Detached

CHAPTER 31

*RIYANSH'S POINT OF VIEW*

The flight ended way too soon for my liking. I was enjoying the casual closeness a lot more than I should.

Mehul Singh, the night time far guard, met us with a little sign at the baggage collection point. He was younger than I expected, probably only mid-twenties.

Clearly he liked to work out, that was evident by his broad shoulders and thick neck. He smiled nervously when we stopped at his side; his eyes scanned the group quickly before coming to a rest on Meera.

After a brief round of introductions, he led us out the front where a sleek, silver Jaguar XF sat waiting for us. My eye twitched at the beauty of it, and my hands were already itching to touch it. A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. If my best friend Jush could see me now, he’d probably scream like a little girl. Dean and Mehul didn’t get a flash car like ours though, much to Dean’s obvious disappointment.

The drive to our new apartment wasn’t that long. I tried to memorise the streets as I let the GPS lead me to the college campus. When we arrived, I pulled into an underground parking lot and cut the engine, surveying the area before walking around to her side and opening the door for her.

Mehul and Dean had arrived by then too, so we all made our way to the elevator with Mehul telling us about the security on the building. Other than the fire escapes that only opened from the inside, there was one way in and out, which would be advantageous for surveillance. You could only gain entrance to the building with a tag card, and then you also needed a pass code to use the elevator or stairs. The building itself had obviously been chosen carefully.

When we got to the second floor, I left Merra outside with Dean and Mehul while I went into our apartment to check it was safe before I let her just wander in. My eyes widened in appreciation as I took in the expensive-looking hardwood floors, the perfect paint jobs and the enormous flat screen TVs that hung in each room. The fully-equipped, high-gloss, white kitchen was pure luxury. The apartment was huge and stunning.

After checking out all of the rooms and deeming them safe, I went back to get her and let her get her first look at our home for the next eight months. Peter went down to get the luggage from the car.

“Wow, this place is gorgeous,” Meera enthused, walking in and opening all the doors that she came across, looking in them. When we got to the bedrooms, she turned and winced. “There’s no sofa bed. We’re gonna have to order one.”

I frowned, flicking my eyes around seeing that she was right. I’d requested one, but perhaps the request had been overlooked. I’d have to make a couple of calls later. “Looks like it’s the floor for me again then,” I joked, trying not to wince, because sleeping on the floor made me feel like an old man.

She turned back to the bed and frowned. “You can just share with me if you want. I don’t like you keep sleeping on the floor,” she mumbled.

I waved my hand dismissively. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Shall we unpack then?” I suggested, dreading unpacking all of her stuff again.

She shook her head adamantly. “Nope. Something much more critical needs to be done before that,” she answered, raising one eyebrow knowingly.

Hmm, what can be more important than unpacking? “What’s that then, Princess?” I asked curiously. Damn, Ashton, again with the pet name? Stop it, dipshit!

She smirked at me. “We need to go collect menus from all the takeout places that deliver because I’m not cooking for your pretty ass every night.”

I burst out laughing. “Hey, I’ll cook some nights,” I protested.

She scrunched her nose up in distaste. “Tuna melt baked potatoes can get boring pretty quick.” I smiled because she’d obviously listened to me carefully before; she seemed to remember everything I told her, no matter how insignificant it was.

“Tell me about it. Come on then, I’ll call Dean and let him know we’re going for a walk,” I agreed, pulling out my cell and dialling his number.

“Tell him we’re going for a drink after too.”

I raised one eyebrow. College clearly had an effect on her – or maybe it was the freedom of being away from her parents. Whatever it was, she was smiling and it made my insides tingle with happiness.