Page 19 of Pillow Talk (Rally Romance #1)

‘So what? I am your lover. Am I not?’

‘Stop it, Sen! It’s making me feel icky!’

He started laughing. She joined in.

And then he stopped and looked at her. Her eyes met his. And in that moment, Shona knew something had changed. She couldn’t put a name to it because she didn’t know what it was, but she knew something was happening.

‘Can I start my closing argument?’

She smiled and nodded.

‘Is it possible that your father assumed you never wanted to leave the shop, that it was your job, and he couldn’t fire you? After all, you weren’t making any real known attempt to move on…out of the shop,’ he said.

Shona took a deep breath and let it out slowly. ‘It is possible.’

They stood looking into each other’s eyes, not saying a word.

Shona then broke the silence. ‘Sen, I think I’m ready for option one now.’

‘As your lover, I…’

‘Senthil! Just kiss me already.’

Two days later, Sen’s advice played in Shona’s mind.

His points made a lot of sense, but they still didn’t answer why her parents hadn’t made contact.

Should she do it? She didn’t want to –not yet.

Her emotions were still raw and she didn’t want to go to them angry and frustrated.

She needed time. Maybe they needed time?

Sen was right. She did need to talk to them. Just not right now.

A bride was due to come at 10 o’clock to discuss a veil. Shona rarely met clients in person because the majority of her orders were placed online and came from all over the country. But this bride lived in Rally.

Shona put on a simple, yellow sundress and remained barefoot.

Her hair was up in a ponytail. The summer temperatures were still extremely high and, although she desperately needed the cool air generated by the air-conditioner in her apartment, she could never get the setting right.

She usually ended up shivering when it was switched on.

Her doorbell rang at exactly 10am and Shona welcomed Esha inside. Esha had been two years ahead of her at school and their parents were also friends. The short woman, sporting a slick bob hairstyle and rimless spectacles, came in carrying a flat garment box.

‘Hi Shona. I’m so grateful you’re doing this for me,’ she said.

‘It’s no hassle at all. Let’s see what you have there,’ Shona replied, ushering her into the living room.

She gestured for Esha to sit and took the box from her. She opened it and carefully removed the deep red garment from under the tissue paper.

‘Oh Esha, it’s beautiful,’ she exclaimed.

‘Thanks Shona. It’s my dream wedding outfit, but the veil just doesn’t seem to go with it,’ she said.

Shona placed the long skirt on the couch, added the matching blouse and then got to the veil.

‘Mmm,’ she said, inspecting it.

The skirt and blouse were modern and elegant but the veil was trimmed with thick gold tinsel. It was ghastly.

‘I loved the outfit so much that I was willing to accept the veil for what it was. But now with the wedding getting closer, I hate it so much,’ said Esha.

Shona nodded as she stood up and let the length of the veil fall to the floor.

‘I know you don’t specifically specialise in traditional bridal wear, but your mother said you could turn anything into a masterpiece,’ she went on.

Shona was taken aback.

‘My mother?’

Esha, oblivious to the fallout with her parents, nodded.

‘Yes, my mother went into the shop last week to fetch my dad’s suit for the wedding. She mentioned my dilemma and your mother immediately recommended you,’ she explained.

A lump started to form in Shona’s throat and she had to look away to stay professional.

After a moment, she held the veil to her chest.

‘Are you okay with the length?’

Esha pulled a face. ‘I’m short and it looks hideous because it’s so long. But I also don’t want to cut it, if that makes sense.’

Shona gave her a reassuring smile.

‘I can work with this and make it into your perfect veil. Let’s discuss some ideas,’ she said.

An hour later, after a few sketches and a final decision on the new design, Esha left and Shona immediately started work on the veil.

When Esha had asked the cost, she’d given a higher price than normal and was surprised when Esha said it was a bargain and couldn’t believe that her prices were so reasonable.

Sen was right. She was underselling her work and skills.

She worked on the veil until 2pm and then scrolled through social media while deciding what to wear to supper at Sen’s apartment.

She was comfortable with Sen, but there were moments when she was shy and she suspected tonight would be one of them because sometimes it felt like more than friendship and a no-strings-attached relationship. It felt like a real relationship without labels.

At 5o’clock, she showered, put on a bottle green satin slip dress and nude sling-back sandals. She ran curl enhancing mousse through her dark hair. Light blush, mascara and pinkish nude lipstick completed her look.

When her doorbell rang an hour later, she was sitting comfortably on the couch but trying to still the butterflies in her stomach.

‘Hi,’ she said, opening the door.

Sen looked her up and down.

‘What’s the chances of a little…’

She cut him off. She knew that hungry look.

‘No chance whatsoever,’ she said and walked jauntily out the door, pulling it shut behind her.

Sen laughed. ‘Are you going to stand there all night staring at me or are you going to feed me?’

He wrapped an arm round her waist and pulled her to him.

‘A kiss hello first.’

His lips were just about to meet hers when a door opened.

‘Hey, neighbour.’

Shona turned to greet Sven, who had a not-so-discreet grin on his face.

‘Hi Shona. Good to see you, Sen.’

Sen let go of Shona and shook Sven’s hand.

Sven winked at Shona.

‘Have fun, you two,’ he said as he disappeared into the lift. The doors closed behind him.

Sen turned to Shona; the desire in his eyes was obvious and flattering.

‘I’m still going to get my kiss tonight,’ he said, taking her hand and leading her to the stairwell.

Sen unlocked the door and moved away to usher Shona in. He followed her and shut the door. While she looked around, Sen tried to see his apartment through her eyes, but all he could see was the minimalist space.

White, cream and grey walls with darker furniture pieces highlighted a modern aesthetic. Leather, natural woods and polished metals enhanced this high-contrast look. Everything was streamlined and uncluttered in his apartment. He thought back to Shona’s nightstand.

They were so different.

‘Your apartment is so…organised. But I’m going to have to look at the bottom of your closet,’ she joked.

‘You have my permission to dump some of my clothes there,’ he said, winking.

She licked her lips.

‘Speaking of clothes, you really do look good,’ she said, eyeing his attire. He wore dark denim jeans, a black polo shirt and trendy loafers.

‘Oh yeah?’ He started to walk towards her with only one thing on his mind, but she held up a hand.

‘No. I’m here on a date,’ she said.

‘A date?’

She looked away.

‘I didn’t mean it like that. I mean a supper date. Well, not a date. I’m here to eat,’ she concluded quickly.

He walked up to her and lifted her chin with his index finger so she could look into his eyes.

‘I don’t mind calling it a date,’ he said.

They stood still for a few seconds staring into each other’s eyes. Sen searched her face for a clue to what was going through her mind. He found himself wishing she was considering taking their relationship to the next level. The thought jerked him out of the spell they’d both succumbed to.

He moved away.

‘Let’s eat,’ he said and she followed him to the kitchen.

He had their meal set up at the breakfast nook. The table was dark, solid wood and the matching chairs were black leather.

‘It smells really good in here,’ she commented.

Sen smiled and opened the pot that sat on the hot tray.

‘Butter chicken! Sen, I’m impressed,’ she exclaimed.

‘I confess the naan was made by my grandfather’s housekeeper.’

They dished up their food and Sen watched Shona tear off a piece of naan and dip it into the curry on her plate. She closed her eyes as she chewed.

‘Senthil! This is divine. I can’t believe you ate hotdogs and nuggets at my place. I’m so embarrassed,’ she said.

Sen shook his head.

‘I loved it,’ he remarked.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Sen thought about her rules. They kept breaking them. And he knew that when she realised it she was going to retreat. He had to take advantage of the little that she was giving him.

‘Did you really have a crush on me back then?’

Shona stopped eating.

‘It was so bad, Sen. I drove Anni crazy that summer we turned 15. And then when I went away to college, I always hoped to bump into you in Rally during my breaks. But I never did. In my third year, Anni called to tell me that she met you for lunch and you brought a friend along, who was super cute and asked for her number. By then I’d moved on so I was just excited for her and didn’t ask about you,’ she explained.

‘Moved on?’

She nodded.

‘I was seeing someone,’ she replied.

Sen gritted his teeth.

She chuckled.

‘It was a long time ago. Dheran was a great guy; his parents were not,’ she said.

Sen was very interested in this Dheran.

‘What happened?’

‘Sen, we grew up together, so you know my family. My parents are not religious. My dad was born in Rally and adopted all the town’s traditions.

We even celebrate Christmas! At times, we are traditional but not like Dheran’s parents.

I have nothing against religious or traditional people, but when they judged my family for not being that, I had to walk away,’ she explained.

‘That makes sense,’ he said.

‘What about you? No serious girlfriends?’

He pondered for a moment. ‘It was out of the question at school because, as you know, I went to an all-boys boarding school. I dated at university but nothing serious. I didn’t fall as hard as Sam.’

Shona smiled. He liked the way her eyes lit up.

‘Yeah, Sam and Anni are the real thing.’

They continued to eat silently.

And later, after the meal was over, the kitchen cleaned and Shona in his car on her way home, Sen realised that this was the most serious relationship he’d ever been in. And it didn’t scare him.