Page 14 of Strictly Solo

“Neil, wait.” She called after him, her brow furrowed with worry. “I haven’t dried your hair yet. You’ll catch a cold.”

But her pleas fell on deaf ears as Neil continued on his way, leaving Naina alone with Ruhaan once more.

Seizing the opportunity, Ruhaan plopped down on the pool chair Neil had vacated, leaning back with a mischievous grin. Before Naina could protest, he reached out and tugged her hand, guiding the towel towardshisdamp hair.

“Even I can catch a cold...” he murmured suggestively.

Naina recoiled and pushing him away she flung the towel in his face.

“I’ll send your mom to do that,” she retorted, her cheeks flushed with annoyance.

Ruhaan chuckled. “Naina...” he called out as she turned to leave. “I swear, if I catch a cold, you’ll regret it. Come back here.”

She whirled around once only to glare at him and then stormed off, her damp footprints trailing behind her as she disappeared into the villa.

Ruhaan leaned back, a satisfied grin playing on his lips. He knew he was getting under her skin, chipping away at her defenses with each playful jab and flirtatious remark. It was only a matter of time before Naina succumbed to the undeniable chemistry that still simmered between them, and he couldn’t wait to see how their little time here would unfold.

Chapter 4

The kitchen was filled with the sweet aroma of boiling milk as Naina stood lost in thought, her mind wandering back to the events of the afternoon. The image of Ruhaan in the pool with Neil, teaching her son to swim, was etched firmly in her memory. She knew how much Neil wanted to learn, but her own fear of water had always held her back from sending him to swimming classes. The last person she expected to teach him was Ruhaan. Her cheeks warmed as she recalled how she had slipped into the pool, how Ruhaan had saved her from drowning. She remembered clinging to his body, feeling his hard muscles, the heat emanating from him, his intense gaze, and his strong grip as he helped her out of the water. And those flirty dialogues of his, some things never changed.

“Where are you lost, Naina?” Suman’s voice broke through her thoughts. She blinked hard and realized the milk had reached its boiling point. Thankfully, Suman had turned off the gas just in time to prevent it from spilling over.

“Oh, I... I’m sorry. Thank you for catching that.”

Suman studied her friend’s face. “Are you okay? You seem distracted.”

“I’m fine,” Naina replied unconvincingly.

“Come on, Naina. I know you better than that. Who’s the reason for your worry? Neil?”

Naina sighed, relenting under Suman’s gentle prodding. “It’s Ruhaan.”

A knowing smile played at the corners of Suman’s lips as she urged Naina to continue. Naina recounted the swimming pool incident, carefully omitting the details of her own conflicted feelings.

“He’s getting on my nerves, Suman,” Naina confessed. “And the worst part is, Neil seems totally charmed by him.”

Suman laughed softly. “Neil is young, Naina. If he’s bonding with Ruhaan, why not let him? It might be good for him.”

Naina frowned, unconvinced. Suman continued, “What surprises me is that you and Ruhaan’s mother, Kaushalya Aunty, haven’t crossed paths yet. You’ve been under the same roof for three days now.”

“I’ve been purposely avoiding her,” she admitted.

“I didn’t know you were ignoring my mother on purpose,” Ruhaan intervened, causing both women to jump in surprise.

Naina whirled around, her eyes narrowing at Ruhaan’s unexpected presence. “It’s not cool to eavesdrop like this, Ruhaan.”

He leaned against the doorframe. “I wasn’t eavesdropping. I just happened to walk in at the right moment. Or the wrong one, depending on how you look at it. And whatever you and Suman were discussing with open doors hardly had any spice to it. I wouldn’t even count overhearing that as eavesdropping.” He paused, his expression turning more serious. “But coming back to the topic, so, you’ve been avoiding my mother, huh? And here I thought it was justmeyou were trying to stay away from.”

Sensing the tension, Suman quietly excused herself, leaving Naina and Ruhaan alone in the kitchen. Ruhaan stepped inside.

“And why are you avoiding my mother, if I may ask?” he continued.

Naina felt her cheeks flush with a mixture of anger and embarrassment as she responded, “That’s because I don’t need more drama in my life. I’ve had enough of that already.”

“Oh,” he replied, moving closer to her. “You see, I don’t know about my mother but there is definitely someone whose attention you have captured after all these years.”

“I haven’t captured anyone’s attention,” Naina retorted, trying to step around him.