Page 43 of Right Where I Belong

She looked down at her hands, her fingers twisting in her lap, a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes.

“Akash won’t tell anyone anything about us. I didn’t tell Rithwik anything either,” he added. “Not a word.”

Her gaze snapped back to him.

“I know,” she murmured. “After you left, I realized… you wouldn’t have. In all the years I’ve known you, you’ve always come across as someone honest.”

His heart warmed listening to her words.

“So that’s one concern out of the way,” he declared. “What else is holding you back?”

“My son…” she whispered.

He frowned. “Why do you talk about your son like you’ll lose him if you do something for yourself?”

She looked at him, startled, and he knew he’d touched something raw.

“You won’t,” he said, his tone firmer. “What’s between us—this—is ours. Your son is a part of you, Sabrina. I get that he’ll always come first. He should.All I’m asking is for you to consider letting me fit into your life in whatever way you think is right.”

Her throat worked. She didn’t say anything for a long moment, as if still processing his words. But they were all true. The fact that she had a child didn’t change the way he felt abouther. In fact, he respected her even more for thinking of her son first.

Finally, she said, “You just got out of a relationship.”

“A while ago,” he replied. “Not yesterday. And Kanika’s engaged now, and out of my life for good.”

“But you were serious about her.”

He shrugged slightly. “Was I? If I was really serious, wouldn’tIbe the one she’s engaged to?”

He let that hang in the air between them, watching as her lips parted but no words came.

“So?” he asked quietly. “Have I handled all your objections?”

She hesitated, then whispered, “We hardly know each other.”

He smiled. “I know you’re scared of snakes. I know you love chocolate and can cook like a goddess. And that you’re allergic to seafood.”

A corner of her mouth twitched. The weight in his chest eased a little more.

“I want to giveusa try,” he said softly. “We can go slow. Or fast. However you want. I’m leaving the pace up to you. But don’t shut the door on this before we’ve even tried.”

She looked at him, really looked at him, and he saw the war raging in her eyes, her hesitation battling with her own desires.

“I’ll… think about it,” she finally breathed out.

Aditya grinned, placing a hand over his heart in mock agony. “There you go again. Slaying me by making me wait. Mercilessandbeautiful.”

A loud laugh escaped her mouth, and he felt the echo of it deep inside his chest, shaking him up. This… this feeling was exactly why he wanted to be with her. She was stirring something inside him, waking something up that had so far been slumbering peacefully.

He finally looked down at his whiskey glass. He hadn’t even registered when the waiter had served their drinks.

Lifting it, he held it out toward her. “To a new and, hopefully, beautiful beginning.”

Sabrina slowly raised her glass of wine. Their glasses clinked gently. She took a sip, and so did he. And from that moment, the evening shifted.

He could see her relax. Her smile grew easier, and her laughter quicker. She spoke freely and openly, her gaze never flinching from his, her posture no longer stiff with resistance. It was like she was finally beginning to let herself see him, and let him see her in return.

He didn’t push. He didn’t need to. He’d wait for her reply. For now, he just basked in her company.