If You Let Me Go: A Sweet Romance (First Love Billionaire Romance novel)

by Sonia Rao

  Chatting with each other, watching the movie running on the screen in front of their seats, eating treats served by the airplane staff—the time flew by. The discomfort of the long hours of travelling was overcome by the excitement of what lay ahead in Paris.

  Shivalika was engrossed in the film playing on her screen, her earphones plugged firmly in, when she felt someone standing next to their seats. She smiled and looked up, thinking it must be the air hostess offering them some more treats. Her smile froze as she looked into soft grey eyes, that were not steely at all. VK was looking at her but talking to Rati.

  “Hey Rati, do you mind giving up your seat for some time? I want to go over the presentation with Shivalika before we reach Paris.”

  Rati nodded and left. VK lowered himself into the seat next to her and then turning to her said, “Hi.”

  “Hey,” she mumbled back. Did this supremely composed, arrogant fellow even know what he was doing to her heartbeats? She was afraid he would be able to hear it even above the white noise of the aircraft.

  But VK just opened the laptop to the presentation and held it between them.

  “This is the portion where you will take over from me,” he said, pointing to the screen.

  Her head jerked up, a question in her eyes. “But I thought you would be doing the entire presentation.”

  “I would have but then it would not be fair to you. I’ve already informed them that you will be joining me on stage to present the forecast section. So, here it is. I’d like you to rehearse it with me now.”

  “Now?”

  “Yes, just read it out from the screen.”

  She looked at him and that was a big mistake. His grey eyes were now burning, molten steel as they gazed at her. Hot. Her words caught in her throat as she began to speak. “Focus, Shivalika, you can do this,” she muttered to herself.

  Her voice was tremulous but slowly she gained confidence and completed the presentation with flying colours.

  “That was good,” VK said, as he shut down the laptop. “There are no stops in this flight so we won’t get another chance to rehearse,” he continued speaking.

  “That can only be good else, I’m sure, you would be terribly bored listening to my voice going on and on,” she teased.

  “That will never happen,” he said, quietly, packing up the laptop.

  Shivalika stared at him as he gave her another deep look and left for his seat.

  It was a long time before Shivalika’s heart came back to a steady beat.

  ******

  The passage through the customs and immigration was quick and painless. Carting along their luggage, the La Piazza team stepped outside the airport and waited at the curb for the ride to their hotel.

  Shivalika took a deep breath of the early morning air. She almost expected to get a whiff of the fabulous perfumes France is known for. But instead, she began shivering.

  Her clothes did not offer much protection against the surprisingly chilly air of Paris. She rubbed her palms together vigorously hoping to generate heat that would warm her. Discreetly, so as to not attract any attention to herself, she stamped her foot too to bring in some heat.

  Her eyes pricked with tears. How could she have been such a fool? She should have known that it would be cold. Obviously, fall in western countries was always much colder than winter in Mumbai.

  She hoped she would not cry with the cold but it was becoming very difficult to remain warm in the chilly wind that was blowing. Their pickup car would have heating but it was caught in traffic and would not be there for quite some time more.

  She suddenly felt a warmth on her shoulders and realized with a start that VK had placed his jacket on her shoulders.

  “Wear it,” he commanded. “This will keep you warm till we reach the hotel.”

  She did not need him to say anything twice. Quickly thrusting her arms inside the sleeves, she zipped it up.

  It was much bigger than her slender frame but the warmth it provided was not to be sneezed at. She could even get a whiff of the cologne he used and this made her senses swim.

  “Thank you so much, but what about you?” she said.

  “Don’t worry, I shall survive till the car comes,” he said.

  She was sure it was going to be a memorable trip.

  How memorable she would only know later as the events unfolded.

  CHAPTER 12

  “And now, may I invite my colleague and La Piazza’s Head of Design Ms. Shivalika Kelkar to come on stage and present the forecast for the next season.”

  Head of Design? That thought streaked through Shivalika’s brain instinctively as she stood up and walked towards the podium. Did she just get a promotion?

  She remained composed despite the questions that whirled inside her head. With a sweet smile at VK, she picked up the laser pen and began her presentation. Her initial hesitation at seeing the vast audience was put to rest as she began receiving an enthusiastic response from them.

  Earlier in the morning, the team had reached the hotel just in time to drop off their luggage and freshen up. After a quick breakfast they had hurried to the auditorium where the opening ceremony was being held. La Piazza had been given two and half hours of the prime slot immediately after the opening ceremony for their presentation.

  The fatigue and over exhaustion of the long trip were not at all visible on Shivalika’s face and voice as she finished her presentation and handed over the laser pen back to VK. She felt a warm flush envelop her when her eyes met his appreciative glance.

  She hurried back to her seat. On the way she passed Misha sitting in the front row who threw sharp looks at her. This lowered her spirits a bit, but she felt happier when Rati said, “You were great.” Jayesh too shook her hand and congratulated her.

  As the presentation came to an end, Rati, Jayesh and Shivalika joined VK and Misha on the podium. They were thronged by delegates from all over the world who wanted to know how they had come up with their radical concepts and designs. The press wanted to know everything about this fascinating team from India while executives of foreign companies wanted to explore opportunities for collaborations and tie ups.

  VK was a master communicator. He handled every question and comment without missing a beat. No doubt, his killer good looks combined with his swashbuckling smile added to the charm.

  It was an hour later when the crowds had dispersed and the team members were finally alone with each other.

  “Oh!” Misha said, almost snarling at Shivalika who had once again donned VK’s jacket. “Shouldn’t you be returning that to VK?” she said, pointing to the jacket.

  Shivalika began removing it when VK said, “No, no, keep it on, Shivalika. I have another one. I think this cold is too much for you to bear.”

  Without a glance at Misha, Shivalika put on the jacket again. She hugged it tighter around herself and breathed in the cologne, refusing to look at Misha to see how she was taking VK’s words.

  “By the way, Shivalika, the presentation was well done,” VK said.

  “Thanks, VK. But wait...you called me Head of Design. I’m not—”

  “You are, from today,” VK broke in with a mischievous smile. “And you deserve it. So, now let’s go and celebrate. Anyone hungry?”

  With a loud cheer they all started moving towards the food area.

  Rati said, “I’ve heard they’ve got a food stall set up with popular Indian dishes.”

  “Chilli paneer?” both VK and Shivalika said, in unison. There was a moment of silence before they burst out laughing.

  “Paneer, sure, but chilli or not, we’ll know only when we get there,” Rati said, giving Shivalika a little nudge but Shivalika pretended to ignore it.

  At the lunch hall, they were handed a folder each containing the itinerary for the days ahead. Mornings and post-lunch hours were earmarked for seminars and panel discussions. Evenings were free for sight-seeing. Cultural programmes were marked as post-dinner activities. Rati and Jayesh were designate
d panellists for a couple of discussions. Shivalika’s days were mostly free except for one panel discussion on design on the third day. She quickly noted down all the sessions she was keen to attend.

  As Rati, Jayesh and she scoured the different food stalls tasting a bite of this cuisine and that, Shivalika saw VK along with Misha moving around talking to people. Networking and cracking deals seemed to be going on in full swing.

  When the bell rang to announce the commencement of the post-lunch sessions, the food hall emptied out as everyone went away to attend the session of their choice.

  Before the La Piazza team members left for their individual sessions, VK instructed them to come back to the food hall in the evening.

  “I have a surprise for you,” was the only thing he said before he rushed off for his meeting.

  “What could that be,” was the thought in everyone’s mind as they too hurried away.

  By 5pm, when all the sessions were over, the trio from La Piazza were bubbling over with curiosity. They made many guesses and laughed at the incredulous options they were coming up with.

  “Come, let’s go!” Hearing VK’s voice, they all turned and saw him gesturing to them to follow him. They almost ran to keep up with him but he did not stop until they reached the taxi stand. Two cabs stood there and he quickly ushered them into one. Misha and he would follow in the other one.

  The cabs began moving forward. “Where are we going?” they asked the cab driver but he only smiled and shook his head.

  None of them knew French so they just relaxed and settled down for an interesting ride.

  The scenery was pleasant and when the cab passed some road-side cafes, all three of them jumped up and down in their seats in excitement.

  “I’d love to have a croissant and coffee at one of these cafes,” Rati said, looking at them longingly.

  “I could spend an entire day at one of them, just watching people passing by,” Shivalika replied.

  Jayesh kept quiet but his eyes too danced with excitement.

  Soon, the cab came to a halt and as they got out, Shivalika gave a loud squeal. “The Eiffel Tower!!!” she said, pointing to the monument in the distance.

  VK and Misha too reached there. “Yes, we’re going to see the Tower,” he said, one eyebrow raised at Shivalika’s enthusiastic squealing. “It’s a long walk, though,” he said, stating the obvious. The distance was not going to be much of an obstacle as all of them had been instructed to wear walking shoes during the entire trip.

  Beautifully manicured trees and bushes bordered the path to the Tower. A sense of bonhomie seemed to have affected everyone as, smiling gaily, people walked to and from the monument. The lawns were dotted with groups of people enjoying a picnic in the vicinity of the famous monument.

  Shivalika had stars in her eyes. She could imagine the glee in her dad’s eyes when she told him she’d been to the Eiffel Tower. And she could not stop the skip in her step as she anticipated the pleasure of seeing the architecture first hand. Her scrapbook dream was coming true.

  But when they reached the entrance, they halted with shock. The queue to enter the Tower was so long that it would take them at least three hours if not more.

  Before the mood could go lower, though, VK took out a bunch of leaflets from his coat pocket and flapped them about. These were tickets to the Tower which he’d arranged to be booked online in advance.

  “Yayyy…” shouted everyone as they ran to the queue to enter the monument. That was a much shorter line and soon they were climbing up the stairs to the first floor.

  Shivalika was in architecture-heaven. Goggle-eyed, she touched the puddle-iron frames of the Tower with reverence when she was not jotting down notes in her diary. They joined other tourists at the balcony to gaze at the intoxicating sight of the city of Paris laid out before them.

  “The view’s even more spectacular from the top,” VK said.

  “Have you been here before?” Misha asked.

  “Now that would be telling,” VK replied, with a naughty laugh, before shepherding them away from the shops and cafes, towards the glass floor. It was dizzying to look down almost 200 feet below. Shivalika and Rati quickly whipped out their phones to take selfies of themselves almost lying vertical on the floor.

  “Hold me, please, VK, I’m afraid of heights,” Misha simpered as she tiptoed over the glass floor. Shivalika and Rati nudged each other, trying hard not to laugh out loud. Shivalika did feel a pang of something go through her heart though when VK put his arm around Misha.

  Jayesh piped in. “I’ve read the view is glorious from the summit at twilight. The sun is going to be setting soon.”

  “I’m going to grab myself a coffee. Anyone wants to join me?” Misha asked, giving VK a coy look. Rati and Jayesh raised their hands. Shivalika wanted another close look at the frames so she shook her head. VK said, “Go ahead but come back soon. Shivalika and I will be at the elevator.” Misha’s mouth tightened into a tight line at his words but she walked away without saying a word.

  The queue for the elevator was moving ahead slowly. Shivalika had just a few moments to glance at the frames before she was ushered towards the elevators by VK.

  “I wanted to have another closer look at the frames,” she said, a bit peevishly.

  “You can check them out on the way down later.”

  The trio had not yet returned by the time the elevator reached their floor.

  “Should we wait for the others?” Shivalika asked. The queue to enter the elevator was shortening rapidly. They were almost at the door when VK took her hand and quickly entered the elevator.

  “Doesn’t make sense. We’ll be wasting time waiting for them. They can take the next one up,” he said. Luckily, they got to stand next to the outer glass wall of the elevator and it was a surreal experience climbing up above the world, as such.

  The elevator came to a halt on the second level. As she stepped out, Shivalika gasped in delight when she saw the vista laid out before them. She almost ran towards the viewing balcony and VK soon joined her there.

  Shivalika did not know why, but a very warm contented feeling coursed through her entire body at the thought of being at the Tower with VK. It was almost romantic. This idea intruded into her thoughts and she quickly batted it away. She did not believe in love and all that hoopla. I’ll choose career over love any day, she said, silently. But somehow the warm, cozy feeling remained with her even as she hugged VK’s jacket tighter around herself. She was so glad for it for the breeze was chillier at that height.

  VK pointed out the roofs of well-known buildings which were visible from their perch. Shivalika could not get enough of her fill of photographs as her phone camera went click, click, click.

  “Thank you, VK, for this visit to the Eiffel Tower,” she said.

  “Ah...how can one come to Paris and not see the Eiffel Tower?”

  “That’s just what my dad said,” she replied, with a smile. “He’ll be so happy I was able to visit here.”

  “Your dad’s got the right idea. It’s like going to Delhi and not seeing the Qutub Minar.” Almost as if in a meditative tone, he continued, “It’s not as tall as the Eiffel Tower, though taller than Level One, but it has its own ambience. It’s got history.”

  “So you go very often to the Qutub Minar?”

  “Whenever I am overwhelmed, I imagine myself standing at the top of it. You know, there is a ledge where you can stand and look at the world around, and I see those tiny specks of humanity of which I am a part and wonder how big can my problem be in the larger scheme of things.”

  This was a very different side of him which, truthfully, was so appealing. Throughout the trip he had been so much fun and attentive, even. Quite a departure from the hardcore, arrogant businessman persona he portrayed at work.

  He suddenly turned to her and said, “Have you seen the Qutub Minar?”

  “Only in pics. I’ve never been to Delhi.”

  “Is that so? Next time I go to Delhi, co
me with me and I’ll take you to see the Qutub Minar,” he said, staring ahead at the city that had begun lighting up in places like little twinkling stars as the sun got ready to set.

  His words set her heart tripping so hard she was sure everyone around her could hear its thudding. As if realising what he had said, VK turned to look at her. Their eyes met and the rest of the world dropped off. It was like they were the only two people on top of the world.

  “There you are, darling! We thought you might have already reached the top level.” Misha’s words broke into their world, unknowingly hitting close to the mark. They both sprung apart.

  Giving them a quizzical look, Misha snaked her arm around VK’s and said, “Let’s go. I’m dying to see Eiffel’s office. I’ve heard so much about it.”

  The topmost level of the Eiffel Tower was as impressive as Shivalika had expected. Almost 1000 feet above the ground, Shivalika had a giddy feeling like she was suspended above the world from a very thin wire. The city around the Tower was stretched out like a carpet of lights. As the sky turned dark, the patterned lights on the Tower itself came on.

  “Time for a team pic, folks,” said Shivalika, realising they didn’t have a single group photo. With a bit of shuffling around they arranged their positions and then asked one of the other tourists to take their pic which he happily obliged. He seemed to be Shivalika’s shutterbug-happy twin and was not satisfied till he had taken at least a dozen pics from different angles.

  After he returned the phone to Shivalika, she began taking selfies. Jayesh and Rati posed happily with her.

  “Misha, a selfie, please? I’m planning to do a collection with famous landmarks in the background.”