Page 86 of Mrs. Pandey
What about me?
I pushed down the hurt, swallowed it the way I swallowed another mouthful of juice, even though it tasted bitter now. I just needed something, anything, to stop that look from showing on my face.
When I glanced back toward the entrance, they were no longer standing there. They'd already taken seats right next to Colonel Kunal Shukla and his wife. Of course. I would meet the Colonel later; it was his night after all. But for now, I had no chance, not with Prashant as Riddhima occupying his attention.
I grabbed a plate, stacking it with a little of everything chicken, grilled fish, vegetable lasagna. I found an empty table tucked toward the side and sat down, eating alone. The food was good as it was rich, spiced, perfectly cooked but every bite felt mechanical. My mind kept drifting back to him, replaying moments, searching for reasons. Why was he doing this? I thought he loved me. Instead, he seemed to grow colder by the day.
"Mind if I join you?"
The familiar voice startled me. I looked up and broke into a smile.
"Saurav!" I got to my feet to hug him. "What a poor surprise?"
"Poor?" He smirked, pulling back just enough to look me over with deliberate slowness. "I'd call it the best surprise you're getting tonight, madam."
I chuckled despite myself and shook my head as he slid into the chair opposite mine without bothering to ask. He grabbed a plate, piling it high with butter chicken like a man who hadn't eaten in days.
"So," he said with that mischievous glint in his eyes, "how's the army's prettiest officer doing?"
"Prettiest? You've clearly not seen the competition around here," I replied, taking another small bite of fish, mostly to keep myself from glancing toward that other table.
He leaned forward, lowering his voice like we were plotting some grand mischief. "Trust me, Ira... competition or not, no one herecan pull off a red top and white skirt like you can. I almost saluted when I saw you walk in."
I laughed, rolling my eyes, but his words eased something in me. Saurav had always been like this effortless charm, and quick wit. The kind of man who could flirt with a stone and somehow make it blush.
As we ate, he kept tossing ridiculous jokes my way, some so bad they made me choke on my food, others so outrageously dirty I had to swat his arm and whisper, "Shut up, you idiot, someone will hear."
"Let them hear," he said with a grin, leaning back in his chair. "At least they'll know you're smiling because of me, not because of some boring officer who barely talks to you."
I froze mid-bite, my fork suspended in the air. He didn't know or maybe he did. Maybe that quick glance he threw toward the Colonel's table before looking back at me said more than his words ever could.
"Anyway," he went on, changing the subject before my silence could stretch too long, "you're way too gorgeous tonight to be sitting alone. Good thing I came along. You owe me for rescuing you from looking like the sad wallflower in the corner."
I snorted. "And what's my payment supposed to be?"
He pretended to think, tapping his chin dramatically. "Hmm... how about a dance? Later. When the music starts."
I shook my head, but there was no real protest in it. Maybe, for tonight, I could let someone else pull me into the light. Even if it was just for a little while.
______
Chapter 41
IRA
"You really shouldn't have drunk this much," Saurav muttered as he slid the key into the lock of my quarters. His voice carried that mix of concern and annoyance I'd heard from him plenty of times before. "You can barely walk, Ira."
"I'm fine..." I slurred, trying to wave him off. My hand reached for the doorframe, but the world tilted in slow motion and I felt my knees wobble. Before I could steady myself, his firm arm slipped around my waist.
"Fine?" he scoffed, tightening his hold so I didn't collapse. "You're swaying like a ship in a storm."
"You should go now," I mumbled as we crossed the threshold. "You told me you have an early flight to Kolkata."
"Yeah, I do," he said, his sigh heavy as he steered me toward the sofa. He eased me down like I was something fragile, though the couch still seemed to dip and sway beneath me. Without another word, he disappeared into the kitchen.
The faint sounds of cupboards opening, glass clinking, and running water echoed in my ears. When he returned, he held out a glass of water in one hand and two small pills in the other.
"These will help your headache later," he said, his tone somewhere between a lecture and a command. "And for the record, I told you not to drink if you're not used to it."
