Circle of Trust

Chapter 34

Varun stared after the car that seemed to race out of his sight. He could hear his heart beat at an erratic pace over the din his daughter caused inside his car; he willed his wife to realize her mistake and turn the car around.

Any moment now Shiv's car would reappear around the corner; Naina would get down and walk over to him with a sheepish grin on her adorable face and an apology in her eyes. And he would...

A throat cleared nearby and his smile slipped; reality clashed with his wishful thinking – Naina wasn't here, Yashvi was.

He locked his jaw and ignored the sharp shoot of pain. A car door opened, and he was by her side the very instant, slamming the door shut.

Yashvi jumped back as if slapped, her eyes wide with panic.

"What the hell, Varun!" she said once she recovered her voice.

He glared at her, his hand pressed against the front door, ready to stop her if she tried to open it again.

The kids watched from inside the car with mild interest. It was not everyday that Ria witnessed Varun's anger. She sat fascinated, momentarily forgetting what she rattled about. Vansh visibly shrunk back into the seat, his eyes huge and fixated on his mother's expression.

"Sit in the back with the kids," ordered Varun, his voice as icy as his expression.

After a moment's hesitation, Yashvi scooted next to her son who seemed relieved to have her by his side. Ria dived in without delay to explain in exaggerated whispers as to why her daddy acted cranky.

Varun circled to the driver's seat, picked up his Ray-bans off the tar road, dusted them and wore it over his eyes that stung. He blinked several times, dragged in a few long breaths, ground his teeth till his gums ached, and only when he felt he had his anger under control, he stepped into the car. He had to forget that she was there for the next two hours, and he would be fine. Starting the car, he suppressed the urge to drive like a racing maniac on a formula one track. He had better remember Ria was with him, no matter who else he decided to forget.

Varun tried hard to tune out Yashvi's unusually soft voice indulging his daughter's constant banter. Her eyes caught his in the overhead mirror, and his were the first ones to blink away. She riled him up even after all these years, and that fact fuelled the burst of rage at himself. He wanted to be immune, thought he had had his closure when she disappeared without a word for the second time eight years ago.

Apparently, he was wrong. Or maybe her hidden agenda in being here added to his restlessness – his skin crawling with the need to expunge her from his system forever. Hadn't he done that already when she had briefly returned? He would be damned if he remembered much about that meeting!

Lost in his thoughts, he took a second too late to realize the on-coming truck that swerved dangerously close to the car. Swerving to the extreme left, he pressed down hard on the break jolting everyone forward.

Ria and Vansh shrieked as he sat immobile, his face stone hard. He heard Yashvi softly reassuring the kids, but he couldn't move a muscle, couldn't pry his hands away from the steering wheel.

Ria's sobs pulled him out of shock. He unbuckled his seatbelt with unsteady hands to turn around and face what he had caused.

"Ria...." His hand reached out but Ria shrank away from him sobbing.

Yashvi's arms wound around his little one, gathering her close. Ria settled against Yashvi, her sobs slowly turning into sniffles and hiccups.

"Ria...sweetheart...are you hurt? Papa's so sorry..." his voice thick with guilt trailed away as his eyes met Yashvi's stormy ones.