Prologue

"Your name will be on my dying lips," she whispered as she lay in the hospital bed, her lips chapped, her face pale. "All I will chant is your name. You are who I have lived for, and I will die remembering you too."

"Please don't do this to me," I told her hoarsely, my voice cracked, for I knew that time was short. "If you go, what will I do here?"

"Randhir, Randhir, Randhir," she whispered, and closed her eyes as her feeble body fell into a deep slumber.

"Sanyukta," I said hoarsely, "Please wake up."

She was slipping away from me, her breaths were getting slower. My time with her was limited, although eternity was what I wanted.

"Sanyukta," I called out hopelessly, a longing ache in my chest.

She had already dedicated her last breath to me, but I vowed that I would write off all the breaths I had left in her name. I had already hurt her too much in this lifetime.

I took her hand in mine gently, rubbing small circles with my thumb on her soft skin.

"From this moment, this Randhir Singh Shekhawat promises you Sanyukta Agarwal, that I will die to love you," I told her, feeling my eyes get wet. "Even if I am in a living hell, I will make sure I love you the right way. Everything I have belongs to you now... my mind, my body, my soul. It is all yours."

As the first tears fell from the corners of my eyes, I noticed her lips curve upwards ever so slightly. It was almost as if she heard me.

We never took marriage vows, but for some reason these dying vows felt more real than it could get.

1

Our story as I remember it, begins in a bar, just a block away from where I lived. She was a waitress, who was struggling just to support herself. When she came to take my order, it was like a shock hit me. I didn't know why I wasn't able to keep my eyes off her. She was pretty, but she wasn't a beauty queen. I only concluded that it was her simplicity that made me look at her.

"Hi, my name is Sarah. May I take your order?" she asked me cheerfully.

I was sitting there by myself, expecting a guest who was already twenty minutes late.

"Sarah?" I asked her, raising my eyebrows. "You look too Indian to be named Sarah."

She looked at me with a bewildered expression, almost as if I was crossing my limits to be commenting on her name, but I was someone who often spoke my mind and for some reason, the name Sarah didn't seem to be right.

"May I take your order?" she repeated, and it was almost as if she was forcing herself to be polite.

"I'm waiting for someone, but for now, just bring me a beer," I told her. "Corona."

"Alright sir," she said, nodding her head, as she wrote it down in a little notebook.

As she disappeared, I couldn't help but admire her figure. I snapped myself out of it, reminding myself that I had a date coming in soon. I couldn't just ignore my date with the daughter of my father's business partner for a simple waitress.

Soon, Sarah returned and brought me the Corona. As she put a glass out and opened the bottle for me, I watched her hands act skillfully with admiration. She poured some of the beer in the glass before setting both the bottle and the glass on the table.

"Enjoy," she told me calmly, "Flag me down if you need anything else."

As she was about to leave, I reached out and caught her hand. I didn't even know why I did it. I wasn't the type to cheaply hit on girls. Yes, I had my fair share of girls, but everything I did was done with class.

Her hand was soft, and for some reason there was a jolt of electricity that ran up my spine when I touched her.

"Excuse me?" Sarah asked, sounding angry.

When her nostrils flared and her hazel brown eyes widened, she looked all the more beautiful. Her hair which was up in a bun, had a few strands that had fallen loosely around her face.

Any girl could have that look, then why did I find a simple girl like her appealing all of a sudden?

"Sorry," I replied, and let go of her hand. "I wanted to ask you if you could bring me an extra napkin."

It was an excuse. I was too embarrassed about unintentionally holding her hand, so I was trying to cover it up.

She gave a firm nod before disappearing again. I nearly let my face fall on top of the table for how bad I was behaving today. The worst part was that I didn't even have a sip of alcohol yet.

Sarah brought a few napkins and placed them on the table before disappearing without saying another word to me. Perhaps I had scared her.

I decided to ignore Sarah and wait for my date. After all, Sarah was not that appealing. The girl who was going to show up was more my type. I waited for nearly an hour for my date, but she didn't show up. I even texted her, but she didn't reply to my text.

"Excuse me sir," I heard a familiar voice say, and I looked up into Sarah's hazel eyes. "We're going to close in about an hour. Would you like to order anything?"

I felt terrible. I got stood up by my date and I was embarrassed to even face anyone. What good would ordering anything do now?

"Sure. I'll get your best pasta," I replied coolly. "And... if you think I can afford it, I would like to order some of your time too. Will you have a meal with me?"

2

I knew that I was probably going to be rejected. She didn't seem like the kind of girl who would easily listen to someone like me, but I couldn't help it... I really wanted to try, and it was for reasons that I couldn't even make sense of.

"I'll bring you your pasta," she said curtly, before turning around and disappearing, ignoring my proposal.

I took out my phone and glared at it, starting to get frustrated by the situation. Why did her dismissal affect me so much and why was I even wasting my time here?

Suddenly a call came through. Ishika. She was the daughter of my father's business partner who was supposed to be here nearly two hours ago.

"Hello?" I asked into the phone, almost doubting that it really was her.

"Randhir I am so sorry. Something came up and my phone died... I was only able to charge it now!" she said into the phone. "Let's make it up okay?"

"What came up?" I asked.

If our father's planned to get us engaged then surely I had the right to ask that question.

"Oh it's just that my friend needed me urgently," Ishika replied, sounding upset. "She broke up with her boyfriend so I had to see her. Sorry Randhir."

"It's fine. I'll talk to you later," I told her abruptly and then ended the call.

Why did I feel like such a loser today? I got girls easily. Yet, I was here waiting for one girl who acted like my time was not important, and the other girl who was conveniently ignoring me without even knowing who I was.

Finally Sarah brought the pasta and I looked up at her.

"I want the bill," I stated, almost furiously.

"Oh already? Of course!" she told me, and I didn't know if it was a sense of relief that I heard in her voice.

As Sarah ran to get the bill, I balled my hands into fists at the thought of Ishika. I needed to distract myself, but how? I glanced up at Sarah's face as she placed the bill on the table in front of me.

I took out cash from my wallet and put down four times what the meal cost.

"Thank you," I said, and stood up, about to leave, leaving the pasta unattended as Sarah looked confused.

"No problem," she said with a shrug as she began to clean up the table.

"I'll wait for you outside. When you're done here, meet me," I then told her, causing her to look up with an alarmed expression.

"What?" she asked, sounding offended.

"You heard me," I replied coolly, deciding that she was going to be my distraction. "I'll see you outside."

"Don't you dare think about it!" she responded, sounding scared. "I won't come outside if you're standing there."

"We'll see about that," I replied with a smirk.

"No! Look, I tolerated you up until now, but not anymore," she argued, "I will file a complaint if you continue!"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. Just come outside and meet me," I told her, then before she could say another word, I walked outside, secretly enjoying this.

If she chose to react in a way that caused me amusement, then I would choose to do more to get a reaction out of her as well.

She was the perfect distraction.

3(Story is now changed to third person from Randhir's POV, it is easier for me to write it this way)

Rejection was not something he was used to, and tonight he was rejected not by one girl, but by two. When the waitress didn't come and meet him after her shift, he went back to the restaurant to see where she went, but the restaurant had already closed for the night. He guessed that there had been a back door she would have escaped from.

Nevertheless, he knew that he was not going to let this slide - after all, she was a mere waitress and he was a man with a lot of money. Eventually, she would have to come to him if he willed that.

However, all thoughts of the girl disappeared from his mind over the next few days because Shekhawat Industries got a huge deal that his father required him to work on.

Although he didn't enjoy working, he did work hard towards the business because it was always expected of him. His father would soon pass it on to him officially, but before that he needed to prove to his father that he was capable. For the most part, Randhir was already unofficially overseeing it.

Two weeks after he met the waitress at the restaurant, he was holding interviews for his new secretary position. Randhir was infamous for firing his secretaries every few weeks, because he just couldn't put up with the work they did. Perhaps it was an obsessive compulsion disorder, but he needed everything to be perfect, especially if it was someone else who was in the picture managing his work.

One after one, both males and females of all ages came in for an interview, but Randhir didn't like any of them. It was only when an unexpected guest came into his office like a storm, that he finally broke out into a smile.

"So you did find me after all," Randhir told her, his eyes boring into hers deeply, as she looked shocked to see him.

"You are Randhir Singh Shekhawat?" she asked, her eyes wide. "Son of Harsh Shekhawat? Soon to be heir of Shekhawat Industries?"

Randhir chuckled and folded his hands together on top of his desk.

"That's a lot of questions in one breath. Sit down and I'll ask you the questions. After all, you're the one who came for an interview... not me," Randhir told her with a smirk.

The waitress from a couple of weeks ago then took a seat in front of him and placed forth her resume.

"Sarah Agarwal," he said, glancing at her name. "Do you have identification?"

"What?" she asked, sounding offended, "Am I at a police station that I need identification?"

"This is not just any company Miss Agarwal. This is Shekhawat Industries. We don't fool around here. If you want to be considered at all, cooperate and show me your identification," Randhir stated explicitly, his tone completely serious.

"Fine," she said, through gritted teeth, as if she was holding back a swear.

Then she reached into her purse and pulled out a wallet. Out of the wallet, she pulled out a driver's license and slid it towards him.

"Sanyukta Agarwal?" he read out loud. "So your name is not Sarah."

Randhir smirked. His hunch had been right.

"Can we get on to the interview?" she asked impatiently.

"This is the interview," he replied coolly, "Why are you telling people your name is Sarah?"

"That's none of your concern," she hissed, "Ask me about my experience."

Randhir sighed and leaned back in his chair. This girl did not have even an ounce of interview etiquette.

"You don't tell an interviewer what to ask Miss Agarwal," he told her. "I decide the questions. Not you."

"Fine! I changed it because I don't want to be known here. I shouldn't be working," she admitted. "My family doesn't like it."

"Your family?" Randhir asked her curiously. "Do you live with them?"

"No, but they come over sometimes... it's just for extra precaution that I go by Sarah. Do you have a problem with that?" she asked. "I feel like I'm being grilled here."

"If you get offended so easily, how are you going to cope with the atmosphere of this office?" he asked her seriously. "I don't think you're a good fit for this place."

"What?" she asked, sounding irritated. "You haven't even asked me about my experience!"

"Why do you want to work here?" he asked her.

"I enjoy -" she started, about to give him a recited answer.

"I want an honest answer," he interrupted.

"Fine. I need money," she replied, looking down. "I also need some office experience for my career growth."

"Okay, I will give you money, but in return you will have to do something else for me... something not related to this position," he told her coolly.

"What?" she asked, looking up at him with shock.

4

If there was one thing that he couldn't stand, it was when girls pretended to be innocent. The girl in front of him - Sanyukta Agarwal, was doing just that right now. There was no way that someone could be so innocent, especially when they had a desperation for money. Randhir thought that it would be fun to play around and bring forward her true colours. He wanted to prove that she really was not as innocent as she seemed.

"I want you to come over to my house at night," he explained coolly.

Her eyes widened, as if she was having a hard time understanding what he was saying.

While it was true that he normally had class when it came to girls, he decided to experiment with this one. Her reactions were quite enjoyable.

"What?" she asked, sounding furious. "Why?"

Randhir smirked and glanced down at her resume.

"To help you get some experience," he told her lightly, "My secretary needs to be able to keep me happy."

She pursed her lips together to avoid saying something that she would regret. Instead she balled her hands into fists and brought them down to her lap so that he wouldn't see them over his desk. Randhir could see what she was doing though, and that made it all the more fun.

"I'm not interested in being your personal secretary. I'm here to apply for the position of your office secretary. If you don't want to hire me then just say so, but don't point a finger at my character!" she replied, sounding frustrated.

"When did I ever point a finger on your character?" he asked her coolly. "Look. It's up to you. If you want money, then you can come to my house tonight. One second."

He took out a sticky note from inside one of his desk drawers and a pen. He wrote down his address, phone number and an amount of money. Twenty thousand rupees.

Once he passed her the note, she glanced down at it and frowned.

"What is this?" she asked.

"This is my address and the amount of money you will make tonight if you come. Be there at 9 PM sharp. If you're late, I'll cut five thousand rupees," he told her and leaned back in his chair.

Her eyes widened and she gasped out loud.

"Twenty thousand rupees for just a few hours?" she asked him, her mouth dropping open. "Why do you want me to come so badly?"

Randhir chuckled when he saw her reaction.

"It'll be easy work too. Don't worry, I won't touch you without your permission. I'm just asking you to come and have a chat with me," he told her. "It's up to you whether you believe me or not. If you want to come, then you can come. I'll give you the money tonight itself."

Sanyukta bit down on her lip, as if she was actually thinking about it, and Randhir smirked. He knew it. Innocence did not exist in this world. Everyone fell prey to money.

"I... I don't know," she finally said, "It doesn't feel right to just... just..."

It was like she was struggling for the right word to say, so Randhir completed her sentence for her.

"Sell yourself?" Randhir asked her and she nodded. "Relax. We all sell ourselves in this world. We sell our time, our energy, we even sacrifice our desires to make money. Some people sell their body, some people sell their life away. What's the difference? In the end, we all make money after providing some kind of service. I'm not asking you to sell me your body. I'm asking you to sell me some of your time."

She gulped and stuffed the sticky note in her bag.

"I'll... I'll be going now," she said, taking a deep breath. "I haven't decided yet. I'll call you later on today."

"Okay," he said coolly, completely relaxed against his chair. "Remember, you won't ever make this much money by doing such easy work. Who pays anyone this much money just to chat?"

"I know... you're right, but how can I trust you? We're going to be alone in your house," she told him, sounding fearful.

Randhir sighed loudly and leaned forward, folding his hands together on top of the desk.

"I may sound like I'm hitting on you, but believe me, it isn't hard for me to get girls," he told her seriously, "I don't need to get you. I don't intend to touch you in any way... and anyways, you aren't my type."

She pressed her lips together, as if she were annoyed when he called her not his type. She just picked up her bag and stood up.

"Bye," she then said with a stone like expression and walked out of his office without another word.

Randhir smirked. He was going to prove to perhaps even Sanyukta herself, that she was not as innocent as she made herself out to be.

"I wonder if she seriously thinks she's as innocent as she acts," he muttered to himself, rolling his eyes, "If I don't break that overconfidence she has, then my name isn't Randhir Singh Shekhawat."

5

Randhir Singh Shekhawat had no reason to feel anxious. If one girl didn't come, a thousand more would die to appear in front of him. However, the thought of this one girl was stronger than any thought he felt for any other girl.

He sat back on the couch in his living room, impatiently waiting for her with his eyes stuck on his phone. With every message or phone call that came through, he got excited, before he saw the name and realized it was not her.

Randhir closed his eyes, and he didn't know when he dozed off. It was only around 8:30 PM that his eyes opened. About a second after he opened his eyes, a text came through to his phone.

He eagerly opened it, realizing that it was Sanyukta.

It said: I will be there soon.

Randhir grinned happily. For some reason, her text message made him happier than it should have. He brushed away the feeling though, because it meant that he was right - this girl was so confident about her character, but in the end, even she succumbed in front of so much money.

It was hardly ten minutes later when he heard a knock on the door of his one bedroom condominium.

When he went to open it, he noticed immediately that she looked nervous.

"Come in," he told her, as she looked down on the ground.

Even her strong personality fell when it came to money. He really didn't like two faced girls, but what could he do, when this one in particular was so amusing?

"Thanks," she nodded, and took a step into his condominium.

As soon as he locked the door behind her, she looked up and he saw that glint in her eyes. She had probably only ever dreamed about stepping into a place like this one. This condominium was way out of her living standards.

"It's a nice place huh?" he asked, following her gaze to the chandelier that was hanging over them on the ceiling.

"Y - yeah," she stammered, sounding incredibly nervous. "How long am I going to be here?"

Randhir chuckled.

"You are already thinking of leaving?" he asked her. "Follow me."

She nodded and followed him into the living room.

"Have a seat," he said and she nodded, sitting down on the couch.

Randhir sat down next to her and examined her closely. She looked like she wanted to get out of there right now.

"Is this the first time you've been to a boy's house?" he asked her, raising his eyebrows, and leaned back against the couch. "You look really nervous."

"No... I mean, well... it's just weird. This situation seems odd," she told him, gulping nervously.

"Don't worry. Just relax. I just want to get to know you in a relaxed fashion. If you can make me happy today, I'll give you the position of my office secretary," he told her sincerely. "Don't worry, it doesn't take much to keep me happy. All you have to do is relax."

She nodded nervously.

"W - water," she then stammered. "Do you have water?"

"In the kitchen, across the hall," he said. "Bring me some whiskey and a glass while you're at it."

She looked at him with a defiant expression before taking a deep breath and forcing a smile.

"Okay," she said, and he knew she was having a hard time complying. After all, he asked her to bring him a drink out of the blue.

"You should say okay Randhir sir," he corrected, his expression turning serious.

"Randhir sir?" she asked him, her eyes wide, and he could tell that she was starting to feel very scared.

"I am here as your boss today," he explained and leaned further back against the sofa. "Bring the drinks and I'll explain what will happen tonight."

She gulped again and nodded before disappearing into the kitchen.

6

When she returned with the drinks, she set them down on the table in front of him and then proceeded to take her seat next to him. Randhir smirked as she poured him his drink and she looked up at him fearfully.

As she passed him his drink, he lightly brushed his fingers over hers, causing her to tremble.

"How many times have I asked you to relax?" he asked her. "You don't need to worry. I'm not shameless that I will touch you without your permission."

She nodded and he could tell that she was trying to calm down.

"Tonight I just want to talk to you. I want you to answer my questions," he explained, looking into her eyes as he took a sip of his whiskey.

She nodded obediently again. All of a sudden her phone began to ring and she brought a shaking hand up to her ear as she answered it.

"Yes dad... no, I am not home. I can't come home. I'm at a friend's. I will be here late... no... dad please don't... dad! Fine I'll be there tomorrow!" she said into the phone, her eyes filling with tears, and all of a sudden it pained Randhir to see her like that.

Why was she begging her dad?

Finally she ended the phone call and took a deep breath before forcing a smile.

"Sorry about that," she told him. "I can answer your questions."

"Don't you live alone?" he asked her.

"I do, but my dad has my house keys... if he doesn't see me home, he doesn't like it," she explained honestly.

"Why were you begging your dad not to do something? What is it?" he asked her curiously.

"Why does it matter?" she asked him impatiently.

She was right. Why did it matter to him? It was her family problem and it really had nothing to do with him.

"Nevermind," he then said. "Tell me how old you are."

"Twenty three," she told him, looking down at her hands nervously.

He was twenty five.

"Siblings?" he asked her curiously.

"One older brother," she answered.

He was an only child.

"What do your parent's do?" he asked her.

"This doesn't feel like I'm getting interviewed for a job," she grumbled.

Randhir chuckled, glad that she was loosening up a bit.

"I'm just trying to get to know my potential secretary," he explained to her with a smile.

"Can I get to know my potential boss then?" she shot back, and he was taken aback by how blunt she was.

"Sure," he then said, a smile playing on his lips.

For some reason, he liked her feisty nature.

"Are you in a relationship?" she asked him.

Randhir raised his eyebrows, taken aback by her question. That seemed to be the last thing she would care about.

"Nope," he answered, eyeing his glass. "I've never been in a serious relationship. Girls are never genuine."

"You sound like you've had a bad experience," she pointed out.

"Hmm... maybe. One time in college, there was a girl who I actually liked. Vidhushi was her name. She lead me on, and then dumped me for someone else," he told her, his heart hurting at that brutal rejection. "It turns out that she lied to me the whole time that she loved me. She was only after my power."

"Power?" Sanyukta asked him curiously.

"Everyone knew my dad," Randhir answered and she nodded, understanding what he meant. "Nobody cared about me... just my dad's success."

"I'm sure there must have been someone who cared about you," she told him softly.

"Everyone crumbles when it comes down to money Sanyukta," he told her genuinely. "Nobody is able to stick with their values in front of money."

"I don't believe that," she answered.

"Really?" he asked her, sounding angry. "Then why are you here?"

Sanyukta smiled, as if she knew something that he didn't, before answering, "Money."

The look in her eyes indicated that the reason was much deeper though, and he hesitated for a bit before replying to her.

"Why don't you have money?" he finally asked.

"My family has been living in poverty ever since my dad started gambling," she answered. "Now we're struggling just to support ourselves. On top of the restaurant, I work two other part-time jobs. I thought, if I could get this job as a secretary, my family wouldn't have to suffer anymore."

Randhir looked at her and couldn't help the warm feeling that was overpowering his heart. For some reason, her innocence was shining, even though she was clearly here for money.

"You're right. They won't suffer anymore," he told her firmly. "You're going to be my secretary."

"You know Randhir sir, you aren't as bad as I thought you were," she told him, leaning back on the couch and relaxing.

"Likewise," he said with a smirk. "You aren't so bad either."

As soon as he said that, he got a phone call. His dad.

"Randhir, I need you to clear your schedule tomorrow. I know you don't like Ishika much, and I will support you because I've got a much better choice for you," he told her. "Her father has a higher net worth, he wants to arrange for his daughter to meet you tomorrow."

"Dad!" Randhir said into the phone. "I'm busy right now."

"Don't let me down again," Harsh Shekhawat said into the phone before hanging up.

"Is everything okay?" Sanyukta asked him.

"My dad just wants me to meet a girl tomorrow," Randhir said, shaking his head and sighing loudly.

"You don't want to meet her? What if you'll like her?" Sanyukta asked him softly.

"I told you already. I can't ever get into a serious relationship with a girl," Randhir told her, getting frustrated.

"If you're not ready for it, then I don't think you should go either," Sanyukta then said, and he nodded.

"You're right. I won't go. Thanks," he answered and then flashed her a smile. "Hey, let's hang out tomorrow night instead. I mean I'll take you to a dinner, as your boss. Just an introduction dinner."

"What?" Sanyukta asked, sounding nervous again.

"It's just a formal event. Nothing to worry about... and I hope you know by now that I won't try anything cheap on you," he told her seriously.

"Okay... I guess that's reasonable," she replied and smiled at him.

He smiled too. For some reason, her smile was melting his heart.

7

Randhir didn't know what hit him. Even after she had left, he could only think of her. In fact, even the next day, Sanyukta was the only one who was on his mind. Her beautiful brown eyes, her silky black hair, her blunt personality... everything about her was not letting him rest.

He tried to get his mind off her, but failed. He didn't know why he kept thinking about her, just that he liked to think about her.

Even at work that morning, he had been sitting still in his office for two hours, with a smile on his face, just twirling his pen around.

"I'm going crazy," he had murmured before leaving work for the day.

He hadn't given Sanyukta an official start day yet at his office, but he wanted her to join as soon as she could, because for some reason, he wanted her to be around him as much as possible.

That night, he asked her to meet him at a five-star hotel for dinner. It was where he often took his business clients, but this didn't feel like it was for business. In fact, it felt like more of a date.

He waited for her for a good twenty minutes before she showed up, looking ravishing in a bright red dress. Her hair was curled and and fell loosely around her shoulders.

As soon as she took her seat and smiled at him with her glossy red lips, Randhir couldn't help but stare at them lustfully for a few moments before distracting himself by looking into her eyes.

"You look nice," he said, meaning every bit of the compliment.

"Thank you," she replied brightly, "You do too."

"Have you ever been here before?" he asked her, trying to make small talk.

"No. I've never been to a five-star hotel for a meal," she admitted, looking down, and he wondered if she was nervous.

"I'm glad your first time is with me then," he told her lightly, and she looked up at him with a hopeful expression. "Have a look at the menu and see what you like."

Sanyukta opened her menu and started to look it over as Randhir's phone rang.

"What dad?" Randhir asked disrespectfully.

"Do you know that the girl I wanted you to meet rejected you before you even got to meet her?" his dad said angrily into the phone. "You don't know what you just lost!"

"How am I supposed to control that?" Randhir asked, irritated. "If she rejected me, how is it my fault?"

"You're good for nothing, that's why!" his dad bellowed into the phone and then hung up, leaving Randhir feeling a strange ache in his heart.

He hated when his dad insulted him. Everything he had done until this point was for his father, but when he wanted to live his own life and meet his own girls, his father never supported him.

"Is everything okay?" Sanyukta asked softly.

"Yeah," he forced himself to say. "Remember that girl I was telling you about?"

She nodded.

"Well... my dad told me she rejected me without meeting me... now he's upset. It's all just a business deal for him," Randhir admitted. "He said I'm good for nothing."

"I'm sure that's not the reason," Sanyukta told him softly.

"How do you know?" he asked, frowning.

"I know I only got to know you yesterday, but even by knowing this much, I know that you're a great person," she told him encouragingly, and Randhir could feel his heart melt with her kind words.

Nobody had ever spoken to him like this... not with so much concern and care.

"Thank you," Randhir said gratefully.

"Don't mention it... hey, let's have some of the bruschetta! It's really good here... it'll make you feel better!" she told him eagerly.

Randhir looked up at her with shock.

"You said you've never been here before," he pointed out and her face held the expression of someone who had just been caught committing a crime, before she changed it quickly.

"I haven't," she told him, "But I've heard reviews! I work at a restaurant remember?"

"Oh right, let's have it then!" Randhir said and smiled.

Of course that would be why. Randhir nearly laughed at himself for even suspecting that it could be for a different reason.

He didn't know how wrong he was.

8

Randhir didn't know how his perspective of Sanyukta Agarwal changed so quickly that he began to accept her as his friend. She was very easy to get along with, and had a warm personality. His days were filled either by spending time with her, or by thinking of her. She would never leave his mind.

"I'm going crazy," he murmured in his office one day, as he leaned back on his chair. "Why do I keep thinking about her?"

"Who?" her voice chirped, as she entered his cabin.

"Sanyukta?" Randhir asked, sitting up in his chair.

She took a seat in front of him and passed forward the file that she had in her hand.

"I brought you this file," she told him. "It has all the information you need. I also updated your calendar with your new appointments. Is there anything else I should do today?"

"You do everything before I ask you to," he told her appreciatively.

She looked down and smiled, before looking back up into his eyes.

"I don't want to disappoint you," she told him softly. "Anyways who were you thinking about earlier?"

"Nobody," Randhir said quickly, "But... hey, let me ask you. If you think about someone continuously, what does that mean?"

"It means you've fallen in love," she said simply. "Either that, or they make you so angry, that all you can think about is them."

"But it's neither!" he denied. "There must be a middle ground."

"Nope. It's either extreme love or extreme hatred," Sanyukta replied with a smile.

He definitely didn't hate her then could it mean that he loved her? No way... of course not. How could he just love her just like that? She was his secretary, completely out of his league.

"I have a task for you," Randhir then said, trying to change the subject. "But I don't know if you'll do it."

"What?" she asked curiously.

"Come over to my place tonight and massage my back," he told her. "You can say no."

She looked at him with wide eyes. He was testing her... to see if she felt a connection to him as well. Perhaps, if she felt like she was close to him, then he wouldn't have to worry too much about his budding feelings. If she showed that she felt awkward or disgusted, then he would have to tone it down a bit.

"Don't worry. I'll do it," she accepted.

"I'll pay you well," he replied with a smile, a warm feeling spreading across his chest following her acceptance.

"I'm not doing this for payment," she answered and then smiled back. "I'm doing this because I care for you. I'll see you later."

Randhir could feel his heart soar when she said that she cared for him. Sanyukta Agarwal cared for him? She cared so much that she was willing to come over to his place to give him a massage when she was a no nonsense type of girl? Wow... Randhir felt like his mind had just been blown.

"But why is this making me so happy?" he asked himself out loud, still unable to come to terms with his feelings.

9

Love. What a silly word. Surely such a feeling couldn't even exist in this world. What did this four letter word even mean and which idiot invented it? Perhaps even this emotion called love was just a business, a tactic to fool people so they could collect money from it. It was sensationalized everywhere - movies, books, the media... nothing was spared.

But if love didn't exist, then what was this blooming feeling that was in his heart?

"On the bed," she commanded, disrupting him from his thoughts, as she took out a bottle of coconut oil from her bag.

Sanyukta was here in his room, ready to give him a back massage just like they had planned.

"What?" he asked nervously.

Why was he so nervous? This feeling of having a girl over was not new to him... and she on the other hand seemed so casual. Wasn't she supposed to be the inexperienced one?

"First take off your shirt then lie down with your face in the pillow," she ordered.

"Wh -why?" he stammered. "Can't you do it with my shirt on?"

She sighed loudly.

"I'm going to give you a proper massage," she informed. "Now, I need you to cooperate and take off your shirt."

"But -" he argued.

"I'll do it for you then," she threatened, but Randhir's fingers had already reached up to his buttons, nervous at the thought of her removing his shirt.

He didn't know how he was going to survive this session where her hands were going to be all over his body, but he knew that he needed to act cool, otherwise she would smell something fishy.

Damn it, why did he even ask her for a massage? If he wanted to spend time with her, he could have just asked her to go out. Actually it was her fault. Why had she even agreed? Did she really not care that she would be touching his body? What kind of girl was she?

Suddenly the thought of her instant agreement made him angry. He removed his shirt and threw it on his chair and she shook her head disapprovingly.

"That's not a good habit," she commented. "You should put away your clothes neatly."

"Then you can do that for me after," he said angrily.

"Sure," she said, shrugging her shoulders, as if it wasn't a big deal. "Now lie down on the bed, face down."

Randhir went to his bed and lay down, burying his face in his pillow, angry that she was just agreeing to all of his demands. He could hear her opening a bottle and he relaxed, deciding that he might as well enjoy this now that it was happening.

As soon as he felt her soft hands on his bare back, his muscles tensed up and he felt nervous again.

"Randhir, you have to relax if you want this massage to work," she told him.

"Fine," he said, and tried to take deep breaths to relax, but having her so close to him was not good for his physical well-being right now.

He felt her hands massage the oil into his skin and he closed his eyes. This really felt good.

After perhaps fifteen minutes, she broke the silence.

"Do you want me to do the rest of your body too?" she asked him softly.

Randhir turned around immediately with wide eyes.

"Th - the rest of my body?" he gasped.

"Yes," she said coolly, as if it was a normal question.

"Like... my whole body?" he asked her, just to confirm that he was not assuming anything.

"Yes," she repeated. "You know what just lie down on your back now and I'll do the rest of your body."

Randhir thought that he was going to die on the spot. He couldn't say no, but he was not in the right physical state to say yes right now either.

10

Randhir didn't know how Sanyukta could give him a full body massage so coolly. She was so relaxed. It was like the concept of touching a man didn't exist. While he appreciated her sincerity, and he definitely had no complaints that she would be so close to him... he didn't like that it was such a casual act for her.

"Lie down," she ordered.

"Lie... Lie down?" he responded, gulping. "I actually think... I think that's enough for today."

"Oh... okay then," Sanyukta replied with a shrug.

This meant that she wouldn't be touching him anymore... and he didn't want that either. He was stuck. He wanted her to touch him, but her touch released not so innocent thoughts in his mind.

"Actually, maybe you can. My whole body is sore," he told her quickly, changing his mind.

After all, when would he get this kind of opportunity again?

"Are you sure?" she asked him, "I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

"I'm not uncomfortable... it's just... how are you so comfortable?" he finally blurted out.

Sanyukta smiled at him, as if she was expecting him to ask her something like this.

"So you finally asked instead of holding it in?" she murmured softly.

"I - I -" he stammered, unsure of how to respond to her.

"I don't know why I'm so comfortable. It's almost like... you're not a stranger to me. It's like you're a part of me," she answered.

"What?" he responded, completely taken aback by her answer.

"I see a part of myself in you, so I don't find it weird," she responded.

Randhir didn't understand her. How could she see a part of herself in him?

Sanyukta sighed, looking at his confused expression.

"It's like this. If I asked you to kiss me right now, would you do it?" she asked him.

Hell yeah, he wanted to say, but he couldn't say that.

"I don't know," he replied, too nervous to tell her he would.

"C'mon Randhir... who're you lying to?" she asked him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked her.

"I've seen the way you look at me," she told him softly, and inched closer to him on the bed. "I know you have feelings for me... you see something within you, inside me. Do you know what that is?"

Randhir shook his head. He had no idea what she was saying anymore. Feelings for her? That was impossible... he only was starting to like her as a friend. Maybe he found her somewhat attractive, but that had to be it.

"You can identify your soul inside me," she answered. "Just like I can identify my soul within you... that's why it isn't uncomfortable for me."

"No I can't!" he denied. "I don't have any feelings for you!"

"You can deny it, but you may not even know what your subconscious knows yet," she told him and then placed her hand on top of his. "Do you know what they call those who recognize their own soul in someone else? They call them soulmates."

"Are you crazy?" he blurted out, deciding that this was enough - she was going on about some nonsensical thing and had exaggerated his attraction to a completely different level.

There was no way that Sanyukta Agarwal was his soulmate. She was wrong. She had to be wrong. He would never accept it. He didn't even believe in the concept of soulmates for goodness sake!

11

"It's okay," she told him after he called her crazy, clearly not connecting with her soulmate theory. "You don't have to understand today... but one day you will."

He didn't know why she was behaving this way towards him all of a sudden. Was she trying to brainwash him into thinking that he loved her? Of course... a girl like her could only do that much. They get a little close to a rich guy, and they would think they can trap him.

"Do you like me?" he asked her, deciding to test it out.

After all what did he have to lose? He wanted to test her dignity... he wanted to see if she remained headstrong or if she confessed a false attraction to him.

"Why do you want to know?" she asked him curiously.

"I... may like you too," he confessed, and he was only saying it to get a confession out of her, but he wasn't even aware of how much truth this lie held.

She looked at him suspiciously for a moment.

"I don't know," she finally replied. "I think so."

"You think so?" he asked her, sounding completely confused. "How can you think so? It's either you do or you don't!"

"Exactly," she replied with a small smile. "It's either you like me or you don't. How can you maybe like me?"

He breathed sharply.

"Fine, I like you. Are you happy?" he snapped, deciding that it was enough.

"I like you too," she replied, smiling and glancing down as a blush crept up her cheeks.

He looked at her suspiciously. She looked like she really liked him, but of course she could just be a good actress. This had to be a trap... there was no such thing as an honest girl. Not of her standards anyways.

Randhir took her hand in his and placed it on his lap. They were both sitting side by side on the bed.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, sounding nervous.

"I love you," he told her, his eyes looking deep into hers... he was lying to her, but for some reason, the words came straight from the heart.

"You - you do?" she asked, sounding shocked.

"I do," he admitted.

"I... I love you too," she replied breathlessly.

She was such a heartless liar. She was a very good actress, but he was determined to put a stop to her game. Her confession was angering him. It was a good thing he wasn't really in love with her... otherwise he would be heartbroken. Despite his anger, he also felt his heart hurt. How could she confess so easily to someone?

He placed one hand on her waist and the other one on her cheek and she started to breathe faster.

"R - Randhir," she whispered.

"Yes Sanyukta?" he whispered back to her, bringing his face closer to her.

"Is this too fast?" she asked him.

"Nothing's too fast when there's love," he replied softly. "We love each other right... so why should there be any separation between us?"

She closed her eyes as he inched closer and closer towards her, waiting for her to push him away... but she didn't push him away. Instead, their lips brushed over each others lightly, and he felt a tingling sensation run throughout his body.

He never felt this way when he kissed a girl before.

Randhir kissed her softly, slowly taking the time to feel her lips as much as he could. She kissed him back, but it was sloppy. It was like she had never kissed a guy before.

"Follow my lead," he muttered against her lips.

Then he captured her top lip between his own lips and sucked gently. Her hands moved up his back, into his hair, as she playfully tugged on his bottom lip.

After a few moments, he finally broke the kiss and looked at her. She looked so shy, that she couldn't even look into his eyes.

"You've never kissed someone before?" he asked her.

She shook her head.

"N - no," she stammered nervously.

She was so cheap. She would go to any extent in the name of love. There had to be a point where she would stop him though and he was going to continue to strip her dignity until she stopped him... that was if she had any self-respect left in her.

12

Randhir Singh Shekhawat was angry at this Sanyukta Agarwal. She was willing to give up her self-respect, her dignity, her everything for a man with money. He couldn't believe that he had even generated a bit of respect for her... all that he felt for her was going down the drain. He thought to let her reap what she had sown though. If she was hellbent on playing with him, then he would play with her too... and he would make her wish she hadn't blindly given everything up for money.

"Sit on my lap," he murmured, and she looked down, blushing.

"What?" she asked.

"My lap," he replied, "Come sit on it."

"B - but," she stammered, sounding nervous. "I - I think it's a bit too soon."

"Don't you love me?" he asked her. "If you loved me, then you wouldn't be so far away."

"Okay," she finally replied, with a defeated sigh and sat on his lap, facing him. "Is this how?"

Randhir nearly laughed at her innocence. He brought his fingers up to her cheek and caressed it softly.

"This is perfect," he whispered, as he slipped his other hand around her neck.

Then he pulled her in for another kiss, this time opening his mouth, so he could introduce her to the world of tongue. As he licked her lips with his tongue, he could feel her trembling against his body.

Her mouth was closed... it was like she was too nervous to open it.

"Open your mouth," he murmured against her lips.

She finally opened her mouth and Randhir slipped his tongue inside, exploring every part of her mouth that he had access to.

Finally breaking the kiss, he looked into her eyes. His hand reached over to the bottom of her shirt, and he slipped his hand inside, his fingers brushing her bare back. She gasped, but he looked into her eyes the whole time.

He moved his hand further and further up until he felt the clasp of her bra. She started to breathe faster. The fast breathing was not just desire though... the breathing was due to fear and anxiety, and as much as he despised her right now, that was not what he stood for. He was not the type to do anything to a girl when she was not willing to do it.

"Damn it," he replied, and took his hand out from under her shirt. "Nevermind."

"What?" she asked, sounding surprised.

"We'll do it when you're ready," he replied. "For now go home."

"Are you upset with me?" she asked him softly. "I'm sorry if I made you feel bad."

"I'm not upset with you," he responded. "Just go home... I have some work I need to finish here."

"B - but Randhir," she whispered in response.

"Randhir sir," he corrected coldly, and she looked at him with shock.

"Randhir sir," she then replied, tears filling her eyes. "I'll... I'll go then."

And with that, she got off his lap, picked up her bag and walked out of his condominium. As soon as she left, he was filled with a huge amount of guilt. For some reason, Sanyukta Agarwal actually seemed hurt... she actually seemed upset, and even if it looked like she was playing with him, her feelings seemed real... but he couldn't fall for that. Girls were vicious. Acting was their forte.

He didn't know what to do with her anymore. He thought he would get so close to her that he would strip her dignity, but here it seemed like he was going to hate himself if he did something like that, no matter how much he felt she deserved it.

Randhir just didn't know what to do.

13Note: Going forward, Sanyukta's POV will be incorporated as well, therefore I will alternate the point of views as I see fit.

She went to work the next day and stopped outside his office. She felt nervous from last night's events in his bedroom... she had never kissed a guy before, and she had almost done more than kiss her boss yesterday. Sanyukta knew that her feelings for him were pure, and she was sure that he was attracted to her as well.

Then why did he push her away last night? Why did he ask her to go home and then behave so coldly with her after he had kissed her?

She took a deep breath and entered his office.

"Good morning sir," she said, trying to sound enthusiastic, but in reality she was terrified.

"Come here," he said right away from behind his desk.

"Y - yes," she replied, and stepped towards him after closing the door.

"What is wrong with you?" he finally asked. "I've been thinking all night and I wonder why you would kiss me like that?"

She didn't know if he needed reassurance that she loved him, or if it was for another reason.

"I love you," she told him simply.

"But why?" he asked her, sounding confused. "Why do you love me?"

"Does love have a reason?" she argued back. "I love you because I love you."

"But... you were so outspoken only a few weeks ago... I still remember at the restaurant, you refused to even see me after work. You thought that I was misbehaving with you, so you were defending yourself. Last night it was like you were someone totally different," he pointed out.

She sighed, not sure how much longer she would have to defend her love. Now she was having second doubts about whether last night meant anything to him at all... were his feelings for her fake?

"Yes, because at the restaurant, I was not in love with you. Why would I throw myself at you? Now I got to know you and I love you... not for any reason in particular, but because I just do!" she replied. "Randhir... sir, if you don't like it, you don't have to love me back, but I love you and nothing will change that!"

"You are so bloody confusing," he snapped at her.

"Why did you kiss me last night?" she asked him softly, starting to feel a bit upset... it felt like his feelings had been genuine last night, but now she wasn't so sure.

"Because I love you," he mocked sarcastically.

"You do?" she asked him, wanting to believe that the mocking tone was not sarcasm.

"I love you very much," he retorted with even more sarcasm.

Tears prickled her eyes, and she finally realized that last night hadn't at all been genuine for him. She was only an experiment for him... nothing else. It was like her heart had broken into a million pieces, and she struggled to even breathe.

"S - sorry, I have to go," she stammered, and dropped her files on his desk. "I'm going to go home... I can't... I can't be here right now."

Randhir looked even more confused now.

"What? Why? You came to work, so why are you leaving when you haven't even started working?" he asked.

"I just can't!" she replied, tears streaming down her face. "Please understand sir... I can't be here."

"Give me a proper reason or I'm not letting you leave!" he replied harshly.

Then he got up from the desk and walked over to her, grabbing her arm hard. He pulled her close to him... so close, that she could feel his breath on her lips. Her heart started to beat faster and more tears streamed down her face.

If he was going to come so close to her, he was just making it more painful to her.

"Stop," she gasped. "Don't do this to me... when I said I loved you, I meant it."

"I meant it too," he finally murmured, and she felt her breath catch in her throat.

"I love you," she whispered, an ache in her chest, hoping beyond hope that right now he was not playing with her.

"I love you too," he whispered back to her, and then he closed the distance between their lips, kissing her deeply.

She closed her eyes and kissed him back. A feeling of longing and desire overcame her, and she could feel goosebumps erupt all over her body. Soon the kisses got more passionate and she could hear her own heart beating.

After they broke the kiss, he pulled her into a tight hug and she rested her head on his chest, tears falling from her eyes, but this time the tears were of happiness.

There was still a nagging fear that was at the back of her mind though... what if, just what if Randhir found out who she really was and the reason behind why she was here? Would he still love her the same?

14

This girl was unreasonable. She claimed to love him, which he did not believe one bit. She was after his popularity, his money, his status... something she could never have. The tears she was crying were crocodile tears, and the only reason he was accepting her confession was because he needed to teach her a lesson.

He had already decided that he was going to do this last night, but he wanted to give her one more chance to step out of this herself... if she was insistent on playing games with him, then he would insist on playing with her too.

"You think you're the only one who can play games?" he murmured into her ear, holding her close to his chest.

"Meaning?" she asked him.

"Let's play a game tonight," he told her.

"A game?" she asked, sounding confused.

"Yes, come over tonight... we're going to play a game," he informed. "Wear something sexy."

She broke the hug and looked at him with a confused expression on her face.

"Why?" she asked. "If we're playing a game, why do I need to wear something sexy?"

Randhir held her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes.

"Don't you trust me?" he asked her softly, and she nodded. "Then wear something sexy... just do as I say."

"O - okay," she stammered, finally accepting. "Where do I meet you?"

"Come over to my place at six," he told her.

"Okay," she agreed.

Then he pressed his lips against hers again and kissed her softly. She clutched his shirt tightly and kissed him back, her lips moving in sync with his... he had to say, she was a fast learner.

"Now let's get to work," he told her, breaking the kiss, and she smiled at him.

"Okay," she said shyly, looking down and blushing.

What kind of girl could fake a blush? This girl was really good at what she was doing... if he couldn't set her straight, then she would turn to other rich guys... and he doubted that anyone would be able to resist Sanyukta like he could.

He didn't know yet, that resisting her was nothing short of an impossible task, even for him.

That evening, Randhir kept two glasses on the table and a bottle of vodka out.

They were going to play a game that involved lots of alcohol, and a lot of stripping. He decided that tonight would be the night that she would be selling off both her body and her soul if she didn't confess the truth to him.

15

He didn't think that he would ever both like and dislike a girl so much. He couldn't even lie to himself and say that he didn't want her near him... but her nature was such that he detested her. Maybe it hurt him so deeply that she was pretending to love him, when in the end, she was only after his money. He didn't know why it hurt... all that he knew was that it hurt, and it bloody hurt a lot.

Randhir never wanted to take away a girl's dignity... sex was not something that he would trap a girl for. However, if Sanyukta Agarwal was coming here of her own accord, giving him her own body, and if she thought that she could hold her lies above her dignity, then perhaps she had no dignity for him to take away in the first place.

The reason he backed off yesterday was because it killed him inside to be doing this... but now he had mentally prepared himself. Now he had the willpower to do it... after today, his anger just multiplied.

When she arrived at his place, looking hot in a red dress with spaghetti straps and a deep v-neck that fell to mid-thigh, he pecked her lips and then smiled at her lovingly as he lead her to the living room... of course it was fake love on his face. He was playing with her... but this was to teach her a lesson. He hated girls like her so much.

"We're playing strip truth or dare with alcohol," he announced as she sat down on the couch and saw the bottle of vodka on his table.

"B - but I don't drink," she stammered, her eyes wide. "I've never done it before. A - And what do you mean by strip?"

"Then do it now," he told her, and picked up the bottle, pouring the contents of it into two glasses. "It works like this. I ask you truth or dare. If you say truth, then I ask you a question. If I think your answer to the question is a lie, I ask you to take off an article of clothing and take a shot... you have the same privilege for me."

She looked at him with wide eyes, and he could feel the fear resonate off her.

"If you say dare, then I ask you to do something... it can be anything. If you don't do it, then you have to take a shot and take off an article of clothing. Same rules for me," he told her. "Fair?"

"B - but why are we playing this?" she asked, gulping.

"I just want to get to know you... and this is fun," he told her with a smile. "Come on Sanyukta, don't you trust me?"

"I - I do... but this is weird," she told him, sounding scared. "I don't know if I'm ready for all of this."

Randhir sighed.

"One day you will have to be ready won't you?" he urged. "There's nothing wrong with breaking your barriers sooner... in fact, it'll give us more chances to spend time close to each other. Do you accept or not?"

"Fine," she said, nodding. "I accept. Let's play."

Randhir smiled.

"I knew you would accept. Now we're going to have a good time. Let's get started," he began and she nodded, holding her glass of alcohol. "I'll ask you first."

Randhir smirked as he saw her nervously look down at her glass of vodka... it was her choice today. She could come out clean and he'd let her go, or he was going to humiliate her, take away her dignity, and then he would let her go.

Either way, he was letting her go at the end of it all so she ought to feel lucky.

16

This was a dangerous game of Truth or Dare and Randhir knew that he was going to win at any cost. After all, he made the rules of the game such that she was doomed to lose. Truth or dare, strip or shot, she was going to lose... and that had been his plan all along.

"Truth or dare?" he asked her, eyeing her, trying to figure out what was going on through her mind.

"Dare," she answered, and he knew that she was trying to sound confident, but she was too nervous beyond repair.

"I didn't expect you to go directly to dare," he told her, surprised by her choice, "But... I dare you to come and sit on my lap."

She nodded and scooted over to him before sitting up on his lap, facing the side.

He brushed a bit of hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear.

"You're turning me on," he whispered in her ear, and he felt her tremble on top of him.

He wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Truth or dare?" she asked him, trying to change the subject to hide her embarrassment.

"I choose... truth," he answered.

"Why do you love me?" she asked curiously.

"Does love have a reason?" he answered - he thought her question was a waste... she could have found out anything about him, but here she was asking him why she loved him.

"You have to answer my question, not ask me," she demanded and he smiled involuntarily.

"Alright then," he said, taking her hand with his free one. "I love you because... well, I don't know the reason why I love you... but you're beautiful."

She looked down and blushed, causing him to genuinely smile... he didn't know why he found it so adorable when she turned red, but he knew that he wasn't lying when he said he found her beautiful. For some reason, day by day, he was getting more and more attracted to her.

"Truth or dare?" he asked her.

"Truth," she finally responded.

"If you had a chance to get all of my property, all my money, everything I had, on the condition that you leave me and go away, would you do it?" he asked her, his tone turning dark.

"No!" she replied right away without thinking about it for a moment. "Of course not!"

"Lies," he said darkly. "Take off your dress."

She looked at him with wide eyes as he finally revealed to her the side of him that he had been hiding all this while.

17

Lovers didn't have a very long life. They died the moment they fell in love... because how could love survive with identity? It was always one or the other, and Sanyukta had chosen love, losing her identity in the process.

She was here for a far deeper reason than he knew. She had come here, not for his love, but for him. The reason she had arrived in front of him, was for him and only him.

How could she tell him how much she loved him? He had lost himself once before, and she had to proceed with caution to bring him back up safely.

The restaurant, changing her name to Sarah, her showing up at his office pretending that she didn't know who he was... all of that was not a coincidence. All of it was done intentionally by her.

Sanyukta Agarwal had a different identity - she was not the girl who struggled for money, as Randhir thought her to be. She was the daughter of Kishore Agarwal, who had a business empire even stronger than Harsh Shekhawat. Ironically, Sanyukta's family was more well off than Randhir's was. She had no reason to approach him for money.

It all started when they were in college. Sanyukta was best friends with Vidhushi, Randhir's ex-girlfriend. She had never met Randhir personally, because he was two years older than her, and he never knew who she was.

Being Vidhushi's best friend, she got first hand news about him... and when her eyes first landed on him, she had fallen in love right away. Of course, she didn't know it was love at that time, and she had so many conflicting feelings because he was her best friend's boyfriend.

A much bigger truth was that she knew Vidhushi had no interest in Randhir for who he was, but she was after his name and his power. She felt so bad witnessing Vidhushi's actions. At one point, she even witnessed the way Randhir looked at Vidhushi with so much intensity, and it made her heart melt that someone could love someone else so much.

At that point she had even felt her heart break, wishing that he would look at her the same way he looked at Vidhushi, but he had never looked at her... not even when she passed him in the hallways.

As the years passed, she was happy with loving him from afar, because she realized that she didn't need his love to be happy. He didn't know her, and perhaps his life was much better off without her.

He graduated from college two years before she did, and everyday that he wasn't there, she would miss seeing him.

She used to always hear from her father about the Shekhawat's looking for a potential match for their son Randhir. Girl after girl, they would send him on a date with, but he never was serious... he rejected each and every one of them.

That was how she had come to know of his fear of commitment, his pain from the past, those wounds that never healed.

He would probably never admit it to himself, but she could sense that the reason he wasn't going far with the girls, was because he was afraid.

That was when Sanyukta decided that she would come into his life. She took up a job as a waitress, creating a whole different identity, a whole different name for herself.

She hadn't expected Randhir to come into the restaurant where she was working - the reason she even took up that job was so she could put experience on her resume when she would apply to work for him. In case he called the places she worked, she couldn't lie. For him, she was willing to put herself through many different strenuous activities, and working as a waitress was nothing in comparison to what she was ready to do.

She was taken aback when Randhir entered the restaurant that one day and asked her to meet him after her shift. That was not how she wanted it to go... she couldn't end up as a fling for him, she had to leave a lasting impression on him, so she ignored him. Sanyukta had already known that she'd meet him again weeks later, when he was hiring his new secretary.

It was not a secret that every couple of weeks, he went through the process of firing and hiring secretaries, and Sanyukta had already made up her mind that she would join him... that was the best way to get into his life and heal his wounds.

While all this was happening, without her knowledge her father and Randhir's father had started talking about their marriage. Randhir wasn't ready of course, and he wasn't even willing to meet her, but Sanyukta didn't mind... she was already with him, trying to heal his broken heart, so he could give love another chance.

As they spent more and more time together, she noticed that he was starting to look at her differently, almost as if he liked her. It was the way she had always wished he would look at her. Then when they kissed, she was in another world completely - she had only ever dreamed about kissing him. He was her first love, her first kiss, her first everything, and she would gladly lose everything she had if it truly mended his heart.

Now, she was here in front of him, being asked to strip over a game of Truth or Dare, because he didn't believe her truth.

Sanyukta smiled.

It was true she had come here to fix his heart, but she had already lost herself years ago when she first looked at him. At the end of all of this, even if he pushed her away, left her, or hurt her, she would gladly move on, because finally his wounds would heal, making him capable of falling in love again.

"Okay," she told him softly, and she reached down to the bottom of her dress, about to take it off completely, as he looked at her with awe.

Why should she, Sanyukta Agarwal, have a problem with this when she had stopped living for herself the day that she vowed to help him?

That day, a new Sanyukta Agarwal had been born, rising out of her own ashes like a phoenix, and this Sanyukta Agarwal was the one who would live for Randhir Singh Shekhawat until she took her last breath.

18

He looked at her like she was out of her mind - which she was. Who in their right mind would actually lose their dignity over a game like this, that too with a motivation like money?

"You might as well be a prostitute," he told her snidely, and he saw her eyes widen painfully.

Perhaps he hurt her... but he hoped more than the hurt, she'd learn from his words, and stop doing whatever it was. Her hands were on the bottom of the dress, about to lift it off completely, and she didn't say a word to him in return.

"Take it off then take a shot," he provoked.

She stood up, previously from having sit on his lap and took the dress off completely, letting it fall to the ground. He couldn't take his eyes off her, as he looked her up and down in nothing but a black bra and black panties. Lace... it was almost like she had been expecting this.

"Come back on my lap," he told her, and she nodded, sitting back down on him.

This proximity with her half naked was going to drive him crazy, but he had to control for now.

"Now take a shot," he ordered.

"Do I have to?" she asked softly, and he almost felt bad, so he shook his head.

He took his glass of vodka instead and took a shot for her.

"Okay, your turn," he told her.

"Truth or dare?" she asked him softly.

"Truth," he answered.

"If that girl who broke your heart in the past, Vidhushi... if she asked to come back into your life, would you take her back?" Sanyukta asked softly.

Randhir's eyes filled with pain, and he felt himself get angry. Just because he told her about this girl in a moment of weakness didn't mean that she had to use it as a sword on him.

Yes, he loved Vidhushi at one point, but Vidhushi was a bitch who was only after his family name, not anything else. He wanted to forget about her completely, he wanted to get rid of her thoughts, her memories, and he had. It was just when each and every girl came in front of him, that he was unable to give them a chance because when it came down to it... girls were only influenced by money.

This Sanyukta was no different.

"I would never take that bitch back," he answered.

"Lies," Sanyukta told him softly. "Take off your shirt."

Randhir looked up at her with shock, surprised that she even had guts to say that he was lying.

19

"I'm not lying!" Randhir argued. "I'm being honest! I would never take that bitch back."

Sanyukta placed her hands on his shoulders, before running them down his chest to where his first button was located. She started to unbutton his white shirt for him, and this act alone was driving Randhir crazy.

"Stop - I - I'll do it," he said, and touched the top of her hand with his own.

She smiled and took her hands off him as he continued to unbutton his shirt. As soon as he was done, he dropped it along with Sanyukta's dress. With a loud sigh, he took a shot out of his glass.

"Truth or dare," he said next.

"Dare," Sanyukta said with sparkling eyes, and Randhir smirked.

Perfect. Now it was time to embarrass her. She had three choices - to do his dare, to strip, or to stop playing the game. He was still hoping that she would back out of the game.

"I dare you to give me a massage... down here," he said with a smirk, as he took her hand and placed it over his crotch.

She gasped and widened her eyes as she felt the hardness from over his pants.

"R - really?" she squeaked. "That's the dare?"

"Yes. What are you going to do Sanyukta?" he asked, his tone turning serious. "Will you give me the massage or will you strip? You have another choice too. You can even stop playing this game."

He took her hand off him and brought it to his lips instead planting a soft kiss on the back of it.

"The choice is yours," he murmured.

20

Sanyukta looked at him in amazement. She didn't have a choice - although to him it may look like she had many. Lovers never had a choice for they were helpless to always choose love. In fact, love was all they saw.

"I'll do it," she answered with a smile, and he looked at her with a disgusted expression on his face.

She never wanted him to look at her in that way, but what could she do? If loving him meant losing all the respect he had for her, then so be it.

"You have no self-respect," he commented.

"This is my self-respect," she answered simply.

He looked at her with confusion but she just felt a warmth inside. Only she knew how much she was respecting herself right now. How could she explain to him that she was respecting the love she had for him, the love she had for herself... this was her empowering herself, not degrading herself.

"Then give me a massage," he provoked, trying to see if she was being serious. "Do it."

Sanyukta reached down to his black pants and unbuttoned it.

"Wh - what are you doing?" he gasped.

"Doing what you told me to," she answered simply, unzipping his pants to reveal his navy blue briefs.

"I didn't mean under my pants!" he responded.

"Let me do it under your pants," she replied with a smile. "Why not go all the way?"

"That's - that's," he spluttered, but she had already reached under his briefs. "Sanyukta!"

"What?" she asked coolly, before getting off his lap. "Stand up!"

"No!" he responded, shaking his head. "Don't do this to me. I won't be able to control."

Sanyukta grinned and got off the sofa, pulling him up with her.

She slid his pants down and then squeezed her eyes shut as she removed his briefs. Still without looking at him, she turned around and threw the clothes on to their clothes pile.

"I won," she said softly, her eyes still averted from him as he gasped from behind her. "Don't worry... I won't look at you."

Randhir looked at her with shock. Had Sanyukta just fooled him and made him lose at his own game - that too, by avoiding her dare?

21

Randhir picked his clothes from the ground and put them back on quickly before picking up her red dress and holding it out for her to take, feeling extremely shocked by what she had just done.

Sanyukta took the dress and slipped it on, smiling to herself. Of course, she had to do this. She had to make Randhir realize that he wasn't the only intelligent one here and that he was underestimating her. She needed him to see that she was his equal, and with that realization, he would begin to understand that she was capable of healing him.

After they finished dressing themselves, Sanyukta turned around to face him, a smile on her face.

"What was that?" he finally asked.

She walked up to him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"That was my love for you," she answered simply.

"What?" he asked, completely taken aback.

"I just wanted to win," she said with a shrug and grinned.

"You're not as innocent as I thought," he pointed out. "I never thought you'd come up with something like this."

"I guess I should go home then," she answered with a wide smile.

"Yeah, go!" he replied snarkily.

She just laughed - his ego seemed to have got the better of him, and now he was pushing her away. For some reason, Sanyukta found him adorable when he was reacting so harshly over a game.

As she got ready to leave, he was hit with a sudden lost feeling. His heart, for some reason, was aching at the thought of her leaving him, and he couldn't control the longing that was filling him up inside. It was not longing for her body, but it was longing for something else completely, something he didn't understand.

She picked up her purse and was about to go when he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him being unable to control himself, smashing his lips against hers with such force that she was surprised. Her purse fell to the ground as she reached up to cup his cheeks, kissing him back.

"Don't go, please," he whispered to her, after he broke the kiss, and she heard such desperation in his voice, that her heart melted.

"I won't go anywhere," she responded softly, caressing his cheeks.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her closer to him, pulling her in for a deeper kiss. Then he picked her up in his arms and carried her into his bedroom, still kissing her passionately, about to give her the most beautiful night of her life.

22Note: There is a descriptive lovemaking scene. Read at your own discretion.

As he took her into his bedroom in his arms, his lips on hers, he kissed her in a way that was unimaginable for him - with a lot of passion, a lot of desire, and a lot of love... except he didn't quite understand it at the time.

He placed her on the bed and climbed over her, his hands on her arms, as he kissed her deeply. She was breathless, and so was he... but neither wanted to stop. Neither of them wanted to be away from the other, even if it was for a split second.

Finally, he broke the kiss to let her breathe and her chest heaved up and down as she panted, struggling to breathe. He was the same way... for some reason, with the erratic beating of his heart, with the sweat that was already forming on his forehead and on his hands, with the beautiful girl in front of him who he desired more than anything, he felt different - like all of this was new to him.

There was one thing he needed to tell her though. If he didn't tell her this, he wouldn't be able to carry forward.

"When you feel uncomfortable, stop me," he told her seriously, and he noticed a tinge of red take over her cheeks, like she was blushing.

He smiled at her. For some reason, her blush made him feel intoxicated.

Leaning towards her again, he kissed her once more, and her arms wrapped around his neck as he deepened the kiss. His hands fell to her waist and he squeezed it, causing her to breathe faster.

"You can make sounds if you want," he whispered and he felt her grip on his neck tighten, almost like she was feeling shy.

Randhir smiled against her lips. He found her cute... so cute that he had forgotten all about why he despised her a few moments ago.

Removing his lips from hers, he kissed her forehead softly, before kissing her eyelids one by one. Then he kissed her nose, her cheeks, her lips, and then planted kisses down her jawline, down her neck, to her collarbone.

His hands ran up her body, feeling her curves. As his hands got closer and closer to her chest, he heard her breathe faster, and he stopped, not wanting to carry on and make her uncomfortable.

He sat up on the bed, and she sat up too, placing her hand on his shoulder. Then before he could say anything, she had hugged him tightly from the side, burying her face in his shoulder.

"I want to give everything to you," she told him softly.

"Why?" he asked her, and he turned around to face her, removing her arms from around him.

"I want to feel you so close to me... as close as possible," she murmured, placing her hands on his cheeks.

She looked at him with so much sincerity that it almost left him confused. He brought a hand to her cheek and caressed it softly.

Sanyukta then got off the bed and pulled her dress off, before glancing down on the ground and blushing. Randhir smiled as he observed her shyness. It was almost like he was engrossed in her... he was so engrossed, that he thought he was a different person completely.

He unbuttoned his own shirt and removed it, before taking off his pants as well and allowed his clothes to join hers on the ground.

"Come here," he murmured as her shaking hands reached behind her to take off her black bra. "Don't take it off yet."

She nodded and climbed onto the bed with him. He pulled her on his lap and kissed her chin softly.

"Are you sure?" he asked her, caressing her cheek.

"I'm sure," she whispered confidently. "I am sure that I love you."

"I love you too," he whispered back to her, and this time, his confession felt genuine... like he really meant it. It came from his heart, without him even thinking about it.

She looked into his eyes, and he watched as her own eyes teared up. She leaned forward and kissed him softly, yet with so much love.

Her trembling hands moved down his torso, to his stomach, and his breath hitched in his throat.

"Sanyukta," he whispered, before turning her over on the bed and laying her down.

He kissed her cheek slowly, relishing in the moment, enjoying the very act of feeling her skin on his lips, as his hands reached behind her back, and unclasped her bra.

He trailed kisses down her neck slowly, but lovingly as he took the bra off her body and let it fall to the ground beside the bed. Then his hands rested on her stomach, as he sat up on the bed and glanced down at her breasts.

"Beautiful," he murmured and she closed her eyes, smiling softly.

He leaned forward and kissed the top of her breast lovingly, before he took one of her nipples in his mouth and licked it sensuously. She bit on her lip, trying to stifle an involuntary moan. He held her other breast gently as he sucked on her nipple.

"Oh," she moaned, almost surprised with how good it felt.

He kissed her all over her breast, without leaving a part of her skin untouched, until he moved over to the other one.

Once he finished pleasing her other breast, he moved down her body, towards her stomach, sucking on every part of her skin that came into contact with his mouth. He sucked on her navel, and her hands reached down to grab his bed sheets tightly.

As he moved even further down to her panties, he paused for a moment before glancing up at her. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing really quickly, as if she was very turned on.

Randhir placed his fingers on the bottom on her black lace panties, and he could feel the wetness that was seeping through the cloth. He smiled.

He moved down her body to her legs. He started from her foot, and kissed his way up her legs, to her thighs. Once he got to her inner thighs, he paused to kiss and suck on her skin, causing her to gasp. He licked his way up to her panties and she grabbed the bed sheets even more tightly.

Randhir used his hands to remove the panties, and threw them on the ground with the rest of their clothing. As he looked at her newly exposed skin, he couldn't help but smile.

"You are so beautiful," he murmured.

He used his hands to stroke her desire gently, causing her to moan softly. Then he leaned towards her and licked her folds, and she breathed even more quickly. He sucked on her folds and she moaned even louder.

"That's what I wanted to hear," he said, removing his lips from her soft spot with a smirk. "Keep doing that. It's sexy."

Then he went back to work at pleasuring her. He continued to please her with his tongue until her whole body tensed up and she had an orgasm.

"You taste so good when you climax," he said out loud and he knew she was blushing.

Chuckling lightly, he inserted his finger inside her. She was very tight, and he knew that if he entered her right now it would hurt her.

"Randhir, please," she begged finally, and he glanced up at her.

"Yes?" he teased, as if he didn't know what she wanted.

"I want you - I want you inside me," she gasped.

"It'll hurt," he then told her seriously.

"Please," she begged.

He removed his finger from inside her and moved up her body to kiss her lips.

"Okay," he agreed against her lips. "As you say. Stop me if it's too much."

He took off his briefs and threw them on the ground, before positioning himself at her entrance. He rubbed his hardness over her wetness and she squeezed her eyes shut, moaning involuntarily. Placing one hand on her navel, he guided his hardness towards her opening and pushed it inside with difficulty. She was so tight, that it was hard for him to get it in.

Sanyukta bit down on her tongue to prevent herself from yelping as he entered her completely. He leaned forward and captured her lips with his, trying to divert her attention from the pain. Her hands desperately reached up to grab his back as he started to rock his hips back and forth slowly, to give her time to adjust to him.

"Randhir, I want you to go faster," she murmured against his lips.

He started to thrust even faster, and he took his lips off hers and buried his face in her neck, sucking on the supple skin.

Her hands ran down his back as he continued to thrust, until finally he couldn't take it anymore and he finished inside her. After laying still for a few moments, he pulled himself out of her and fell on the bed. He looked at her and noticed that she had tears in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked her softly.

She leaned into him and nodded.

"Yes," she breathed out.

"Let's sleep," he murmured.

"Okay," she replied, and closed her eyes, her arm wrapped around him, her head resting on his chest. "Good night."

"Good night," he replied, as he closed his own eyes and easily fell asleep.

In reality, their love making hurt her so much... but she didn't tell him. The only reason she had asked him to go faster was so she could give him the enjoyment he deserved. Her pain was nothing compared to his pleasure, and she was ready to feel the most amount of pain... if it made him happy.

Randhir on the other hand, had so much experience when it came to girls, yet today, when he had sex with Sanyukta... it didn't feel like sex at all. It felt like making love. And for the first time in his whole life, Randhir felt the difference between making love and having sex.

23

The next morning when Randhir woke up, he remembered what had happened last night between him and Sanyukta. Shit. He squeezed his eyes shut, as if it was a nightmare that he wanted to forget. Yes, they slept together, and now she was sleeping on his chest soundly, looking like an angel. He was sure this was all a plan by her though.

She was not an angel... she couldn't be. She was a devil, only interested in him for his money and to prove herself to him, she stooped so low as to sleep with him?

Yes, sure it had been fun for him... sex was always fun for him, but he didn't want that fun at the cost of her clinging on to him now. One thing bothered him... it was the fact that the sex he had last night with Sanyukta felt very real, very pure, and very different from anything he had ever experienced before.

Randhir pulled her body off him and lay her down on the bed, as he got up and put on his clothes. He picked up Sanyukta's clothes and placed them on the bed beside her before coughing loudly.

She stirred in her sleep and looked up at him.

"Good morning," she said softly.

"Don't be late for work," was all he said. "You have one hour."

"What?" she yelped, and sat up, holding the covers to her chest. "How am I going to be there in an hour? I have to go home and change!"

"That's not my problem," he told her sternly. "What happened last night doesn't give you excuses to be late. Hurry up, time is ticking."

Randhir then left his room so he could give her space to get dressed. In about a minute, she had already run outside his room in her clothes from last night and glanced at him again, as if she was hoping he would tell her not to worry.

Instead, he just glanced at the clock noticeably. She put on her shoes and ran out of the door, her heart beating erratically.

He felt bad for not being nicer to her... but what was he supposed to do? Now that she had given her whole body to him, he had no reason to even keep her around... surely once he got rid of her, she would learn her lesson to not be so hungry for money.

He was going to fire her soon.

24

It was painful for her to walk, let alone to run. Her whole body was sore and she was aching all over... yet she was running the fastest she could run, because Randhir told her to be on time. She couldn't be late.

She hadn't been expecting this, but what else could she have expected? She was still his secretary, and even if they made love last night, it didn't mean that they could forget about their professional life.

Sanyukta managed to get home in twenty minutes, change into a formal dress, and put on her heels for work, before leaving and taking the auto to office... she had a car, but of course, she couldn't show up to work in that.

As soon as she got to work panting for air, Randhir was already there. He glanced at the clock and then back at her.

"Not bad," he said out loud. "You're here two minutes early."

Sanyukta stumbled to his desk and straightened her dress.

"Yes sir. What would you like me to do today?" she asked him.

"I have a few appointments in the afternoon," he told her seriously, glancing at her with interest. "I want you to cancel them all."

She nodded.

"What reason should I give them?" she asked.

"I want to spend some time with my girlfriend," he answered.

"What?" she asked, her eyes widening, then she smiled shyly and looked down blushing.

Randhir who noticed this, smirked.

"Her name is Tina," he told her, and her smile dropped, as she stared at him with shock. "She's been my girlfriend for a few weeks now."

25

Tina didn't exist. Randhir was just making this up to show her that she wasn't important to him at all, but as he saw the frown that appeared on her face, his heart dropped. He couldn't let her facade distract him though... he had to be focused. This was all her plan. She wanted him to feel sorry for her, so she could trap him and get his money.

"Don't lie," she replied.

"What?" he asked her, taken aback.

"I mean, I know you don't have a girlfriend. Do you think your girlfriend would let you spend so much time with me?" she asked him and joined him behind his desk.

"Hey you're not allowed back here," he argued, but she had already reached him and placed her hands on his shoulders from behind him.

"I know I'm not allowed back here as your secretary. But I'm not coming back here as your secretary... I'm back here as the Sanyukta you made love to last night. I'm here to tell you that my love for you is real, and I know that the love you showed me last night was very much real too," she told him softly, leaning in to place her lips against his ear, causing him to start breathing unevenly. "At least don't disrespect your own love like that."

"I don't trust you," he finally said out loud. "You're only after me for my money. It's so obvious."

"Believe what you will. I'm not going to prove myself to anyone," she answered, then she smiled sadly, before kissing him softly on his cheek and standing up straight. "I guess I should resign then."

"What?" he asked, shocked.

"You want to keep me?" she asked him, raising her eyebrows.

What was with this girl? Why was she messing around with him? He was the master player here... she couldn't beat him at this game too.

"N - no! I mean yes!" he stammered, then his heart started to beat faster unexpectedly. "Dammit, I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Why?" she asked softly.

"I don't know," he said with frustration, placing his hands on his head, and feeling his heart ache, "I want to love you... I really, really do... but how can I love you when I don't even believe in love?"

She placed her hands on his shoulder again and this time she hugged him from behind, pressing her cheek against his.

"By giving it a chance," she answered softly. "In order to love someone when you don't believe, you have to give it a chance and take the risk of having your heart broken... is your love worth having your heart broken?"

"Yes," he answered breathlessly, without even thinking about it.

"Then the answer is obvious," she replied.

"I love you," he said to her, without thinking about it for a moment, as he felt his eyes get wet. "I love you Sanyukta."

Then he turned around to face her and she smiled.

"I love you too Randhir," she answered, and a feeling of warmth took over his heart.

Then she closed the gap between their mouths and kissed him softly.

26

As soon as her lips met his, he turned his rolling chair around and pulled her down on his lap, his hands reaching up to cup her cheeks as he deepened the kiss.

Her hands fell to his shoulders, and she broke the kiss, struggling to breathe.

Looking into his eyes, she noticed that they were wet, and she felt her own eyes fill with tears. Sanyukta reached up to caress his cheeks with her trembling fingers, and he dropped his hands to her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"Don't be," she replied softly and smiled at him. "I understand why you were doing what you did."

"That doesn't give me an excuse to -" he started, but Sanyukta leaned forward and pecked his lips quickly, leaving him stunned.

"I don't know where you got these guts from," he pointed out.

"Love," she answered, and started to giggle.

"Sanyukta, I think I should be honest with you," he told her seriously. "When I first told you I loved you, until even last night, I didn't mean it."

Sanyukta pressed her forehead against his, and he could feel his heart start to beat erratically.

"I didn't want to admit I fell in love with you... because... because well girls are liars. Or at least, that's how I feel. I felt like they're cheats because the one girl from the past who I truly had feelings for, she claimed to love me when all she wanted was my money... so I made myself believe that you were after my money and power too," he admitted. "I don't like being lied to... it hurts me a lot when those who I care about lie to me."

Sanyukta felt an overwhelming sense of guilt hit her when he said that, but she didn't interrupt him. He needed to get this off his chest first.

"I wanted to hurt you, to teach you a lesson so you would know not to do this with anyone," he continued, and then stroked her cheek lovingly. "I wanted to humiliate you, to embarrass you, to hurt you and snatch your dignity from you... just to teach you a lesson."

She felt tears invade her eyes at his confession, but she smiled nonetheless.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, looking guilty. "I really am sorry. When I told you I loved you today, and even last night as we were making love, I meant it. I wasn't lying."

"I know," she answered softly. "I know you meant it."

"This morning I tried to push you away because I couldn't handle how beautiful last night was. I had sex before, but I never made love Sanyukta," he told her honestly. "I never knew why everyone claimed sex was so beautiful... last night I found out why."

"It was beautiful for me too Randhir," she confessed. "It was the most beautiful night of my life."

She removed her forehead from his and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"I really want to give us a chance," he admitted, holding her to him tightly. "I want to believe that you love me for me, and not my money or power... I want to believe all of that... sometimes it's hard when all I've been acquainted with was the opposite."

"Take your time Randhir. I will be here with you, waiting with you," she said, a smile on her face.

"Thank you," he answered, rubbing her back, as a smile formed on his face. "You are amazing Sanyukta... thank you so much for being here."

Warmth filled her heart as he finally gave in to his feelings, finally accepted love, and he finally surrendered to the calling of his soul.

27

Later that day, once they were finished their work and it was time to go home, Randhir hugged Sanyukta from behind in his office, burying his face in her neck.

"Randhir!" Sanyukta gasped, as he started to suck on the supple skin of her neck.

She felt herself go weak and if he wasn't holding her from behind, she might have even fallen down.

"I'll drop you home," he told her, his nose nuzzling her neck.

"No!" she said right away - Randhir could not drop her home... no way, if he saw where she lived, he would find out that she wasn't the poor girl that she pretended to be.

"Why?" he asked, and she placed her hands on top of his, before turning around to face him.

"I want to come to your home," she said with a smile.

"My home?" he asked, surprised. "Why?"

"To spend time with you obviously," she told him, rolling her eyes.

He cupped her cheeks lovingly and kissed her forehead.

"Why don't we spend time at your home?" he asked her softly. "I want to see where you live."

"Not today Randhir," she told him, "I'm just worried my father will come home and if he sees you, it won't be good right now. I have to tell him about you first."

Randhir smiled and held her tightly.

"Okay then," he whispered. "But Sanyukta there's something I want to tell you."

"Mhmm?" she asked him.

"We're going to take things slow from now... I feel like I rushed everything for you. I want to give you everything in a special way... so we'll stay away from each other," he told her softly. "From our first kiss to everything else, I want it all to be special."

Sanyukta smiled against his chest.

"Randhir, you don't have to do that... it was very special for me," she told him honestly.

"No, but I wasn't being genuine," he told her. "Now it'll be perfect."

Sanyukta broke the embrace, and looked into his eyes with her tear-filled ones.

"I love you," she told him lovingly. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," he told her, then smiled. "So how about a date first?"

"A date?" she asked. "Where?"

"That's a surprise. I'll pick you up at seven this evening," he told her. "Text me your address."

"Yeah okay," she told him, feeling nervous about what address to give him. "I'll see you tonight then."

"I'm going to miss you," he said to her, with a sad smile.

"It's only for a few hours," she replied, smiling. "We'll meet soon."

He took her hand and squeezed it, before letting go.

"Come, let's go. I'll help you find a taxi," he said to her, and she smiled.

"Okay," she answered, and followed him out of his office.

28

Sanyukta had given him an address to a lower-middle class area, where she decided to take a taxi to before he picked her up. It was cold outside, and Sanyukta was dressed in a blue knee-length dress and had a black shawl wrapped around her.

She had been waiting for about fifteen minutes, shivering in the cold until he arrived in a BMW and rolled down his windows, looking surprised.

"It's so cold, you could have waited inside!" he told her, then unlocked the doors of his car. "Come in!"

She got in immediately, her teeth still chattering.

"Sanyukta!" Randhir exclaimed and touched her cheek which felt like ice. "You're going to get sick. Why didn't you just wait inside?"

How could she tell him she couldn't wait inside because she didn't even live here?

"Where are we going?" she asked, feeling the heat inside the car finally start to warm her up.

"You'll see," he told her and smiled, taking her cold hand in his, and rubbing it softly.

He started to drive the car, and she smiled, watching the serene look on his face. She wanted him to stay this way forever... peaceful and happy.

Sanyukta decided that she would tell him the truth soon, but first she wanted him to settle his feelings. She didn't want to overwhelm him right away.

He took her to a hotel and as soon as he brought the car to the front, he got out of the car in his suit, and went to the other side to open the door for Sanyukta. Holding his hand out for her to take, he smiled at her. She smiled back and took his hand, getting out of the car.

Randhir then gave the keys to the chaffeur before leading her inside the hotel, to the restaurant.

As soon as they sat on the table Randhir had reserved for them and gave their order, Randhir looked behind her and his expression turned to one of shock.

"What the hell," he said out loud, and Sanyukta turned around to follow his gaze.

"What?" she asked, and her eyes widened as she saw what he was looking at.

"Why's my dad here?" he said out loud, "And that too with the father of the girl he wanted me to marry?"

Sanyukta gulped nervously, and turned around immediately so they couldn't see her.

His father was here at this hotel with her father.

29

"I'm going to go there and tell them right now to not even think about hooking me up with that girl because I have you. Come, let's go - let them see who I've chosen!" Randhir said angrily, and got up, but Sanyukta grabbed his hand fearfully.

"No Randhir!" Sanyukta said, and he sat back down.

"Why?" he asked her. "I don't want them to fix my marriage or try to get me to date this girl! I am not interested in this girl!"

How could she tell him that the girl he was referring to was really her?

"Randhir, please let's get out of here," she begged. "I don't want my date with you to be ruined."

"Let me at least tell them Sanyukta -" Randhir started but Sanyukta shook her head.

"Please Randhir, now's not the right time," she pleaded. "Let it be!"

"Sanyukta do you want them to fix my marriage with another girl?" he asked her angrily. "Let me stop it while I can!"

"Talk to your father later," Sanyukta told him. "Not right now!"

"For goodness sake, I don't even know that girl's name and they're trying to fix my marriage with her," Randhir said angrily. "I just can't take it!"

"Please Randhir," she begged, her eyes filling with tears. "Let's get out of here."

She didn't want her father to see her here at any cost, and she knew that if Randhir's father saw her, he'd recognize her as well.

Randhir sighed, took out his wallet and dropped some cash onto the table, before getting up.

"Let's go," he said, and held his hand out for her to take.

She took his hand, and with her back facing the two father's, she walked out of there with Randhir.

Once they were out, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Where will we go now?" she asked him.

"We can go to another hotel," Randhir answered. "I can't believe that out of all the hotels, they found this one to fix my marriage in."

Sanyukta smiled and squeezed his hand as they walked to his car together. He opened the passenger door for her, and she got in. He closed her door and then went to his own side before turning on the engine and driving.

"Hey," Randhir said, taking her hand as he drove. "Let's go to my place. We'll order in."

Sanyukta smiled at him and nodded.

"I like that idea," she told him softly. "That way I can cuddle with you."

"Cuddle with me?" he asked, a smile appearing on his face. "Is that what you want?"

She blushed and nodded.

"I prefer just spending time with you in a simple manner... we don't have to do anything fancy," she told him happily.

"Alright then," he told her, rubbing circles on her hand. "We'll go to my place then."

The next few weeks passed like this - with the two of them enjoying each other's company... spending time together cuddling, but never doing anything more.

Then one day, everything changed when a storm of the past came knocking on Randhir's door, leaving behind a mess.

30

Randhir woke up that morning with Sanyukta sleeping soundly on his chest. They fell asleep like this often, in each others arms, enjoying the feel of just being with each other. Most of the time, they would talk and joke until they fell asleep. They were always fully clothed, and had not even kissed since that day three and a half weeks ago where Randhir confessed to Sanyukta that he wanted to be with her. Randhir wanted to make her first kiss very special by taking it slow.

He smiled and caressed Sanyukta's hair as she breathed deeply on top of him. She stirred in her sleep and opened her eyes.

"Randhir," she mumbled.

"Yes Sanyukta," he muttered in response.

He didn't know how he kept his hormones in control with having her sleep so close to him, but he had to say he was quite proud of himself. He didn't think he could ever do this.

"Good morning," she replied.

"Good morning," he said with a smile.

"It's the weekend right?" she asked him groggily. "No work today?"

"No, not today," he answered.

"Okay," she mumbled, and sat up on the bed, rubbing her eyes.

He sat up too and looked at her beautiful face - even in the morning, right after she woke up, he found her to be so beautiful.

She looked up at him, and smiled... it was so hard for her to resist kissing him when he looked at her so lovingly, but she knew he wanted to make everything special for her, and she was respecting that.

Just then his phone rang and he picked it up immediately, "Yes dad?"

Sanyukta looked up curiously.

"What? I told you... I don't want to get married," he said with gritted teeth. "I already have someone in my life! What do you mean her dad said yes? I don't want to marry her!"

Sanyukta looked at him with shock - her father, without even asking her, went and fixed her marriage with Randhir?

"No dad!" he yelled, "I told you, I'm not marrying her. I refuse to!"

Then he hung up the phone and breathed sharply with annoyance.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, touching his arm softly.

"My stupid father fixed my wedding that girl!" Randhir said angrily. "How could he?"

Sanyukta hugged him tightly, and he relaxed in her arms.

"Don't worry Randhir... everything will be okay," she murmured.

He hugged her back.

"I don't know what I would do without you," he told her honestly.

Sanyukta broke the hug and cupped his cheeks.

"I should go home now, but let me know if you need me," she told him softly, and he nodded, kissing her forehead.

She then got up and stretched, before picking up her bag and walking out of his room to put on her shoes. He followed her out. Once she finished putting on her shoes, she held his shoulders and kissed his cheek.

"I'll see you later," she told him softly, and he smiled.

"Soon," he informed her.

"Of course," she said softly.

Randhir grinned at her, and she walked out of his condominium, a happy smile on her face.

As he watched her go, he decided that he wanted to give her a gift from his side. So later that day, he went to the mall.

He entered a jewelry store, looking for something that he could gift her. His eyes fell on a beautiful gold chain with a diamond heart pendant.

"This is perfect," he murmured, then turned to the shopkeeper. "Please pack this!"

Randhir gave his card to pay. The shopkeeper charged his card and then handed him the bag with the packed locket.

As he was leaving the store, he bumped into someone he was never expecting to see again.

"Randhir!" she gasped, her eyes wide.

"Vidhushi?" he asked incredulously.

Was he dreaming?

31

Randhir nearly dropped his bag with shock. The one girl he loved many years ago, was now in front of him. He hated her when they broke up, but now she was back... in front of him... it was so hard for him to register what was happening. What was happening? Why was this happening to him?

"It's been so long," Vidhushi murmured and Randhir nodded, holding his shopping bag even more tightly. "You're in a jewelry store? Who are you buying jewelry for? A girl?"

Suddenly Sanyukta's face appeared in his mind and a small smile formed on his lips.

"Yes," he answered, nodding. "It's for my girlfriend."

Vidhushi looked at him with a shocked expression.

"You have a girlfriend?" she asked, sounding stunned. "Wow Randhir, I never thought you would get over me."

"Yes, and that's what your problem is," he told her. "You weren't just money hungry and greedy, you were a conceited bitch too."

Vidhushi's mouth fell open when he said that, and her eyes widened with shock.

Just then, someone appeared from behind her, and Randhir glanced up to see his Sanyukta.

"Why do you want to go here?" she asked Vidhushi, and then she turned to glance up at Randhir, before her mouth fell open in shock.

"Sanyukta?" Randhir asked incredulously.

"R - Randhir," Sanyukta stammered, her eyes wide.

"You two know each other?" Vidhushi asked, sounding confused.

Sanyukta felt like she would die on the spot as she looked into his eyes.

32

At first his eyes held confusion, but then she noticed pain and sadness, until finally it turned to anger. He was holding his shopping bag tightly with anger, and the fury in his eyes was beyond anything she could have imagined. Her eyes filled with tears, because she knew what he must be going through right now. He must be confused to see her with Vidhushi, and finally he must have formed a conclusion that she was plotting all of this with Vidhushi.

Randhir took a step forward and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from Vidhushi.

"What is happening? Sanyukta?" Vidhushi asked, shocked.

Sanyukta didn't answer her. She just kept quiet and let Randhir pull her out of the mall, into the pouring rain.

"My hair will get wet!" Vidhushi gasped, and waited at the entrance of the mall.

Randhir pulled Sanyukta on to the street outside the mall and he glared angrily at her.

"R - Randhir listen to me," Sanyukta told him softly, and reached up to cup his cheeks as the rain poured down on the two of them, but he pushed her arms away.

"Don't touch me," he warned.

"Randhir please," she begged, tears pouring from her eyes, but merging with the rain.

"I got this for you," he spat before throwing it on the ground and stepping on it, crushing it with his shoe. "But you don't deserve it!"

"Randhir, listen to me!" she yelled, her whole body feeling numb, "Please!"

"You and Vidhushi planned this whole thing? What is the plan? You trap me in your love so that you'll get money and divide it in half?" he asked her rudely. "You knew I was an easy target, because Vidhushi told you that I fell for her easily right?"

"What? No! You're out of your mind!" she screamed.

"Both of you are just that... money hungry bitches... I can't believe that I actually fell for it again!" he yelled, and Sanyukta's heart ached seeing him like this.

She wanted to bring him out of this sorrow, not push him deeper into it.

"Randhir I love you," she told him, "I swear I love you!"

Then she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly in the pouring rain. He had to loosen up... he had to... she couldn't bear to see him go through so much pain again.

"Get off me!" he yelled, but she refused to let go. "Sanyukta don't try your tricks on me again!"

"Vidhushi and I are friends," she told him against his chest, "But she doesn't even know about us!"

"Okay, so the two of you are friends, she doesn't know about us, and you never told me?" he asked her. "Let me even accept that you didn't know that this Vidhushi was my girlfriend, do I look stupid to you? I may have been fooled by you these last few weeks Sanyukta, but I'm not going to be a fool again. I'm not going to fall into an obvious trap again."

"Please Randhir," she cried. "Please don't do this to yourself! How do you want me to prove it to you that I love you? I will do anything you ask me to do!"

"By leaving me alone!" he yelled with menace in his voice. "Stay away from me Sanyukta Agarwal or things won't be good! Don't come to work. You're fired. I don't ever want to see your face again!"

Then he turned around and started to walk off.

"Randhir!" she screamed, and ran up to him, grabbing his arms, trying to hold on to him for dear life. "I love you!"

He turned around to face her, anger more prevalent in his eyes than anything else.

She looked up into his eyes and her heart hurt so much. He grabbed her cheeks and smacked his lips against hers urgently, leaving her stunned. She grabbed his shirt and kissed him back with full force, feeling the cool water droplets against his lips, trying to show him how much he meant to her.

Breaking the kiss, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, as the rain continued to pour on them.

"That's what you deserve," he told her angrily. "You don't deserve a special first kiss at all."

"R - Randhir that was special... that was so special to me," she choked, tears falling down her cheeks. "A - And I know you love me Randhir... you won't leave me!"

"I loved you in the past tense," he told her painfully, and then turned around. "I can't ever believe in love again."

Randhir then walked straight ahead, away from her, and she watched him go weakly, before she fell to her knees and held her chest, crying out painfully.

"Randhir!" she screamed into the rain, her wet hair sticking to her face.

Finally putting herself together, she sat up and walked to the bag that Randhir had thrown at the ground and stepped on. She picked it up with shaking fingers and opened it. Inside was a golden necklace with a diamond pendant. The necklace looked a little bent with the force that he had stepped on it with. Still, Sanyukta put it on around her neck and slipped it inside her shirt.

"Whether this comes from the depths of your heart or from bottom of your feet, whether it comes with love or with vengeance, I accept it," she whispered out of love. "I accept everything that you come with... bad and good, I accept it all, because I have not fallen in love with you, but with your soul. And a soul can never be imperfect."

Then she squeezed her eyes shut and held the necklace against her chest, holding it for dear life, as if she was holding Randhir's life to her.

The next few weeks were hard on her as she gave him his space, but when she couldn't take it anymore, she appeared at his apartment, to prove her love to him and to help him heal from the wounds that she had created herself.

33

Randhir hated her. He hated her so much... her smile that looked innocent, her love that was fake, her black, black heart... all of it. Randhir hated it all.

His eyes were burning with anger. No. He couldn't let himself get heartbroken because then history would repeat. He couldn't let himself be hurt by someone whose only worth was being the dirt under his shoe.

Randhir had to move on... and he had to move on quick. So the first thing he did that night was go out and bring home a girl. He tried to erase all trace of Sanyukta from his body, from his mind, from his heart... but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't erase her from his soul.

That night he had sex... but he didn't make love.

It angered him. It angered him so much that he couldn't even make love with anyone else.

He tried again. Everyday after that, he tried again to bring another girl home, in an effort to replicate the feeling of the love he made to Sanyukta. He couldn't do it. He couldn't copy it. It wasn't to be copied, it was sacred.

Finally after two weeks he just gave up and stopped trying. He locked himself in his home and didn't leave his room. He didn't go to work. He didn't answer calls. He just stayed at home, as a living corpse. All anger faded, all he felt was numbness... he felt nothing. He had no willpower, no reason to move... no reason to live.

What was the point?

It was only when she forcibly entered his home that the first tears fell from his eyes and he openly cried for perhaps the first time since he was a child.

34

"Sanyukta!" Vidhushi screamed, shaking her friend out of her reverie. "You've kept this from me for more than two weeks now. Tell me what your relationship is to Randhir!"

Sanyukta took a deep breath and looked Vidhushi in the eye. How was she supposed to explain to her the depth of what she had with Randhir? How could she tell her the truth when Randhir had only been told lies?

"It's impossible for me to explain," she told Vidhushi, brushing off the question and stood up.

It was early in the morning, and Vidhushi had arrived at her place, all dressed up, ready to go out to have breakfast with Sanyukta.

"Come on Sanyukta, don't be like this," Vidhushi said urgently. "I want to know! I need to know... it's too much suspense!"

"Fine!" Sanyukta replied, getting irritated. "Randhir and I have been seeing each other. Are you happy now?"

Vidhushi's eyes widened and she gasped out loud.

"You've been seeing each other?" she asked, shocked out of her mind. "Since when? How could you? You know he's my ex!"

Sanyukta glared at her best friend, not feeling an ounce of guilt for being with Randhir. Her feelings for Randhir were so genuine, that they were beyond anything else.

"Vidhushi you hurt him a lot so someone had to pick up the broken pieces," Sanyukta pointed out. "And... and I love him."

Vidhushi looked at Sanyukta suspiciously, before sighing resignedly.

"You know Sanyukta, I felt bad right after he found out," she told her seriously. "I didn't want to hurt him... but when we broke up, I didn't even try to get him back because I felt so ashamed."

"Of course you would," Sanyukta told her. "You were after him for his money Vidhushi and he really loved you!"

"I know... trust me Sanyukta, I felt really guilty. I did start to like him. Nobody has ever loved me the way he did," she trailed off. "Anyways, I guess I just wasn't the one for him. All I know is, if I was given the chance to make things right, I would do it."

Sanyukta smiled at Vidhushi.

"I'm sure you'll get a chance to make things right again with the right person," she told her softly. "Right now Randhir's a bit upset with me because he didn't know that we knew each other... I didn't tell him because he wouldn't even give me a chance if I didn't conceal my identity from him."

Vidhushi looked at her with shock.

"You what?" she asked incredulously. "You concealed your identity?"

Sanyukta nodded and then narrated the whole story to Vidhushi. She told the truth - even telling her best friend about how she had fallen in love with him back in college.

"Wow," Vidhushi muttered, a pained expression on her face. "I... I thought I knew what love meant... but I guess I was wrong. I really hope he comes back to his senses Sanyukta, because only a special person deserves a lover like you."

Sanyukta smiled at her best friend before feeling herself get dizzy. Then all of a sudden, she placed her hand over her mouth as an overwhelming sense of nausea took over her and she ran into the bathroom to vomit.

After she was done, and Vidhushi appeared behind her looking concerned, Sanyukta fell against the door to the bathroom.

"What's wrong with me?" she murmured, covering her face with her hands.

"Sanyukta," Vidhushi gasped, "Are you okay?"

Sanyukta nodded weakly.

"I'm fine," she told her friend.

All of a sudden her phone began to ring.

"Yes dad?" Sanyukta answered.

"Sanyukta, I don't think we'll continue with this relationship with the Shekhawat's," her father said into the phone. "I heard Harsh's son hasn't even come out of his room for two weeks and he's been neglecting his office... what a shame, I thought he was a good guy."

"What?" Sanyukta gasped, her eyes wide. "He hasn't?"

"Yeah," her father answered. "I don't want you to be with someone who doesn't even care about his job -"

"Dad, I have to go," Sanyukta said urgently, and then stood up, as she hung up and turned to Vidhushi. "Vidhushi, please understand, something came up very urgently. We'll have breakfast another time!"

Vidhushi looked at her with surprise as she followed a panicked Sanyukta out of the house.

Sanyukta then made her way to Randhir's place. She knew he would be hurt, she knew he was in a lot of pain... but she never expected him to go into such depression that he wouldn't even step out of his home. She had to pull him away from the torture he was inflicting upon himself. Now she wasn't going to sit back and allow him to wither away. She couldn't watch him ruin himself.

If it was slowly killing him, then it was more quickly killing her.

35

She was trying to open his door, but it was locked. She knocked, he didn't open it. She rang the doorbell many times, but he still didn't open it. Pressing her ear to the door, she tried to hear what was happening within... there were no sounds.

Sanyukta was scared. She didn't know what he was doing to himself inside, and she knew that at all costs, she had to get in. So, she called down to the lobby of the condominium.

"I fear for someone's safety," she said into the phone. "Room 1203... Randhir Singh Shekhawat. He hasn't come out for weeks. Please open the door."

Soon, the manager of the hotel came up with some caretakers and looked at her suspiciously.

"Please," she begged, tears in her eyes. "Please open the door."

"Who is inside?" they asked.

"My fiance," she lied. "He hasn't spoken to anyone... not his family, not me, he hasn't come to work... I'm scared! Please make sure he's alright! I'm Kishore Agarwal's daughter."

The manager nodded after hearing who she was and then gave the signal to the caretaker to open the door.

Once he opened the door, Sanyukta pressed her hands together.

"Thank you," she told them gratefully. "I'll go in... if there's a problem, I'll let you know."

The hotel manager nodded and then took his caretaker down with him. Sanyukta ran into his condominium and locked it behind her.

It was a mess.

There were empty bottles of alcohol everywhere - from the living room, to the kitchen. Randhir wasn't in those places though so she entered his room slowly.

What she saw pained her heart.

Randhir was sitting on the ground against his bed, his eyes wide open, looking like he was in shock. He had even grown his stubble. His eyes were dark, but lost.

"Randhir!" she called, and rushed towards him, before falling to her knees on the ground, and cupping his face with her hands.

He turned around to face her, and it was like the sight of her was a key. His lost eyes turned into something else... was it anger or sadness?

"What are you doing here?" he yelled, and for the first time in days, he reacted to the outside world.

"I love you," she whispered. "I love you Randhir."

"I hate you," he replied harshly.

Then it was like he saw something else in her, and he grabbed her face with his hands, and pulled her to him, before he smashed his lips against hers... he was searching for what it was that made her different from the other girls... he wanted to know why he could only do this with her, but nobody else.

She kissed him back lovingly, her hands falling to his shoulders.

When he broke the kiss and looked into her eyes with his pain filled ones she smiled softly.

"I love you," she repeated.

He stood up and so did she. Sanyukta looked at him with a longing expression, and he grabbed her arm, pulling her to him again. This time when his lips met hers, he didn't stop. Instead, he picked her up in his arms and placed her down on the bed, before hungrily kissing every inch of skin he had access to... not in a loving way, but out of vengeance.

Tears fell from Sanyukta's eyes, but she didn't stop him.

If he couldn't make love with other girls, that was fine... but today he wasn't going to make love with Sanyukta either. He was going to have sex with her.

He didn't know that his efforts would be futile though, because no matter how hard he tried, sex with Sanyukta would always equate to making love for he had already given his heart away. He had already fallen in love.