Chapter 3

Please note text conversations are in bold 🙂

It’s best to call it a night. As I am putting away the contract in the file cabinet, I hear the text alert on my phone go off. Grabbing my phone, I am shocked to see who the text is from.   

Is he really sending me a text?  

Why?

‘Hi. Just saw your email, so it’s official. Congratulations, Khushi.’

Oh. He is texting to congratulate me. That’s harmless. Right?

‘Thank you Mr. Raizada.’

It would be better to keep the response short and succinct.

‘How was the rest of your day?’

‘It was fine.’

‘Did you go shopping?’

‘Yes.’

I can’t believe he is asking me these sort of questions. But, why?

‘Did you eat dinner?’

‘Yes.’

‘What did you eat?’

‘Greek salad.’

‘From where?’

‘Europa.’

‘Good choice. Do you like it here in New York?’

‘Yes.’

‘Do you find me attractive?’

‘Yes.’

Holy crap, what the hell did I just say?!

Before I can berate myself further, my phone rings.

“Oh no, he is calling me.” I blurt out, staring at my phone in hopes it would stop ringing. But it doesn’t.

Think, Khushi, think. How are you going to get yourself out of this one?

Having no choice, I swipe the bar to accept the call, and place it against my ear. But before I can even say anything, his deep husky baritone rings in my ear.

“So, Khushi Kumari Gupta finds me attractive?”  

“Listen, I didn’t mean to say that. I was just replying back to your rapid fire questions that you were throwing at me.” I respond confidently, hoping that he falls for the poor excuse which makes no sense whatsoever.

“What did you mean, then? I asked you the questions and you answered them. Directly. And if I am not mistaken, honestly.”

Hai Devi Maiya, why is this man set on extracting information out of me?

“Well it’s not what you think…”

“Let me get this straight, so you don’t find me attractive?”

A part of me is aware, he is not going to let this go. Inwardly taking a deep breath, I decide to come out and say it.

“Fine. You are attractive, happy now?  That is what you wanted to hear, I presume.”

I can hear him laughing, and with that I can’t help but smile. Realizing what I have admitted out loud, the sensible part of me knows that I should probably correct the wrong impression he must have now.

“You do realize that anyone who looks at you, would find you attractive. So it’s not as if you haven’t heard it before. Let’s just say, I have done my research, Mr. Raizada. You were named one of hottest bachelors in India, so it’s public knowledge.”

“Do you think I take those lists seriously? Come on, Khushi, you should know better than anyone that it’s a marketing ploy. And who even looks at those lists?”

I find myself nodding at the valid point he makes, though I keep them to myself. The fact still remains that he is very attractive.

Not that I am going to admit that out loud to him…again.

“Obviously it has worked for you, if my research and the pictures I have seen are accurate, you have been seen with many different women at various functions. It’s a well-known fact. ”

“Yes, I will accept that both your research and what you have seen is accurate, but it’s not what you are thinking. This is not how I wanted this conversation to go, damn it.”  I hear him mumble the last sentence, which I assume he had intentions of me hearing.

Based on what I have read, he has dated a few women back in Delhi, though he has never been in a serious relationship. But the fact remains he is a desirable bachelor who has women falling all over him.

“Look, I am not asking for an explanation. It’s your life and you can live it any way you desire, it really isn’t a big deal.”  I pause for a moment, as I am met with silence on the other end. And I decide it would be best to change the topic. “Mr. Raizada, I have to ask, do you make it a habit to text and call your new employees to see how their day went? And their dinner menu for the day?” I say teasingly, but inside, I am surprised by my own courage.

He takes a deep breath, before responding to my questions.

“Of course I don’t. And I did not mean to intrude this late. But since you are alone in the city and Di asked me to check in on you, I figured that I would see how you were doing.”

“Well, regardless of what Anjali has said, I am a big girl, more than capable of taking care of myself. I am guessing, Anjali probably put on a full-on, dramatic act and you felt obligated to check on me. But really, it isn’t necessary. Which brings up another question, do you always do what you sister tells you to? ”

“Not always. Generally I do what I want. In this case, I didn’t mind. Well, I guess I should let you get to bed. It’s getting late and I still have plenty of work that needs to be done before I leave the office.” I can sense that his mood has changed.

“Isn’t it rather late for work?”

“It probably is, but I need to look into a couple of companies that we are looking to acquire and see if it indeed makes sense. The team has done some work, but there is something missing. Since I am not satisfied, figured I would take a look at it myself. Both are start-ups, the potential is there, so I would like to get to these figures before I meet with investors on Monday.”

“Can I help?” I inquire eagerly. For the next couple of days, I need something that will keep me occupied, or I run the risk of my thoughts going into a forbidden zone. “Of course, that is if you don’t mind. I have experience with start-ups, plus sitting around in this apartment is killing my brain cells.”

“Are you sure Khushi? I mean, you don’t need to do this.” Sensing the hesitation in his voice, I assure him.

“Yes I am positive. Anything to keep me busy from getting bored. It’s been a few weeks, and to be honest, I really miss working.”

“In that case, I will take you up on your offer. Though, not tonight. Tomorrow. I will send over the details, then you can take a look and provide your recommendations. There won’t be a need for you to come into the office, as you can do this from home.  How does that sound?” He says in a business-like tone. Mr. Boss is back.

“That most definitely would work.” While my tone is calm, I am feeling ecstatic about putting my brain into good use again.

“Well, you just saved me some time, thanks. I am looking forward to seeing what you come up with. This has to be a first, someone asking for work before they start working. Now go get some sleep and I will talk to you tomorrow.  Good night, Khushi.”

Does this man always have to say my name like that?

“Good night.”

“And Khushi, I know I am attractive, but try not to think about me too much.  Sweet Dreams!” He chuckles, having the last laugh before hanging up.

I gasp, staring at my phone in disbelief. This man is going to drive me insane.

It’s best that I just go to sleep, and not think about him at all. This is going to be hard, since all I can see is his perfect chiseled face when I shut my eyes.

I wake up in a rather good mood and go about with the morning rituals that I have been following since moving out here. There seems to be a spring in my step and I credit that to getting back to work. I haven’t felt this good in a long time.

When I get back from the park after my run, the guard in the lobby gives me a package that has been delivered while I was out.  I notice it’s from AR and wonder why the package is so heavy. It must mean it’s more than just files.

Once I get in the apartment, I open it up and see a new MacBook Pro, a security card for the building, some files and a note from him.

I quickly open the monogrammed note with ASR printed on the top and struggle through the almost-illegible writing.

Good Morning Ms. Gupta,

Since you have so kindly offered to assist me, I figured that the least I could do is provide you with the proper tools prior to Monday.  Your laptop should be set up be with your work email along with access to our programs. I have emailed you some of the information on the companies I mentioned last night. The additional files should also help you draw up your conclusions.

You can email or call me with any questions.

ASR

After reading the very businesslike note I realize that it’s only 9:30am. How the heck did he manage to get this all together and sent over?

Duh, Khushi!

He has people who work for him that he orders around to get this all ready, remember?

I shake my head, then realize that it’s time to get to work, but first I need a shower and some breakfast, in that order.

After getting ready, I make myself comfortable in the second bedroom which has been converted into a home office.  There is plenty of natural light in here, and that makes it a comfortable working space.  I spend the rest of my day locked in the room, working.   After various research on the companies that Arnav mentioned, along with studying AR’s portfolio I see great potential in acquiring not just one, but both of them.

Seeing that it’s almost dark outside and my stomach is grumbling after not eating anything since breakfast, I decide to stop for the day.  The timing is right, now that I am at an ideal stopping point before I need to start putting together my presentation. I decide to send Arnav a status email about the progress I have made today, then shut the lid to my laptop.

It seems I will have to settle on leftover vegetable fried rice, since I am too lazy to make the effort for anything else. After warming up my food, I decide to settle down on the couch and turn on the TV.  In hopes to find something that does not require me to use my brain, since I am tapped out for the day.  After picking a rerun of my favorite comedy about friends, I sit back and tackle my dinner.

As I am placing my empty dish on the coffee table, my text alert goes off and somehow I know exactly who it is, which immediately brings a smile to my face when I see his name on my phone.

‘You do realize that I did not expect you to work all day?’

I cannot believe that the man who gave me a lecture about working really hard during the interview is saying this.

‘Aren’t you the one who said that you expect your employees to work hard?’

‘Yes but that’s when you are working, technically you should be off.’

‘I had nothing to do today, so you lucked out :)’

‘Actually, I would have lucked out if I saw you again ;)’

Here we go back into the forbidden zone …

Does he always have to flirt?

‘Lucky for you, you’ll get to see me every day once I start on Monday’

I read it a few times before I actually hit the send button realizing that I am playing with fire…

‘And I am very much looking forward to it, based on what you have done so far, you just might be my favorite employee…’

I am looking forward to it as well, I think to myself, afraid to voice it out loud.

‘Well, I shall take that as a compliment…thank you sir!’

‘You’re welcome, madam! Hope you’ve eaten, so now you can relax!

‘Yes boss, I just finished my dinner and was watching some TV.’

‘Good, have a good night.’

‘Goodnight.’

There goes my heart, it’s racing again and that too from a text!

What should I do about these feelings?

For now, I am just going to call it a night and hopefully my hot boss does not come in my dreams…again.

The next day, I follow the same routine.  Since its Friday, I decide to stop working in the afternoon. I need to get some gifts for Anjali, along with picking up food for me, since there is practically nothing in the apartment for consumption.

After spending a few hours outside, I rush back to finish my presentation which has me very excited about the possibilities of where these acquisitions can benefit AR.  I am eager to show Arnav what I have come up with.

Once I am satisfied with my presentation, I draft my email to Arnav and send it to him. I let out a deep sigh and feel a sense of accomplishment for getting that completed. Now comes the hard part, waiting for his feedback.

It’s seven o’clock when I close my laptop.  I decide to get things ready for tomorrow, I need to pack and also wrap the gifts I picked up today.  There is also so much to do around the apartment since I will be away for the weekend before starting work on Monday. All of a sudden I feel like I am up against the clock to take care of everything.

By the time I am done, it’s already past ten o’clock and I wonder why he hasn’t reached out about my email.  The last couple of nights Arnav texted shortly after seeing my email.

Really Khushi, do you think he is waiting around for your presentation on a Friday night?  He is single, attractive, and has women falling all over him, why would he be home?  Perhaps he is on a date with one of those airhead models but who the fuck cares? I certainly don’t…

This is why I need to stay far away from him…

After a sleepless night, I am irritated to be woken up by the nonstop ringing of my phone, and when I glance at the clock on the nightstand, it’s 8:00am. I roll over to get the phone, annoyed that it’s my mother.

“Kya hai Amma?  I was sleeping, do you have to call this early?”

“Khushi, it’s not that early.  I thought you would be getting ready to go to the park for your run so I wanted to speak to you before that. Then you will be busy this weekend going to Anjali’s house. I seriously think you don’t love me anymore.  You move away from us and now when you start work you will be occupied.  Which means no time for us.”

Here we go, she definitely knows how to make me feel guilty. I wonder, if all mothers receive a special training in that department? If so, my mother was probably first in line.

“Bitiya, can you hear me? Hello?”

“Yes, I can hear you just fine. What do you want to talk to me about, my dear pyaari Amma?” I say very lovingly, knowing it will make her day.

“Oh my sona bacha, so listen to this……”

We spend the next ten minutes catching up on gossip on her part until she gets another call. I am so thankful for this interruption. I promise to be on my best behavior at Anjali’s. I am 25 years old, yet my mother feels the need to lecture me on how to behave and act….unbelievable!

Once I am off the phone, I quickly glance at my text and email to see if there is anything from ‘he who shall not be named’….but of course, there is nothing.

Seriously, he can’t even acknowledge that he got the email. What kind of follow-up skills is that for a CEO?

Time for a distraction…Central Park, my paradise in the city!

I freshen up, get dressed in black capri yoga pants with a purple tank-top and Nike running shoes. I put my hair up in a ponytail and strap my iPhone on my arm and head out of my apartment for my run.

After a couple of miles of running, just as I am passing one of my favorite fountains in the park, I collide into someone. I immediately close my eyes ready for the impact with concrete, but I feel two strong hands holding me up.

As I open my eyes, thankful for the save, I can’t believe who it is.

“Khushi, tum theek ho?” Arnav says, concerned.

“Umm, yes…I am fine.”

Is it really him or am I imagining him?  Could I be dreaming?

We both stand there looking at each other, while he has his arm wrapped around my waist. Suddenly my knees feel weak, feeling goosebumps erupt on my skin.

As I realize where we are, I cough awkwardly to draw his attention to the position we both are in.  He lets go of me slowly, not taking his eyes off of me in the process.

“Are you okay, did you get hurt anywhere?”

“Oh yeah, I’m perfectly fine, after almost being knocked down by a guy who is bigger than me. What if I fell down and got hurt?”  I say sarcastically, remembering I am annoyed with him, but that quickly changes when I get a good look at him.

Oh my… Arnav looks sexy. His stubble is darker and his hair is tousled with a few strands on his forehead. He is wearing a grey sleeveless fitted workout shirt with black shorts and black running shoes.

“I am so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. I was slightly distracted, but it seems like the distraction is right here.”   He mumbles the last few words.  “And, Khushi, I would never let you fall as long as I am around. That’s a promise.”

That makes me look up at him, taken aback at the sincerity of those words that are now ringing around me.

Do I want him to be around?

“It’s fine, no worries.” I say quickly, shaking away the thought.

“I didn’t realize you ran, do you come here every morning?¨

“Yes, running is actually one of my favorite things to do in the morning.  I have been coming here every day. It helps me escape from everything and helps clear my head.” I say without realizing what I have admitted out loud.

“What are you trying to run away from?”  His serious gaze meets mine, searching for more.  

Somehow talking to him here, makes me feel content, though I am not sure I want him to know what I am running from.

“What are you doing here, Mr. Raizada? I didn’t expect someone like you to come to the park.”

“It’s a beautiful place, I wish I had more time to come here for a run or even a walk. And now it seems, I should make more time, you never know who you’ll bump into.”  He pauses and takes a deep breath.  “So, would you like to get coffee with me?”

Every part my brain tells me I shouldn’t, but clearly my mouth says something else which surprises us both.

“Sure, I could use a coffee, but it’s only fair if you pay. You know, since you almost knocked me down.” My mischievous smile has made an appearance after a long time.

“Of course, let’s go.” He laughs, before we make our way through the crowds, heading towards the exit. When we approach the crossing light, we wait for the signal to make our way to the other side of the street. He looks down at me and smiles.

I notice that Arnav has a gorgeous smile that make his eyes shine. A smile that cause my heart to unconsciously skip a beat. And it dawns on me, that I have never felt that way before. Not even with Sameer. There it is my past clouding my thoughts again, which I quickly shake away. There is no room for it anymore in the present.

Feeling him tug at my hand, I am broken out of my thoughts. When I glance at him, he raises an eyebrow with a questioning look. All I can do is simply shake my head, giving him a small smile. One that he returns. This makes me realize that on several occasions this man has understood my feelings without me uttering a word.

Should I stop fighting this and see where it goes?

It feels so right to be around him…

We walk a couple of blocks towards Starbucks in companionable silence.  Like a true gentleman, he opens the door for me.  We make our way to the counter to order our drink.  He gives me a nod to order first.

“I’ll have a grande White Chocolate Mocha.”

“You don’t want anything to eat?”  He asks me.

“No, I am good, thanks.”

“For you sir?” The barista asks batting her eyelashes at Arnav who is completely ignoring her.

“I’ll have a grande black coffee and a plain bagel.”  He says pulling out his wallet.

“Your total is twelve dollars and twenty-seven cents. What name should I call out?”  She asks staring at Arnav.

“ASR” He sounds annoyed as he hands her his credit card without even looking at her.

“My name is Lisa, by the way.”

Arnav nods his head perfunctorily, then takes my hand leading me to a table by the window.  As we take our seats, I giggle at the amusing scene that has just unfolded in front of me.

“What’s so funny? It drives me insane when women do that. Doesn’t she see I am with someone?” The irritation in his tone comes out firm, as he shakes his head.

“I don’t think she got the hint, she keeps looking over here.”

Arnav looks over at the Barista out of the corner of his eye, when he notices her watching him he groans. “Fucking unbelievable.”

“Plus, it’s not like we are a couple you know. She is just having fun…it’s fine.¨

“So…” Arnav starts, but is interrupted when the Barista calls his name. “I’ll go get it.”

He walks away, and I watch him go up to the counter. I can’t help but look at his muscular physique which is visible thanks to his fitted shirt and shorts. He looks like a Greek god, absolutely handsome and edible.

Edible? You must be hungrier than you thought, Khushi!

When he takes our drinks from the Barista, he leans in and says something to her with a serious expression, then points in my direction.  She looks over at me and then back at him apologetically. He turns around and heads back to our table with a smug expression. Obviously he is up to no good, I just know it.

He takes his seat, and passes me my drink with a couple of sugar packets and a stirrer.

“What did you say to her?” I quickly ask, interested to know what made that girl take her eyes off of him all of a sudden.

“And why should I tell you? You found this entertaining, so I have decided not to tell you since you were laughing at me.”

“Oh come on, that’s not fair Arnav.” Like a child, I pout and immediately realize what I have said out loud. Which has caught his attention, of course.

Damn my mouth. Damn him.

“Wait a minute, what did you call me?” The side of his lips quirk up, as he waits for my response.

“What? I didn’t call you anything, now can you just tell me, please?”  Seriously now I am behaving like a child. But I have to know what he said.

“How about we make a deal? I’ll tell you what I said, if you repeat what you called me. Is that a deal?”  He puts his hand out towards me and I hesitate for a few seconds, then shake it. “Ladies first, now what was that you said before?”

Since I know he is not going to let it go, I decide to cave in.

“Arnav, I said your name, Arnav. Sorry but I just blurted it out. Okay, now your turn, Mr. Raizada.”  I say throwing it back at him.

“Seriously you are back to Mr. Raizada again? It makes me sound like an old man coming out of your mouth. Arnav sounds much better…”  He pauses looking at me while taking a sip of his coffee. “Okay Ms. Gupta, I told the girl that you were my girlfriend and if she doesn’t stop looking at me, you might get angry. And an angry Khushi is hard to hold back.”  He says casually, taking a bite into his bagel.

“You what?!  How could you say that? Oh my God, what must she be thinking…”  

“Well it worked, she’s not looking this way anymore.”  He simply shrugs his shoulders, taking another bite of his bagel.

“Yeah, but I come here all the time, now what is she going to think when she sees me.” I shake my head, still in shock at what he has told the Barista.   

How can he easily just say that I am his girlfriend?

“So let her think what she wants, who cares.” He says nonchalantly, sipping on his coffee, while I am sitting there speechless, staring down at my cup.

Arnav picks up his phone when it beeps with an incoming message

“Damn, I can’t believe this slipped my mind. Khushi, that was brilliant.” Arnav says out loud, which has me clueless.

“Your presentation. The business plan you put together along with the strategies for the acquisition. The approach you outlined is intriguing and different from what the team came up with. It was exactly along the lines of what I was thinking.  But you also made some interesting observations. I was on a conference call last night, and when I saw your email it was late for me to call you.”

I feel a sense of accomplishment that he liked my work. And an odd sense of relief that he wasn’t with any of those airhead models I’d imagined

“Thank you, I hope you don’t mind my recommendation about acquiring both companies. I wasn’t sure but took the risk anyway.”

“Not at all, that was actually very impressive.” He pauses for a moment and looks directly at me before saying.  “It’s good to take risks in life, otherwise you will never know what you can gain.”

I look directly into his eyes, wondering what he is implying at. Something tells me it’s not work related.

“I will keep that in mind, Arnav. Looks like we have been here for almost an hour, shall we go now?”  I sigh, and decide it’s time to end the discussion before it goes any further.

‘Sure, let’s go. Di has texted me five times already about picking you up on time.” He shakes his head looking at his phone.

As we are making our way out of Starbucks, he winks at the Barista and then points at me. All I can do is run out the door mortified at what she must be thinking.  He quickly follows me out, laughing at my condition.

“I can’t believe you said that to her. Anyway, thanks for the coffee, Arnav. Guess I will see you later.”

“Yes, I will pick you up around two o’clock, see you.”

Walking back, my thoughts are all about Arnav. And for the first time I find myself not pushing them away.

Today is turning out to be a good day!

**********

Pal mein hi mujh ko mila pal naya

Kuch mila haan kuch magar kho gaya

Kya kahoon kya nahi

Laabz hai gum kahin

Hosh mein dil nahi

Tere aa jaane se, tere aa jaane se

Tere aa jaane se hoo ohh…

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