Life's Second Chances

One

Anuksha

Present Day

The lounge chair in the waiting area at the gate of the airport isn't what I would exactly call comfortable but it was way better than the topsy-turvy car ride here. With smaller streets than I'm used to, I might have screamed at the cab driver several times before he pulled up to the drop-off area of the Naples International Airport here on the west coast of Italy. Livid, hurt and betrayed are just the words I would pick to describe how I feel right now. Also stupid, dumb, and foolish are there as well. 

They say every person you cross paths with is destiny. They come into your life for however long and change you and your world forever. Some changes are small and hardly noticeable but others cause your entire world to shift off its axis and spin aimlessly through space. 

I had expectations that lead to hope and hope always leads to disappointment. Naïvely I expected too much out of our short time together, put too much emphasis on our past together as children and teenagers, and now I'm left embarrassed, angry and confused. 

Foolishly I believed he was the one. I fell for him all over again like I did in high school and he did the same thing he did back then, he left. I could chalk it up to my lack of experience with dating men and just detest the entire male race but who was I kidding? His abrupt and completely unexpected closure of our relationship caught me so off guard that every moment since then my mind wanders to what went wrong.

In a desperate attempt to distract myself from the recent event of this morning I try and read a magazine and fail miserably as I reread the same sentence for the fifth time in a row. Memories come flooding back to me as my mind tries and find the reason behind my break-up, taking me back to the beginning of summer.

Three Months Ago

Biting on the nub of my thumb, I read over the report displayed on my laptop, fact-checking with corresponding printed documents laid out on my desk. Running on three cups of coffee and just a cheese Danish from since this morning, my stomach is ready to jump out my body and find itself some real food.

Just as I pick up my phone to tell my assistant to order-in lunch today, my dad pokes his head through my office door grinning sheepishly. The graded down stubble on his face, and slight graying of his hair don't do much to distort the vibrancy in his eyes and youthfulness in his smile. My mom proudly takes credit for keeping him looking this good well past his fifty.

"Can you pick up a lunch meeting for me?" he asks stuffing his hands into the pockets of his black suit pants.

"Make me CEO and I'll fill in for every other meeting as well," I challenge from behind my desk, already closing off my laptop and storing away the files, smirking.

"Sweetheart, you know it's not that easy,"

"Oh, but it is. Nikhil has been training for that position since he learned to speak, but because I was born a girl I automatically didn't qualify as the suitable heir to our family's company," I hook my purse around my shoulder, standing to straight out my dark green dress at the hem.

"It has nothing to do with that, Anuksha. Nik was born first,"

"Correction, he was your first-born son. I was made to look pretty, and talk to the right people,"

"Anuksha, I have always treated you and your siblings just the same, you know this. You have the same opportunities as your brother,"

"So then tell me why I found out from the office gossip that my father will be stepping down as CEO and appointing a new one and it just so happens to be my brother. Neither one of you respects me enough to even let me know, or just for shits and giggles ask my opinion. I've worked my ass off for Arora Inc. since I started college, proved myself countless times but all I've ever been to you and everyone else here, is Rahul Arora's daughter," swallowing hard, he licks his lips, pulling them into his mouth. Sighing he gathers me in his protective arms. He opens his mouth to speak but is shockingly at a loss for words.

"That's what I thought," I pull away tucking my hair behind my ear.

Entering the elegant glass building, I stop at the host's podium informing the bright and overly cheerful brunette woman that I'm under the reservation for Rai. My dad was supposed to be meeting uncle Neal, the former CEO and current board member of Rai Consolidated, for lunch to discuss a few joint projects both our companies took on. Instead, the two of them decided to meet for a leisure game of cricket and stick me and some unfortunate soul from Rai Con into this meeting.

As I'm shown to the table, the strikingly familiar features of the man sitting in a dark blue suit tapping away at his phone causes a light stir in my stomach. How could I ever forget that magnificent head of thick black hair, that sharp nose, stern jaw, and of course his dark brown eyes that controversially glimmer with a childlike innocence yet look so severe and pained.

Looking up from his phone, he gapes momentarily before smiling so innocently charming. Standing from his seat he walks around the small table for two, kissing me lightly on the cheek before pulling out my chair. Returning to his seat, he chuckles, still smiling broadly, probably as shocked as I am.

Sidharth Rai. 

"What's it been?" he asks rubbing the back of his neck.

"Eight years," I answer huskily dumbfounded by his beauty. I'm completely mesmerized by the way his hair is brushed and by the shape of his full lips. Finding the nerve, I make eye contact with him unable to stop the smile curving my lips as I admire his long lashes and thick brows.

"God you're beautiful," he sighs exasperatedly. "Shit I just said that out loud," chuckling he loosens his tie, clearing his throat.

"If it's any consolation...I think you're extremely attractive as well," smirking, I bite on the inside of my mouth.

"Just as honest and blunt,"

"Just as bold and calculating," I retort seeing the dazzle in his eyes reflecting the wheels turning in that mind of his.

"You haven't changed a bit but somehow changed so much, all at the same time," smirking he leans back in his chair, crossing his burly arms across his broad chest. "Since this is obviously a setup, considering our families haven't negotiated business contracts in twenty-odd years, what do you say to a real date with me? For old times' sake,"

"Sure,"