Take 2: Small Town Girl Romance, #1

By Ruchi Singh

Priya's idyllic world turns upside down when she realizes her husband considers her dead weight after stripping her off her inheritance for his ambitions and lavish lifestyle.

Instantly attracted to Priya, Abhimanyu knows getting involved with a married woman is inviting trouble. But despite common sense, cautions and hesitations, he is drawn to help her.

Happily ever after has become a myth for Priya and trying to keep the relationship platonic is becoming more and more difficult for Abhimanyu.

In the tussle between ethics, fears and desires... will Priya embrace a second chance at happiness?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ruchi Singh
• Release date: Sep 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215606995

Book preview

Books by Ruchi Singh

English

Novels

Romantic Suspense

The Bodyguard - Undercover Series # 1

Guardian Angel - Undercover Series # 2

Romance

Jugnu - The Firefly

Take 2 - Small Town Girl #1

My Love, A Liar - Small Town Girl #2

Short Stories

Women From Mars : Series Shorts

Temptation

Spark

Hearts & Hots - Series Shorts

You and Only You

Silent Love

A Promise is a Promise

हिंदी

एहसास - मेहरा ख़ानदान # १

काली नज़र - मेहरा ख़ानदान # २

लफ़ंगा - मेहरा ख़ानदान # ३ (जल्द ही ऐमज़ॉन पर)

Take 2

‘Small Town Girl’ Series

Book 1

Ruchi Singh

Published by Ruchi Singh, 2015

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the author.

Ruchi Singh asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this book.

This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

Second Edition, Version 3.0 © Ruchi Singh 2015

15 June 2015

Edited by Deep Downer and Mr. R Singh

Cover photo credits:

Mumbai_Night_City_(18219784390) on Creative Commons by Skye Vidur

Chapter One

RUN!

Priya’s instincts told her to flee as she entered the Lounge club in Gurgaon. Having fun, seemed no fun without Sameer, and especially so after that call in the morning.

The huge, LED-lit elliptical floor in the center sizzled with the Saturday night dance-fever. The two-tiered dance pub was full of people determined to shed their weeklong stress, an attitude at odds with her frame of mind. She just wanted to curl up and sleep at a place where no one could reach her.

Bracing herself for at least a couple of hours of torture, she sighed and inhaled the warm, stale air. Her head began to throb in rhythm to the music beats and blinking lights but there was no escape, for Komal and Aditi flanked her on either side as if she would run away. She regretted telling them about the phone call.

Bad idea, she muttered.

Did you say something? Komal asked.

Priya shook her head.

You two grab a table, I’ll take care of the drinks, Komal yelled over the loud music.

Aditi nodded and they proceeded to a recently vacated cocktail table nearby.

The heart-sinking phone call continued to haunt Priya as she mechanically followed Aditi. Some woman had answered Sameer’s phone! How was that possible? Was he having an affair? How could she even think like that? He loved her. Yet, she couldn’t digest that it might just be platonic, the husky bedroom voice still echoed in her ears.

But this could simply mean that the phone was with the lady, and not with him. Perhaps she hadn’t passed on her message to him. But the woman had dismissed the call so confidently, that it seemed he WAS with her. Priya’s mind had been running on these lines since morning and coming up with all the different inferences and conclusions. If it was innocent, why was his phone switched off since then and why hadn’t he called?

She pressed her fingers to her temple and checked her phone again for any missed calls or messages. How could he do this to her? He should have known that she would worry.

You are being bull-headed, you know. Aditi nudged Priya to take some interest in her surroundings. Just chill! For all you know, there might be a logical explanation to all this.

What if he comes back home and doesn’t find me?

He can call you, Priya. Really, you need some distraction to clear your head. Why don’t you forget about everything and enjoy yourself for a while? She tilted her head. You’re attracting attention. Look, that guy there is checking you out.

She turned and noticed a man at the bar, staring at her. She rolled her eyes at Aditi when he made no move to look away. Aditi grinned.

* * * *

Abhimanyu felt a jolt pass through him as she looked at him, he just couldn’t take his eyes off her. For the first time in his life, he understood the meaning of heart missing a beat. The girl looked completely out of place with her lost and desolate expression. Her long hair cascaded down on one shoulder but her eyes were her most arresting features–black eyelashes almost touched her cheeks when she checked her cell phone repeatedly.

Abhi, we’re starting a new one, Rahul called him from the table they had for themselves.

Keeping the girl in his line of sight, Abhi picked up his drink and moved towards the table. The guys were boasting of their trysts with female colleagues in their offices. Although he pretended to listen to them, he tracked her across the hall. She and her friend were waiting for someone at a cocktail table. She appeared distracted and troubled.

He had a sudden urge to go to her, smoothen out the worry lines on her forehead and see her smile. The need, to look into her eyes again, grew like an alien insidious weed. Someone tapped his shoulder, and he glanced over with an annoyed scowl.

"Chal..." Rahul stood beside him.

What...?

She must be pretty special to get your attention. Let’s go and introduce ourselves. Rahul tapped his shoulder again.

I don’t think it’s a good idea. They seem to be waiting for someone. She might be with a partner.

Well... for you, my friend, I’m willing to take the risk.

Abhi chuckled. Let it be. You’ll get bashed up without any reason and that too on your birthday.

Isn’t that Komal? Rahul said looking towards the girls.

Abhi glanced at the cocktail table again and spotted his cousin talking to Miss-Beautiful-Eyes. Now things were looking up. Okay, let’s go... but wait a minute, why do you want to tag along?

Why not? Maybe she will like me instead, besides today is my lucky day. Undeterred, Rahul followed him.

Hey, Komal! Abhi said, keeping his gaze locked on miss-doe-eyes, willing her to look at him. To his annoyance, the cell phone slipped from her fingers and she ducked under the table.

"Abhi bhaiya! Fancy seeing you here, Komal said and grinned. I thought you didn’t like these kind of places!"

He smiled at Komal and glanced at the girl, putting her phone together, battery, cover and all. It had come apart when it fell.

His Highness has come at my insistence, to grace my birthday party today, Rahul said. You ladies can introduce yourselves and wish me ‘happy birthday’ with a kiss. I don’t do presents.

Komal promptly hugged Rahul and pressed a kiss on his cheek. She introduced them to her friends—Aditi, the tall one and Priya, the one with beautiful eyes. Priya... nice name... suited her.

Aditi raised her eyebrows, recognizing Abhimanyu as the one who had been staring at Priya. She threw a knowing smile at him and wished Rahul. Then she nudged Priya when there was no response from her.

Priya looked up from the phone, greeted Rahul, gave Abhi a fleeting glance and continued to fiddle with the phone. He frowned. A girl ignoring him was a new experience.

Rahul invited them to join them at his table, which the girls accepted graciously. They picked up their drinks and shifted to the alcove. Rahul managed to manoeuvre their seating such that Priya was seated next to Abhi while Rahul manipulated Aditi’s attention.

Abhimanyu, smitten, couldn’t understand his fascination with her. He would have laughed, if someone had told him that one day he would behave like a teenager, in the first throes of infatuation. Even at that age of foolish attachments, he had never been attracted to anyone at first sight. His school and college friends used to fall for teachers and schoolmates easily but he had never felt this kind of weird pull.

And yet, here he was – without looking at her, he could describe her right from her black hair secured on one side with some kind of clip, and long earrings, to her lemon yellow dress with fitted sleeves and handkerchief hem.

Shall we dance? Rahul invited both Komal and Aditi. The three of them moved to the dance floor. His other friends were already on the dance floor in a tacit agreement to leave him alone with Priya. 

Abhimanyu leaned towards her and caught a whiff of her perfume. He couldn’t quite place the smell, subtle fragrance of jasmine, mixed with something else, something alluring. Unmindful to everything around her, she continued to trace the rim of her glass with her index finger.

Is there a problem? he asked.

She lifted her head, making eye contact at last and shook her head.

His heart missed a beat again. Where are you studying? 

A trace of a smile touched her lips then vanished. I’m not a student. I work with Komal.

So... what do you work... err... I mean, do? he said, mesmerized with her moist almond-shaped eyes, as if they were holding unshed tears.

I’m a software programmer, there are different projects.

To his frustration, she glanced at the cell phone again. Now it’s your turn to ask about me.

Taken aback, she glanced at him again.

He shrugged. Common courtesy...

She smiled. His heartbeat took a different rhythm. This time he broke the eye contact and glanced at the dance floor. This was crazy.

It was then, that she made the connection and frowned. Aren’t you the one, who was staring at me earlier?

Yes.

Her eyes widened at his quick, honest answer, and he couldn’t help but smile at her surprised reaction. What did she expect?

Look, if you are hitting on me, you shouldn’t.

Taken aback at the bland statement, he frowned, another first for him. But before he could respond, someone increased the volume of the already thundering music. She winced and touched her fingers to her head again. A conversation was absolutely impossible now and that was the reason he hated these kinds of places.

Komal came back from the dance floor frowning and glared at him. She opened her mouth, but her cell phone pinged and she had to go out to take the call.

Shall I get a refill? He tried again, tapping her glass with his own.

She shook her head and clung to the phone as if it was her lifeline.

Exasperated and jealous of the damn cell phone, he went for a direct attack. Nice model, he said loudly. The DJ switched the music, to something with slow beats.

Thanks, my husband gifted it to me, on our first anniversary, she said, completely oblivious to the bomb she had dropped on him.

* * * *

Abhimanyu’s cell phone rang early the next morning.

She’s married.

He sighed. Hi, good morning, Komal. I know, she told me.

You knew and still...

I came to know towards the end of the conversation, and after that you all left.

She is very young, younger than me and had to marry. Her husband is a selfish bastard and, I think, is cheating on her.

I don’t want to know about her or her marital life. I have no interest in her whatsoever. His tone must have warned Komal not to push her luck.

"Okay, fine. I called to give you a message from Mom. Whenever you are going to Chandigarh next, she’ll also go with you to spend some time with mamaji and mamiji."

After exchanging the usual pleasantries, he put the phone down and frowned at the ceiling. He still couldn’t reconcile to the fact that he had hit on a married woman. How was one supposed to know that someone is married these days? No one sported the traditional, hands-off-I-am-married symbols anymore. There should be some rules about that, besides, she looked too young to be married.

His thoughts again went to his bizarre reaction last night. Perhaps he should put the blame on the ambience, drinks and, to an extent, on Rahul. He was always pushing him to hook up with someone or the other. Abhimanyu was confident, that if he met her next, he would be able to maintain his distance.

Wait a minute, why was he thinking of meeting her again? Goddamn it!

* * * *

Priya woke up the next morning, without any relief from last night’s headache. She felt wrung out from all the emotions churning in her mind and couldn’t get up. Sameer should be returning from Mumbai today.

They had had a massive argument the night before he was scheduled to go for the audition in Mumbai. As usual, the fight was over money, which she didn’t have and he needed. He had left for the airport the next morning, without their customary goodbye. Even those goodbyes had cooled down considerably for the past few months.

Despite the cold war between them, she had called him yesterday morning to wish him good luck. And a sleepy, husky female voice had answered the phone. She couldn’t help but recall the conversation. 

Hello?

Who is this?

Who are you?

I would like to speak to Sameer? I’m Priya, his wife.

Oh... h... Sameer you have become so famous that your female fans are imagining themselves married to you, said the amused husky voice, and the phone was disconnected.

That was it. Her heart had sunk to her knees for the first few seconds, with the phone glued to her ear. She was able to regain her senses after a few minutes and had clamped down the dreadful thoughts numbing her limbs.

Was Sameer keeping their marriage a secret from everyone?

She got up from the bed. Who was this woman? Jealousy made her turn towards the wardrobe mirror. What did the woman have that she didn’t? She couldn’t come up with an answer. Was she vain? ‘Maybe’, she shrugged.

Her mind refused to consider the possibility of him cheating on her. He was her husband of two years, she knew him. She had married him after going out with him for three years. Granted, he was a little self-absorbed with his looks, clothes, and image, but he had always been attentive and caring towards her.

Was she over analysing the whole situation? Was it really worth agonizing over? What if there was a simple explanation? She would look like a conservative, narrow-minded shrew. If she was unable to handle one phone call, how would she handle his co-stars and fans when he would become successful?

Putting her doubts aside, she carried on with her weekend chores. With Sameer shuttling between Delhi and Mumbai, he was unable to contribute much to the housework and everything fell on Priya.

By afternoon when he hadn’t called, the initial wave of insecurity and worry had turned into boiling hot anger. He must have left the phone somewhere again. If he had lost it, he should have called her from a payphone or a landline. He had always been inconsiderate. Her friends were right if he didn’t care, why should she spoil her weekend?

She called up Sakshi, her landlady Mrs Bhatia’s daughter and went to see a movie with her.

* * * *

Chapter Two

"Congrats, Abhimanyu!" The receptionist at the front desk gave Abhimanyu a once-over as usual.

He smiled and nodded, ignoring her frank appraisal as usual.

Swiping his I-card at the electronic panel, he entered the main hall. His colleagues called out congratulations as he crossed the hall. Acknowledging them, he reached his own workspace and heard the cheerful chatter of a kid. He kept his notebook backpack on his desk and peered over the partition. Six-year-old Akshat always talked to himself while playing on his iPad.

Hi champion, good morning. Abhimanyu gave him a high-five.

Abhimanyu, Mom says you guys are going to get an award!

"Easy kid, easy... we have just been nominated, Dilli abhi duur hai!" He smiled at the little hurricane of energy.

You are funny, dude... we are right here in Delhi, how can it be far? Akshat, to his amusement, shouted across the cubicle. "Mo...m Nehru Place is in Delhi naa...?"

My God Akshat, you were supposed to sit quietly in the office, or I will pack you off to the daycare center. Sujata hurried towards him. Don’t know why school holidays can’t coincide with mine, she muttered. Sujata, his boss, a suave, dynamic lady, was a little irritated right now.

Good morning.

Oh Abhimanyu, you are here. Congratulations! She beamed at the star of her team. Good... good... but I have my eye on the award, not just the nomination. Ever the hard taskmaster she continued in the same breath. The cola ad artworks have to be sent to the vendors again.

Sent.

Great! Can you please set-up Mr Venkatesh’s proposal on the conference room computer and call the entire team? Sanjay wants to review it in half an hour.

Okay. He nodded.

One more thing... Sanjay wants you to take up one of Vikram’s accounts. The client is being difficult.

Shucks... he muttered.

Did you say something?

He shook his head. She frowned and went back to her cubicle.

* * * *

At the office, Priya’s fingers flew over the keyboard, juggling the figures on her home-budget spreadsheet and still couldn’t come up with any extra cash. The human resource department had sent an email advising employees to invest in a tax saving scheme. Last year’s savings had gone into launching  Sameer’s career—clothes, shoes, salon, beauty products, and treatments.

When they started their new life in Delhi, they had decided that he would hold a salaried job, simultaneously trying for a foothold in the show biz. But after starring in two still life advertisements, he considered holding a regular office job beneath him and was always looking for that one ‘big break’ to take him to the heights of stardom. He was obsessed with the thought that given the right chance, he was going to be the next Shahrukh Khan.

It had been two years but that moment hadn’t come. The office extension rang bringing her back to the present. Aditi was calling for lunch at the office canteen.

What’s the latest? Komal asked between mouthfuls of the protein salad. She was on some special diet as always. Is Sameer home?

No... Priya said, keeping her eyes on the plate.

Komal looked at Aditi and shaking her head, said. No? That’s it? Did he call? Did you ask him about the mysterious female?

No, he didn’t call and I don’t want to talk about him.

This is happening time and again, Priya. He takes money from you and then disappears, Komal persisted. 

Aditi frowned at her plate.

It’s only happened this time, Priya said, keeping her eyes on her lunch.

Only this time? I remember last month when he went AWOL, and now a woman is answering his phone. Komal was not the one to leave an argument so easily.

It’s time you talked to him, Aditi finally said.

Priya pressed her lips and glared at both of them.

You have to take charge and establish some rules when he comes back. You hold the purse strings, for God’s sake. Komal waved her fork.

What do you have against him, Komal? He hasn’t even exchanged more than ten sentences with you. Priya was on the verge of losing her cool.

I don’t trust his eyes, I tell you. He has roving eyes.

No, he doesn’t!

Believe me, darling, I have more experience with men than you. How do you know what he was up to in Mumbai when you were completing your studies in Kanpur?

Priya’s heart lurched at her words. She gobbled the last two spoons and stood up. I’ll not tolerate this kind of rubbish. Picking up her tiffin box, she stormed out of the canteen.

Komal shook her head and sighed. Fuck.

I’ll talk to her when she cools down, Aditi said.

* * * *

He was working on an idea for an advertisement when his iPhone rang. Abhimanyu Malhotra.

Hi, handsome, drawled a voice, dripping with honey.

Who’s this?

This is what I love about you, darling. You keep me grounded.

Oh... Urvi. Listen, I’m in the middle of something, can’t talk right now. They had met on one of his Ads’ shoots in Manesar when she was in one of her I-want-to-have-a-career-in-modelling phases.

Yeah darling, you’re always in the middle of something. She laughed huskily.

He grimaced. Some people have to work for a living, Urvi.

I know... I know... the dedicated workaholic. Anyway, I’m in Delhi this weekend. Let’s meet and get reacquainted.

Sorry, impossible, I’m going out of town, he lied.

At least act humble my dear when someone’s hitting on you! 

‘Look, if you are hitting on me, you shouldn’t.’ All of a sudden a solemn girl, with long tresses, overshadowed Urvi’s devil-may-care image. 

Abhimanyu?

He shook his head. Sorry Urvi, I’m really not free.

She tried to cajole him for a while and then conceded defeat sportingly when he didn’t budge.

* * * *

What’s this? Half an hour later, Vikram thumped his client’s files on Abhimanyu’s desk.

Abhi looked up blankly from his notebook.

This account was mine, why has Sanjay called a meeting to hand it over to you?

I have no idea.

This is unacceptable. I’m going to raise this with the management!

He suppressed a sigh. Vikram, I have a deadline for this client. Can we have this discussion tomorrow?

Vikram stormed off.