“You want to use me as a shield?” she asked, finally finding her voice again. “Why me?”
Rian shrugged. “You won’t try to turn it into a relationship.”
He couldn’t have been clearer that he didn’t want more. Aditi tried to brush off the sinking feeling in her gut, knowing there was no reason to take personal offence to that comment. Despite that, the little pinch in her heart felt uncomfortably close to regret.
“Why do you need to go? Wouldn't it be easier to say you're busy than to bring along a fake girlfriend?”
“There will be people at this event who I need to meet. Investors.”
“Oh.” Aditi nodded understandingly. “Sounds important.”
“It is. The only other girl I would have trusted to go with me happens to not be in the country. And her husband is a possessive idiot.”
It was at the tip of Aditi’s tongue to ask who that was.None of your business, she reprimanded herself. “One night?” she confirmed, her mind running a furious pros and cons list when he nodded.
One night to pretend that she was in a relationship with this man who made her stomach churn and her libido come alive with a single look. One night of make believe where she could behave like she had the right to hold his hand, to hug him whenever she wanted, to kiss him if the opportunity presented itself. One night to look back on, to make memories that might cause her to wonder in the future—what if it had been more?
She glanced surreptitiously at him, searching for an appropriate response. It was clear that he had no idea the multitude of emotions she’d undergone in the last minute alone. He was oblivious to her feelings towards him. No wonder he’d asked her for this as a favour.
With how she’d been feeling lately and Nina’s suggestion ringing in her ear, just one night seemed like it would open doors to something more. Which did her no good if he remained unaware.
“Thanks for asking, Bugs.” She swallowed the bitter knot that had begun to form in her throat. “But, no.”
It was Rian’s turn to be surprised. “No?”
Lower lip trapped under her teeth, she shook her head apologetically before turning away.
For the next minute, Aditi tried hard to ignore the burning gaze of the man seated two feet away. She tried to focus on a sweaty Shahrukh climbing a million stairs while carrying the woman he loved, a scene she had watched and gushed over before.
“Doc?”
She sighed and paused the movie once more. She drew in a deep breath before turning towards him, meeting his gaze head on. “I don’t want it to be just one night.”
“What?”
“Date me,” she said, sounding calmer than she felt.
Rian let out a breathy laugh, waiting for the punchline, but turning wary when the silence stretched and her seriousness became evident.
Aditi watched Rian’s face transform, his disbelief almost comical. She knew well that he was firmly against a long-term alliance, but she had not felt this way about a man since her break up with Harish. Two years of being single and getting over what she’d assumed would be a life-long relationship had left her with shaky confidence and multiple regrets.
She didn’t want regrets with Rian. She didn’t want to live her life wondering what would have happened if she’d been brave enough to act on this attraction. Hence, despite believing that Nina’s suggestion of a casual fling was outrageous, she found that it was also the most logical course of action for her. Maybe once she’d indulged in this madness, she would stop comparing other men with Rian. Maybe once she’d satiated this lust he induced in her, she would find him less compelling.
“Well?” she prodded, trying to sound nonchalant when internally, her organs were twisting like spaghetti on a fork.
Rian had expected Aditi to yell ‘April Fool’s!’ It didn’t matter that April was long gone. But she said nothing, only watching him with that look on her face as if she was standing in front of a firing squad but too stubborn to move to safety.
His skin grew cold. “I can’t date you.” Rian thought he saw something akin to discomfort flicker in her eyes, the deep brown orbs holding his attention while he tried to get his bearings again.
“Then I can’t go as your fake girlfriend,” she firmly responded.
She had never indicated a romantic interest in him before. She’d been going on arranged dates the entire time he’d been back, for heaven’s sake. “You said you’ll help me,” he pushed, still not certain what she was after. “You said if I needed help, I could ask you.”
Caught, Aditi bit back an annoyed growl. “Fine. As a friend, I’ll do it. But I still want you to consider what I said about dating.”
“Doc,” he pleaded.
She combed a hand through her hair, flipping it over one shoulder. The action caught his eye, and despite himself, he couldn’t help but appreciate how effortlessly alluring she looked.