Page 195 of The Redemption
Damn these people.
I take a sip from my drink and shrug casually. “Nothing. Forget it.”
I try ending the conversation there, but unfortunately, Meher isn’t done with this yet.
“No, Raghav. That’s not fair,” she protests immediately. “Siya deserves to know.”
She turns to Siya again.
“Do you have any idea how much we’ve nagged this man over the last ten months? He never told us whose sandal it was. All we knew was that he came back from this club with a bruise on his neck and a woman’s sandal in his hand.”
Everyone starts laughing.
“And trust me,” Meher continues wickedly, “we had made up at least a hundred stories in our heads. But this idiot never told us anything.”
Across the table, my eyes accidentally meet Ayaan’s. For a second, we both just stare at each other. And then, as if remembering that we’re still pissed with one another, we both look away with identical broody expressions.
Meher goes on. “The last thing I saw that night was Raghav leaving this club with your sandal in his hand.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “You still have it, don’t you?”
Siya’s head snaps in my direction. “You still have mysandal?”
I swear under my breath.
“Of course, he has, Siya,” Meher grins. “He must have preserved the first memory of the special woman he met in that special place under special circumstances. Your sandal has become like a memento for him.”
Krish chokes on his drink. “Unbelievable,” he says, shaking his head. “Other men get perfume and love letters… Poor Raghav got a sandal.”
Everyone bursts out laughing.
“That’s a very unique memento for our Dark Prince, isn’t it?” Krish continues with a straight face.
Trisha and Simran dissolve into another fit of laughter, and I’m officially done with this circus. Unfortunately, every pair of eyes is now fixed on me, including Siya’s. The curiosity in those beautiful eyes is far more sexy than the six idiots sitting around me.
I’m about to say something when my gaze drifts to the far end of the club. A man is standing there, watching our table. I look away and return my attention to the group. But a few seconds later, my gaze instinctively goes back to him. He’s still watching, and every instinct in me comes alive.
Something about him doesn’t sit right with me. I casually glance at Ayaan, and my twin is already looking at me. He follows my line of sight, then subtly turns his head to the other side. A moment later, I see his expression change because he’s spotted something too.
A couple of men are watching our table…fartoo interested in us.Neither of us says a word. We don’t have to. One look is enough. The rest of them are completely oblivious, too engrossed in their conversation to notice anything. But Ayaan and I know better. When our instincts scream danger, they’re rarely wrong.
Before either of us can react, Siya suddenly gets up. “I need to go to the washroom.”
Trisha is on her feet immediately. “Come, I’ll take you.”
But before she can, I call out. “I’ll take her.”
Siya looks at me in confusion. “I can go with Trisha. What are you going to do there?”
I don’t answer. I simply grab her wrist and pull her up before locking eyes with Ayaan. A slight tilt of my chin, a brief glance towards the family, and then back at him is enough for him to know that I want him to stay alert. Because something isn’t right.
He gives me a subtle nod, and immediately his eyes begin scanning the entire club. Krish notices the silent exchange, and so does Vishnu. Trisha catches it too, although Meher and Simran are oblivious. Thankfully, Simran is busy talking, and Meher doesn’t notice anything.
Good. The last thing I want is my seven-month-pregnant sister-in-law to stress unnecessarily.
Holding Siya’s hand, I lead her towards the washrooms. She protests the entire way, but I ignore her. When we reach the ladies’ restroom, I push open the door, and she stops abruptly.
“Raghav! This is the ladies’ restroom. You can’t come inside.”
