Ruhi saw a black Nissan Rogue parked on a quiet street in the corner, hidden from the wedding venue by rows of cypress trees and live oaks.
She didn't know how to stop the golf cart, which already looked somewhat battered on the side from riding along the rugged terrain. After passing by the car and failing to stop, she jumped out of the cart and let it roll down the street.
"Hey!! It's not public property. We rented it." One of the two men, who was wearing a forest green hoodie and black cap, ran behind the rolling cart.
Dhruv stepped out of the car.
"Oh finally! It took these guys forever to sneak that cart in." He wrapped her in a hug and laughed at her condition, dragging sand with her trailing gown and a missing shoe.
"Such useless idiots, claiming to be kidnappers," she muttered under her breath and then asked out loud, "Who trained you guys?"
"No one. We learn by experience and from our mistakes." The second
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Rosy cheeks, long and curled lashes. So caught up in her eyes, Rafael was barely aware of anyone else at that moment.'Can't even staymad at her.' Hethought as hebrushed a lock of hair from herface.Ruhi forgot to breatheever since hislips pressed against her cheek, and the light touch of his warm fingers was electric. She wanted to pull him closer and capturehis lips with her own. Letting out a little sigh, she writhedher hands against the tightly knotted tieand triedto talk to him.She looked too sweet and vulnerable for him to handle."What?" He finally removed the gag and looked away from her mouth."I need to pee.""Way to ruin a moment. Good job," Eddy, who was sitting right across with a clear view of these two,huffed out a laugh."No way! I'm never going to trust you again about not running away. No bathroom breaks for you." Rafael shut the door and walked to th
Once Rafael's dad waved them goodbye and wished them a safe trip, Ruhi hopped into the car with a heavy heart. She was quiet and lost, not bothering Rafael at all.He would have snapped at her extra hard if she did. His throat was tightened with an unwanted emotion, a feeling he had always struggled to kick down once it took over.He remembered every single detail about the day his mom died, about how pretty she looked when he saw her that morning. It was the day he returned from a week-long stay at his grandparents' place.Her long, golden brown locks curled around her face as she put a tray full of his favorite mintchocolate chip cookiesinto the oven. He ran to wrap his arms around her feet in excitement and kissed the tiny baby bump. His dad told him on the way home he was going to get a little sister."My Rafy boy has grown tall in just a week!" She struggled to pick him up and kiss him. "So tall and heavy." She swung&nbs
"You can go. I won't get mad at all. Have fun." Ruhi tried to push Dhruv away, asking him to hang out with his friends so that she could spend some time alone.She wasn't particularly in a mood to drink, dance, or explore anything. She was afraid of running into Rafael and Alisha while they were making out somewhere."Let's shower and then decide," Dhruv said and tapped the key card once they reached the suite. His friends were staying one level below them but on the same side of the ship.Within ten minutesof setting their stuff down and exploring the lavish suite and going through food menus for dinner options, Dhruv and Ruhi heard a knock on the door. His friends showed up with a poker set in a suitcase.Ruhi groaned in disapproval.'These losers are going to play poker all night like always.' She thought.Dhruv had once planned a trip toSmokey Mountains from Atlanta, and Ruhi was super excited about seeing the fal
"Aren't you going to change?" Ruhi asked Rafael hesitantly when he set his plate on the tableand sat down next to her.She was glad no one saw what she did. Alisha and Michelle ignored her and showed each other some pictures of their nieces and nephews. Adira looked like she had a problem with Ruhi sitting next to Rafael. She stirred somecreamer into her coffee with a grim face and refused to meet Ruhi's questioning gaze. Her husband, Eddy, Aaron, and Irene were very amused by the newly married couple."Your first fight, huh?" Irene asked Ruhi as Ruhi looked helplessly at Rafael."Correction: First fight today," Aaron chuckled.Rafael ignored them andglowered at Ruhiwith narrowed eyes and poked at the hash brown crusted quiche a little too hard with his fork. Her eyes lingered on him as he quickly gobbled his food."Looks like you don't need to eat. Are you just going to stare at him while he's eating and feel fu
The main pool deck and the adults-only sun deck were transformed into a nightclub with an illuminating atmosphere.The DJ was spinning some 70s tunes whilemouthwatering mojitos were being served on the house. "A twenty-four hour pizzeria and sushi bar! How awesome!" Ruhi said and grabbed a dark rum strawberry mojito. "Wait, wait!" Anita stopped her from taking a sip and put her ocean blue mojitonext to Ruhi's and clicked a picture. "Damn! Your sister is here." Dhruv said and started looking for Rafael. "Give her one of these free drinks. She will be rolling on the floor in no time," Ruhi smirked and movedcloser to the sundeck. She felt someone tug at her arm and turn her around to go back to the pool deck. "Come on. We will be eating some sushi." Rafael said to her, standing withAdira and Irene. Ruhi reluctantly placed her hand in his and allowed him to lead her to the others. "There's a
Ruhi turned around to look at herself in the mirror when she tasted blood.Her lower lip was bleeding, and she was sure her neck was going to have at least five bruises. She could feel the skin tingling in several spots while her core was still on fire, feeling deprived of his closeness.Adira was flashing angry looks at her reflection in the mirror, but Ruhi ignored her existencefor a minute to understand what just happened.Her face was a shade of deep red and she couldn't help blushing, despite all the confusion.She hissed at her sister when she broke the silence, interrupting her excited thoughts."How does it feel? Stealing someone'sboyfriend, depriving them of the happiness they deserve?""What?" Ruhi turned around to face her sister. "Since when did you start siding with Alisha? You always like to take my opposing side, don't you? Doesn't matter who you support, as long as it isn't me.""I'm not talking about t
Ten dayslaterin San FranciscoRafael, Eddy, and Aaron were at Rafael's mansion to watch a football game.The family home is split into several interconnected villas with separate kitchens and entry exits. Ruhi's family wason the west side when they stayed for the wedding. Rafael's dad was more or less in the middle, grandma was in the southand Rafael lived on the far east end with Ruhi."Woah, that's a lot of plants. I thought we were in the wrong part of the mansion for a second." Aaron pushed a large palm leaf out of his way and headed toward the living room."It's all my little wifey's doing. She has taken over my space and turned it into a tropical jungle. And don't call them plants. They all came from her Florida home over the last one week, and she frowns when I don't use their proper names. This is Dracaena, the one that looks like swiss cheese is Monstera, and that one over there is called my ass!""
"Hell no!" Rafael said without blinking twice. He was sure he would do something stupid and she will stay mad at him for eternity. Ruhi gulped in fear when she saw him shirtless. Now she understood why he wanted the heater blasting so high in such cold weather...so that he could roam around almost naked. She frowned at how low his waistband was before looking away. They fought indirectly more than twice last week about how cold she wantedher room to be because she liked to bury herself underextra thick blankets. The maid conveying the messages for them went crazy and called in sick the next morning. "Please... I don't want your bed. I just need you in the same room." The sky rumbled some more, and she looked at him with puppy eyes, hoping he would let her sleep on the extra foldable bed that she saw in the closet once when she was moving some of her stuff to his bedroom to confuse the maids. To cope with t