Raashi had expected him to take her to some ritzy restaurant in one of his own hotels for lunch, but instead she was pleasantly surprised when he took her to a small seaside cafe´.
He led her to a corner table. She looked around at the intimately placed tables, the huge umbrellas shading each table and the sea rumbling in the distance.
“It’s certainly not what I expected,” she said looking intently at him. “I didn’t think you would ever come to a place like this.”
Sameer took off his sunglasses and placed them on the table in front of him.
“I am sure it’s not what you’re used to but...”
“And how would you know what I am used to or not,” Raashi interrupted him coldly. “You know nothing about me.”
Annoyed with her rude attitude, Sameer pinned her with a look that roved her face, stayed on her lips and then down to her chest and then back up to her lips. Finally, he looked into her eyes.
“I agree. There is a lot I don’t know about you. But then again there is a lot that only I will ever know of.”
The last bit, he added indelicately and recklessly. It was a cruel thing to say, considering he had been the first one to know her in the most intimate way possible. He was human after all and her constant anger and rudeness was aggravating him.
Raashi felt the color rise to her cheeks, as she understood the implication in his words. She got up to leave.
“I should never have agreed to come. You’re despicable!”
Sameer caught her wrist as she stood up and held tight when she tried to pull away. He shouldn’t have said that to her. It was uncalled for and he had to apologize.
“Look, Raashi. I’m sorry! Really, I shouldn’t have said that. Please can we call a truce right now, for this afternoon? We have to talk about the land. So please stay.”
Raashi looked at him without a word. He was right. They needed to discuss things in a calm and collected way. They wouldn’t get anywhere if they started a war of words.
She resumed her seat. “OK. A truce it is then.”
“Great! I hope you like the food here, it’s super.”
They ordered their food, vegetable pasta for Raashi and a club sandwich for Sameer. As he had predicted, the food was indeed delicious and Raashi dug into it with gusto.
“This is delicious. I’m really surprised, Sameer. You own some of the best restaurants in the finest hotels in the country and here you are at a sea side cafe´ in a corner of Mumbai eating simple food like a regular person.”
Sameer shrugged. “It’s not a big deal for me. I like trying out new places. As long as the food is good and the place is hygienic, it works for me.”
At the end of the meal Sameer pushed his plate aside. “I always work better after a good meal. Shall we get back to business?”
“By all means,” Raashi replied, wiping her mouth with a paper napkin.
“Let’s lay all our cards on the table. You have my land...”
“Just to be clear, it’s mine now, so can we at least get the facts straight?”
He put his hands up in defense.
“Alright. I’ll start again. Since a long time I have been planning to extend The Marquis and build a spa resort in its new wing. I want to make a magnificent city spa, a resort, right in the middle of Mumbai that would be an ideal place for unwinding and de-stressing. Yoga, massages, whirlpools and all sorts of therapy programs, organic restaurants, even vegan food and theworks will be on the offer. I want to create an environment of indoor and outdoor treatment rooms. Lush greenery, tropical flowers, I want to make an oasis of leisure and luxury in the middle of this city. I want to make The Marquis one of the most sought after hotels in this country.”
Raashi heard him describe his dream project. He was painting a picture of the spa with words and she could clearly visualize it in her mind’s eye.
When he finished, she said, “That’s fantastic, Sameer. But I don’t understand what all this has got to do with me.”
“I wanted to use my grandmother’s heritage villa and the land around it to build this spa. It’s adjacent to The Marquis and I can easily extend a wing there. This is my dream project, Raashi and that’s why I want that land back.”
She sighed. He was passionate about this project. It was his dream, but she had one too.
She leaned forward and began to explain her side to him.
