& Then They Wed (Ampersand Love #2)

10. The Ex Hex

10

The Ex Hex

Aditi

A diti glanced around The Mumbai Map , patiently waiting for her date to show up. How did she score yet another reservation? Nanamma. The old lady apparently yielded more power than she knew. This time, Nanamma hadn’t even bothered to inform Rian before calling the restaurant manager and asking them to clear a table for Aditi and her date.

Aditi would have had to be a fool to refuse. So, she’d shown up on time, dressed to impress in a peach-pink wrap dress that showed off her flawless brown skin and accentuated her curvy figure. Aditi felt quite confident that today, she would finally pull off a successful date.

She made herself comfortable in her booth, sipping her spritzer, Kindle in hand; simply enjoying the anticipation of meeting someone new .

She’d caught sight of Rian briefly when he’d passed by her table, a leggy woman with cherry lips hanging onto him like he was her safety net against gravity.

Aditi had had to control herself from scoffing.

He was obviously on a date as well. And unless this woman was the love of his life, it was sure to be a casual one. Like the kind she’d asked from him.

Except, he’d behaved as if she’d demanded his kidney.

Rian’s rejection had chafed at her pride. Seeing him out with another woman, dressed in that powder blue that made his eyes seem like clear skies on sunny days, made her gnash her teeth.

No matter how peeved she was, it seemed like her body was entirely attuned to him if he were in the vicinity. She wanted to throw her complimentary Naan chips at him for having such an effect on her.

Which made the stakes for this evening to be a good one that much higher.

She’d caught him frowning at her, but she chalked it up to the intense discussion he seemed to be having with his lady friend. Fine, she’d decided then, determinedly ignoring his gaze when he’d looked in her direction. She was going to forget that she'd asked him for a fling, and forge ahead with the hope that candidate number twelve would be the man of her dreams.

“Hi.”

Aditi glanced up, the ready smile on her face transforming into a scowl almost immediately. Faced with the man she loathed instead of her date, she wondered if she was praying to the wrong gods. Why else would her ex-boyfriend be standing in front of her, looking for all intents like he’d come prepared to stay?

“What are you doing here?” Aditi asked, surprised when he slid into the seat across from her.

“We’re both here. May as well get dinner. I’ll order. ”

“Harish, stop,” she commanded, her voice sharp. “How did you know where I was?”

“I heard you tell Nina,” Harish replied, raising his hand to snap his finger at a passing waiter and ordering a drink for himself. “The nurses have been talking about how you’ve been on a dating spree. Eager to get married, are you?”

“You’re one to talk. Aren’t you engaged?”

“I broke it off.”

“That’s not what I heard,” Aditi muttered. Her sister had regaled her with gossip around Harish’s broken engagement, apparently caused by his interfering mother and his own inability to take a stand for himself. The touch of unease in his expression told her that the gossip was probably true.

“Forget that,” he said, obviously wanting to move on from the topic. “Are you getting married?”

“How is that any of your concern?”

“We were together for a long time. I have a right to be concerned.”

She couldn’t hold back an incredulous huff. “No, you don’t. We broke up. It's been almost two years.”

“Time won’t erase our memories.”

Aditi sat back, watching Harish put on his best impression of a docile, loving man. It was this version of him that had had her fooled for too long. She released a breath, finding thankfully that he had no effect on her anymore.

“Did you bring your wallet?” she inquired, her tone flat and even.

Confusion flickered in his eyes. “Yes, why?”

“Because I think you’re stealing terrible dialogues from a B-rated movie and if I have to listen to your bullshit, you’re going to have to pay for my drink.”

Immediately, his nostrils flared. All pretence of softness fled his face. “You’ve turned into a bitch. ”

“Ah, there’s the asshole I knew and loved.” Aditi insolently raised her cup to him, taking a sip. “I could pretend that I missed you but if I were that good at acting, we would still be in a relationship.”

“You'd be tolerable if you didn't have so much to say.” Harish clenched his teeth tight enough that his jaw looked like it would splinter. She hoped it would. “You’re impossible to love, Aditi.”

Despite herself, those words caused a dull ache in her chest.

“Considering the only one you love is yourself, Harish, that was the first correct thing you’ve said since you got here. You could never have loved me.”

“Me? It was your behaviour that ruined it.” The vicious gleam in his eyes was hardly hidden anymore. Aditi knew Harish’s personality. The fact that she had not immediately fallen over herself to speak with him meant that he would use every opportunity to belittle her and wear her down until he could get her to do her bidding.

It was a tactic she was well acquainted with.

“You got drunk and missed coming to a planned meeting with my family. I sat there, dressed to the nines, waiting for you and your parents to come discuss our engagement,” she said, her voice devoid of any feeling.

“You avoided me for days after that,” she recounted, remembering the numbness and confusion of not knowing what had gone wrong. The paralysing doubts that had surrounded her when she couldn’t contact him. Worse yet, she’d been responsible for the embarrassment her parents had faced when they’d been stood up by the Hebbars.

She had cried for months, the loss of her first love weighing as heavily on her as the guilt of letting her parents down with her choices.

“I called you numerous times, left you countless messages. You didn’t even bother texting me back once. I was devastated. ”

Instead of discomfort at being reminded of his ungentlemanly behaviour, Aditi saw a hint of sadistic pride at her confession. Disgust swirled in her, hating that she had never recognized this side of him before.

“I was busy,” he said, as if it was sufficient enough excuse for his callousness.

“Yes,” Aditi laughed sarcastically. “You were busy getting drunk and partying with your friends. And I remember clearly what happened after that, don’t you?”

The sly smile on his face dropped.

“You tried to force yourself on me. You insulted me in front of everyone because I refused to sleep with you in your friends’ house after you called me fat and stupid. And my behaviour ruined it?”

“Let it go, Aditi,” he replied, not the least bit bothered by how horribly he’d treated her in their final moments together. “Here. Let me make it better. I'm willing to give you another chance as long as you can work on being the woman I want you to be.”

“Are you delusional?” she spluttered, completely lost as to how Harish thought this was the concession she was seeking for her heartbreak.

“You don’t have to pretend,” he smirked.

Slowly, deliberately, he dragged a gaze over the parts of her that were visible above the table. His sights lingered at her chest, his appreciation making her feel unclean.

“Obviously you’ve put effort into your body and how you look after what I said to you. You wanted my attention by doing this and now, you have it. But you can do more. Work on your attitude, too.”

“Or, you can go fuck yourself,” she spat, her fists clenching into tight balls, uncaring that his demeanour changed instantly at her defiance.

He straightened, leaning forward in a threatening manner meant to intimidate her. “Don't be foolish, Aditi. I'm not asking you for something unimaginable. We had good times before. We can have them again.”

An angry Harish would have previously cowed her into submission, playing hot and cold until she’d feel like their problems were because she’d overreacted. Today however, she would throw hands if that meant saving herself from repeating her mistakes. So, despite knowing that his temper was fraying, Aditi held back no punches.

“What makes you think, after witnessing your disgraceful behaviour, that I would ever want to be with you? That I would ever consider giving you another chance?”

“If you hadn’t been such a ball-buster, I wouldn’t have gone off on you. I was a little drunk but you should take accountability for what you did to make me react that way. You could have been more mature.”

“Too bad your maturity does not compensate for your insufferable personality,” Aditi declared, slipping her phone and Kindle into her handbag. “You should consider a lobotomy. It would be a vast improvement over what you are.”

“You’ll be sorry if you don’t shut up,” Harish warned.

“I must have been blind,” she continued, pretending as if he’d never spoken. “How did I never see what a spineless, toxic, piece of shit you are?” Aditi stood up, having had enough. She’d only just taken a step away when her wrist was grabbed.

“You're disrespecting me in public.” Harish spun her around, looming over her. His grip on her tightened, causing her to wince. Physically, he was stronger, and it was obvious that he wouldn’t stop at using this to get his way. “Sit down,” he ordered, shaking her a little like she was a silly child who was throwing a tantrum.

“Let. Me. Go,” Aditi hissed, struggling to get herself released.

She was seconds away from smacking her purse across his face when she saw a shadow fall across them both .

The scent of cinnamon and soap surrounded her, her gut recognizing him even before his furious growl reverberated in her ear.

“Take your fucking hands off her!”