Hello everyone!

I know its been a while, over a year I believe, since I updated this story, but the story was not shaping up like I wanted it to so I had to stop writing for a while. I have written and deleted many chapters because I just didn't like the way it was going. I needed some motivation and inspiration to get back to it and now I have it back on track. So here it is an update. I am going to continue this story. The updates may be little slow but I will try my best to keep it updated. Enjoy!

Chapter 9

Past..

"Where are you off to tonight?"

Niyati glanced at her roommate and best friend, "Zack is taking me to a new nightclub in the city."

"What's the name of it?"

The question came from the man sitting in the armchair in her living room watching her curiously. It's been three months since the conversation between her and Varun. She thought she would see more of him and things would finally be little more relaxed between them but it seems things were even tenser between them.

"The Blue Bird," she replied reluctantly.

"Call your friend and tell him you are not going."

Nidhi and Niyati both looked at Varun in shock.

"Excuse me?"

Niyati couldn't believe he just order to her to call off her date. She looked at Nidhi questioningly but her friend just shrugged then took her phone and walked out of the room leaving Niyati alone to deal with her infuriating brother. She had a feeling her friend had ratted her out and asked Varun for help with her reckless behavior.

"You heard me Niyati. You are not going to that nightclub."

"Who died and made you the boss of me?" She stood up and glared at him.

He got up and came to stand in front of her and scowled at her. "Someone obviously needs to boss you around. That place does not have a good reputation and I won't let you behave recklessly just because something has upset you."

She inhaled sharply and turned away from him. She is going to kill Nidhi as soon as they are alone. "What makes you think I am upset about anything?"

"Something's obviously bothering you for you to behave the way you have been behaving for the past week and half."

She turned back towards him and frowned at him, "And how would you know how I have been behaving for past week and a half?"

For a moment he looked uncomfortable. "Does it matter?" He asked. He took a step closer to her. "Is whatever bothering you worth taking a risk and going to a nightclub that could get you arrested?"

Her shoulder slumped in defeat and she once again turned away from him. Nidhi had obviously been worried about Niyati and sought Varun's help. She hadn't been in the best of moods since both her grandmothers had cancelled their visit with her, yet again.

She picked up the clutch from the side table, "You are right. It's not worth the risk." She took a step towards the stairs but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. As upset as she was she couldn't help but react at his touch.

"Is there anything I can do to help with whatever is bothering you?"

It would be so easy to turn and take the little bit of comfort he was offering but she resisted throwing herself in his arms. Like he said, nothing good would come out of her reckless behavior.

Niyati shook her head, "No, there isn't anything you can do. I will be fine on my own. Thanks for the warning about the club. I am going to go call my friend. Goodnight Varun," she walked away without looking back.

Nidhi stepped back into the room as soon as she heard Niyati leave, "Did you talk her out of going to the club."

"Yeah," Varun answered absently, eyes still towards the stairs, "What is wrong with her?"

Nidhi sighed in relief, "I am not sure. She was supposed to go on a trip with her grandmothers but it was cancelled at the last minute and she hasn't been the same since."

Before he could question his sister further his phone beeped alerting him of an emergency. He went back to work pushing the incident to the back of his mind.

Present

Niyati hesitated at the threshold of her living room door and watched Varun as he fiddled with the security panel by the front door. As promised, he had shown up at her door by six o'clock, looking sexy as ever in a form fitting jeans and a polo t-shirt. Pushing all thoughts of how Varun looked in his clothes Niyati took few more steps towards him.

"Are you almost finished?"

Varun glanced at her, hovering few feet away from him, then went back to wiring the security panel, "Trying to get rid of me already?"

As if I could get rid of you that easily, Niyati thought to herself. She shrugged her shoulders. "Just wanted to see if you want to join me for dinner."

He should have known better than to try to push her buttons. In the old days she would have responded with a smart or a sarcastic comment but not anymore. It's as though she went thru a whole personality change over the past few years.

He finished with the panel then followed her to the kitchen, "so, did anything happen today?"

"Why do you ask?" she kept her back to him as she pulled out dishes and glasses from the cabinets. Lot of things has happened since she saw him this morning but she is not ready to share any of it with him yet. When she glanced towards him she found him watching her intently. His piercing eyes dared her hide from him. She tried her best to act casual and ignore his original question. She knew the evasive tactics would not work on him when he sets his mind on something but she is going to try her best to stall him.

"Would do you like something to drink?" She opened the fridge and studied its content with great concentration.

"Do you have a beer?"

She pulled out a bottle of his favorite beer and handed to him then poured herself a glass of wine before turning towards him. He glanced at the beer then raised an eyebrow at her. She shrugged her shoulders. "It's Shane's favorite brand so I keep it on hand."

She avoided his gaze as she set the table and plated the food. Shane did like that particular brand of beer but it wasn't his favorite. She is sure Varun is aware of this too but was glad when he didn't point it out and just took his seat across from her at the kitchen counter.

For few minutes there was only silence in the room as they both concentrated on dinner but half way thru the meal Varun spoke up again, "So you didn't answer my question about your day."

Niyati set her fork down in the plate, "You ask as if you already know something significant happened today?"

"If it didn't, you wouldn't try to avoid the subject so much." Came a quick reply.

Just once she wanted to vent out her frustration and not worry about the consequences but the past few years of dealing with everything alone made it hard for her to share things with anyone, especially with someone who was not there for her when she needed him the most.

"I know I wasn't there when it counted but now I want to help you in any way I can, but I can't do that if I don't know the problem."

Did he just read her mind?

Niyati shook her head, "Let's see, my mother wants me to fire the current wedding planner and hire her friend, but my sister wants to stick to the one she hired and that is the least of things they disagree on, the list is long and there is not enough time and they both want me to convince the other to change the plans. Two of my managers are threatening to quit because they don't like the changes I am incorporating, and there was more vandalism at the downtown hotel over the weekend."

Varun leaned forward, "Let's put the wedding worries aside for a minute. What exactly do you want to do with the hotels and your company?"

"I want to bring all the hotels up to date then sell them all except for the ones that are operated by my parents and dissolve the company." At least that are her plans. She is having the lawyers look into the provisions of her grandmother's will.

The fact that she shared even that much with him surprised Varun. "Don't you enjoy running the business?"

"I wanted to run a single hotel not an empire. I am not cut out for that." Niyati pushed her plate aside and looked up at Varun. She couldn't hold his gaze for long afraid he would read the longing in her eyes.

"And why exactly do you have to be involved in planning the wedding?"

"I don't have to be involved at all."

Varun was confused, "Then why are your mother and sister hassling you with it?"

Niyati sighed and got up to take her plate to the sink. It was hard to explain how she got involved in the plans for the wedding without explaining the whole dynamics of her family to him. She had always been uncomfortable sharing the details of her life with him when they were engaged and he had never asked her about her family.

She turned and leaned against the counter, "Why the sudden interest in my family? You never asked about them before?"

"I am asking now because I am trying to rectify my past mistakes." He also stood up and took his plate to the sink then took a stance next to her.

"Why?"

It was time to put all his cards on the table. He turned to her and rested his hands on the counter behind her trapping her in between his arms. He heard her inhale sharply and was glad to know that she was still attracted him. He leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear, "You are a smart woman Niyati, figure it out."