Page 13 of Game on, Love

“Yep,” I said, stuffing my hands into my hoodie pockets. “I live with these idiots.”

Her gaze flickered between the three of us, staying on Rihaan the longest. She opened her mouth to say something, but a faintthumpmade her stop. I looked behind me, and two cats entered the room—both had a dense coat, though one was slighter darker than the other. One of them parked by the couch and rubbed its face against the soft material, though the other one made a beeline for Raina and leaned on her legs. Raina bent down instinctively and picked the cat up into her arms. It was a swift motion as if they had done it a hundred times before. The cat stretched out, dangling its front paws and head over her shoulder.

It was like they owned the place—or at least, Raina.

Rihaan was the first one to break the silence. “You havecats?”

I bit my tongue; he sounded so shocked, as if he just learnt that his little sister was part of an underground fighting club.

Raina hesitated, indicating she knew why her brother was so perplexed. “Yeah.”

He was clearly expecting her to elaborate, and damn it, with the way they were acting, so was I.

I wasn’t being nosy—no,I was intrigued. She’d come off as tough and no-nonsense at first, even when she was upset. Now, as she gently held her cat, her guard seemed to slip, even if it was just a little.

Rihaan’s face scrunched up. “But.. When did you—”

“I’ve had them for a while now, Rihaan.” Her tone was tense, but there wasn’t any hint of surprise, as though she expected it from him.

“This one is Lilli,” She lifted her shoulder as though introducing them to us before nodding to the one by the couch. “That’s Milo. They.. help with my anxiety. They are my family.”

Guilt flashed across Rihaan’s eyes.

“Anyway, I’m not here to disrupt anything.” Raina looked at Vedant, and his face dropped. “Thanks for last night, I honestly do appreciate it. But if this is going to be too much, I’ll find somewhere else to crash while I find a new place.”

Before Vedant could even argue, Rihaan spoke again. “You don’t have to go.” His voice was low, but there was no hint of reluctance. “We are your family, too.”

Raina looked at him, surprised. He didn’t meet her eyes, but the words hung in the air, heavy as a dark cloud.

“Okay.”

Vedant nodded, relieved, while Rihaan shifted uncomfortably.

“Well,” I said, stepping in, trying to shift the mood. “It’ll be nice to have someone else around here. Especially someone who’s not constantly telling me to go for a run at the crack of dawn.”

Rihaan chuckled, shaking his head as he met my eyes. “That’s because you need it, mate.”

Raina glanced at me, her expression lightening just a bit. “Yeah, I’mnota morning person, so you won’t have to worry about that with me, ever.”

“We’re going to get along just fine,” I replied with a grin.

Her mouth twitched, almost a smile and instantly a wave of current ran through me. It was as if I had clicked open the door to the fortress she was hiding behind, and I saw a lighter side to her.

Something I wanted to see more of.

“Alright then, if I’m really staying here, I need to grab some stuff,” Raina said as she put her cat, Lilli, down. “Can’t exactly walk on set with your hoodie and yoga pants.”

A strange sense of relief washed over me, but I didn’t let myself dwell on it. They both nodded, and I could see the surprise hidden in their posture. I frowned slightly, but once sheturned to face me, I dropped my expression and offered her a small smile.

She returned it and walked past me. Her presence was a mix of quiet intensity and grace. For a moment, I found myself watching her leave, her cats trailing right behind her, my curiosity piqued.

“Well, that went better than expected.” Vedant raked a hand through his hair. He shot a glance at Rihaan, who just glared back at him.

“You couldn’t have warned me?” Rihaan’s voice was still low, clearly not wanting her to hear.

“Exactly when should I have done that? She already looked like she was going to cry after the stunt you pulled last night. I went after her to do damage control, and I didn’t expect her flat to be another disaster waiting for her. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to leave her stranded!”

Rihaan stayed quiet; he hadn’t expected this harsh tone from Vedant, but after last night, I wasn’t surprised.