Page 38 of Since the Night We Met
What if Siya needs that item? Should he get it replaced?
He was about to get up to check himself when Aadar assured him. ‘I’ve personally overlooked every detail, sir. I’ve even replaced the new vase one of the staff broke. Everything is exactly the way you’d requested.’
Abhay relaxed back into his seat, grateful to have someone around who was more neurotically organised than him.
Tapping on the screen with a smart pencil, Aadar informed him. ‘I have mailed you the final guest list for approval. The stylist has hung your suit for tomorrow in the closet. All the matching accessories are on the dressing table.’
He nodded and gestured for him to go on. Aadar continued, ‘The event management team will come by eight in the morning. Catering staff will punch in by ten. I’ll be here with the media personnel, and they will begin setting up the cameras by eleven. You and Siya ma’am need to come downstairs by noon.’
‘We will be there. Thank you, Aadar. Have a good night,’ Abhay said, and with a polite nod, Aadar went back inside.
Raghav tipped his head toward Abhay with a crooked grin. ‘What’s happening tomorrow? Are you guys getting married? Should I text Meera to get her maid-of-honour saree ready?’
‘Kartik has arranged an official brunch tomorrow for investors and his elite friends to announce the date of the wedding. Dad suggested we could tone down and not invite the media, but Kartik leaked the news so we had to agree.’
‘He wants to monopolise the media with this merger as much as possible,’ Raghav understood.
‘Which is why I need everyone to be here tomorrow.’
‘You need us here for moral support or to make sure that the bride won’t run away?’ Raghav asked, mischief glinting in his eyes.
‘I need you here to save me from the bride. That elite crowd and the spotlight from the cameras will piss Siya off until she decides the fastest way to find peace is to push me off the balcony,’ Abhay said, taking a slow sip of the amber liquid.
The doorbell echoed in his home, loud and insistent. Just one name crossed his mind, and his heartbeat picked up speed.
Siya.
Chapter 10
Abhay didn’t move right away. For a moment, he simply took a deep breath. His mind was chaotic, but he knew hers would be worse, so he had to be calm for her. Against all odds, he hoped she’d open up to him tonight, and for that, she had to trust he could handle it. He couldn’t let her down in time of need.
Beside him, Raghav watched with a sharp patience that only decades of friendship can teach. ‘Come on,’ he murmured with an encouraging smile.
He nodded, and together, they walked in through the balcony doors. The soft light of the living room gathered around them as they crossed the polished marble floor toward the private elevator.
He quickly put in the private access code, and the steel doors slid open to show Siya standing there with a box in her hand and sadness in her eyes. Swayam and Meera stood a step behind her, but he barely registered their presence. His gaze locked on Siya and didn’t waiver.
He searched for small signs to check whether she was fine, and as he took in her rigid shoulders, fatigued posture, and bloodshot eyes, he knew she wasn’t. Her sharp as glass gaze found him, and he could swear that the anger blazing in them sliced through his heart.
‘Come in, please,’ he said, stepping aside.
Swayam took in the foyer with a quick glance and gave out a low whistle. He shook his head in mock reprimand. ‘I can’t believe this is my first time coming to your home. It’s criminal, really, that you never invited me over. What kind of friend are you, Abhay?’
Abhay glanced at him and softly laughed. ‘A friend who understands the value of a better and homely kitchen, which is at Raag and Mihu’s apartment.’
That earned a laugh from everyone, but Siya seemed so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even register it. Concern coursed through him, fast and burning.
‘You know that you’re always welcome at our place. I love feeding human strays,’ Meera commented and found Swayam making funny faces to mock her, prompting her to roll her eyes.
Meera brushed past him and went straight into the arms of her husband. ‘Hi baby,’ she murmured against his chest. A smile lit up Raghav’s face as he held her close for a moment before kissing her forehead.
A pang of envy hit Abhay in his chest. He looked at Siya and had to fight against the very fibre of his being to not run up to her and pull her into the warmth of his arms. Even though they stood next to each other, the chasm between them felt impossible to cross.
He cleared his throat to invite everyone in. He gestured toward the living room and Raghav led Swayam and Siya away. Meera stepped closer to Abhay and wrapped him in a quick but comforting hug.
‘How is she?’ he asked in a low voice, stealing a look at Siya who stood as if she were a statue looking out at the floor-to-ceiling glass wall.
‘She’s holding on,’ Meera said, keeping her tone soft enough that only he could hear. ‘But I’ve never seen her this lost before.’
