"Oh, I seriously loved what you fed me. I don't know what this is."
"Well, let me fix something light so that you don't go hungry. The doctor will be on his way if you throw up again." His voice trailed off as he walked back into the kitchen.
Pushing the stray locks of her hair out of her sweaty forehead, she looked at the time on her phone and groaned, her head still slightly spinning. She slept for almost ten hours last night after getting rid of her dinner and felt exhausted at barely nine in the morning.
Rafael stepped into the bedroom with a bowl full of chicken soup forty minutes later, and she was in for another surprise. She wished she knew how to cook a soup with that perfect consistency and flavor he achieved seemingly effortlessly. Watching the heavy raindrops hit the window panes persistently, she stared out at the dark sky while sipping on the warm liquid.
"Huh, so no sightseeing today?" She asked Rafael, who was looking at her with
Rafael had always imagined death to start with some blinding light where all the best moments of his life wouldflash by him and then follow with an abyss of darkness. At least that's what he heard people say it would be like.The gunshots were still ringing in his ears long after the darkness, but the blinding light never came. The pain and the hopelessness sure felt like death.Among the many regrets he had, he regretted not being able to say a proper goodbye. Ruhi had never believed how unconditionally he loved her. He knew he did a poor job showing his feelings toher, except that he could prove that he would die for her, willing to do so over and over.He wanted to hear Ruhi's voice one last time before falling unconscious. His body was going numb, but a shooting painunfurled in the deepest pit of his stomach when he thought about the image of Ruhi lying on the floor.Was she conscious? He couldn't remember. Everything happened too quic
SEVEN YEARS LATER It was a quiet Sunday afternoon with some cooling summer showers pouringdown outside the window whileRafael spent a good amount of time in his study. He was lagging behind quite a bit because he spent all day at the water park yesterday and left work early even on Friday afternoon to attend his daughter's ballet performance. He got up from his seat and stretched before stepping out to see what Ruhi and his little Snookums were up to. Even though he wanted to finish all the piled up stuff, he had gone two hours without seeing them and it felt like too much on a Sunday. He walked down to the kitchen to see what all the excitement was about. Ruhi was watching something very seriously on her daughter'spink laptop while the little girl was busy whisking butter and molten chocolate. She got chocolate mousse on both her chubby cheeks while Ruhi got a good amount on her nose. "Papa! You were not supposed to come out until w
Greece Rafael strode into his secluded beachfront villa after a day packed with meetings. This was his fourteenth time in Greece, and yet its impossibly blue waters and rugged islands never failed to leave him breathless. This time, he had brought Alisha, his stunning girlfriend, to the sleepy island of Chios. Here, time seemed to slow, the air thick with the scent of olive groves and sun-warmed fig trees. Alisha lay sprawled on the plush king-sized bed, waiting for him. Her heavy breasts were straining against the soft, crimson lingerie. When she saw his eyes roam on her barely covered sexy body, she leaned in towards him, giving him a clear view of her perfect, inviting duo. She ran her hands down her front and looked at him with those bewitching eyes. He was bone-tired from meetings and needed a massage, but she had ignited a fire within him that could only be quenched when he sucked on those breasts until they were sore to the touch of his tongue. He removed his jacket and pu
A few days earlier in a small college town in Florida The fiery red Mini Cooper roared to a stop, a vibrant contrast to the beige monotony of Lisa's suburban street. Ruhi hopped out to show off her car to her friend and grab breakfast from their favorite restaurant. Her day was busy and full of plans. She had to head out to Atlanta soon after breakfast to meet her long-distance boyfriend, Dhruv, for the winter break. "Ta-da!" She exclaimed, gesturing to the car. Isn't she a beauty? 300 horsepower, fully loaded, all-wheel drive." Lisa emerged from her house, a statuesque redhead with emerald eyes that widened at the sight of the car. "Wow, Ruhi, that's amazing! Totally suits your fiery personality." Ruhi grinned. "Right? I only went in for a test drive, but then they had this one in this incredible metallic red. I couldn't resist." Her gaze lingered on the car. "Two days later, and I'm still head over heels. Ready to roll?" "Yep, gimme a second. I'll give some dry treats to Romeo
Dhruvkept Ruhibusy on the call when she stopped forbreaks and to fill up gas in the car. Usually, when flying to meet him, she couldn't get out of the airport fast enough to run tohim. But as she drove to the parking lot of his condo,she gave in to the temptation of looking Rafael up before walking to themain door. It was chilly in Atlanta at 55F. She went back into the car and spelled Rafael'slong name in the search bar. Her heart jumped out of her chest when she saw his picture. The same hazelbrown eyes, shrewd and sparkling with the sort of gaze that can make people forget to breathe and a lot more. Memories of her trip to his dad's summer home thirteen years ago flooded her. She was twelve, and he was sixteen. Rafael's dad owned a place in Coonoor, a beautiful Indian town high up in the mountains called the Nilgiris or the Blue Mountains. Ruhi's family visited Coonoor when her dad wanted to complete a
December 31st AM | Sausalito, California "Ahh! This tiny town is like magic..." Ruhi jumpedin excitement as they got off the ferry from San Francisco to Sausalito. "Look at how the homes are clinging to the steep hillside! The skyline, the waterfront, wow!" She turned around in a full circle in awe. "I'm in love with California!!" She hugged Dhruv. "Correction: Northern California," Dhruv said, "I hate LA and anything SoCal." Ruhi had no idea what he meant. She visited a few places in the US but lived only in one place all four years. She did her MBA and stayed in the same town for work. "Thank you for getting a job here. Now I'm convinced I should also applyfor something and move." "Ask your soon-to-be fake husband to hire you in one of his companies. Your current boss will throw you out for missing work for so many days anyway." Ruhi suddenly got nervous when Dhruv brought u
"Ruhi! Hold on, what's the matter with you?" Dhruv caught Ruhi by the elbow just as she got into the elevator to go down the building."Nothing, we had plans to leave after dinner.""Yeah, but that was because we didn't expect him to ask us to stay back. Getting into that place for NYE needs reservations made months ahead. And the table we sat at, with the bay views and complimentary champagne, they charge over a hundred dollars to reserve that.""So what, Dhruv? I'm not interested in the bay views or champagne. I want to get out of here." She stepped out of the elevator and exited through the main door."Why are you yelling at me? And why are you so bothered by what that asshole said?""I think we should break up.""What? Ruhi, you didn't sip a drop of alcohol and are still talking nonsense.""I'm being serious. I can't do this anymore.""Is it because I stared at Alisha? I'm really sorry, Ruhi. It was only for a second, and i
Rafael stepped out of his car and so did five armedbodyguards from the two black cars that were following him."Ruhi, enough with your tantrums! I haven't complained even one bit about this morning." He followed her as she click-clacked her heels extra hard against the concrete floor when she heard the word 'tantrum'. She spun around when he caught up to her."I wish you complained. Instead of saying one or two classic jerk lines and be done with it, you are acting passive aggressive ever since the phone call. Is it my fault if you can't use those big eyes of yours with extra-long eyelashes to find me at the mall entrance? I was starving and was about to eat lunch when you called, but you talk like only your time is precious. I got time off from work after one year of slogging and guess how I'm spending it?""Don't blame me for your problems since you were born, Ruhi. We could have reached the lawyer's office by now if you didn't enjoy listening to yoursel