Chaahat

Chapter 7: The Date

Riya smiles at her date, Saksham, who is sitting opposite her. This is at one of her favourite restaurants. She loves coming here and always finds time to come here with her friends. She loves it.

"So how long are you in Mumbai for?" A polite question to hide her boredom. Her date is a sweet guy, but he's not giving her the butterflies she wants from a date. She listens as he tells her about his work and how he'll be here for a few more weeks to wrap up in Mumbai.

Saksham is a sweet gentleman, the type to open doors and pull chairs. He hasn't once spoken of her career as a hobby or her having a rich upbringing. He was polite, sweet and the sweetest. It's refreshing to see for her, since most guys she met don't take long to pass judgements. And if they don't say it, it's quite clear on their faces.

"Tell me more about your writing. I heard you write romance?" His question makes her smile and she tells him about her new upcoming book and how she has a meeting later today that she's dreading.

The two laugh at her words, she throws her head back when he adds to her joke. She shakes her head and her eyes land on the window next to their booth. Her laugh fades, replacing it with a steely gaze. A sudden tension filling the air and her expression shifting from warmth to frustration.

Her foot fiddles with the heel strapped on her other foot. Her frustration gets the best of her as her eyes refuse to leave his. Sofia standing next to him as she points to some of the stores. They were going to come out shopping today, so it's clear to her that's what they're doing here.

She doesn't realise when her heel slips of her foot which catches her attention.

"Oh, shoot."

Xavier watches from outside as she reaches down, he sees the man sitting opposite her stand up and kneel in front of her. A knot forms in the pit of his stomach which gets tighter when he sees her laugh at something he says.

Riya smiles at Saksham as he kneels and grabs her foot. She tries to refuse, but he insists. The two laugh when he throws her a silly smirk and asks if that does something to her.

Her eyes land on Xavier again, a smirk plays on her lips before she turns her attention back to her date.

"No, I'm used to having men on their knees for me."

Xavier watches the two, a dark foreign feeling overtaking his usual composure as he takes his daughter into the shop she chose.

Meanwhile Saksham looks at Riya and smiles. A question running through his head.

"So, if we were to get married. Would you be open to moving to Delhi with me?"

He watches the uncertainty cross her face as the question lingers in the air. He watches her bite her lip as she tries to think of what to say.

He reaches over, placing a hand over hers. "It's okay, I see the hesitation on your face."

"I just don't see myself far away from my home." Her voice quiet as she looks up from their joint hands.

"I understand. But we can definitely be friends. Let's be real, I think we had more chemistry with the food we ate."

The two laugh at his words before he asks for the bill.

Later in the evening, at home Sofia's excitement radiates off of her as she shows Chhaya and Meera everything she had bought for her mother.

"Momma loves things like this!"

Xavier watches her excitement, enjoying it when Riya walks in. One hand filled with edited author copies of her next book for he to read through and the other with her phone. Her face distressed as she drops on the couch. Her bag lands on the floor and the thick copies of her book on the table.

A sigh escapes her lips as she throws her phone to the couch with her. "What happened, baacha?"

Xavier watches Meera gently run her fingers through Riya's hair, a motherly instinct clear on her face. It's something he's not used to seeing. The child he buried deep inside him stirs, wailing at the fact he's never been on the receiving end of such affection.

"Such a long day, bhabhi. But for the last hour, some random account on Instagram keeps liking and commenting on all my posts. And saying stuff like you're too beautiful for this world. It's getting annoying."

Chhaya giggles at Riya's frustration. "Yeh sab chodo. How was your date?"

Xavier watches a smile make its way on Riya's lips.

"Bhabhi!" Riya stretches the word as she covers her face with her hands.

Meera and Chhaya laugh at her thinking she must have liked the guy. "Anyways my dear bhabhis. I need to go shower and chance."

She rushes up the stairs and immediately jumps in the shower after grabbing leggings and a hoodie. After such a long day, she deserves a nice bath. Filling the bathtub with warm water, she drops a rose scented bath bomb before lighting some candles.

After a long, relaxing bath, she spends time lathering herself in her favourite lotion. Shourya got in contact with her favourite skin care company and got them to launch a whole skin care line with the theme of her favourite chocolate as a birthday present when she turned twenty-one.

Representatives from the company had come to her birthday party with everything in the line on her birthday before it was officially launched on their website.

She loved the whole idea so much, her father, Raj, made sure the company continued selling it. Giggling at the memory, Riya throws on her hoodie and walks out of her bathroom. A surprised yelp escapes her lips when she finds Xavier sitting on her bed.

The sight too intimate for her to comprehend. Him. The man she's crushing on. In her room. Sitting on her bed.

"Wha- what are you doing here?"

He stands up, his blue eyes dark as he watches her.

"Here to deliver flowers and a letter for you."

She then notices the bouquet of tulips and the letter on the bed next to Xavier. She huffs before walking towards them. She feels his eyes burn holes on her face.

"They were just delivered. From your little date?"

Riya rolls her eyes as she picks up the letter.

"What's it to you? You don't want me! So what is it to you?"

His eyes burn in anger as he looks down at the girl in front of him. All he can think of is that man's hands on her. He doesn't say another word before walking out. He reaches halfway through the hall when a piercing scream hits his ears.

The scream echoes through the entire house. Hearing it coming from Riya's room, the family rush towards her room.