Page 32 of Entangled Vows (Destined Diaries #2)

It had been exactly two months since the kiss.

Two months of silence that she wanted to strangle. Two months of Vikram purposefully avoiding her, and acting as if she didn’t exist. And it was slowly killing her.

She still wasn’t over the kiss. Still wasn’t over the way her heart ached to be near him, to hear his voice, or to feel the sharp edge of his words snapping at her, as if her presence affected him.

That sensation of being the centre of his attention lingered as vividly as the imprint of his lips on hers. It was impossible to forget it.

And yet, after that kiss, he behaved as if nothing had changed. Their mornings slipped into a rhythm neither of them had asked for, but couldn’t escape either. They spent their days skirting around each other, pretending nothing had happened, as if the silence could somehow make it all disappear.

Then, one morning, Vikram handed her a cup of tea and a slice of toast, as if offering a truce. A weak, pale truce she had no interest in. She craved his arrogance, his dominance… the kind that made her think if she needed therapy. Because who in their right mind would want a husband like him?

She wasn’t fine. Not even close, because there was no trace of their usual hostility or banter. She waited for him, for any reaction, any spark, any touch… but he remained indifferent.

Her mornings were spent keeping herself distracted. She tried to write in the early hours, went through her yoga routine on autopilot, and watched Vikram lace up his running shoes and rush out the door, before she could strike up any conversation that might bring back the tension between them.

That kiss in the car had been a collision of need and desire neither of them fully understood. It shifted the air between them, making it electrifying, dangerous, and impossible to ignore. It wasn’t supposed to make her feel anything. It wasn’t meant to unleash a flood of suppressed emotions.

Yet it did. That reckless, impulsive moment had awakened the demon she thought she’d locked away for years.

Her simmering hatred had bounced back into that old crush, laced in obsession and longing.

Every inch of his avoidance wounded her pride, fuelling a fire that her mind couldn’t quieten. How dare he treat her like that?

She refused to be invisible. She refused to be the girl from his childhood that he’d ignored, or the burden of his present that he merely tolerated.

She wanted him to want her just like that day… the day he’d kissed her with a passion that set her whole being on fire.

So, she decided to up her game. To provoke him.

Seduce him. She wore silk camisoles that hugged her curves and satin robes that slipped over her shoulders, exposing her creamy skin.

She stretched her legs intentionally in his view, and dropped spoons and glasses on purpose.

Then she bent slowly to pick them up, letting her fingers brush the floor, all while feeling his gaze on her back.

But how saintly of her perfect husband. He never reacted. Not even a twitch.

His control was absolute, though she could see him struggling not to get affected by her games. But his jaw would clench, his grip on his phone would tighten, and his eyes would flicker dangerously. And those little gestures betrayed him, saying everything he couldn’t.

The chemistry between them was undeniable. Their conversations were still spiked with sarcasm, but beneath all that, something warm and unwelcome came to the fore. A spark that had been simmering long before the kiss now came with a taste, a memory that refused to fade.

The tension between them no longer felt like a game.

Her dreams were consumed by him, leaving her breathless, aching.

Still, they kept up the pretence, acting as if everything was normal.

But deep down, they both knew the truth.

The line between resistance and surrender was blurring and had turned into something undefined and dangerous.

Something she didn’t dare name. And she had no idea whether to chase it or run from it, before it consumed her completely.

Pushing all thoughts aside, she let out a long, audible sigh.

Now, sitting at the head of the conference table on the tenth floor, Mahika gazed out over the city, with a simmering fire burning inside her.

In just fifteen minutes, the strategic alignment session for the marketing and launch of their new hospitality tech app, developed by the software division, would begin.

As she waited for her team to arrive, her eyes drifted to the floor-to-ceiling window.

The hills were dusted with early summer haze.

The sky was a perfect canvas of calm blues and wisps of white, fluffy clouds.

It was a view that demanded awe, but her eyes were invariably drawn to the tablet glowing in front of her.

She opened her notebook app and let her fingers tap across the screen.

Scattered thoughts spilled out in the form of haphazard words.

Ideas for a romance novel she had been meaning to start for weeks finally took shape, even if only in a rough outline.

She still hadn’t returned to her full-fledged writing routine, but she promised herself she would. Soon.

She’d barely managed to write four lines when her phone rang. Ishika’s name lit up the screen.

“Morning, Mrs. Khurana. How’s Monday treating you?” Ishika’s voice was light and teasing. She freelanced for a PR agency and travelled extensively, so apart from a few quick texts over the past three days, this was their first proper conversation.

Mahika sighed, her fingers tapping lazily on her desk. “I’m good, Ishi. Monday is… Mondaying. It’s just… meh. Are you back home? We need to meet.”

“Yep. Got back last night,” Ishika replied, her excitement obvious.

“We’ll meet soon, I promise. Also, Mahi,” Ishika added with a teasing lilt, “how can your Monday be meh? You’re married now, and you and your sexy husband work at the same place.

I thought work would be ten times more interesting now. ”

Mahika let out a dry laugh. “Apparently, it’s exactly the same as before,” she said, the irony obvious in her tone.

“Oh, come on,” Ishika prodded playfully. “Surely there’s something… loaded glances, a hot moment, some drama waiting to explode?”

“Oh, there are glances,” Mahika said flatly. “Lots of them. Mostly the kind that pretend I don’t exist.”

“What?” Ishika gasped, mock scandalised.

“Yes,” Mahika deadpanned. “Vikram just avoids and ignores me now, like I’m invisible to him.”

“How dare he?” Ishika gasped, outraged in the most dramatic manner.

“I’m wondering the exact same thing,” Mahika replied with a smirk. “But I don’t want to think about that now,” Mahika said, changing the subject smoothly. “You tell me. What are you up to today?”

“I just got up,” Ishika replied, “and plan to laze around for a bit, trying to avoid real responsibilities for a few more hours. Later this afternoon, I’ve got a meeting with my team. What about you, Mrs. Romance Writer?”

“Oh, you know,” Mahika chuckled, leaning back in her chair. “Waiting for the team to arrive for a meeting. Since everyone is running late, I thought I’d write a little.”

“The new romance novel?”

“Mmm.” Her voice softened. “I’m just scribbling down a few ideas at the moment. Currently, all of it is half-baked nonsense.”

“Oooh, look at you, multitasking! What’s the plot this time? Alpha billionaire? Grumpy boss? Secret baby?”

Mahika laughed softly. “It’s nothing concrete yet. I’m just letting my brain wander.”

“Sounds romantic already.”

“It’s been months since I sat down and wrote properly. I keep telling myself I’ll get back to it. Soon. But somehow, there’s never enough time.”

“You should write daily. You light up when you write, and even more when you talk about your stories. Does His Highness know?”

Mahika acted dumb on purpose. “Know what?”

“That you’re secretly living an alternate life in your head with ridiculously hot fictional men, while he’s busy being broody, controlling, and hot in real life?”

Mahika couldn’t help but laugh. “No. He has no idea.”

“Why not? It wouldn’t hurt to tell him. Maybe he’ll be into it.”

“I doubt it,” she said, her smile dimming a little.

“Mahi, just because your dad was a jerk about it—and I’m sorry, but he was—doesn’t mean everyone else will be.”

“It’s not about that, Ishi. He doesn’t need to know. This marriage has an expiry date. No point in handing him little pieces of me when he’s never going to keep them.”

There was a pause. Ishika’s soft breath was the only sound on the other end.

“You’re allowed to share the things that matter, even in temporary relationships. Don’t let the expiry date stop you from being yourself, or from enjoying something real.”

“Okay,” Mahika replied, though her voice lacked conviction.

“No, you’re not getting it,” Ishika pressed. “This may not be forever. I get it. But for one whole year, it’s just the two of you. You guys are exclusive. That has to count for something, right? So tell me, why exactly are you not sleeping with your very hot, very legal husband?”

Mahika scoffed, her cheeks flushing pink. Sure, she had kissed him once, but in her dreams, she’d gone far beyond that… much, much farther.

“I’m not going to sleep with him,” she hissed, glancing around to make sure she was alone.

“But why not? How can you live with him under the same roof and not want to jump into bed with him?”

“Because I don’t want to complicate things,” she muttered. “That’s why I’m writing again… to stay sane and not think about him all the damn time.”

“Good,” Ishika said smugly. “At least you’re admitting he’s occupying your mind.”

“I did not—”

“Stop living in denial. I heard it loud and clear,” Ishika cut in, chuckling. “Now go finish scribbling your magic words before your meeting starts.”

Mahika sighed and rolled her eyes. “Okay, but for the record, I still don’t agree with you about banging him.”