Page 130 of One Hellish Passion

“If it is him, I cannot imagine what Mumma will go through. It will be tough for her.”

“That’s why we are there,” he interrupted. “To give her support and a reason to move on.”

Maya was impressed by their conversations. When he talked so maturely and understood her fears, she didn’t wish to give second thoughts on his impending marriage proposal. He seemed fit enough to take that responsibility like every other husband.

When Ranveer met her gaze, she was lost in admiring him, and that brought a smirk to his face. He liked it when she paid attention to him, thought about him. His finger touched the corner of her lips to remove a grain of rice stuck there, breaking her stance. Maya inhaled sharply as his finger lingered there, her lips parted slightly and her breaths grew rapid.

There was an undeniable sizzle between them, one that was getting deeper with time. His eyes drifted down to her lips as she gazed up at him. He could hear her heart pounding, matching his own. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to capture her lips with his own. But he held back, letting the anticipation build. His fingertip caressed her lip lightly before pulling away. She shuddered at the brief contact, every nerve in her body tingling. Yes, there was a powerful chemistry brewing. He would stoke those flames until she burned for him just as much as he did for her. It was only a matter of time.

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It was midnight. Maya finished some urgent work on her laptop, applying for a day off. She couldn't risk going to Blitz when her mother was in this condition. Most of her files and important official documents were in her room. She knew her mother was in good hands because the nurse assigned was really paying attention to her. When she returned, Ranveer was already seated on the recliner, working on his laptop. He was still awake? She thought he had gone to sleep. This sudden emergency had hampered his schedule too. But Maya was awed by Ranveer’s dedication towards his business routine. He handled so many things in parallel. But never had she seen him exhausted by his daily routine. He was always active and alert. But only because he was willing to share her responsibilities, she couldn't overload him with it.

“Hey,” she uttered. “You can go rest. I will be here tonight.”

Ranveer smirked. “I will decide where I should be tonight.”

Though adamant, his reply conveyed that he planned to spend the night like her, in Garima’s room.

“You don’t need to do this. Mom is my responsibility. I have not yet agreed to the marriage,” she crossed her arms.

Ranveer’s brow creased. “You didn’t deny it either.”

Her mouth suddenly went dry. He read her reactions and decided not to torture her more. He shifted on the recliner to give her space to sit.

“I will take the couch,” she muttered.

“That’s too far from the bed. You can shift to the couch when you wish to sleep. Until then, we can share the recliner.”

His offer was genuine. When she felt sleepy, she could go to the couch and lay down there. She sat next to him and surfed her phone. Dhruv’s notification to accept his friend invitation on the social media buzzed on Maya’s phone. She clicked his profile. He seemed to have a huge list of followers. She saw his birthdate and was surprised.

“Do you even know what day is tomorrow?” She turned to ask Ranveer, who was engrossed in his laptop.

“Hmm, it’s Thursday.”

Maya frowned. “Men are so typical,” she snapped. “Always clueless and ignorant of important dates.”

He paused typing and met her eyes again.

“What is so special tomorrow?”

“Dhruv’s birthday.”

Ranveer tried to recollect the date and then groaned. “F*ck. I had told Laura to remind me this one week before.”

“Why do you need Laura to remind you? Dhruv is your brother, not Laura’s.”

She was right. He quickly opened a website to order some online cake.

“Online cake?” she frowned again.

“That’s what I do every year. He likes it from this site.”

Maya rolled her eyes.

“If you don’t mind, can I bake one for him?”

“You will bake for him?”

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