Finding us

Chapter 32

"Can I take you out to dinner, Saturday night?" Rohan asked in a rather hesitant voice, and Priya's eyes went wide.

"Dinner?" Her voice was a mere whisper.

"Dinner.... A dinner date" he nodded.

"Date????" Priya's eyes were wide as saucers, and her heart stopped in her mouth. Did she hear him right?

"Hmm.... Date.... Where we both dress up in some fancy clothes and I pick you up and take you to a nice restaurant, we have a nice dinner, and I drop you back home" Rohan smiled, looking expectantly at her.

But she smiled sadly and shook her head.

"And then you'll again go off for a week for your work?" She held his gaze, fire dancing in her eyes.

"Pri..." Rohan trailed off, looking shocked.

"No thank you Mr. Kapoor, I won't go out on a date with you" she nodded and before he knew it, she got out of the car and slammed the door behind her.

He stared at her retreating figure as she walked into her apartment building. What just happened?!

With a volcano bubbling inside her, Priya stormed off to the apartment entrance, punching into the up button for the elevator and glaring at the closed doors, waiting for an elevator to come down. There were a few people around her, waiting for an elevator too.

And when the doors to an elevator opened, still fuming, she walked in, looking anywhere except the people around her, trying hard not to hold eye contact with anyone. She'd burst out on anybody even without thinking twice!!

But before the doors closed, she felt the air get heavy with that familiar musky perfume, and unable to stop herself, she looked up, to find Rohan walking in, his eyes hidden behind a pair of large black glares, and his hands stuffed deep into his pocket.

The people around them blinked at him in confusion, but in a very nonchalant way, Rohan walked in, to stand a little in front of Priya, keeping his eyes glued to the display above.

As the elevator moved, one by one, people got off, till finally it was Priya's turn. As the elevator stopped at her floor, Rohan got off first, and her heart stopped, but ignoring him, she too got off, to walk directly to her apartment.

With his hands still stuffed deep in his pockets, Rohan slowly walked around, as though looking for a house number.

But once Priya opened the door to her apartment, Rohan quickly walked towards her apartment, not even bothering to look at her. He just rushed her into the house and walked in right behind her, closing the door behind him.

"I'm not always busy Priya" he said without a preamble, taking off his glares and gazing at her stunned face.

"I used to be free and naive and chilled out. And I even used to stay away from Bombay as much as possible after my break up... With her! I drowned myself in work because I don't have anything else to do. I didn't have anyone else to spend my time with!! All these years, I didn't have anybody who made me want to stay back, and away from work!" Rohan smiled sadly, leaning against the door and looking so intently into Priya's eyes that she felt her anger just melt away!

"But now.... I want to stay back. I don't want to work. I want to spend all my time with you" he confessed. Priya's eyes went wide and her heart hammered loudly in her ears. Her breath hitched in her throat and her insides tumbled.

"All these photoshoots and commissions.... I'd signed up for them long before you came along! I can't say no now..." He added. But Priya didn't really register any of that because he'd just moved forward to take hold of her hand.