“Yeees,” Aditi drawled. “But he apologised,” she immediately added, defending him in his absence. “And we’re kinda. . . friends again?”
There’s no way Vera would forgive someone as quickly as that if they made her cry, but she bit her tongue, keeping her opinion to herself. Aditi seemed like a nice person. Maybe too nice.
“You’re giving me that same look that Rian gives me,” Aditi complained.
“What look?”
“The one where he’s annoyed by me but likes me too much to scold me.”
Vera couldn’t help but grin at the resigned manner in which Aditi stated this. Partly because of her own closed personality, and partly luck, she’d never found close female friendships. Nina and Aditi seemed to have no issues with treating her like a long-lost mate. Maybe a friendship with these women wouldn’t be so bad after all.
She spent the next half hour listening to Aditi talk about her dilemma with Rian and why she wanted to continue dating other men, while Nina chimed in with her sometimes silly, sometimes thoughtful comments. When a phone call drew Nina away from their conversation, Aditi turned to Vera.
“So, how long have you known Vihaan?”
Vera’s brows shot up. Apparently, a cat had more patience than Aditi Krishnan did, though they both could still compete for cuteness. With her big brown eyes, radiant smile, and guileless personality, Aditi felt a lot like someone Vera could get used to confiding in.
“I thought you were going to give me a few weeks?” Vera laughed.
“You can’t expect me not to be curious after the way I caught him staring at you.”
Vera’s heart skipped a beat. He’d been staring at her? Made sense, considering he found her easily, even in a crowd. Still, she tried to deflect. “You’re asking me about my boss.”
“I’m asking you about my friend,” came the pert reply.
“Exactly. He’s my boss and your friend. If I say anything, there’s a conflict of interest,” Vera said, pulling herself up to head towards the pile of storage boxes she still needed to sort through.
“There isn’t!” Aditi insisted, following her, one hand up in the air and the other over her heart, as if she was being sworn into candidacy. “I would never tell him what you tell me or vice versa. I’m Switzerland.”
“Sure.”
“Oh, maybe that’s where you met,” Aditi guessed, a dreamy look in her eyes. “Was he the Raj to your Simran? Did he call you ‘Senorita’? Vihaan does have a charm, just like Shahrukh.”
Princess,his voice rumbled in the recesses of her mind, making her shiver. He’d called her that over and over again last night, in every tone possible. She’d never thought to tell him to stop, wild for him and the pleasure he’d been doling out.
“It was nothing,” she said out loud, needing to convince herself. When she turned, Vera found Aditi watching her with a small smile.
“Ok,” Aditi nodded, surprising Vera at how easily she’d given in. “Should I help you unpack? It’s what friends do for each other.”
Before Vera could blink, Aditi picked up a box and made a beeline for Vera’s new bedroom, rapidly asking questions about her life and childhood, all the while providing information about herself in return.
And as Vera watched this sweetly chaotic woman chatter up a storm, she reminded herself once more that having a broken pussy was one thing, but having a broken heart? She could never do that herself again.
Not for Vihaan. Not for anyone.
20
Reminders
Oberoi v. Talwar
V. Oberoi:
It's been two weeks.
V. Talwar:
?