Could This Be Love

chapter 9❤

"Darlings, I have arranged a beautiful honeymoon trip for you to Mauritius. The flight is on 6 pm tomorrow."

"Maa I hope you're joking because I have a pretty busy week!"

"Ah, let your father help you out this week! Now if you consider him too old and incapable for business then I'll let him know that"

"I did not say that-"

"Shut it shut it. I ask you this a gift for myself, so tell me, do I not deserve this little!?"

Aarav looked at Hritika and Hritika looked extremely horrified.

"Maa, I-"

"Can you let Hritika speak?"

"Yes, Aunty I'm right here."

"Darling, please please please agree to this. I have put on a bet with your father in law that you both will absolutely love this gift. Please-"

Hritika looked back at Aarav and then back at phone "Erm, let's see if my subordinates can deal with that"

"Oh my God, they are going!" She took that maybe as a yes and shouted to some people. Hritika could hear them hooting back.

"Aunty? Aunty I said maybe we ca-"

"I got it, you'll go. I am coming over right now to help you two pack up very fast- oh gosh. I think I shouldn't have booked that fast, YOU BOTH DON'T HAVE CLOTHES!"

They both looked at themselves "..we do?"

"No, all you have is work clothes. Hurry up, loves, buckle up for the time of your lives with Smita" She sounded extremely giddy and full of life.

They both sulked for a moment then laughed and then Hritika gasped.

"What happened?"

"Mr. Malhotra, all my belongings are at my house. Aunty is coming over-"

"Don't panic, don't panic, let's just go to your house, load some essentials of yours and drive back ASAP and let's see what we can do"

"I can't drive now. I am losing my shit"

Aarav couldn't help but laugh as he volunteered to drive.

When three of them went shopping, Smita went her own way to shop for herself leaving the two people to fight their own way.

Hritika shopped for herself and called Smita for where she was.

"Love, I was tired so I went to my friend's kitty party. Did you two shop well?"

"Yeah, done"

Smita whispered into the phone "swimwear?"

"..no"

"Darling, you're going to Mauritius!"

"Erm, thanks for reminding. Haha, will get back to you." She then rushed to a swimwear shop and found one out which complimented her body in the best way.

Her phone rang and it was Aarav, "Hey, are you done?"

"Yeah, are you?"

"Yup, where are you?"

"By the 12th floor. The perfume shop."

"Okay give me a minute" Hritika awkwardly held onto the call as Aarav tried to find her.

"Yeah, at the 12th floor, where are— okay got you" Aarav smiled the brightest after finding her, melted Hritika's heart to watch his eyes light up seeing her but she was unsure if what she was perceiving was the truth.

"What did you buy?" Hritika asked.

"I don't even know. Whatever the salesman suggested. You?"

"Whatever Aunty suggested" She laughed.

"Let me hold your bags" He advanced to take them from her but she moved away.

"I can do this."

"I know, but you don't have to. Let me hold them from you."

"No, watch this" She flexed her triceps and were they drool worthy? Absolutely yes.

Aarav held his hands up laughing "Okay okay I give up"

Once they home and comfortable, Hritika and Aarav sat with two huge cups of coffee as they had to handle the things prior to the trip.

"Do you wanna take a break?" Aarav asked.

"No, do you?"

"Yeah, I haven't slept since yesterday." Aarav laughed.

Hritika's face gloomed, "Would you mind if I ask you why did you behave as you did last night?"

Aarav looked out of the window for a moment "A few years ago I met her and due to my own vulnerabilities I fell for her. She had this unmatchable manipulative skills. She almost emptied my bank account, she let out rumours now and then. I understood my mistake and was ready to move on.

But she then accused me of sexual violence." Hritika's eyes widened, Aarav's hand clasped together.

"I was so lost. I never did anything of that sort with her, anything of a physical relationship. I was horrified as such accusations. But she kept on coming over to cry and blame it on me, and at some point I believed it. I believed that I sexually abused her. And that torn me apart. That made me wanna kill myself."

Hritika held Aarav's hands between hers.

"I was miserable. Couldn't even fathom hunger or pain or anything. My father had noticed it at some point and he did support me a lot through it. He believed me and that gave me hope to fight back. He pulled me out of that and helped me emotionally so damn much. Later on, we found she was a con artist, she did that for living. She ruined lives. She almost ruined mine.

And that day when she came, it was after all those years. At first I was shocked, but then scared that she'd tell you everything that she's told back then and that..that you'd believe her. That you'd hate me for whatever she'd tell you.

And after a moment of her being there, I just couldn't respond more. I felt so triggered, I felt extremely numb to whatever was happening.

And then we fought. I wasn't in the right mind and I fought with you for no reaso-"

"It's alright, Mr. Malhotra. It's okay. I didn't know, she looked just so...normal."

"Of course, I'd believed her for more than two years, your believing her yesterday was just a tad bit of naivete to my ignorance."

"I am so sorry you had to go through that." Hritika looked into his eyes, searching for answers to her own emotions.

"It's all in the past. I was just worried about all that we fought."

"It's okay, I guess. I should've just given you some space then"

"Maybe I didn't want space. Let's stop this who-did-what-wrong, let's go sleep. I am so not ready for tomorrow"

"I am not either. Can't remember the last time I was out vacationing." She laughed.

"Me neither" they laughed and retreated to 'their' room, together, with a hope of better tomorrow.