Page 109 of Every Move You Make
He gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him.
“I broke up with her because she…She. Wasn’t. You,” he said, each word deliberate. “Because even then… I wanted onlyyou.”
Her breath hitched. Shock flickered across her face.
“That’s a lie,” she said, her words rough with disbelief.
The elevator doors slid open on his floor. Akash caught her hand again and pulled her out, striding down the hallway. He unlocked the door with a sharp click before pushing it open and drawing her inside.
The moment they were in, he turned on her. Fury burned through him as he closed the distance. “I am not lying, Shauna.”
She lifted her chin, defiance flashing through the hurt in her eyes. “Then why did you date her in the first place?” Her voice shook, but she didn’t stop. “Why did you choose her over me?”
The words hit him like a blow. He stared at her, caught off guard by her words and the pain in her eyes. Fuck. Was that what she believed? Was this what she’d been trying to tell him in his office the other morning?
Before he could respond, she punched his chest. He barely felt the jab.
“You knew what I felt for you back then,” she said, her voice breaking as anger spilled over. “I know you did.”
Another punch.
“I thought you felt the same way,” her voice cracked as she hit him again. “I thought you were falling in love with me too.”
She stilled then, her chest rising and falling unevenly.
“Do you remember that night?” she demanded, her voice trembling now. “You were leaving for Keya’s wedding the next morning. Rhea and I were supposed to leave two days later. You had come home to meet me.”
His chest tightened. He nodded, clearly remembering that night. Remembering how hard it had been for him to leave her then. How he’d almost?—
“We were in my living room,” her voice dropped, raw with emotion. “Rhea had already gone to bed, so it was just us. We talked for hours… laughing like we had all the time in the world. You kept saying you should leave, but you didn’t. It felt like you couldn’t.”
She swallowed, her gaze distant. “And when you finally did get up, we stopped at the door. Just… stood there. You leaned in close. So close that I could feel your breath. I thought you were going to kiss me. But then you didn’t. You just brushed a kiss against my cheek and walked away.” A hollow laugh escaped her. “And that moment meant everything to me. I thought—” She shook her head. “I thought it meant something to you too.”
She stilled again, her chest rising and falling unevenly. He stared at her as the weight of her words crashed into him.
Fuck.
A tear slipped down her cheek.
“I was wrong,” she whispered, the words cutting deeper than anything else she’d said. “So goddamn wrong.”
Another tear followed.
“You felt nothing for me,” she said, her voice trembling now. “Clearly… you returned from Keya’s wedding and started datingher. And now you’re being forced to marry me because of the damn business. Just go and marry Amara instead.”
She spun away from him, but he caught her arm, forcing her to stay in place, right there in front of him.
“Shauna—” He moved closer, his voice dropping, stripped of everything but truth. “I love you.”
She froze. Then her eyes widened in shock.
“No…” she whispered, shaking her head as tears spilled freely now. “No?—”
“I love you, Shauna Sehgal,” he said, his grip tightening just enough to keep her there, his gaze locked onto hers. “I have only ever loved you. And that is the truth.”
She stared at him like she didn’t recognize him. Like she didn’t believe a single word. But he wasn’t stopping now. Perhaps the problem always had been the distance, the silence, and all the things left unsaid between them. Perhaps it was because they had both avoided the truth when it mattered most. Not anymore. He was done holding back. Done fighting what he felt for her. What he had always felt for her.
“I saw you at Sheena’s wedding,” he continued, his voice steady despite the storm inside him. “And that was it for me. Love at first sight.”
