sanjay Verma opened his mouth but then stopped as he saw more media people walking towards them.

*****

Around the same time, Aryan honked his car horn as it reached the tall gates of the manufacturing factory of Synergy Inc. Young Joseph, who was the night watchman at the premises, rushed to open the gates and Aryan smiled warmly at him.

Aryan parked the car and got out and Joseph followed him towards the lab.

"How are you Joe?"

"I am fine Sir! You are early today. None of the Engineers are here yet. Do you want me to call them Sir?" he asked eagerly.

"No, I want to be left alone. Please don't tell anyone I am here and If I need something I will give a shout, okay?

"Of course, I know your routine by now Sir. Just pretend that you are not here. Got it." Joe saluted and walked away, while Aryan entered the lab.

He checked his phone. There were twenty missed calls and fifty messages... from people he wanted to avoid as well as people he loved dearly. He can always apologise to Raj Singh later.

He didn't sleep a wink last night and work as usual was his solace.

Aryan switched off his phone and began to work on his prototype model.

Mumbai, India.

As the photographers flashed their cameras and the buzzing journalists huddled around for better access, Raj Singh and Vikram Mathur shook hands and exchanged the sale deeds of Synergy Incorporated, a small enterprise which specialised in selling niche electronic and security devices for the Indian Army and Navy.

"Welcome to Synergy Sir! I am so glad that a billionaire business tycoon like you who has served in our Indian Army is now the owner of our prestigious firm." The genuine warmth and pride in the voice of Raj Singh, Ex CEO of Synergy Inc was unmistakable.

"Raj Singh ji, I feel equally privileged. But to be technically correct, it is Chandni, my wife who is the owner of Synergy. And she will be a temporary CEO too, till we our search for a permanent CEO is successful. But please don't think that she is in that position because of me. She is a well-qualified person with a perfect aptitude to run a business." Vikram Mathur said with a smile.

Chandni... Is this Aryan's Chandni? Raj Singh shook his head vexedly. He was being silly jumping to such conclusions. There are thousands of girls with the same name.

He smiled awkwardly at Vikram who seemed to be watching his face with shrewd eyes.

"I am more than pleased to have a woman at the helm. Synergy will benefit from Mrs Chandni Mathur's leadership. So, when are you coming to Synergy to meet the rest of the staff?"

"Very soon Raj Singh ji. I am eager to meet that brilliant Protege of yours, Aryan Kapoor, who is the brains behind all the Synergy products."

"We are indeed lucky to have Aryan with us and he is everything you said. I am sure Aryan would be equally happy to see you." Raj Singh beamed, even though he still wasn't sure how Aryan would feel working under the new management.

As Vikram Mathur answered the questions posed by media, Raj Singh recalled the whirlwind events of the past two months.

As a smart businessman, he knew it was time to sell Synergy which has reached its peak. But for Synergy to grow further it needed more money and smarter and energetic leadership, which at his ripe age of sixty he could hardly provide.

Synergy Inc. was very close to his heart, not just because of the niche products they made which brought him so much recognition and reputation, but also because it was the blood and sweat of Aryan Kapoor, his protégé and someone he regarded almost like his own son.

So, when the offer to buy the company came from the renowned Business tycoon and Ex-Army Colonel Vikram Mathur, he wasn't very keen. He was planning to bestow the reins to Aryan and take a backseat, and continue as a board member till Aryan got used to the additional responsibilities.

But Aryan rejected his suggestions outright, and encouraged his mentor to sell it off. He even hinted that he will be moving out of the city soon, to pursue his long-term ambitions, full time.

Raj Singh, who very well knew what those ambitions were, opposed Aryan's intentions and put a condition instead, much to Aryan's ire. Aryan will have to stay in the firm at least for few years and hold ten percent non-transferrable shares in the firm as part of the terms of sale.

Aryan agreed reluctantly, but Raj Singh was pleasantly surprised when Vikram Mathur didn't object to those terms and conditions. Over the next few weeks, Raj Singh met Vikram Mathur privately over many occasions, whenever he visited Mumbai to finalize the deal terms along with his team, and was very impressed by the straight-talking ex- army man.

********

A Week Later

There was a sudden change of plans, and when Vikram announced that his wife Mrs Mathur would be visiting Sigma Inc. the very next day, there was initially a lot of panic along with surprise.

Raj Singh was stuck in Dubai for a security conference and couldn't cancel his trip to fly back to Mumbai at such short notice. But his senior employee and HR Director Namrata Joshi, Sanjay Verma along with Aryan assured him that they will leave no stone unturned, to show off their firm in its best light, and Mrs Vikram Mathur would be received with full decorum.

On the D Day, every effort was made by the Administrative and HR Team to spruce up the premises of Synergy Inc. and make sure that the welcome reception for Mrs Mathur was top notch. There was also a lot of curiosity as to who their new CEO was, as Vikram Mathur kept his private life away from the prying eyes of the media, and no one knew who his wife was or how she looked. Everywhere she was known just as Mrs Vikram Mathur.

Soon, Mrs Mathur arrived at the offices of Synergy in a BMW 5 Series model car, driven by an elderly driver.

Namrata and other senior staff like Sanjay Verma rushed to meet Mrs Mathur downstairs, while the young girls in the accounts and admin department huddled together at the spacious balcony to observe her arrival and share the latest gossip.

"Her Car looks exactly like Aryan's, right?" observed Sachi, their sharp and nosy receptionist who made sure she knew everything about Aryan.

Ignoring Sachi, Rithika the administrative assistant, pulled a chair noisily and collapsed on to it.

"Phew!!! this visit and inspection has done my feet in. Do you know I have been running around nonstop for the past two hours? Aryan hadn't turned up in the last minute, and Namrata Ma'am dumped all the Audio-Visual presentation arrangements on me!" rued Rithika, as she removed her 3-inch stilettos and rubbed her heels.

"If you ask me, I think he had a late lie-in today at Avni's place. I saw both of them driving off last night in his car. You guys don't believe me when I say this, but they are sleeping together." Maya, the senior accountant whispered, her eyes shining malevolently, as she hoped that her hot new revelation would be eagerly welcomed.

"No Maya, how many times have we told you? Avni is old news. He is only interested in Tisha right now. The number of times we have caught them together, I can vouch for it." argued Sanjana, the new HR temp.

"All of you girls are wrong. He is head over heels in love with Surbhi from the DCM Consultancy on level six. I suspect that he got strict warning from our big boss Raj Singh, not to get personally involved with any female staff at Synergy, and that's why he kept himself away from everyone here. He is such a Casanova that, even if he talks or laughs with someone, everyone jumps to the conclusion that he is having an affair. Leave the poor guy alone, I say." Receptionist Sachi tried to fill her voice with sympathy.

But the rest of the girls sniggered inwardly, as they knew that she was still bitter with Aryan for discouraging all her advances towards him. No one wanted to admit openly, but Sachi wasn't the only one spurned by Mr Casanova. But that didn't stop them from trying to get close to him. His charming manners were as alluring as his gorgeous face and muscular physique.

"But where is Aryan anyway?" Rithika demanded again, stilettos back on and standing tall, as she observed Namrata and Sanjay Verma introducing Mrs Vikram Mathur to the staff members, one by one, in their open plan office.

All the girls moved slowly towards the open plan office, their eyes taking in everything – right from their new CEO's beautiful face and shy smile, her semiformal blazer and black trousers and the designer purse she was carrying.

"Look at her! She is so young, hardly twenty-five. How come she is married to an older guy like Vikram Mathur?"

"That's probably why he keeps her hidden from prying eyes, that sly dog"

"It's very common for older men to fall for younger women. But if a woman falls in love with a younger man, the whole world goes nuts"

As the girls stood next to each other and craned their necks to watch every aspect of their new CEO, the whispers and comments were flying thick and fast, but stopped eventually when she was just few feet away from them. Just as they moved forward to greet her, Rohit and Sandeep, the young engineers from the Mobile gadgets team beat them to it.

"Mrs Mathur, we are so glad that we have a lady CEO. Once your tour of the office is done, we can take you to our engineering division and show our models." Rohit invited her in his deep voice and Sandeep nodded his head eagerly. Mrs Mathur looked slightly flustered as they introduced themselves and shook her hand. Perhaps she felt overwhelmed by the tall guys who huddled around her. As if sensing her discomfiture, the chatter quietened after a while.

"Hello everyone, I am really sorry I couldn't be there to welcome our new CEO..." a husky voice spoke from behind.

"Aryan!"Squealed Sachi.

Everyone's heads in the open plan office riveted towards the tall frame of Aryan Kapoor, as he walked casually towards them, looking devilishly handsome in a Dark Grey Suit.

His gaze passed from one familiar face to another till it rested on the ethereal face of Mrs Mathur, and both his eyes and feet became still.

Namrata looked up across the aisle and welcomed Aryan warmly, as he remained stunned and rooted to the spot, his eyes locked in gaze with Mrs Vikram Mathur.

"Aryan!! Meet Mrs Chandni Mathur, our managing partner, CEO and the better half of our new Chairman Mr Vikram Mathur. Mrs Mathur, this is Aryan Kapoor, one of our brightest and best in the Organisation. In fact, the prototype we are developing...." Namrata's cheerful voice was like a drowning noise in the background.

It was difficult to define the feelings on Aryan and Chandni's faces as they gazed and assessed each other after the initial shock!

Hatred? Loathing? A Sense of Betrayal? Or was there somewhere a suppressed feeling of love that lasted, in spite of everything?

*******

Hi Readers

This is my first novel on the Moboreader Platform and I hope you will enjoy reading this angsty romance of Aryan and Chandni as much as I loved writing it.

So, what do think of the characters of Aryan and Chandni from the introduction chapter?

It was quite a shock for both of them to meet in the office so suddenly, right?

I just want to emphasize one thing- this novel is NOT about extra marital affairs nor it intends to encourage such concepts. This is a multilayered story which goes back and forth between past and present, spans many years of evolving plot twists that you get to know as you keep reading.

Please vote and leave your valuable feedback through comments on each and every chapter so that this story can gain its due recognition on Moboreader.

Cheers

Sesi

Aryan was the first to recover. He took a deep gulp, in a desperate attempt to swallow the sickening feeling in his throat and tried his best to look nonchalant. But his feet seemed to have a mind of their own as they moved slowly towards Chandni, till he forced them to stop. As he inhaled deeply to control his ragged breath, he managed to shift his eyes away from the person who betrayed his love and wrecked his heart all those years ago.

The moment Chandni saw Aryan, she lost sense of her surroundings as her ears kept ringing with the loud thumping sound of her heartbeat. As she drank in every feature of his face which haunted her dreams for so long, her dazed mind failed to realise that her arm had stretched on its own to shake hands with him.

Chandni's outstretched hand hung in mid-air as the phone slipped from her other hand, but Aryan quickly moved forward, caught it and gave it back to her.

Chandni almost felt faint, as she watched the very face she was determined never to see again in her life. How ill-fated was she, that her husband had decided to buy the very company where Aryan was! How could she work in the same office as acting CEO now? Forget about work, she couldn't even stand here for another minute. Does Vikram know that Aryan works here? What if Aryan...?

Chandni's mind was caught in a web of questions. But first things first. I must not let Aryan mess up with me or my mind once again. She took and deep breath and tried to smile.

Aryan was satisfied to see the entire gamut of feelings on Chandni's face. Her face was as transparent as ever. Slowly the reaction on her face turned into a diplomatic grin, but she couldn't betray a sense of fear too, that Aryan was quick to observe.

"Nice to meet you Mr Kapoor." Chandni's clipped tone was no match to the internal turmoil she felt at the moment.

Oh! She wants to play the strangers card now, does she? This will be so interesting and I will have my ultimate fun now, Aryan thought, as his mercurial brain debated whether to call Chandni's bluff straight away, or play a cat and mouse game with her.

His face broke into his trademark smirk, as he shook her hand rather too roughly, and greeted her back.

"The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Mathur. I can't tell you how happy I am today." The cynicism and inherent meaning in his words were felt only by Chandni, as the rest of the staff looked at both of them and smiled warmly.

As Aryan's hands touched her, an uncontrollable shiver ran up Chandni's spine, and she was caught in a surge of such powerful emotions that she hadn't felt for many years. Long after Aryan left her hand and moved back, Chandni's hands felt clammy and there was a slight perspiration on her forehead. Every bit of bravery that she tried to gather and show to him earlier seemed to evaporate.

Her first instinct was to run away, as fast as she could, from that office, and from that heartless guy who destroyed her life 7 years ago. Her heart felt as if it was going to explode, the sudden rush of blood made her almost feel dizzy, and she took deep breaths to gain some control back. She turned back to leave, but stopped, as she could slowly register, even in that fuzzy state, how her nervous state and actions were probably making Namrata and her colleagues worried about her.

"Mrs Mathur, are you all right? You look a bit pale!!" Namrata's worried face now became clearer in her vision, as her heart stopped flapping so wildly, returning to normal state.

"No, I am absolutely fine. Just a bit tired. I have been snowed under a lot of work recently. You know...with moving into our new house and all that." She blurted out whatever excuse she could immediately think of.

Namrata's worried face cleared into a genuine smile.

"Of course, I can totally understand." Namrata's sympathetic voice was closely followed by Aryan's snigger.

Chandni's head snapped towards him again, but this time in fury.

And she suddenly began to question herself. Why am I trying to run away from this guy as if I am the guilty party here? He was the one, who broke her heart, betrayed her, and abandoned her when she needed him the most. He should be the one running away from there, ashamed, if he felt even a tiny bit of remorse about his past actions. But instead, he stood there, smirking and sneering at her.

Chandni stiffened with indignation as Namrata looked worriedly at both of them.

"What are you laughing at, Mr Kapoor? Perhaps we all could join you if you share the joke?" She mocked at him.

"Hmmm nothing Mrs Mathur, for a moment it looked as though you wanted to run away from here, hahaha. Sorry my bad..." Aryan's tone was mocking rather than apologetic, much to the trepidation of Namrata.

Aryan sauntered towards Chandni till he was very close to her.

"All of us here at Synergy are passionate about our work and the organisation. We drive each other crazy, and in that process, make others run away from us, but that generally happens after they spend at least a few days with us. But you seem to have picked up the vibe quite early. Hmm perhaps, as you said before, a delicate person like you shouldn't have left your busy life at your house to come here. It's a new city, new people, new responsibility. Just because you are Mr Mathur's wife, we shouldn't expect you to appreciate and understand the workings of a technical firm like ours. Am I right?" There was no trace of humour in Aryan's face now.

"Aryan what the hell is wrong with you?" Namrata was furious.

"It's fine Namrata, looks like Mr Kapoor is prone for jumping to conclusions and rubbing people the wrong way with his snide remarks. Weren't you saying he was one of the brightest and best? What exactly is he good at? Apart from being arrogant and ..." Chandni's eyes flicked between Aryan and the gang of admiring girls standing behind him. She noted with satisfaction how his mocking face turned furious, giving the much needed solace to her heart.

"Mr Kapoor! My husband told me that this company was single handedly developed to this stage by Mr Raj Singh. So, I am not sure what exactly your role was in this, but unlike you, I don't jump to conclusions. Aren't you supposed to give everyone a presentation about your company's latest ventures, and the strategy for launch of new products for the coming financial year? Perhaps you are too scared to show your so-called talent in front of strangers. Or is this your way of avoiding things that you are not good at?" Chandni didn't hold back the contempt she had for Aryan anymore.

Sanjay Verma and Namrata looked at each other in desperation, unable to understand the tense friction between Aryan and Chandni.

"Mrs Mathur, yes the presentation is all ready to go. Please come this way." Sanjay Verma tried to lead Chandni towards the board room, away from Aryan and the rest of the staff.

As soon as Chandni was out of earshot, Namrata hissed at Aryan.

"Are you mad or feeling suicidal Aryan? What's wrong with you? She is our CEO for goodness sake!! Since when did you start generalising about women and their understanding of business, Huh? I have never heard you speak with such disrespect like this. What is going on in that crazy head of yours?"

Namrata knew Aryan for a long time, ever since he entered Sigma Inc. as a lanky 23-year-old. And she had seen him toil day and night for the development of the firm. She also knew that in spite of his Casanova reputation, Aryan was very careful and respectful towards women, and never degraded anyone. She just couldn't believe as to why Aryan would speak so meanly to someone, especially a woman, and Mrs Mathur of all the people.

Aryan didn't answer her but walked towards the board room, with his head bent down. Namrata stopped him.

"Aryan, I think we had enough drama for the whole morning. You are not going anywhere near Mrs Mathur for the rest of the day. I will do the presentation on your behalf."

"So that Chandni can mock me again that I know nothing, and am scared of giving the presentation?? No way Namrata!! No one else but me will give the presentation. I am sorry I behaved like a jerk just then, but I just can't understand why Mr Mathur had so dump his wife on us like this, all of a sudden. And I promise, I will behave." He gave her one of his dazzling smiles, and Namrata had to reluctantly agree and let him inside the boardroom.

In all the confusion, no one clearly registered the fact that Aryan addressed Mrs Mathur as Chandni!

Chandni sat seething in fury as Aryan's words kept ringing in her head. If not Aryan, she was expecting this sort of attitude from the other employees, because she knew that she had no qualification per se, to be the CEO of this company. But Vikram, for some reason had been pushing her to take more active part in his business dealings for quite some time now, and this being a small niche firm, looked like a perfect choice.

And she didn't take her responsibility lightly. She studied hard and in detail about Sigma Inc. and their products, and had prepared herself thoroughly on market analysis and people management skills too. She undertook a short course before coming to Mumbai. But of course, she didn't have a practical experience in dealing with a company. Besides, Vikram assured that she was only filling the job temporarily, till he could find a suitable replacement. After giving it a lot of thought, she agreed reluctantly to come on board, only to face such humiliation in front of all employees, especially from someone like Aryan Kapoor, who was nothing short of a criminal in her opinion.

What ensued in the next hour or so, was a virtual combat between Chandni and Aryan. Chandni asked every minute technical detail, about all the products that Aryan showed in his presentation, and even compared them to their rival products, which made Aryan realise how much research she had done about Sigma Inc. Aryan was more than happy to answer every question she posed, in such detail, that she was left impressed with his knowledge, much against her will. But it left them both drained emotionally and otherwise.

Aryan left the office premises immediately after completing the presentation. He walked rapidly towards his BMW 5 Series car, which was almost as dear to him as a girlfriend, and for a very good reason.

As he sat inside the car and inhaled the luxurious leather smell, his mind raced back to the first time he laid his eyes on this car model, almost seven years ago.

~~~

Aryan and Chandni were walking slowly along the beach, with Aryan's arm tightly wrapped around Chandni, as the gentle sea waves hit their feet, and the setting sun in the evening cast a glorious glow behind them.

Aryan kept kissing her on the forehead every minute or so, declaring his love time and again, calling her with the most endearing names he could come up with, in his twenty-two-year-old mind.

"Chandu!! Do you know how much I love you?"

"Uhu.." Chandni whispered in his ears coyly.

Aryan stopped and pulled her hard against his chest, one hand cupping her cheeks roughly as he gazed deep into her eyes.

"You don't? My heart just aches for you. It hurts almost like a physical pain. And here you are, making a mockery of it." His eyes looked hurtful, as if he couldn't bear Chandni taking his love lightly, even though he knew she meant it as a joke.

"Hey Aryan!! I was just kidding. You do know how much I love you." She cupped his face in her hands, oblivious to the thinning crowds in the deserted beach.

Aryan squeezed her tighter into his embrace.

"Baby I know you were kidding, but I still can't take it lightly. I just feel a dread as if I am going to lose you, even if I am away from you for a little while. Chandni, you are the only one, I am living for right now. I lost everyone dear to me. Whenever I look at you, I just feel so happy, as if I have finally found my soulmate."

He kissed her again on the forehead.

"How many times are you going to kiss on my forehead?" She giggled at him, albeit shyly.

Aryan quickly glanced around and found the beach almost empty.

"Well, I really want to kiss you somewhere else, but since you strictly forbid me not to do it in public...." Aryan paused, his lips just few inches away from hers as he pulled her hard against him.

Chandni's breath hitched and her heart began to beat wildly as his breath fanned her cheeks.

"Yes, let's go back to our hotel and you can, as much as you wish." She blurted out and bit her tongue the moment she realised her slip of tongue.

Her face became hot and flushed and she tried to free herself from his embrace, in vain. Aryan's eyes twinkled with mischief. How could he let go of such golden opportunity?

"Can you repeat that again please? I didn't hear it properly then." He teased against her mouth.

"Please Aryan." She shook her head and accidentally brushed her lips against his. She held her breath and thought her heart might explode.

Aryan left her arms, and cupped her face with both his hands brushing his lips against hers. Not innocently, like a tease but hot, fiery, passionate and demanding. Chandni's senses went haywire, and she was afraid her knees would buckle, as his mouth invaded hers.

~~~

*****

Hi everyone,

You might have guessed by now that Aryan and Chandni have a long history. You would see all the flashback moments in italicised version and this passionate and romantic moment will continue in next chapter. I wait for your feedback and comments and please vote and rate this book.