Page 15 of Strictly Solo
Ruhaan blocked her path. “Haven’t you? Because I could have sworn I felt something in that pool today.”
Her breath caught in her throat, while her heart raced at his proximity. “You’re imagining things, Ruhaan.”
As she tried to move past him, Ruhaan gently caught her wrist.
“Naina,” he murmured. “You must agree there’s something between us which is why despite coming so close seven years ago we distanced and then met again now.”
For a moment, Naina felt her resolve waver. But she steeled herself, pulling her hand away. “There is nothing between us, Ruhaan. Nothing but the past. And for God’s sake, stop adding to my problems. I have enough things to worry about from something as silly as Neil not liking milk to holding myself up from meeting your mother again and having any kind of arguments with her.”
With that, she busied herself with pouring milk into a glass. As soon as she filled the glass, Ruhaan snatched it from her hands and took a sip. Naina’s eyes widened in disbelief. “That milk was for Neil, not you!”
Ruhaan grinned, taking another sip. “But Neil doesn’t like milk. And I’m very hungry right now for some.”
Before Naina could scold him further, Neil ran into the kitchen, his eyes lighting up with amusement at the sight of Ruhaan drinking milk. “Ruhaan, you still drink milk?” he asked innocently.
Ruhaan winked at the boy, taking another dramatic gulp. “I do, because milk gives you strength to fight against yourenemies. You see these muscles?” He flexed playfully. “It’s all because of milk. I never used to like it when I was young like you, but now I make it a point to drink one glass every day. Pity those who don’t drink milk.”
Naina watched the exchange, realizing it was Ruhaan’s strategy to encourage Neil to drink milk.
The boy’s eyes widened with interest. “Mom, I also want muscles like Ruhaan. Give me milk.”
Hiding a smile, Naina quickly poured milk into another glass and handed it to Neil. The boy started sipping it slowly, taking it with him as he left to join the other kids.
Once Neil was gone, Ruhaan turned to Naina with a smug grin. “See? I made your job easier.”
She looked away, unwilling to admit he’d helped. “You didn’t have to. I could still make him drink it.”
In a swift motion, Ruhaan turned her around, pinning her against the kitchen counter. “When people do something for you, you need to appreciate them, Naina.”
This time there was no playfulness in his expressions, just pure advice.
She frowned, “What if I don’t want to appreciate their help?”
“In that case,” he murmured, leaning closer, “you need to do something for them and return the favor.”
Naina sighed, exasperated. “Well, what do you want then in return?”
His gaze dropped to her lips. Though she knew he was teasing, the heat between them felt all too real. She pushed against his chest, breaking free from his hold and walking away.
“Naina,” he called after her. “I want you to make coffee for me. That’s all.”
Naina didn’t respond and continued to walk away.
“Naina, c’mon. One coffee is not going to change anything between us, will it?” Ruhaan followed her out. “Besides, I really missed that coffee of yours all these years.”
She kept walking away. He missed it? Huh! Who is he lying to? He must be saying that to every other woman who makes coffee for him. But in all this, she couldn’t deny the effect Ruhaan had on her, but she was determined not to fall back into old patterns.
****************
A while later
Naina had been avoiding Kaushalya ever since arriving at the Kundra household. But fate had its own plans. As she passed through the living room, she overheard Kaushalya muttering to herself, frantically searching for her spectacles.
“Where are they? I can’t see a thing without them,” Kaushalya grumbled, looking around in the wrong direction.
Naina noticed the spectacles lying on the single-seater couch nearby. She hesitated, not wanting to interact with the old woman. However, seeing no one else around, she sighed and made a decision. With a reluctant heart, she walked over, picked up the spectacles, and handed them to Kaushalya.
Kaushalya’s initial reaction was one of gratitude. “God bless you for...” Her words trailed off as she recognized the hand holding the spectacles. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw it was Naina.
