Heartbeat

Chapter 27

"But why am I seeing murder in her eyes? Trouble in paradise?"

"Remember Natasha? She used to study with us, she came yesterday just to meet, you know, we were just hugging and Shehnaaz saw us, she was cool, but we went for dinner, and Shehnaaz didn't really liked her over friendly behavior, - he looked at her again, and caught her looking, she quickly averted her eyes, -"She's been in a mood since then, God!! Woman are complicated."

"Hey, who's that guy hugging Shehnaaz?" Harvey suddenly asked, Sidharth head whips around, and saw there's no guy.

"Hypocrite." Harvey shook his head.

* * * *

"Ah, Sidharth. There you are" his father's voice sounds a few feet from Sidharth's spot leaning against the polished wooden bar. There's a regality about his tone - a formalness to the lilt in his voice that let's him know he's with important people - and it's with a small puff of exasperation that Sidharth pulls a polite smile onto his face.

Rishabh watches as his son turns away from the bar where he'd been intensely immersed in his thoughts while staring at nothing, and it's his turn to feel a wave of exasperation wash over his body, because where Sidharth's expression is all charm and formal, there's a small glint in his eye that lets him know that his thoughts are a million miles away or maybe just few feet away, and his lips curl in annoyance as he looks at the girl behind him, who has his son wrapped around her finger.

He has to admit he's a little disappointed in the lack of focus on Sidharth's part tonight. This is a charity ball, after all, and even though he hadn't shown his disagreement at the presence of Shehnaaz, he'd hoped he'd at least put a little more effort into charming a few businesses colleagues tonight.

Instead everytime he had looked at his eldest son, he had found him lost in his thoughts, keeping himself in shadows, chatting up with Harvey, while staring at Shehnaaz, instead of dancing and mingling with City's elite.

"Sidharth" Rishabh says again, this time reaching out to grasp his forearm and pull him forward away from the group of Harvey, Shehnaaz and Charlie. "I was just telling Mr. Miller and Mr. Malhotra about your project on City's youth Centre."

He sends his son an encouraging look, with a tight smile, when he stares blankly at them, his head still clearly wrapped up in whatever conversation they were in.

Rishabh sees the moment Sidharth snaps his attention away from trying to listen to whatever Shehnaaz is whispering to Harvey and Charlie. He hears something along the lines of Ooh, pie! and Grab it, Char, my arm's too short! and he's about to scowl because it's rare that anyone actually pays attention to the small desserts the waiters parade around the room but then Sidharth's stepping forward to shake the hands of the two older businessmen.

And there's a smile on his face.

A real, honest, innocent smile that Rishabh knows has absolutely nothing to do with the men in front of him and everything to do with the giggling woman behind him.

"We'd love to hear more about your ideas, Sidharth, a young man like you knows better about what today's generation wants." Mr. Malhotra the taller of the two, says as he clasps Sidharth's hand. "Regardless, you can count on our support, but we'd rather know the in's and out's of the plan that RGI been so dedicated to implementing."