He was surprised that Raashi had allowed them this table, considering he was well aware of what she felt about him. And this table obviously was one of the best in the restaurant. It was in a secluded corner shadowed by tall potted plants.
He hadn’t seen her for so long and now knowing that she was around, close by, made him wish they had a table where he could see her properly. She obviously worked here, may be a manager, though come to think of it, he didn’t know what she did for a living. In all the months he’d spent wooing her, he hadn’t bothered to really get to know her. They had never gotten around to discussing their lives. She had mentioned that she was in the restaurant business but he hadn’t given it much thought then.
Well, now he knew where she worked. This was a newly opened place so she must have recently joined.
“Sameer, what is wrong with you today?” Natasha complained. “You haven’t been paying me the slightest attention.”
“Oh, Sorry! I’m just a bit preoccupied, that’s all,” Sameer shook his head. He had to stop thinking about Raashi and pay attention to Natasha. After all he had brought her here with the intention to get to know her once again and to begin afresh.
Sameer had dated Natasha several years back when he was studying in London. He had bumped into her at a common friend’s party and her good looks and sharp confidence had blown him away. He remembered falling fast and hard for her. But to give himself credit, he had been very young then and had thought himself to be seriously in love with her. However, when he had wanted to make the relationship permanent, shehad balked at the idea of settling down. She had wanted to enjoy life, which in her case had meant traveling and dating other men. She didn’t want to be tied down by a long-term commitment. Her ideas were at odds with his and he had called off their relationship, much to her protest.
It hadn’t mattered to him that she had let everyone believe that she had broken up with him. But after her, he had never let any woman get close to him ever, never let any woman get under his skin, until he had met Raashi. However, whatever they had was over even before it had started. He had wanted it to be that way. He had ensured that Raashi was a closed chapter in his life.
Now he had to think of the future and in all probability Natasha might be a part of it. Her father, Jiten Arya, was the owner of the Arya group of Hotels. Only recently, he had come to Sameer with the proposition to take over all the Arya hotels. On further inquisition, Sameer had found out that although the group was doing well, it needed a lot of restructuring and changes that Jiten Arya was not keen to take on. In his words, he was growing old and didn’t want the added responsibility of the hotels anymore. Hence, he was offering them to Sameer, who he was sure was more than capable of doing what was necessary.
Taking over the Arya chain of hotels would be quite beneficial for his own hotel group as the Aryas had converted several old palaces across India into resort hotels. Acquiring these hotels and adding them to his already successful chain would make his group the biggest in South East Asia. But the only hitch was that Jiten Arya wanted Sameer to marry his daughter before the Sehgal group took over them. Jiten Arya was shrewd and calculating and Sameer figured that offering his daughter to him on a platter also entailed that she got a direct connection to one of the top business families in the country, which was something Natasha would be proud to flaunt. The idea should have been enchanting, since Natasha was the onlywoman who he had ever been serious about, but somehow this time around, his heart wasn’t in it. Of course, he wanted the Arya Hotels added to his own, that’s why he was giving the idea some thought. However, the prospect of marrying Natasha now didn’t seem to have the same impact on him as it had before.
In recent years, he had never thought of marriage in serious terms. He unquestionably didn’t want to fall in love, he didn’t believe in that anymore. But seeing his cousin Kabier and Kabier’s sister Sheena both get married recently and that too after falling in love, made him see how cynical he had become. He was happy for them, he truly was, but he knew that he would never allow himself to fall for a woman ever again. He had done that once and had been sorely disappointed and hurt. He wasn’t going down that road again and hence Jiten Arya’s proposition was sounding more and more appealing.
Sameer knew Natasha quite well. They had a history together. Even though they had broken off years ago, they had been in touch intermittently, bumping into each other at some or the other social event. Her father had gotten them connected once again and no matter what the social rags said, he really wasn’t dating her. They had met once or twice and that was it.
He had to make up his mind once and for all whether he wanted to marry her or not. Eyeing her now, he realized that she was as beautiful as always. She had a great body that she flaunted very well in her strappy dress that fit her perfectly. Her short hair was expertly cut and styled and that gave her a very western and modern appearance. He sighed. In spite of her gorgeous looks, he wasn’t attracted to her. In fact, he wondered how he had been so besotted by her at one time. She didn’t make his blood sing, and if he were being honest with himself then he couldn’t recollect if she had ever had that effect on him.
What was wrong with him? He was out with a gorgeous woman on a date and instead of trying to rekindle the chemistrythey had once shared, he had already concluded that there was nothing between them. He was crazy. That was just it. Seeing Raashi had thrown him off balance.
Tuning back to the conversation with Natasha, he slowly sipped his wine, listening to her talk. He tried adding some intelligent remarks here and there, willing his mind not to get distracted again.
He signaled a waiter to refill their drinks. As the waiter poured the wine in Natasha’s glass, she moved her hand suddenly to make a point and she knocked the wine bottle. The wine spilled on the tablecloth and also on her dress. Natasha shrieked and stood up.
“What is the matter with you people? Aren’t you trained properly or do they hire you straight off the streets? Can’t you see what you’re doing?” She pointed towards her dress, “You’ve ruined my expensive dress.”
She was creating quite a commotion when it wasn’t even the poor guy’s fault.
Sameer tried to intervene, “Natasha, it’s okay. Just calm down.”
But she was in no mood to listen, she continued to rant and rave at the poor waiter, who stood still as a rock, looking around helplessly.
Hearing the commotion from Sameer’s table, Raashi quickly made her way to it. The other patrons of the restaurant were staring at the table, everyone curious about the cause of the fuss.
“What is the problem here?” Sameer heard Raashi ask the waiter in a quiet voice.
The waiter gave her a relieved look and started to immediately explain the situation. Raashi glanced at the table, immediately understanding what had happened and asked the guy to leave.
Natasha, in no mood to cooperate, launched a tirade against Raashi. Raashi stood there, her arms folded, letting Natasha have her say.
Feeling embarrassed, Sameer said in a firm voice, “Natasha, it wasn’t his fault. So let’s not make a big deal out of it. Okay? Calm down. ”
Turning to Raashi, he said, “I’m sorry. Can we get our dinner now?”
Ignoring him, she nodded to a waiter standing next to her to serve them their food. She stood there, keeping a watchful eye while their food was served, just to ensure there was no repeat of any accident.
Raashi could feel the beginning strain of a headache. Seeing Sameer had upset her and then his spoilt date had made a fuss and created a scene, which wasn’t good for her business. She stood there silently, waiting until the waiter finished his job.
Sameer watched her overseeing their meal and let his eyes roam over her. She really was quite lovely. She had a subtle grace that had always made him want to look at her and keep looking, like he was now. He took in her face, the high forehead with delicately arched eyebrows, long curling eyelashes sheltering those beautiful hazel eyes that changed color from brown to green depending on her mood. A black liner boldly outlined her doe shaped eyes. Her lush lips were painted only with the slightest of color. On anyone else the nude color should have made them look less appealing, but on Raashi it looked gorgeous. It went perfectly with her flawlessly warm complexion that he knew was exactly the same from her forehead to her toes and all the way in between.
Her dark straight hair fell down to her lower back. And she had clipped a few strands on the top of her head, leaving the rest of it loose and free flowing behind. He remembered their silken heaviness in his hands.
She was dressed formally in a dark green shirt-dress, belted at her waist with a slim gold chain belt that showed off the narrowness of her waist and the long length of her legs. His gaze lingered on her exposed legs for a moment longer before he looked back into her eyes and found her watching him. She knew he was watching her, appraising her. He didn’t look away; he couldn’t escape the stormy gaze that was fixed on him. He had always been able to read her face very well, read her eyes that spoke her thoughts aloud for anyone who had the ability to read them and read them he could. He knew she was really angry and desperately wanted him to leave. Her gaze narrowed on him and her lips compressed. But the very next second, she turned her eyes away from him and dismissed him coldly.
