Chapter 2: Prologue (2)
The lemonade juice dripped from his fingers onto the pavement. The world narrowed to a tunnel. Laura’s stunned, guilty face, the arrogant smirk of the handsome man’s mouth and the crushing weight of the ring box in his pocket.
He moved.
Not thinking. Just a raw, primal drive closing the distance.
He stopped before them.
His fist clenched around the box, knuckles white against the yellow stain on his shirt.
"What," his voice was low with a hidden fury he hadn’t felt in years, "is the meaning of this, Laura?"
She flinched. "Aarav! It’s... it’s not what you think!"
Her voice was too high. Her eyes darted to the man beside her, then back to Aarav, with the hint of pleading and panicked. Then also she didn’t step away from the stranger.
The handsome man arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, looking Aarav up and down with undisguised contempt.
"Who is he, darling?" His voice was smooth, cultured in the way of arrogance.
Laura swallowed hard, her cheeks flaming. "He’s... he’s just a friend, Vikram. From... from work." The lie hung in the air, brittle and pathetic.