Rajas : Passion Unveiled

Chapter 29

Author's POV

Its well over an hour when Ishani and Ayansh finally stop. The party now a mere whisper and the only sound is of them walking and breathing. Tracing back their steps was not an option since both of them couldn't recall the path they took. Their walk had been silent only filled with frequent questions of whether their phones have signal , mostly by Ishani. She was desperate to get out of here. It was completely dark now, the only light available was from the flashlights of their phones.

"Oh god we're stuck" Ishani exclaims as she leans on the hedge behind her. She bends her neck back and rests her head on it and closes her eyes. Ayansh is busy checking his phone, "Yes got it!!" he says and Ishani's eyes shoot open. Ayansh immediately texts Kaushik about their situation. It takes a few seconds but the message is sent. Ayansh sighs in relief as he sees that the message has been read and Kaushik replies saying that they will reach out soon. He informs Ishani of this and she sends a silent prayer to the gods.

"So what now? We wait here?" she asks and Ayansh nods. "Na jane mere dimag main kya aaya jo maine tumhare peeche aana sahi samjha" she groans. "Dimag hai tumhare pass?" Ayansh mutters quietly but Ishani hears it. "Excuse me?!" she huffs in anger. Ayansh glares at her "No one asked you to come after me" he spat. Ishani scoffs, "The words you are looking for are thank you. You should be thanking me for saving your sorry ass" she says, her anger rising alongside her voice.

Ayansh runs his hand through his hair and Ishani's eyes follow the movement. Her eyes capture the movement of his chest as he sighs and she remembers the feel of his body. Her heart races as she recalls their previous encounters.

Ayansh looks at her feeling her gaze on him. "We don't know how long we are going to be here for. So the least we can do is not waste our energy in arguing" he suggests and Ishani sighs. He is right, she thinks, there is no point in arguing. She nods. A tense silence follows which is broken by Ayansh, who is now growing restless in her presence.

"Where did you learn to shoot like that?" he asks, curious after seeing her skill and precision. Now that he had time, he remembered how she had jumped on him at the right time and shot the man before he could even press the trigger. That calculated risk definitely wasn't in the spur of the moment or adrenaline. It was an outcome of practice.

She shrugged, "I took self- defense classes. Skills like this come in handy." She says. Ayansh looks at her trying to figure her out. "But why?" he asks genuinely "You could just hire bodyguards. You have the money" he states. Ishani looks at him and smiles sadly, "I am a woman Mr.Ranawat" she sighs "A woman in business. I cannot put my life in the hands of anyone other than myself." She says.

Ayansh leans back on the wall behind him, hands in his pockets as he cocks his head to the side. "You could hire the best" he says looking at her with narrowed eyes. She looks up at the starry sky, not able to handle his scrutinizing gaze. "Money can get me the best person for the job but it cannot get me loyalty. Loyalty comes with respect and trust, which are gambles I cannot afford to take." She says.

Ayansh's mind is filled with questions as he looks at the woman in front of him. No one has spiked his interest in a long time. She was like a puzzle that he wanted to solve. She was like this maze that they were stuck in, and he was stuck in her.

They fall in a comfortable silence. Ishani just keeps looking up while Ayansh thinks over what she said. His thoughts are interrupted by her voice, "Why are you after him? Dev Mittal?" she asks.

"Its not me who is after him but it's the other way round." Ayansh says. Ishani looks at him confused, "He went after my sister" he say as a muscle flickers in his jaw. Ishani straightens as she recalls hearing their conversation before she showed herself. "What did he do? Is she alright?" Ishani asks concerned. Ayansh looks at her for a moment and answers, "He sent a man to follow her outside her college. She is shaken up but fine now. So like I said , its not me who is after him-"