On This Side of Paradise: A Billionaire Second Chance Romance

cHAPTER fOUR:

She still remembered how her best friend had tried to persuade her to celebrate her twentieth birthday.

"It will be great for what you have in mind. A week to unwind and celebrate your birthday in style. Just imagine Ava, a gorgeous sunset, with you and your guitar, with our first drink on the beach, the sea, the sand, and hot semi naked guys...", Tania laughed uproariously seeing the outrageous expression on her best friend's face. "Oh my God. Look at you little Miss Prude. Okay, we will keep the boys just for myself."

But Ava had shaken her head, knowing what Tania proposed was impossible.

"My parents would never let me visit Goa unsupervised."

"You leave that to me." Tania had assured her. "Your parents love me. I will manage them."

And she had. Tania's parents had been her father's colleague. They had reluctantly given their consent in receipt of Tania's charm and persuasion.

Ava had got her first taste of freedom in that week. Tania had been right; the vacation had made her feel free for the first time in her life. But not only for the sea and sand. It was mostly because of the vibrant music scene of Goa. Many musicians who came to try out their luck in Mumbai visited the hottest destination of the country to hone their skills. Sometime breaking into impromptu music sessions who just one ukulele and the wooden bench they were sitting as percussion. Some would sing in the bars during weekends. On one such bar, Ava had had the first fateful meeting with her husband.

It was the day of her birthday, which was one a Saturday and the bar they had visited had been packed. After waiting for a quarter of an hour, they had gained entry. Theirs had been a fairly large company, four girls and six boys. They had been seated at the largest booth and her friends had arranged a birthday cake for her. The noise they had made had drowned out the band playing at the stage. Ava had been a little embarrassed by the filthy looks they had been receiving from the neighboring tables, but the flush of excitement had made her ignore those. Among the chaos, she had suddenly become aware that the traditional Goan music that was playing had stopped and someone was now singing the "Happy Birthday" song. Her friends had quieted down and she had located the origin of the song to the stage in front. The lead singer of the band had stepped off the stage and was slowly advancing towards their table.

As he had approached her table, her eyes had locked onto him.

The singer was caught between the age when a boy had just started to turn into a man. He hadn't been very tall, but the lean whipcord thin physique had given an impression of great strength. His mop of unruly black hair fallen over one eye giving him a rakish appearance. The most mesmerizing had been his eyes. The deep blue eyes had glinted under the multicolored lighting of the bar. For Ava, though, it had been his fingers that had been lazily strumming the chords of the guitar that had stolen her heart.

She came down to the present with a bump. Sheena cursed at a car which had taken her parking space.

"Shit, I have to go around the block. Asshole!" She shouted at the offending vehicle again.

It took her five more minutes to find a parking spot and when they finally entered the bar, the celebration had already started. The drinks had already arrived, and the ruckus already started. Ava saw Siddhartha waving at her. He curved an arm around her and dropped a kiss on her forehead as she went to sit by him.

"It is Karaoke night. Ava, you wanna go in?" one of her friends shouted at her over the din.

"I don't sing anymore."

Siddhartha cajoled her, "Why not, love? You have such a lovely voice. Go on up there."

Ava shook her head, determined, "No, Siddhartha. It's been years since I have sung. I am so out of practice. Besides, I don't even like Karaoke."

"Since when? When I knew you, you used to have the love of a child for Karaoke." A deep voice remarked from behind her.

Ava and Siddhartha swung around at the same time towards the voice. Her fiancée with a frown on his face, Ava's stilled in shock.

Erico Ferreira, her estranged husband stood behind her, his gaze fixed on her flushed face.