22

The next morning, sunlight peeked through the light curtains of Tara's studio, gently warming her face. She stirred, her eyes fluttering open as she stretched under the blanket. Her brows furrowed as she realized she was in her bed, tucked in perfectly. She didn't remember getting here.

Confused, she sat up, her gaze sweeping over the room. It was tidy—the plates were washed, the counter was clean. Everything was in place. Her heart raced a little. Aryan.

She grabbed her phone from the nightstand, unlocking it quickly. Sure enough, there was a message from him.

Aryan: Good morning, Star. I knew you'd be wondering how you ended up in bed, so yes, it was me. You fell asleep on the couch, so I carried you. Don't worry, it's all good. I'll see you today by 1 PM. We need to visit the restaurant site. :)

She stared at the message, feeling a mix of emotions—annoyance, gratitude, and that familiar ache she hated admitting was still there. She typed a quick response.

Tara: Okay, thanks.

The time read 11:00 AM. She sighed, getting out of bed. A hot shower followed, helping clear her head. She picked out a soft, fitted dress—mid-thigh, paired with sheer black stockings. The dress had sleeves that ended just above her elbows. Simple, but elegant.

She towel-dried her hair and let it fall naturally. A bit of mascara, a hint of lip balm. That was enough. She didn't want to try too hard. Or at least, that's what she told herself.

By noon, she was in her little kitchenette, making her morning chai. The ginger grated, the cardamom crushed. The familiar rhythm was comforting, steadying the nervous flutter in her chest.

At exactly 12:00, a knock sounded at her door.

She opened it, and there he stood—Aryan. He was wearing a crisp, dark blue shirt, tucked into tailored black pants. His hair was slightly damp, neatly styled. The cologne he wore was subtle but familiar—it brought back too much.

For a second, she just looked at him. He smiled.

"Can I come in?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe.

She crossed her arms. "If I say no, will you listen?"

He grinned, shaking his head. "Nope."

She sighed, stepping aside. "Thought so."

He stepped in, closing the door behind him, eyes flickering around her studio. He looked comfortable here—like he belonged. She tried to ignore that thought.

"I'm making chai," she said over her shoulder. "But I only made one cup."

"It's fine," he said, sitting down on the couch, watching her.

She finished brewing, poured it into her favorite mug, and took a slow sip, savoring the warmth. As she leaned against the counter, Aryan stood and made his way over to her.

"I want chai too," he said suddenly.

She frowned, raising a brow. "I just told you I only made one cup."

He tilted his head playfully. "Who said anything about another cup?"

Before she could react, he was in front of her—closer than he needed to be. He gently took the mug from her hands, fingers brushing hers. He held her gaze as he raised it to his lips, taking a sip from the same spot where she had just drunk.

It was slow—intentional.

His eyes stayed on hers as he lowered the mug, licking the faint trace of chai from his lips. "Perfect. Just like you like it."

Her heart thudded in her chest. Tightly.

~•~

The air was filled with the faint hum of conversations as Tara and Aryan were guided into a modern yet inviting restaurant. The walls were adorned with minimalist artwork, and the open kitchen added a touch of sophistication. The restaurant was designed with an air of simplicity, yet there was something warm and welcoming about the space. The moment they stepped inside, they were greeted by the owner, a woman in her mid-thirties with an enthusiastic smile.

"Welcome to our restaurant! I'm Simran, the owner," she said with a bright, welcoming smile. "I'm glad you could make it. I've heard a lot of great things about you two."

Aryan smiled back, offering a friendly handshake. "Thank you for having us, Ma'am. We're excited to see the space and discuss the project."

Tara nodded as well, her eyes scanning the interior. "Yes, we're looking forward to working together. It's a lovely place."

"Please, don't call me Ma'am. Simran is fine." Simran chuckled, "Come, let me show you around."

Simran led them to a cozy seating area where they could sit and discuss. She pulled out a tablet and began scrolling through the designs they had discussed over email. "So, we're thinking of a redesign for our website. We want it to be sleek, modern, and easy to navigate for customers. Reservations, menu viewing, event bookings—we want it all in one place."

Aryan leaned forward, his interest piqued. "That's a good direction. The main thing we'd want to focus on is a user-friendly interface. People should be able to reserve a table or order online in just a couple of clicks."

Simran nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly. We also want to integrate a system where customers can track their loyalty points. We have a lot of returning customers, and I want to make sure they feel valued."

Tara took a mental note and glanced at Aryan. "That's a great idea. We could set up an integrated backend system to handle that—allowing users to log in and track their points while also simplifying your admin's task on the backend."

Simran smiled at Tara's input. "I like that. And, of course, we'll need the website to match the vibe of the restaurant—something that speaks to our atmosphere. Cozy, but elegant. Not too fancy, but still special."

Aryan nodded. "We can work with a lot of the existing branding you have and play with modern elements to make sure it fits. Have you thought about incorporating any special features like event booking, private dining reservations, or anything like that?"

Simran looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yes, we want to have a section for private events—corporate meetings, birthdays, anniversaries. We're thinking of hosting more events, so the booking system needs to be very intuitive."

Tara jotted down some more notes, already planning the best way to structure the user flow for the website. Aryan was already thinking ahead, his fingers tapping rhythmically on his laptop.

"I can take care of the backend for the reservations and the events," he said, "and I'll work on ensuring the user experience is seamless across devices."

Simran was visibly pleased with the direction the conversation was going. "This sounds fantastic. I'm really excited about what you both can bring to the table."

Tara smiled but kept her tone professional. "We're excited too. We'll need a few more details about your menu and the event options. Can we schedule a time to come by the kitchen and see how things are run?"

Simran nodded eagerly. "Of course! Let's schedule that for tomorrow morning. The team will be here and we can walk through the kitchen operations and the logistics of the event space."

Aryan looked at Tara. "Sounds good, we'll be here then."

Simran turned to them both with a grin. "I'm looking forward to it. I'm confident you two are the perfect duo for this project. Let's make this happen."

They exchanged a few more words about scheduling and the next steps, confirming everything for the following day. As they wrapped up the conversation, Simran shook both of their hands.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you again for coming down today. You both are going to do wonders for us."

Tara and Aryan both smiled, nodding in agreement as they left the restaurant. The day had gone smoothly, and they were ready to tackle the next phase of the project.

As they walked to the bus stop to head home, Aryan glanced at Tara with a small smirk. "Successful day?"

Tara gave a small hum in response, her thoughts drifting to the project ahead, the growing tension between them, and the uncertainty of what would happen next. She wasn't ready to address everything yet, but she couldn't ignore how things were shifting between them.

"Yeah," she said quietly, "successful day."

💜