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He turned back to the man in time to see him raise his glass in a toast to Raashi. He looked vaguely familiar. Harsh riffled through his mental memories but couldn’t pin down exactly where he knew him from. But clearly, Raashi knew him and knew him well.
“Rash?” he asked.
Her spoon clattered to her plate, food spilling everywhere. “I need to go,” she whispered, the words broken and guttural. “I need to go now.”
“Of course.” He stood along with her, not bothering to look back again. He knew what fear looked like. He’d stared it down often enough to recognise it without even having to feel it. And he also knew that Raashi owed him no explanations. If she wanted to go, she wanted to go.
He tossed enough money on the table to cover their bill, signaled to Murthy to collect it and followed Raashi’s frantic stride from the room. They almost made it to the front door. Almost. Harsh even had his hand on the doorknob when he heard the click of the dining hall door open.
“Raashi? What a pleasant surprise!”
Smooth words, a deceptively polished voice, and an overwhelming whiff of cologne formed Harsh’s initial impression of the man who approached them. He had the kind of dark, brooding good looks that women world over adored. He was vaguely familiar but Harsh couldn’t quite place him.
Beside him, Raashi stayed silent, her eyes on the approaching man, looking for all the world like Lucifer himself, strolling up to them. Instinctively, Harsh reached for her hand, twining his fingers with her trembling ones. Her hand was ice cold.
“How long have you been in town? I didn’t even know you were back.” His tone was chiding, like an avuncular uncle to a disobedient child. “You’ve been coming to Hyderabad and leaving without even telling me every time.”
Raashi still said nothing.
“What are you even doing here? This is the last place I expected to see you.”
Still nothing. The silence was deafening now. Harsh looked from Raashi’s frozen, white face to the other man’s genial one. Instinct prickled as he glanced between the two. Something was wrong here. Very wrong.
“How long are you here for? We must catch up. Just you and me.”
“No.”
Her reply was the barest breath of sound but Harsh heard it. His hand tightened around hers, a silent show of support.
“We can go to that restaurant you love, the one with the tandoori chicken. Remember? You said it was better than Bade Miyan kababs. Do you remember how I fed you every bite?”
Harsh stepped forward, blocking Raashi from the other man’s line of sight without relinquishing his hold on her hand.
“Hello.” He smiled, the wide smile people always underestimated. “We haven’t met. I’m-“
“Harsh Kodela I know.” The man flashed a dismissive smile at him. “I know your family.”
“Ahh that’s an easy one,” Harsh replied. “But the real question is, does my family know you?”
He saw the comment strike, right on the mark. The man’s face tightened, his expression going from genial to vicious in a heartbeat.
“Careful little boy. I’m not one of your father’s minions to toy with.”
“That’s true.” Harsh pretended to be chastened. “At least I know the names of the minions. You on the other hand…”
“Really Raashi.” He attempted to look over Harsh’s shoulder at Raashi. “This man child is whom you’re choosing to spend time with.”
She stiffened. A second’s pause and then she stepped out from behind the protective cover of Harsh’s body. He noticed she still had a death grip on his hand through.
“Yes,” she answered, this time the word coming out with strength. “Harsh is whom I choose to spend my time with.”
She was trying to protect him, he realised, from the other man’s insults. Surely, she knew Harsh had a thicker skin than that? He’d survived years of her insults, hadn’t he?
“Ridiculous.” The other man snorted. “I saw the news in the gossip columns but put it down to speculative nonsense. Why would you date him?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Raashi tossed the question back, leaning into Harsh’s side as if to offer comfort. “I doubt I could do better than Harsh Kodela in this lifetime.”
She didn’t even choke on the words, he marveled. But before he could say anything the other man sneered.
