Knotted Destiny

09

Aarav Malhotra

"I'm telling you, bikes are way cooler!"

"No way! Cars are way better—more comfortable, more fun. Bikes are just overrated!" she argued, taking another sip of the virgin piña colada she had ordered for herself.

Yuck.

Who even drinks that? A simple strawberry milkshake would be ten times better.

As if her questionable taste in drinks wasn’t bad enough, now she was arguing with me about this? Cars are fine, sure—but bikes? Bikes are the definition of cool!

I sighed.

"Have you ever even ridden a bike?"

"No," she admitted with a shrug, casually taking another sip of that revolting drink.

Oh, how delightful! This tiny, chicken-sized woman just lives to oppose me at every turn.

Fine. Just wait.

Gulping down my shot of tequila, I turned to face her. "How can you say bikes aren't fun when you've never even been on one? Huh!?"

My gaze flickered from her face—her expression unreadable—to her dress. She had the curv—WAIT! What the hell was I even thinking?

I couldn’t deny it, though. She had spent a solid two hours searching for the perfect dress, and I had to admit... it was worth it. She looked—ugh! Never mind.

I, on the other hand, had opted for a more laid-back look: jeans, a white tee, and my beloved Chanel jacket.

Licking the salt off my hand, I swiftly downed another shot of tequila before biting into a slice of lime, letting its sharp tang ease the raw burn of the alcohol.

"Alright then," I said, pulling my phone from my pocket as I stepped aside to make a quick call. "Let me show you why bikes are the best."

I returned just as Purvi suddenly turned toward me and murmured, “Thank you.”

Uh—did I hear that right?

Oh my, my, my.

Did she just thank me?

I blinked, momentarily stunned, before shifting my gaze to her. She was already looking at me, her expression unreadable.

“Me?” I pointed at myself, still struggling to believe it.

She let out an exasperated huff. “Yes, you! So dramatic—gosh!”

“But why?”

“Well... for standing up for me against them today,” she admitted, quickly averting her gaze.

Oh.

“That was nothing, really. No woman deserves to hear the kind of things they said. It could have been anyone in your place—my sister, even. People like them only know how to taunt for their own satisfaction. They were inconsiderate because they weren’t the ones who had to live through your past.”

I wasn’t sure how I sounded while saying it, but I meant every word.

A sad smile formed on her lips as she kept her gaze fixed on the glass in front of her.

“So... do you come here often?” she asked, clearly attempting to steer the conversation away from today’s unpleasant events.

I leaned back slightly, smirking. “Miss Fiancée, I am the CEO of a highly successful company. Do you think I have time for frequent parties?”