Given that he’d driven his bike to the restaurant, she was forced to stew in silence during the ride home. The minute they stepped foot into his apartment, Aditi stormed towards Nanamma’s bedroom to talk to her about what a massive idiot her grandson was being.
“Nanamma?” she called, confused when she was nowhere to be found.
She stomped into the living room to find Rian lounging like a massive panther on the sofa, scrolling through the watch list he’d made with her.
“Where’s Nanamma?”
“At some group prayer meet. She’ll be back later.”
Aditi blinked. “You said she was sick.”
“Yes,” he answered, without looking away from the screen. “She coughed on the phone. You should call and check on her.”
“You made it seem like she’s at home and needed us immediately.”
“Whoops. Sorry.” He could feel her glare from across the room, one which he pointedly ignored.
“You’re kidding me, right?” The words barely made it through her clenched teeth.
“What?” he asked, adopting his most innocent look. “You don’t want to watch this? It was next on our list,” Rian said, pointing to the movie he’d picked.
Aditi exploded, her voice thinning out into a shriek. “No! I don't want to watch a goddamn movie! I was finally on a date with a good guy and you wrecked it!”
To her utter frustration, all he did was place one arm along the back of the sofa, and raise an insolent brow at her. “I didn’t realise you were on a date.”
“What the hell else could it have looked like?” she snarked, her fists balling.
“I don’t know. I didn’t bother looking at him.”
Her lips wobbled when her anger peaked. “How could you?”
The change in tone did not go unnoticed. Rian watched Aditi’s shoulder droop and he finally sat straight, no longer wanting to antagonise her with glib comments. Despite feeling bad for hurting her, Rian couldn’t bring himself to feel guilty about the failed date.
The moment Aditi had stepped into The Mumbai Map, his senses had gone on high alert. He’d been beyond pleased to see her from his office and had immediately stepped out to go receive her.He’d long since given his staff instructions to always make space available for Aditi, and he’d been happy to see her drop by for meals every so often. Today was no different.
He’d sauntered down the hall towards the main reception, taking his time to appreciate the way her dress had clung to her body, outlining every beautiful curve.
She’d glanced behind and he’d been mesmerised by the long column of her throat, tracing her profile all the way down to the lush swell of her breasts. Her neckline had been low enough to provide an enticing view of the top curve of her chest, leaving him feeling hot under his collar. Her hair had been left open in waves, her lips glossy and pink. Her satin brown skin had glowed under the bistro lights, and her white dress had made her seem like an angel who’d lead a man to sin.
She’d always been beautiful, but tonight, she’d looked ethereal.
And then she’d smiled. Not at him, but at the man who’d followed her in. She’d let him place a hand on her back when they’d walked to their table, the thigh-high slit of her dress revealing teasing glimpses of a smooth leg ending in strappy heels. The fact that she had dressed so alluringly for another man had left his hands shaking with an unfamiliar rage. It was nothing like the anger his mother had ever induced. This felt personal on a whole new level.
He’d tried to let her be. Throughout her dinner, he’d tried his damndest to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach. Eventually, his rational mind had been left exhausted battling indecipherable emotions.
“Why are you going on these dates?” he asked, instead of answering her question. “I thought you were going to take a break.”
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Did you ruin my date on purpose?”
He should have known she’d be direct. There was no point in lying.
“Yes.”
“Why? Do you want to date me?”
“N-no,” he replied uneasily.
“Then you had no right,” she scolded him, her disappointment no longer hidden.