Page 110 of Every Move You Make
Her lips parted, but no words came.
“We went back to London. Became friends. And I fell harder for you. Your beauty, your sass, your wit… you were everything. And then you told me about your dreams,” he went on quietly. “About Sehgal Media. About how much it meant to you. And I loved you even more for your ambition and determination to see your dreams through. And then we came to India for Keya’s wedding.”
The memory hit him harder than he expected.
“I overheard Keya and Janak talking about my inheritance. I wasn’t supposed to know until I turned twenty-five… but Iheard them, and so Janak told me the truth. That Sehgal Media was mine.” He exhaled sharply. “I knew then that I couldn’t have you. How could I, when my inheritance would destroy your dreams? It would be the single reason you’d hate me forever. And so, you became off-limits.”
She stepped back, as though the ground had shifted beneath her. But he didn’t let her go. His hold on her arm tightened, pulling her back toward him, refusing to let her retreat into distance again. Not this time.
“I stepped back from you,” he said. “I told myself that I couldn’t love you. That perhaps it was better this way for both of us because when you learned the truth, you’d hate me anyway. I did not choose Amara over you. I dated her because I couldn’t have you. I stupidly and naively thought that if I dated someone else, anyone else, then I’d be able to forget you. Amara was a friend, and it was easy to be with her. But we broke up in a matter of weeks because I didn’t want her. And she wasn’tyou.”
“Why didn’t you tell me the truth back then?” Shauna shot back.
“Because I swore to Janak that I wouldn’t. The terms of my inheritance stated that I couldn’t tell anyone till I was twenty-five. And I couldn’t be with you and keep lying to you. I couldn’t have listened to your dreams knowing I’d be the one to break them. How would that have been fair to you?”
She looked at him for a long moment before she spoke again. “I know what you’re saying makes sense. You were trying to do the right thing… but you didn’t just protect me, Akash. You broke me.” Her hand pressed against her chest. “You made me feel like I wasn’t enough. Like I was easy to walk away from.”
“I never wanted you to feel that,” he said. “And I’m so sorry you were hurt.” A beat passed and he added, “But I was hurt too.”
His jaw tightened, the memory surfacing as sharply as ever.
“That day… it was yours and Rhea’s twenty-second birthday. We were all supposed to meet for lunch at Sketch in London. I got there early.” His gaze never left hers. “And I heard you. You were with Rhea. She asked you… she asked if there was something between us. If you felt something for me…” His voice hardened slightly. “And you laughed. You said, ‘Of course not. He’s just a friend. Not even a close one… more like an acquaintance. I’d never date him even if he were the last man on earth.’”
A hollow, humorless breath left him. “And then you said you didn’t care who I dated. That it wouldn’t make a difference to you.” His eyes held hers. “What was I supposed to think, Shauna?”
“I was hurt,” she said angrily. “You were with her. What was I supposed to say? That I was in love with you?”
His breath hitched.
“Were you? In love with me?” he asked, needing to know the answer to that.
For a moment, she didn’t answer. Her gaze dropped. Then slowly, she looked up at him again.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Relief flooded through him, followed by an overwhelming sense of rightness. She had loved him. All those years ago… she had loved him too.
He pulled her closer, closing the distance between them. His hand slid up, curling lightly around her jaw, holding her there, making sure she couldn’t look away.
“And what about now?” he asked, his voice low, rough, urgent. “What do you feel for me now?”
She looked away from him.
“Shauna,” he murmured, leaning closer, his forehead almost brushing hers. “Look at me.”
She finally met his gaze.
“Tell me,” he said softly. “What do you feel for me now?”
She didn’t answer. Her lips parted, her chest rising and falling unevenly. Her eyes searched his.
“Say it,” he pressed, his voice dropping to a whisper. “I want to hear you say it.”
Her fingers curled into his shirt, holding on.
“I tried not to,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I tried to hate you. To forget you.” A tear slipped free, tracing down her cheek. “But I couldn’t. I love you, Akash. I never stopped loving you.”
He exhaled a relieved breath, touching his forehead to hers. Her fingers tightened in his shirt, her voice trembling as more of the truth spilled out.
