Page 23 of Entangled Vows (Destined Diaries #2)

Mahika flopped onto the plush cushions of Ishika’s bedroom couch, her arms crossed as she watched her friend pace in front of her.

The rich aroma of buttery dal makhani, garlic naan, and smoky tandoori momos filled the air—the remnants of the takeout dinner Mahika had picked up from her favourite dhaba.

In the background, the steady thud of boxes being stacked and the distant voices of movers filled her house.

Yes, it was still her house, though only for a few more hours.

“So, let me get this straight,” Ishika said.

“For weeks, they’ve been strong-arming you into this deal, all because of your father, who, even from the clouds above, is still playing his favourite game: ‘Let’s ruin Mahika’s life.

’ And, on top of that, he secretly sold his shares to Vikram’s father, keeping the whole transaction hidden from everyone? ”

“Right,” Mahika nodded.

“So, you’re telling me you actually married Vikram...legally, papers signed and stamped, all to save a business you don’t have a share in, after all the hard work you’ve put into it? And also to protect yourself from some imaginary bad boy who’s still hung up on you?”

Mahika groaned, the sound muffled as she buried her face into a cushion. “Well, when you put it like that, it does sound awful. But I only did this to save the beach house.”

Ishika threw her hands up in exasperation. “Mahi, that’s because it is awful! Why are you so obsessed with the beach house? You could have simply bought a new one in the same place.”

Mahika sat up, looking tired and annoyed.

“It’s not the same. You know that beach house is special.

If I can’t have it, then no one else can.

And besides, I had no choice! Think about Mohit and all the employees depending on the company.

You think I want to be bound to that overbearing, arrogant, insufferable—”

“Sexy as hell—” Ishika interjected with a smirk.

Mahika shot her a glare. “—control freak.”

Ishika shrugged, unfazed. “Okay, but you have to agree Vikram is objectively hot.”

“This is not about his insanely good looks, Ishika!” Mahika huffed. “Or his stupid, stupid muscles.”

“Or the way he looks at you like he’s about to devour you?” Ishika teased, waggling her eyebrows. “I swear, when I saw you two talking this morning—”

Mahika grabbed a pillow and launched it at her. “Focus!”

Ishika caught it with a dramatic flourish and plopped down beside Mahika. “Fine, fine. Let’s focus.” She narrowed her eyes.

Mahika groaned again. “So, I am Mrs. Mahika Khurana now, and I can’t even pretend it’s a bad dream.”

Ishika agreed, rolling her eyes. “It’s a pretty crappy situation.”

Mahika sank deeper into the couch. “Exactly.”

“Unbelievable,” Ishika sighed, leaning back. “God, I leave town for one month, spend one glorious night with my date, and come back to… this madness?”

Mahika gave her a dry look. “Well, at least someone had a fun night with a sexy stranger.”

“Yeah. It was good,” Ishika smirked, then dismissed it like it didn’t matter.

The sound of packing tape being ripped somewhere made Mahika jump. She turned around to see the movers packing her books into a box. They were almost done. Soon, her things would be sent to the Khurana estate. Her new home.

“Isn’t it weird that all these movers are in black business suits?” Ishika asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Totally. Like James Bond’s army of minions.”

Ishika snorted but then leaned in, mischief written all over her face. “Anyway, all that aside, tell me one thing. Have you kissed your husband yet?”

Mahika sat up so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash. “What?! No! Have you lost your mind? Why would I kiss him?”

Ishika cackled. “I’m just saying! You two have this whole ‘I hate you, but let’s bang each other against the wall’ vibe, and I need to know if I should be buying popcorn.”

Mahika groaned and shoved her friend’s shoulder. “You are the worst best friend ever.”

Ishika grinned. “And you love me anyway. But seriously, what’s the plan now that you’ll be living with the antichrist?”

Mahika exhaled, running a hand through her hair. “I don’t know. Every part of me is screaming to fight. Or at the very least, to run.”

Ishika’s smirk softened into something more thoughtful. “Because of him?”

Mahika hesitated. “Because of everything. The family pressure, the way he…” She trailed off, biting her lip. “I’ve spent my whole life hating him.”

“Not your whole life,” Ishika countered. “What about that not-so-tiny crush?”

Mahika narrowed her eyes. “What crush?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Ishika shrugged dramatically. “Maybe the mortifying one where you were obsessed with Dr. Doom for years. And now you expect me to go full Ghajini and erase it from my memory? Newsflash, babe. I remember everything, even if you don’t.”

Mahika scoffed. “It was not like that, and you know it. Besides, that was a lifetime ago. I don’t feel anything for him. Not since a billion years.”

Ishika raised an eyebrow. “Not even a little?”

Mahika shook her head. “Not even a tiny bit. He was… I don’t know, more like a horror fantasy than a real crush. But that’s long dead. Now, when I see him, I feel nothing.”

“Interesting,” Ishika murmured. “So, if Vikram suddenly confessed his undying love for you, you’d—”

“Ishika, I swear to God, I would push him off a cliff.”

Ishika burst into laughter. “Okay, okay! So… that means the field is wide open for a little no-strings fling with your temporary husband? No emotions, only sex?”

Mahika groaned. “You’ve seriously lost it. That man makes me want to commit murder, not hook up. Just because he looks like sin wrapped in a suit does not mean I’m desperate!”

“Mmm-hmm. Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart,” Ishika retorted, her expression unreadable.

“No. I’m serious.”

After a beat, Ishika nudged Mahika’s arm. “Even if he still has those stupid, stupid muscles or that dangerously sexy glare?”

“Yup,” Mahika said without hesitation.

Ishika folded her arms and with a dramatic sigh. “You do realise I’m going to be alone in this house while you go play Mrs. Khurana in that ridiculous mansion of his?”

Mahika gave her a flat look. “Oh, please. You’re acting like I’m moving to another country. I’m just twenty minutes away.”

“You might as well be.” Ishika threw her hands up. “That place basically has its own postal code. What am I supposed to do here all alone? Who will binge-watch bad reality TV with me at 2 a.m.? Who will order absurd amounts of momos just because we can?”

Mahika smirked. “We can still do that. You could come over there or I could come over here.”

Ishika frowned. “Hmm. Wait. What happens to my rent now? Am I about to go broke funding my own loneliness?”

Mahika rolled her eyes. “Ishika, this is my house. I never even wanted you to pay rent in the first place.”

“Yeah, but I insisted,” Ishika said, lifting her chin. “I have self-respect.”

Mahika sighed. “Seriously, though. Please save it up for your own place. I really don’t want you to keep paying rent anymore.”

Ishika tilted her head thoughtfully. “Honestly, I should be charging you rent now. For abandoning me and for emotional damages.”

Mahika gave her another eye roll. “See, there are a few benefits of marrying Grizzly Khurana.”

Ishika’s face broke into a sly grin. “Speaking of benefits… You do realise you’ll have to share his bedroom and his bed. Please, I expect full updates on how insanely hot he looks in his home clothes. I don’t think I have ever seen him without a suit.”

“Ishika!!”

“Oh, come on.” Ishika nudged her. “The man is obscenely hot, and now you’re going to live with him. Under the same roof. Might as well take advantage of the situation.”

Mahika crossed her arms. “Not happening.”

Ishika gave her a pointed look. “Yet.”

Mahika groaned. “No. Not ever.”

Ishika raised a brow. “Really? You don’t even have one inappropriate thought about him?”

Mahika picked up a pillow and wielded it like a weapon. “Drop it, or I swear—”

Ishika just smirked. “Fine, fine. But if, hypothetically, you did change your mind—”

“I won’t.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Ishika, I mean it.”

Ishika sighed dramatically. “God, you’re so boring. Here I was, hoping for some scandalous newlywed gossip, and you’re telling me you just plan to be his roommate?”

“Yes,” Mahika huffed. “A strictly platonic roommate. There is nothing between us. Never was and never will be.”

Ishika gave her a long look. “Famous. Last. Words.”

Mahika groaned again and buried her face in her hands.

Ishika grinned, but then let the teasing settle, her expression softening. “I really am going to miss you, though.”

Mahika exhaled. “Me too.”

The noises of the movers shuffling around in the background made everything feel real. Too real. But, as expected, Ishika wasn’t one for too much sentimentality.

She shot Mahika a wink. “At least one of us is about to live the life straight out of a steamy billionaire romance novel.”

Mahika flung a pillow at her head. “Get out.”

Ishika just laughed. “You get out. You’re in my room.”

∞∞∞

Finally, it was the day Mahika moved into Vikram’s home after visiting the Jaykar Mansion. That brief, half-hour visit had infuriated him more than words could say.

Vikram closed the car door with a thud and walked around to the passenger side to open Mahika’s door.

He replayed the visit, the entire encounter leaving a bitter, acrid taste in his mouth. Mahika’s mother had behaved more like a petulant stranger than a parent. What truly grated on his nerves, though, was Mohit revealing that Mahika hadn’t received a single call from her mom since the wedding.