Then I let out a sigh and squeezed his hand. "But I can't do it alone, Jasper," I lied. For the first time since knowing him, I told him a lie. "Please. I need you. Please come to Milan with me. I could do with your support. And I swear I will never ask you for a single thing again." God only knew how true that statement was. I'd hogged Jasper Wells long enough. It was time to send him back to where he belonged.
Jasper was struggling internally and it showed clearly on his face. He didn't want to go. He didn't like that I was forcing him to go by putting our friendship on the line like this. But Jasper, being who he was, couldn't turn me down when he thought I really did need him for something.
So he said yes.
****
Chapter Six
Armaan
The soccer match that afternoon had left me feeling exhilarated. It was an awesome Saturday in Pavia. With such incredibly fine weather and the company of my family and friends, it had turned out to be one of those feel-good days I lived for. I was lucky. I had all these people in my life who adored me. Everyone was here for the engagement celebrations this week. My parents had won the debate on having the wedding in Amira so I got to host the engagement in Milan. It was a win-win, I guess. Everybody was satisfied all around.
The house was pretty crowded these days. Which was exactly how I liked it. My tribe. My people. After almost three years of drifting through life like a lost puppy, things were finally looking up. I'd met a great girl and spent most of my time travelling around the globe for events and work purposes. I was also sponsoring a local soccer team now and they'd joined us today for a friendly match against my friends and relatives in the field behind my house. For some reason, ever since I was a teenager, I discovered that playing soccer always made me feel horny later. Weird correlation. Maybe it was the adrenaline rush or the thrill of winning a game but that's how it happened.
I was pulling off my sweat-soaked, yellow jersey upon reaching my room with the intention of jumping in the shower and maybe relieving some of that sexual tension when I stopped abruptly.
Layla was waiting for me in my room, looking so delicate and beautiful in a fuchsia dress with her dark hair curling around her shoulders in shiny waves. I'd met her through Alex since she was one of the upcoming writers he was representing now. Luckily, he hadn't been interested in this one since he already had a girlfriend. Thank God.
Because Layla was sweet. And uncomplicated. And she loved me to death. She was so unlike what I was used to with women. She basically worshipped me. In her eyes, I was the ultimate prize. But what I liked most about this girl was her humility. There was not an ounce of arrogance in her bones.
Jackpot.
"Hey," I breathed out as she sat on my bed and smiled prettily at me. "What're you doing here?"
She got up and came over to me, rising up on her tip-toes to give me a kiss. "I was missing you," she whispered coyly. "We hardly get to be alone together. Not that I'm complaining, I mean I love your family."
"I'm sweaty," I told her with a slight grin. "Let me shower first."
She cocked her head and regarded me affectionately. "I like you all sweaty," she murmured and I swallowed a little.
This was dangerous territory. Layla was twenty-two but still so inexperienced when it came to sex. She let me kiss her but we hadn't slept together yet or even gone to second base. She wanted to wait, save her virginity for our wedding night, make it special. I was okay with that but it was very frustrating at times. Okay, most of the time. She was so damn attractive and loved touching me. What was a guy to do?
"I can't wait to be yours, Armaan," Layla said in an emotional tone. "I couldn't be more grateful to have found somebody like you to share my life with. And your wonderful family is an added bonus."
"Mmm," I murmured with a smile and hugged her since she had already told me she did not mind the sweat. "Same here, baby. I'm also really-"
"You two. Lovebirds," my sister’s voice said from behind me. I closed my eyes. I'd left the door open. Damn it, why do I always forget to close the freaking door?
"Yes, Zoya?" I asked her in an exasperated tone.
"The designer's here. For Layla's engagement dress. Ammi wants her downstairs."
Layla disentangled herself from me and gave me a rueful look. "I'll see you later then," she said and winked at me before disappearing with Zoya.
Letting out a sigh, I finally went for that shower. Between my family constantly interrupting us and Layla's decision to wait till marriage, I was turning into a desperate guy who spent every shower session jerking off like a maniac. Sometimes at night too. But not every night because when the house was finally quiet and everybody left everybody else alone, she sneaked inside my room and snuggled with me. We acted like two high school kids forbidden to see each other. I loved it.
My family was very traditional and my mum insisted on me behaving respectfully while Layla and her parents were staying with me. It was only till the engagement. She had an apartment in the city otherwise. In our culture, there were all these rituals and drawn-out celebrations and gatherings that took place during an important function like this so I had to bear that in mind.
