"I don't know why you keep coming after me when I am nothing but rude to you all the time."
"Atharva!" Aahana was acting like a petulant child.
He ignored her, his eyes solely focused on the laptop screen. He was trying to get some work done, but Aahana was hovering over him like a nuisance.
"Atharva! Atharva! Atharva!"
He felt his patience slowly wear off as she kept chanting his name. "Stop it."
"Fine! Don't go. I don't care," she said, raising her hands in the air in exasperation. "But if dad questions me about you, I'll gladly tell Atharva wasn't interested to attend the party."
He shot a mean glare in her direction, once again setting his eyes on her chin. "You will say he is busy with the workload."
"Yeah? Why would I do that?" She crossed her arms across her chest and leaned back against her chair with a smirk plastered on her face.
"Leave it. I will talk to Dad," he replied, sounding miffed.
"Good." She averted her gaze to the report she had been reading earlier.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a breath of frustration as he phoned his father.
"Is this you, Atharva?"
He rolled his eyes. "Who else will use my number if not me?
"I'm just surprised, son. You rarely call."
"I won't be able to attend Nisha's party. I have an important meeting in the evening."
"Please, son." His father sighed on the other end of the phone. "I know you are very busy, but we are your family. Why do you insist on avoiding us? You have skipped several parties. You never visit home. The least you can do is come to this one with Aahana."
"But Dad, didn't I meet everyone at my wedding reception?" Atharva grumbled. "I am not ignoring you."
"Only for a few hours?"
He could hear the distress in his father's voice, and one thing he didn't like was seeing his loved ones upset. So even when he didn't want to go there, he conceded and called off.
Swallowing hard, he gripped his phone tightly and before he could stop himself, it was on the floor across the cabin, shattered into bits.
Aahana gasped, her eyes going wide. "Why did you break your phone?"
"None of your business!"
She quickly shut up. She had never seen him look so angry, and it scared her slightly. What was his problem anyway? His family was wonderful, but he was always dismissing them.
She noticed the troubled expression on his face. His lips were curved into a scowl and his eyebrows were scrunched together. He was staring at the screen, but his eyes were glazed. He wasn't present in the room with her. He was far off somewhere deep in his thoughts.
"Are you okay?" Aahana asked softly.
"Hmm...yeah." He closed his eyes. "We will go together. Be ready at 7:00 PM."
"Together?" She blinked.
"You heard me the first time."
A bright smile made its way onto her face. She nodded eagerly. "Okay!"
They got back to work, but Atharva couldn't concentrate anymore. He felt miserable. Going to that house meant meeting her, and he was not ready for it. The only difference was that he wouldn't be alone today, unlike all those days.
The thought made him shake his head. He couldn't rely on Aahana. He needed to man up and face everything on his own. What if Aahana came to know about him? She would think of him as a weakling who was scared for no reason and laugh on his face.
However, there was a reason. His past. The ugly one. The one he wanted to forget. But it was an evil stench, forever fogging his mind and body. He shuddered at the feeling that crept through him and took a deep breath.
He recalled Dr. Gupta's question. Was he ever willing to share his past with Aahana?
He scoffed. Had the doctor been serious? Telling her everything was the last thing on his mind, for he didn't trust her at all. He didn't even consider her a part of his life, just his so-called wife.
He didn't know for how long he was pondering over his thoughts but it was already 5:00 PM when Aahana's sweet voice brought him back to reality. Nodding absentmindedly, he picked his things, took the elevator to reach the lobby, and walked to his car.
He'd just unlocked it and got seated when the passenger door opened and Aahana entered inside. He looked at her with knitted eyebrows.
"What?" she asked, wearing the seat belt.
"Where is your car?"
She gave him a blank look. "Didn't you hear me inside? Since we both are going to the party together, we can go home together as well." At the end of her sentence, she was smiling widely at him.
"The hell?" Atharva said in disbelief. "Get out."
"I won't! Drive," she muttered stubbornly and looked out of the window.
"Get out!" he said more firmly, but she didn't move an inch.
"No."
"This is my car. I said get out."
"Ugh! Stop being stubborn and drive, Atharva. We are going to the same place. It's already 5:30, please."
Atharva was silent for a while before he let out a groan and started the engine. The ride felt longer than it was. He didn't show it, but he felt suffocated inside the car, his body unaccustomed to the proximity between them.
And by the time he pulled in the driveway, he was trembling and breathing heavily. But luckily, Aahana failed to notice him as she strutted to her room merrily, leaving him behind.
Her preparations started early for the party. She took a long shower to make sure she was fresh and clean. She decided to go with a floor-length full sleeve navy blue gown. It was embroidered with dark flowers and was tight around the bodice, making her figure look astounding. Her makeup was applied to perfection, with blood-red lips. Her usual straight, raven hair was curled, and it cascaded down her waist. She kept the jewellery minimal to round sapphire earrings and necklace, which complimented her fair skin. She looked extremely ravishing. The most beautiful and appealing as she could, enough to make every other man jealous of Atharva.
Once she was done, she grabbed her matching clutch and slipped into her stilettos, walking out to the hallway to find Atharva waiting for her. Hearing the sound of her heels, he turned towards her.
Their eyes met and time stilled.
This was the second time Atharva was making eye contact with her, and he didn't get why it didn't make him hyperventilate.
Aahana stifled a gasp. She felt as if she was seeing him for the first time. He looked ridiculously handsome standing in front of her, wearing dark pants and a light blue shirt with a blazer atop it. It hugged his physique perfectly and she knew he was well-built. Now only if she could touch him. And his eyes, they were the best asset of all. The color was something between dark green and chocolate brown, she couldn't determine from afar.
She wasn't sure what was happening, but she felt something stir within her. She cleared her throat loudly and moved closer to Atharva, snapping him out of his puzzled zone. He gulped and immediately turned away.
Her eyes widened, and a smile crossed her lips as they got inside the car. That was adorable, but was she the reason for his blush? Atharva never looked into her eyes, but the twice he did, his stare was intense like she was an enigma. She wanted to pinch his cheeks but refrained herself. That would annoy him, and she didn't want to be the cause of it.
As they took off, she turned on the radio to cut the thick tension in the air. Much to Atharva's surprise, the music distracted him and he felt calm.
Reaching there, they swiftly stepped out of the car. Aahana tried to hold his hand as they made their way inside Saxena mansion, but he pulled away and walked ahead of her. She felt hurt but shaking it off, she trailed behind him quietly.
The party had already started and was in full force, people chattering and dancing.
Aahana was first to spot his father, and she smiled as they went to him.
"You both are here!" he said, giving Atharva a hug which he rigidly returned.
"We wouldn't miss Nisha's birthday for anything. Where is she?" Aahana offered him a happy smile and was about to bend forward to touch his feet, but he stopped her, placing his hand over her head.
"She was with her friends. Wait a minute, I'll get her." With a smile, he disappeared.
"So..." Aahana didn't know what to say to fill the silence. "What are you going to gift your sister?"
"She has everything."
"You mean you didn't bring anything for her? She is going to see you after so many years—"
"Shut up." He headed straight to the bar area, asking the bartender to serve him a shot of whiskey.
"Hey! Wait! You sister is—"
"Can you be quiet for a moment? And please, stay away from me."
Sighing, she took a seat right beside him and ordered a coke, ignoring his glare.
That's when he heard the voice that made a shiver run down his spine.
"Won't you greet your mama?"
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