Detached

CHAPTER 60

*MEERA'S POINT OF VIEW*

At six o’clock, I went for a quick shower. I dried myself quickly and straightened my hair, putting on a bit of make-up. Then the long process of choosing something to wear to our date started. Casual and warm, he’d said. I chewed on my lip as I settled on a pair of jeans and a fitted black shirt, pairing it with some black converse.

Once satisfied with my choice, I made my way out to the lounge where he was already waiting for me. “Wow, you look incredible,” he purred, looking me over slowly. I smiled and blushed under his intense inspection. “You’ll need a sweater though, it might be cold.”

I frowned; confused as to where we would be going that would require warm clothing. “Where are we going, Riyansh?” I called as I strutted back into the bedroom and found a hooded sweatshirt.

“It’s a surprise, stop asking.”

I rolled my eyes and slipped the sweater on, going back out to the lounge again. “Do I pass the examination this time?” I asked sarcastically, twirling on the spot.

He grinned and nodded. “Trust me, you pass every time, but I want you to be comfortable so…” he trailed off, taking my hand again and leading me to the kitchen. Sitting there on the counter was a dozen white roses; he hadn’t given me any for two weeks because last date night we were in Pune. He handed them to me, grinning.

I smiled gratefully as I smelled them, breathing in their sweet aroma. “You’re so romantic, Riyansh. Thank you,” I gushed, running my finger over the soft petals. He opened one of the drawers and held out a rectangular silver tin. “What’s this?” I asked curiously.

“Open it and see,” he instructed, leaning on the counter next to me.

I opened it to see a brand new set of inks, the professional expensive kind that would be perfect for my project at school. I gasped from the surprise. “My God, these are perfect!” I cried excitedly. “Thank you!” I threw my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

“You’re welcome, Princess,” he answered. He pulled out of my arms and picked up the bouquet of flowers, putting them into a vase and filling it with water. “I’ll let you arrange them later. Come on then, let’s go before the suspense kills you,” he teased.

The drive to the secret location for our date took about forty minutes, and he even overstepped the mark by making me sit with my hands over my eyes for the last couple of minutes. “Oh come on, you’re taking this a little far,” I complained.

“Will you stop whining? God,” he scolded, laughing. I huffed and sat in silence. It was killing me, but I actually didn’t peek like I normally would have done, he was so excited about it that I didn’t want to ruin anything for him. The car rolled to a stop, and his door opened then closed. A couple of seconds later, my door opened too. “Keep your eyes closed,” he instructed as he took hold of my elbow and helped me climb from the car.

Sounds of screaming and laughing filled my ears, and in the background there was soft music playing. The air smelled sweet, like popcorn. I grinned, not having a clue where we were. The suspense was killing me. “Riyansh, come on, please?” I whined, bouncing on the spot.

He chuckled wickedly. “Okay fine.” His hands closed over my shoulders, turning me the other way. “Open your eyes.”

Pulling my hands from my face, I blinked a couple of times as bright lights and colours overwhelmed me. I gasped as it all started to make sense. A fairground. I could see the Ferris wheel going around with twinkling fairy lights looped around every post. There were guys dressed up as clowns walking around on stilts, roller coasters, stalls where you win prizes, food stalls. I laughed excitedly and turned to Riyansh, grinning, finally understanding the reason for the warm, casual clothes.