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“I remember that evening… in parts,” he said. “I remember I flew all the way to Belgium to join you and Diya at the Coldplay concert because I didn’t want to miss your twenty-fifth birthday.”
I stared at him in surprise.
“No, Your Highness! You were in Belgium for a meeting and Diya forced you to join us. You barely even acknowledged me until you’d had a few drinks, forget remembering my birthday.”
Veer exhaled slowly.
“Isha, don’t you find it surprising that I haven’t missed a single birthday of yours in nine years? Every time Diya threw you a party, I’d be there… scowling at you from a corner, maybe, but still present.”
I thought back to all my birthdays in nine years and I realised he was right. He hadn’t missed a single one.
“That’s because of Diya. She forced you to come,” I argued.
“Please! After the Coldplay concert, she used to beg me to stay away from you. Who do you think even got you guys those VIP box tickets that were sold out as soon as they went live?”
“Why did you do that?” she asked, looking dazed.
“Because I would do anything to make you happy, even if I couldn’t speak to you,” he yelled.
“So you say. Anyway, do you remember getting drunk that night?”
“Of course, I do! Getting drunk was the only way I could numb the guilt I felt about being in the same room as you,” he replied.
“Let me fix that statement for you. Getting drunk was the only way you could numb your disgust for me,” I said sarcastically.
“Oh, so now you’re going to explain my own feelings to me?” the rude bastard asked, just as sarcastically. “Wonderful! But go on.”
I ignored his sarcasm and went on. I would never forget that evening as long as I lived.
“We were in our room after the concert. We’d just ordered French Fries at two am because we had the munchies, but Diya passed out before they arrived. You went back to your room because of course, it would kill you to spend two minutes with me in the same room. And I knocked on your door to share the snack because there was so much of it.”
“And you insisted on coming in just to torture me,” he said ruefully.
“No. I insisted on coming in because I was a masochistic fool who liked to torture myself. Anyway, we were both heavily drunk and I made a move on you.”
“You wiped the mayo off my lip,” he said in a low voice, as he took one step closer to me.
“And you kissed me,” I replied, holding his gaze.
“And you kissed me back,” he said, coming one more step closer. “Unfortunately, that’s all I remember, thanks to all the alcohol in my system.”
I smiled at him coldly.
“Let me tell you what happened next. We began to make out in earnest, and you slipped my dress off. When you looked at me properly, you came to your senses for a bit and laughed. You laughed in my face, Veer. And you said, and I quote - Not with you! Never with you! And then you passed out on the floor.”
I wanted to curl up and die when I heard him say he’d never want to make love to me, but I had forced myself to put that clingy dress back on and walk back to the room I shared with Diya and spent the night throwing up and sobbing into my pillow. I had accepted that Veer would never love me, no matter how hard I tried. The next day, I had flown back to India and sought an appointment with a therapist.
But that was the ugly truth behind Veer’s claims of wanting me.
CHAPTER 18
VEER
It was strange how two people could recall such different versions of the same incident.
Isha was right. I did say that to her, but I did not mean it the way she took it.
“I did say that,” I replied desperately. “But you misunderstood my meaning, Isha. I didn’t say that because I was disgusted with you, as you seem to believe. I said that because I had sworn never to act on my obsession for you. Not for my sake or yours. But for Diya’s sake.”
