Destined to be One

Chapter 12

It was hours before Varun was able to return to Niyati's office. He hit yet another dead-end. No clue was obtained from the note he took this morning. He had consulted Shane over the phone and they both agreed that it was best to keep close surveillance on Niyati, at home and in the office. He would talk to her before he finalized anything. He hoped she agreed to his plan.

He heard a heated conversation as he walked near her office and raised a questioning eyebrow at Niyati's secretary.

"They have been at it for hours now. She could use the break." Varun nodded his thanks then knocked on Niyati's office door gently then waited for her to respond before entering the office. He was glad he interrupted when he saw the frustration and fatigue on Niyati's face.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt but I need to speak to you urgently regarding a matter at the other hotel." She gave him a thankful look and turned to her mother.

"Mother, as you can see I have to get to work. You need to sit down with Pooja and the wedding planner to iron out the final details and send me the bill." Mrs. Desai gave Varun a suspicious look and glared at Niyati.

"It's always about business with you. You don't care that your family needs you."

"As if my family was there when I needed them," She thought with bitterness but she didn't show it. It was best to remain calm and get her mother out of the office as soon as possible.

"Mother, I have bigger crisis on hand right now. If I don't take care of the hotel problems then we can forget this big wedding that you and Pooja both want." Niyati said calmly.

"Fine, I will go for now, we will talk about it later."

Varun closed the door then walked towards Niyati's desk. He waited for her to finish making notes in her planner, "More wedding issues?"

She pushed the book away and looked up at him, "It's never ending drama." She stood up and came around to stand in front of him.

"So what is the urgent matter?" She knew he had interrupted the meeting to get her mother out of the office but she asked anyway.

"It's not exactly urgent, but I figure if I made it sound like urgent you would have a good excuse to get away from all the wedding discussions." He took a step closer to her and raised her chin to look into her eyes. He couldn't help it. He needed to touch her just once. She tried to step away from him but he stopped her with a look.

"W-what are you doing?" Niyati wanted to curse herself for the slight trembling in her voice. One touch and he reduced her to stammering. She wanted to close her eyes and savor the moment but she knew if she did that all the memories of the past would return to make her more vulnerable to him and she couldn't afford to wear her heart on her sleeve again.

"I am looking for that sparkle that was always present in your eyes, but all I see is fatigue and frustration. What happened to the young Niyati who enjoyed life to the fullest and was always ready to share her smile with everyone?" He didn't miss the fleeting emotions in her eyes and wished he could go back five years and change things.

"That Niyati died five years ago. She was immature and naïve. This one is mature and has learned the ways of the world."

Varun gave into the need to hold her in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer to him, "I know that no explanation can take away the pain I caused you five years ago but just know that I did not cheat on you, not even once." The weary expression on her face told him she did not believe him but he will make her believe one day soon.