After a few steps, I spotted him. Saurav sat at a small round table, sipping wine while scrolling through his phone.
When he heard me approaching, he muttered, "This is not what I expected, Tanya..."
My breath caught sharply at the sound of her name. His eyes paused on my heels, then slowly traveled upward, tracing my body. I shrank under his intense gaze. Finally, his eyes met mine, and I held my breath, bracing for him to explode.
His jaw clenched as he stood, anger flashing across his face. He squeezed his phone in his hand like it was my neck. "What the hell are you doing here?"
I didn’t even know. I wanted to scream at him, but instead I forced out, "Wow, such a warm welcome. Do you greet everyone like this, or am I just special?" My smile was tight as I stepped closer. God, he was so tall even with four-inch heels, my head barely reached his neck. Or am I too short? "Am I not looking sexy today?"
"Kavya..." He grasped my wrist, pulling it away from his chest. "Get off me!"
"So you’re fine hanging out with your exes, but uncomfortable with your wife? Why’s that?" I held his gaze, but all I found was cold ice.
"Because you’re not like others," he snapped, shoving me back. "And what the hell are you wearing? Are you out of your mind?"
His eyes swept over me again. Then, without another word, he removed his jacket and offered it.
"No thanks. I'm fine."
"Fine?" His eyebrow arched, his gaze sweeping over me like he couldn’t decide whether to be annoyed or concerned. "You look like you’re about to freeze or...."
Before he could finish, my phone slipped from my hand. "Oh!" I gasped, bending down instinctively to grab it.
And then...
Rrrrrripppp.
The sound was loud. Obnoxiously loud. The kind of sound that didn’t just happen but it announced itself to the world.
I froze.
For a second, I prayed it came from somewhere else. Maybe the chair was scraped. Maybe the tablecloth tore. Maybe... please God... not me.
Then the cold air hit my butt. My eyes widened as horror crawled up my spine.
No.
No, no, no.
No.
I straightened stiffly, my movements robotic, my face draining of color as realization slammed into me.
My dress. Had. Just. Ripped. From the hips.
And not a tiny, discreet tear. No. This was betrayal at its peak. A full-blown, dramatic, 'I-give-up-on-life' kind of rip.
For two seconds, silence.
And then...
Saurav burst out laughing. Not a chuckle. Not a smirk. He laughed out loud. Head tilted back, shoulders shaking, hand covering his mouth as if he was trying and failing miserably to stop himself.
"Oh my God..." he managed between breaths, pointing at me, "...what was that?"
I stared at him, utterly offended, my face burning with humiliation. "Don’t you dare laugh!" I snapped, trying to cover the back of my dress with my hands while clinging to whatever dignity I had left which wasn’t much.
But he only laughed harder. "What was that, Kavya?"