Dawn

Chapter 21 - Allure (16+)

Warning: this chapter has mature scenes upcoming. Please proceed with discretion.

Mujhko barsaat bana lo

Ek lambi raat bana lo

Apne jazbaat bana lo, jaana

Allure

[noun]

the quality of being powerfully attractive

Imlie sat quietly, staring outside the window, as Aryan drove in silence. The roads were emptier than usual, the hour was late. Aryan glanced at the woman next to him, looking breathtaking in her deep velvet green churidaar. Her dupatta made of a barely there gold gossamer thread twinkled brightly as the lights flashed in and out of the window.

She pushed her hair off her face and gathered it at the back of her neck, twisting her hair in a loose bun that immediately unraveled. Aryan had had a hard time looking away from her today. 

He was certain Imie must have put up quiet the fight against wearing this outfit because he could hear the screeches and begging from her room until an exhausted but victorious looking Arpita had stepped out with a sullen, but stunning Imlie following behind like a meek lamb. 

The dress was far more form fitting than he was used to seeing on Imlie, hugging every womanly curve to perfection. The neckline was wider than she normally wore, showing off the expanse of her slim shoulders, her collarbone jutting out like delicate wings just above the golden beaded edge.

It was modest by modern standards, he admitted, sliding another look at her, gulping when she turned away, exposing the long line of her neck, her fingers playing softly with the delicate chain that dangled there. Regardless, Aryan had been unable to think of anything else all evening.

He wouldn't have believed it once, but he was head over heels for the woman sitting two feet away from him. So much so, that he was reduced to lusting after an innocent collarbone, of all things.

He could not stop thinking about her. Not at all.

That didn't seem to be the case with the lady in question though, who was ignoring him rather well. He wondered what was cooking in that fertile mind of hers, especially after the busy evening they'd had.

They had been invited by Jai and Tanvi Bhatt to a small party to thank Imlie for the articles she'd written for them through the initial court proceedings. It seemed to have swayed the public's opinion in their favor, seeing how loving and happy they were with their son. Imlie had managed to dig into the birth father's records, and had uncovered that he was a gambling addict who had gotten a young girl pregnant and had refused to be involved in the child's life.

Since the birth mother had been a single woman and unable to take care of the baby, she had given him up for adoption to her employers, Mr. and Mrs. Bhatt. She had then left town soon after to go to school and pursue a nursing degree in Darjeeling instead. The adoptive parents had been trying to protect the young woman by not bringing her into the picture simply to prove themselves innocent.

In a happy turn of events, the birth mother was now married to a supportive man who knew of her past. She had voluntarily chosen to come out of the shadows upon reading Imlie's articles and had publicly condemned the birth father for his attempt to use the little boy as a way to extort money.

Jai and Tanvi had been beside themselves with joy at being awarded incontestable custody once more, with their names cleared of any wrong doing. They had thanked Imlie and Aryan profusely for their help, insisting that they attend their party as their guests of honor.