Circle of Trust

Chapter 20

You want to know if she loved me.

Had she loved him? That was one of the many questions that plagued him after his chance encounter with Shiv. Swerving the car to the left, he touched his bandaged chin and winced. His friend had caught him off-guard with his left hook that had been his signature move during their boxing days.

It seemed ages ago when the two had enrolled in anything that involved fighting – kickboxing to street clubs. It had been a phase – one they had enjoyed thoroughly – the girls, the booze, and the late night jamming sessions in the street corners. They had practically lived in each other’s homes.

Shiv had been like a second son to Ma – the one who didn’t rebel, throw vases, the calm one.  While he had little patience for small talk, Shiv could spend hours listening to her. They had been brothers-in-arms, growing up.

They were inseparable to the point their friends couldn’t tell whose clothes each wore, and even they couldn’t tell apart, most of the time. It hadn’t mattered.

Varun had been the trouble maker; Shiv the problem solver. He would start the fights, light the fire; Shiv would calm them down with his smooth talk or a look. He did look bigger and meaner than Varun but he had been a softie at heart. His friend did not believe in using fists but pushed, he wouldn’t hesitate like he had yesterday night.

Damn it. That still hurt. He moved his jaw and clamped it shut before the pain knocked him out. Curses flew out of his mouth, and he gripped the steering wheel hard.

The painkillers were on the passenger seat, but he wouldn’t take them. He deserved every beating he had received. He wanted to feel the pain for what he had put Naina through all those years ago. It hadn’t been fair for her; he hadn’t been fair with her.

Varun parked his car outside his home, their home – the love nest he had created with his wife when they were pregnant with Ria. He suspected he had already fallen in love with his wife before they built this home but it was later, much later that he had had the guts to confess his undying love for her. Thankfully, he had not been the 'once bitten, forever shy' kind of a guy, so he took a chance and leapt in with her, and these six years had been bliss.

What did they say about too much of a good thing? Yeah that. It seemed like they had run out of them in the last couple of weeks. He wasn’t about to let anything ruin their happiness. Naina deserved better…always better. He would just have to try that much harder to earn her love. Keep her love.

Had she really fallen in love with Shiv? The thought pinched his heart more than what he had believed all these years. A fling he could digest, but had she given her heart to his friend.

He didn’t know how long he sat in the car staring at his home swathed in the morning glow of the sun. The digital clock on the dashboard showed past 6 – another hour to get Ria ready for school.

His heart beating fast at how he would find Naina, he unlocked the front door with his keys and entered.

“Papa…” Ria came running to him. Surprised that she was awake this early, he scooped her up, beaming at her.

“Good Morning, bubba.” He kissed her.

“Good Morning,” she whispered.

He raised his brows.

“Mamma’s sleeping. She is tired. Dadima said not to wake her up,” Ria explained, scampering down and running to the living room.

She slowed down suddenly and tip toed around the couch.

Varun sucked in a breath.

Naina was curled up in the corner of the settee, her head resting against a cushion. Her lips were slightly apart making him want to kiss them.