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“Again, why? You’ve never wanted to talk to me till today. Why now?”
An irate bus driver sat on his horn and Agastya used the noise to marshal his thoughts. Veda wasn’t going to be the pushover he’d expected her to be. A fact that he respected and also appreciated. A challenge was a million times more pleasurable than a doormat. Especially, if he was going to spend the rest of his life shackled to said challenge.
“I’d like to discuss something with you. Something that has been on my mind for a while.”
His car pulled into the heavily guarded road that led to his home and the chaos of the traffic and the public receded.
“And what exactly do you have on your mind that has anything to do with me?” Veda was like a dog with a bone.
A streak of irritation surfaced. Usually when Agastya said jump, people only asked ‘how high.’ He wasn’t used to having his commands or conversation picked apart like this.
“I’d prefer to discuss it in person.” He heard the stiff pomposity in his voice, but he didn’t know how to temper it. He possessed none of his sister’s sweetness or his brother’s charm. He was just the one who got shit done…so pompous was his thing he supposed.
“And I’d prefer to know what we need to discuss before I agree to meet you,” she retorted tartly.
“Veda-“
“Don’t Veda me, Agastya Kodela. Tell me what this is about, or I’ll hang up right now.”
Speechless, he pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at the screen. What the fuck?
“Alright then.” Her tinny voice came through the phone and then he heard a distinct click.
She’d disconnected their call! She’d actually cut him off!
All those years of blushing and giggling and awkwardly flirting with him…had he been wrong about her feelings for him? Was Veda Gadde actually not in love with him?
Ice slid through him at the thought. He’d gambled everything on the fact that she was. He couldn’t be wrong. He couldn’t afford it.
The car slid to a halt and he got out, still feeling like the world was just a bit off kilter. He’d made it a bare two feet before his phone rang. He glanced at it and stopped walking. A twisted pleasure rose inside him at the sight of her name on his screen.
“Yes?” he answered.
“Okay.” Her disgruntled voice was music to his ears. “I’m bloody curious. What is this about?”
Victory sang in his veins, bittersweet like the finest dark chocolate in the world.
“I don’t dance to the tunes of spoilt brats,” he answered now, as his aides opened the front door of his home and stepped inside.
The house was still teeming with staff working damage control on the news story. The damage her father had caused. The damage that she was going to fix. She just didn’t know it yet.
“Oh for fuck’s sake!” she exclaimed. “Fine! Whatever! I’ll just ask Anna when he gets home.”
Oh no she wouldn’t. He didn’t want her brother’s version to be the first one she heard. Especially since Ram’s would be the more truthful one, the one with her best interests at its core. Agastya couldn’t allow that…her best interests did not match his.
“Meet me for a coffee.”
She hesitated, clearly torn between following her brother’s instructions and sating her curiosity.
“One coffee, Veda,” he all but purred. “Surely, you can give me that.”
“I still don’t understand why,” she answered but she was softening, her voice going low and husky.
“Meet me and I’ll explain everything.”
“Agastya, does this have something to do with that news story? Are you using me to get back at my father?”
He heard the doubt, the worry in her voice and something inside him twisted. What was he doing? Was this whom he’d become? Was he really going to do this? To her and to himself?
