Dare to Be | Heir & Heiress #1 | ✓

♕ 1.26 Hide & Seek ♕

♕ Jhanvi ♕

          In one word, or even a sentence, I cannot sum up today. Or yesterday, even.

I have learned one thing after another about Aarav. And my thoughts? Reaction? I cannot begin to form them. Everything about this family is the complete opposite of what one might expect a rich family to be. I have learned enough that they have turned into one of the prominent names in the country in the last 2-3 decades.

They may have been at center of scandals and sensational court cases, but one thing clearly screams out at me amidst it all.

It's exactly how Aarav says it.

Everything is about family.

Isn't that exactly what I have been searching for my whole life?

As I step out of the shower and dry myself, it may be the first time I have been unsuccessful in wrapping my head around everything and reach a conclusion. There is this dissatisfaction at the pit of my stomach that I can't push back.

Eva told me not to assume Aarav's life is perfect. After learning of his history, I understand that. And yet, I get the feeling that he has everything going for him. He is the perfect combination of everything one may search for in a guy. Sweet. Kind. Loving. Understanding. Willing to do anything for you.

At each turn, he has showed me that.

Yet, one thing sticks out to me in blinking neon lights. One thing that I simply have to ask him.

There is something that Aarav is still hiding from me. And that, I need to know. Else, I can't silence this mental havoc I have going on. I won't feel better until I will be able to pinpoint exactly what has my thoughts in such a haywire... because everything on the surface feels just perfect but if I open up the layers and truly glance within, there feels to be a huge chunk missing.

Like something still amiss that keeps this from being perfect. From being right.

Walking into the room after letting my hair down which I'd pinned up so they wouldn't get wet, I decide I will talk to him.

After laying out my wet towel on back of the chair so it can dry off, I am about to walk towards the door when he opens it and enters.

Again. He seems to have some sense of appearing just when I need to talk to him.

Before he could say anything, I beat him to it by announcing. "We need to talk."

If anything, it was more so that I wouldn't chicken out of this conversation.

His brows narrow. Surprise or confusion? It's hard to tell the way he is looking at me. I know. The words I used. That combination is never a good thing to say. Yet, those were the words that got blurted out so we'll just have to go with it. I can't take them back now.

He nods, closing the door behind him and walking to. "About what?"

I walk backwards to the bed and sit at the edge. "Us."

His face is blank and I really wish it wasn't so I could know whether to continue the conversation or call it quits.

I hope he doesn't think it's about last night's kiss because I am not yet ready to talk about that. In the moment, I did kiss him and that's on me. I initiated something I wasn't ready for... and I hate myself for it if it means I led him on.

I blink away from his lack of reaction and ask while looking at nothing in particular. "Can you, uh, sit? You are kind of intimidating me right now."