He put his arm around her waist and drew her closer to him. Raashi watched him. He looked unsure as if he was still convincing himself to kiss her. Slowly, he leaned forward. His lips hesitated over hers, still deciding. Their mouths were less than an inch apart when Raashi realized this was wrong. Shecouldn’t go through with it. She turned her face just as Rithwik’s lips descended and met with her cheek instead.
Sameer rushedtowards Raashi and paused mid-way. His eyes widened and his stomach fell. Rithwik was going to kiss Raashi, right in front of him and she was allowing it. And then he saw her turn her face away, the kiss landing on her cheek instead. The vice around his heart loosened slightly, but his anger did not fade. Another man still had his arms around her, his mouth on her cheek. He felt disgusted. She had deliberately done this to annoy him. Well, she had succeeded. His head was pounding. Blast the woman for making him stark, raving mad. He was absolutely livid with her right now.
The momenthis lips met her cheek, Rithwik whispered, “Oh, Thank God!”
Finally, still holding her, he moved slightly away. She looked into his eyes and said regretfully, “I’m sorry.”
“No, please don’t apologize. I should be apologizing to you for pushing this thing between us, for trying to change our friendship into something else. Raashi, you are wonderful and beautiful, but I have to be honest, trying to kiss you made me feel sick. It felt like I was violating some sacred friendship code,” he admitted.
“This does mean that you have to stop forcing this marriage on me,” Raashi told him.
“After this, no way! You’re too special to me and I do really care for you. I was a fool to think that our friendship could be the basis for a successful marriage.” He winced.
Raashi nodded.
“By the way, was that kiss just to prove a point to me or to someone else?” he asked. “Because Sameer Sehgal is headed this way and it looks like he is ready to murder me.”
Raashi tilted her head and saw Sameer storming towards them.
Rithwik whispered, “I never stood a chance, did I?”
Raashi was unable to reply to him. She stepped out of Rithwik’s arms and came face to face with Sameer. They stared at each other, each one fuming silently.
He was furious, she thought. Well, so was she. Whom she kissed and what she did was none of his business. After witnessing the spectacle he had made with Natasha, he had no right to question her.
After several seconds of terse silence, Sameer said, “We are leaving, now.”
“You can go right ahead. I am staying,” Raashi retorted.
“Youare leaving with me.”
“Hey, she said she doesn’t want to go,” Rithwik added from beside her.
Sameer gave him a murderous look. “Stay out of it, Rithwik. This is between me and her.”
“Not from where I see it,” Rithwik countered.
Sameer grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Rithwik leaned into Sameer unwilling to back down. Raashi stepped in between them and separated them, pushing them apart.
“Stop it, both of you,” she yelled.
She turned to Sameer. “Stop creating a scene.”
“I am not the one who created this scene,” Sameer roared.
Raashi’s head throbbed. How dare he behave like a caveman?
“You wanted to leave, right? Let’s go then.”
When Rithwik started to say something, she raised a hand to stop him.
“I’ll be fine.”
Sameer glowered at Rithwik before he held Raashi’s elbow and dragged her with him towards the car. She tried to shrug him off, but he held firm. When she protested, he just ignored her and kept walking straight to the car.
From another cornerof the lawn, Kabier and Rishi had witnessed the entire incident.
“I cannot believe this. What’s gotten into Sameer?” Kabier remarked, splaying a hand at the scene that had just ended in front of them.
