Rina didn’t allow the setback from Regina’s plot to dampen her ferocious need to get back on her feet, which were way higher than the height she had attained before. All it took was a nice warm bath and a surprisingly soothing conversation with Zayn. They stayed in his study for the rest of the day, talking about everything other than themselves. He told her more about Mago and her ex-boyfriend, and how much he had wanted to squash him up in his palms, while Rina told him, for the first time, about the baby she had lost because of Kayla.
Because Zayn wasn’t a very expressive person, he didn’t know how to respond to that sudden revelation. His hands hovered around the small of her back, hesitant because his brain made it feel so weird. He tucked them back by his side and cleared his throat noisily, deciding that he needed to do something about the tears that had pooled up in the corner of her eyes, threatening to spill.
She choked out strained laughter and swiped angrily at the pools of liquid. “You know, I told myself I wasn’t going to cry about what Kayla did to me. The day she finally revealed she was the one behind everything, I fell to the ground in hurt and pain, and it took all the willpower in me to get up again. That was the moment I made that promise. But here I am with my tears deciding to betray me.”
“I don’t think it has anything to do with the promise you made to yourself,” Zayn mused, trying to lighten the situation. “It doesn’t affect that.”
“So, what do you think this is? Why am I on the verge of crying?” Rina found it helpful that although they still spoke about what happened in the past, Zayn had steered the conversation to a more stable ground.
“I think you’re all emotional because I am seated right beside you,” he murmured with amusement laced in his tone. “You don’t need to deny it,” he said when Rina started to shake her head in protest. “I have heard it countless times from the women who have had dealings with me in the past.”
Rina noted the way he emphasized on the fact that his relations with them only occurred in the past and brutally stopped herself from thinking about it before a repeat of the last episode.
“I tend to bring out the heart of people, and you, Rina, are only subject to that. It’s not your fault. I promise.”
She was torn between scowling and laughing, her face contorted into that splice, with raised eyebrows and grim lips. Rina enjoyed the attention more than she cared to adapt, and it seemed to have occurred at the perfect moment.
“You wish.” Her eyes brightened up before looking away from Zayn, taking another sip from her second glass of wine. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
It was strange, both to Zayn and Rina. Being a person who barely engaged in conversations unless it had something to do with his business or his parents, he was quite surprised to find himself enjoying his moments with Rina, even looking forward to it. Justifying it as the dire need to get to know the person he would be married to for the next five years, he nudged her ahead with a smile.
“If things were different, say you met me before I got married to Finn, and we …you know… it wouldn’t be an arrangement thing…would you…”
“Would I want to what?” He stared into her hazel eyes like he could see into her soul, arresting everything in her. For a moment, every part of Rina paused, her brain scrambling on the spot. She tried to pick up her speech, opening her mouth and then snapping it shut almost immediately. He didn’t stop staring, waiting for her to say something.
“Back in the bathroom, you said you wanted to…”
“I said I was trying really hard not to kiss you.” He leaned towards the bar, slowly took his wine glass by the handle, and caressed the rim with his lips. “If you’re asking if I would have still felt this way if I had met you before Finn, I don’t think I have the answer to that. I am not exactly keen on pondering about what could have been.” Zayn didn’t think it was the right time to tell her he remembered her from an event when she sat beside him throughout the night. He wasn’t usually one to remember faces, especially when they didn’t have any conversation.
But with Rina, her striking features had stayed with him through the years, and even though he wasn’t actively searching for her, there were nights when his mind wandered to that day, her flowing backless black dress accentuating her figure and making her shine more than every lady in the room, at least, where Zayn was concerned. He’d watched her when she thought he wasn’t looking, marveled at the tendrils her hair had created over her face, imagining how it would feel running his fingers through her tresses. And those thoughts seemed to increase when they met again.
“Of course,” Rina said grimly, shaking her head. “That was such an unnecessary question. It was probably because I was naked and playing some dumb slow song. What was I …”
“All of that does not matter, Rina,” he interrupted. “Because I said it then doesn’t mean it was the first time that thought has crossed my mind.”
“So do you….”
“Every damn time.” His tone suddenly grew husky and his eyes lowered dangerously to her lips. “But I understand the terms of the contract, even though we are yet to sign it. And I would not do anything you wouldn’t want me to do. You can be rest assured that I won’t be pinning you against a wall soon, though I have to admit that it has crossed my mind a thousand times.”
He swung his legs off the bench and got up. “I have to take a call now.”