Page 94 of Reckless Hate

“Darling, it is rather obvious. You hide your love bites with scarves on warm days. You look distracted and dreamy at times. And you also pointedly ignore Ved Simha in the cafeteria or elsewhere… all of it was a giveaway.”

She sucked in her breath. “Fine. I am hooking up with Ved. I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t think it would last this long.”

Rishi raised an eyebrow. “It sounds more than just a hookup, darling.”

“It isn’t. It’s just a hookup which might end when he returns.”

“Why?”

“Because he is going to meet his parents which will once again remind him of what happened in the past. He still blames me for it.”

“Are you sure?”

She wasn’t sure. But she knew she and Ved hadn’t discussed the past or anything personal. She deliberately kept changing topics whenever he brought up something from their childhood.

“I don’t know if Ved Simha would break up with you, darling. That guy likes you.”

She fell quiet.

Ved was simply attracted to her like she was to him. There was nothing else between them. Soon, the attraction would fizzle, and hate would take over.

She just hoped she wouldn’t be left once again with a broken heart.

***

“See you all on Monday.”

Samantha was just finished with her tennis practice.

Packing up her tennis racquet, she took a long sip of water before heading back to her housing unit.

She wasn’t looking forward to the evening. Despite claiming not to, she did miss her enemy.

And shockingly, it wasn’t just their passionate sex she missed. Along with his heated looks, she missed seeing his cocky smirk and boyish grins that flashed his dimples. She missed seeing him enjoy her homemade meals while they ate together. And during the nights, she missed the heat of his warm, muscled body when he wrapped her in his arms while they slept.

She had gotten too used to her enemy.

Her stomach quivered in both nervousness and anticipation of his return. She still felt uncertain about what would happen between them when he returned.

Will seeing his mother and father remind him of the past?

She knew that, like her, Ved hadn’t forgotten the past. He kept it aside during their deal. But the love for his mother might make him realize that his hatred should overshadow desire.

She let out a shuddering breath.

Whatever happens, I’ll have to deal with it.

It would feel like her heart would be ripped apart, but she would have to deal with facing her enemy’s hatred again. She couldn’t afford to go to pieces if that happened. She had Sohan to think about.

Just when she thought about Sohan, her phone began ringing. It was her mother.

Her mother had never called her before. Surprised and worried that something might have happened to her stepbrother, she answered the phone.

“Samantha!” her mother’s voice was frantic.

“What happened, Ma? Is Sohan okay?”

“Yes, Sohan is fine. But Ronak isn’t.”

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