Page 21 of Pillow Talk (Rally Romance #1)

Sen had discarded his jacket and rolled up his sleeves.

She heard him saying something to Anni and Natasha laughed, but Shona had zoned out and was no longer paying attention to the conversation.

Through occasional furtive glances, which she hoped would pass unnoticed, she scrutinised Natasha.

She was tall, athletic and her straight, black hair was pulled back in a thick plait.

Her dark skin was highlighted with peach blush and her lips were subtly accentuated with a pinkish nude lipstick.

She wore a sleeveless black and white shift dress and nude stilettos.

Shona looked down at her own outfit: a black top with mesh sleeves, fitted jeans and high-heeled sandals.

Natasha was obviously dressed for a date – unlike her.

She was there as a third wheel. But if she’d refused Anni’s invitation, it would have looked suspicious.

The waiter brought her cocktail and she took a long sip.

She gasped: it was very strong, especially for someone like Shona who liked cocktails that were low on alcohol but looked pretty.

Cautiously, she took another sip. Sen tried to make eye contact again but she looked down at the menu.

The words started to blur. She shut the menu and looked up again.

Her chest felt hot and her throat a little dry, so she took another long sip.

The conversation continued and so did Shona’s sipping.

‘I’ve ventured out of Rally since I moved here. I found what I think are the world’s best waffles one town over. Sen, maybe you’d like to try them out sometime,’ Natasha said.

Shona stood up abruptly. Thankfully she was sitting at the edge of the booth.

‘I need the ladies,’ she said and walked away before her friends could react.

In the ladies, she clutched the basin and took a deep breath to steady herself. She heard footsteps behind her – a woman in her mid-fifties had just stepped out of one of the cubicles.

‘Oh honey, have you been crying?’

Shona looked at herself in the mirror. She definitely wasn’t crying but she looked sick.

The woman came and washed her hands, grabbed a few paper towels to dry them and then turned to Shona.

‘It’s a man, isn’t it? It’s always a man. My second husband would have me crying in the ladies whenever we went out,’ she said.

‘I’m not crying,’ Shona answered. The woman was in tight jeans and a purple, sequinned top, and the ends of her grey hair were dyed pink, matching her bright pink heels. She looked like a funky fairy godmother.

She stepped closer and turned Shona back to the mirror.

‘Look closer, sweetie. You are crying. You just don’t know it,’ she said. Before Shona could respond, the woman patted her shoulder and left.

Sen was getting impatient. He looked towards the ladies room; Shona was taking a long time. Natasha seemed like a great woman but he wasn’t interested.

‘Sen, are you okay? What are you looking at?’ Anni asked.

‘Nothing,’ he lied.

‘Shall we order supper?’ Sam asked.

‘Sure,’ replied Sen, relieved to have a distraction.

He reached for the menu but then Natasha spoke up.

‘Actually, I’m not staying for supper. I’ve just remembered that I have some work to do ahead of a court appearance tomorrow,’ she said.

Sen could spot a lie a mile away but he wasn’t going to convince her to stay because this evening had been a nightmare from the minute he’d walked into Thirsty’s.

He expected Anni to try to get Natasha to stay but she quickly nodded.

‘We completely understand. Work is work,’ she said kindly.

Sen wasn’t a complete jerk, although he was starting to feel like one because – with Shona right there – he was on what looked like a date. So, as Natasha gathered her phone and bag, he stood to walk her out.

She hugged Anni and Sam and said her goodbyes. Sen followed her out and accompanied her to her car.

‘I won’t tell Anni, but she’s going to figure it out soon,’ Natasha said.

Sen raised an eyebrow.

‘You and Shona. Something is happening there,’ she said.

Sen didn’t deny it. He watched her get into her car and lifted his hand to wave but she’d already driven away.

He re-entered Thirsty’s and spotted Shona at the booth with Sam and Anni. Relief washed over him.

He hurried back to join them. As he sat down, he ran a hand through his hair.

‘Anni and Sam please don’t ever do that again.’

He braced himself for an argument, but instead his friends exchanged glances and began to apologise.

Shona hiccupped and everyone turned to stare at her.

‘I think I’m drunk,’ she announced.

Shona was definitely drunk and Sen helped her into her apartment. ‘I’m Cinderella,’ she slurred.

Sen played along. ‘Cinderella, can you please stop moving around. Just let me help you to bed.’

‘Ah, bed. There you don’t make me cry,’ she said.

Sen steered her to the bed and pushed down on her shoulders for her to sit on the bed.

She sat but immediately flopped onto her back.

He managed to get her shoes off, but he didn’t even try to get her jeans off because by then she’d turned onto her side.

‘Do you know what my fairy godmother said?’

Sen didn’t want to argue with a drunk person at 11pm when all he wanted was a shower and to get into bed himself, so he decided to humour her.

‘What did she say?’

‘She said you make me cry although I can’t see it yet.’

Sen stood up from where he’d been kneeling to take off her shoes.

He didn’t know if Shona was trying to tell him something in her own way or if it was just alcohol-induced nonsense.

‘I would never make you cry,’ he said seriously.

She rolled onto her back and, fumbling a little, undid the button and zip of her jeans.

From the end of the bed, Sen reached and pulled the garment off, folded it and placed it on a pile of fresh laundry on a chair in the corner of the room.

Shona struggled to get her top and bra off but she did it. He opened her closet to get a nightdress or T-shirt for her to sleep in but just stood there for a few moments.

This was the part that scared him. Shona was always just winging it.

He wasn’t freaked out that her closet looked like a tornado had hit it but it was another reminder of how different they were.

He liked plans, routine and structure. He sighed deeply and pulled out a plain grey tee from the pile and quickly shut the door before the avalanche of clothing collapsed on him.

She held out her hand for the shirt, which he handed to her, then sat on the bed.

‘Shona, you’re impossible.’

She was flat on her stomach and half asleep.

‘But I adore you,’ he whispered, before fetching a bottle of water from the kitchen to leave next to her bed.

‘You had a dinner party,’ his mother said.

Sen put down his pastry. It was Saturday morning and his parents had insisted they meet for breakfast at his grandfather’s house.

His father reached for the chops chutney but his mother swatted his hand away from the grilled chops braised in a spicy tomato curry.

‘Do you want to die of diabetes? Is that what you want?’

His father sighed and reached for a boiled egg.

She looked back to Sen.

‘You had a dinner party at your apartment,’ she said again.

Just to antagonise her, he dished a huge spoon of chops chutney on his own plate, then grinned.

‘Senthil, why are you ignoring me?’

‘Because I didn’t have a dinner party.’

‘Then why did you need half a dozen naan?’

He should have sworn his grandfather’s housekeeper to secrecy. ‘I didn’t have a party. I just had one guest,’ he replied.

Everyone stopped eating. He pretended he didn’t notice and continued to eat.

‘Who was it?’

‘Does it matter?’

‘Senthil, why are you so evasive? It better not have been that Tamira girl,’ his mother said sternly.

He laughed. When he saw her expression, he realised he shouldn’t have laughed. He sunk down a little into his chair.

‘Tamira would never ever be in my apartment or life. I explained to you all many times that we went out a few times. That was it,’ he said.

‘Then who was your guest?’

He shook his head and even rolled his eyes. ‘Do you really have to know?’

His mother didn’t answer but the look on her face was enough to tell him he had to answer.

‘Fine. It was Shona Shah.’

His mother’s eyes lit up, while his grandfather and father exchanged sneaky smiles.

‘Was that so difficult?’

He shrugged.

‘You’re dating Shona? When will we formally meet her? We know of her and remember her as a child, but I haven’t really been introduced,’ his mother continued.

He groaned.

‘Mom, I am not dating Shona. We’re just friends,’ he said.

His grandfather cleared his throat. Sen shot the old man a warning look.

‘We’ll meet Shona at Mylen’s wedding,’ she said.

Sen sat up straighter. ‘What? No! I wasn’t even planning on going.’

‘You were planning on not attending your cousin’s wedding?’

‘Second cousin,’ he muttered.

‘You will be attending, Senthil, and so will Shona,’ she ordered.

‘Mom, I can’t ask Shona to attend. That’s ridiculous,’ he complained.

‘But you could ask her to have supper at your apartment? You can spend every night at her apartment but you can’t ask her to attend a wedding?’

‘Whoa, Mom! I’m not at Shona’s apartment every night!’

His grandfather cleared his throat again.

Sen narrowed his eyes at him. The old man winked.

‘Shona comes from a respectable family and so do you. The Shahs are well respected and so are the Aiyers. You both will stop this nonsense. I put up with your nonsense out of Rally with Tamiras, Sadhanas, Janes and God knows who else but I won’t put up with this.

I’ll march into that shop and tell her parents exactly what is going on,’ his mother said sternly.

Sen laughed.

‘I’m almost 30years old.’

‘Exactly! You found the one and now you can settle down. This ducking and diving nonsense has to stop,’ his mother warned.

His grandfather cleared his throat again.

Sen gave him a withering look that should have terrified the old man but instead his smile just got broader.