Chapter 25

“Khushi… have you seen my keys?”

 

“Check the side table by the sofa, think it’s besides the table lamp…” I turn around to see him walking towards the living room, as I am cleaning up in the kitchen.

 

“Found them.” He smiles raising the keys, while I turn back to finish up.

 

“Do you need any help before I head to the office?” He asks walking inside the kitchen.

 

“No, thank you. I am almost finished here. Plus I can’t ask the mighty ASR, CEO of AR Corporation to do the dishes. What would that do to your image?” Amused, I smile, as he leans against the counter looking devilishly handsome fresh out of the shower dressed in my favorite fitted dark grey suit with a white shirt and red tie.

 

The crisp clean scent from his body wash arouses my senses as I close my eyes. But I quickly shake the thought away. This is no time to think of such things.

 

This man is definitely rubbing off on me, becoming besharam like him day by day.

 

“Sweetheart, I would do anything you ask, and doing dishes is nothing for Khushi’s boyfriend. Though I think you should take up my offer and have someone look after the apartment when we stay here. Just as I do at the Penthouse…  What? Stop rolling your eyes at me. You are the COO of AR making decent money, not to mention working hard, and with long hours at work.  You need a break with the little things at home. But I shall keep my mouth shut.” He raised his hands up in defeat, then leaned closer. “As for what was going on inside your head when you were checking me out moments before, I don’t mind being late for my meeting to fulfill those desires.”

 

I gasp moving away from him to dry my hands, as he chuckles.

 

“There is way too much work at the office today, so I suggest you leave now. And no need to take your car, Mohan’s downstairs. I plan on walking to work today. Once the cold weather arrives, I won’t get much of a chance. Stop looking at me like that, I am walking. That’s it.”

 

He sighs, walking away to get his bag from the chair, and we walk together towards the front door.  

 

“Fine, today’s your day so whatever you say goes. I will go with Mohan, but if you change your mind just call him. I was hoping this Sam matter would have been over on Monday, but legal needed a couple of days to work out some of the logistics for the patents. But finally the asshole will be out of our life today. Is Ms. Terminator ready for the big moment this afternoon?”

 

“I think you are more ready than I am.” Taking his hand in mine, I give him a small smile. “But yes, I am glad that it will be over soon. And what’s with this nickname you and Aakash have come up with?”

 

“First Sheetal, and now Sameer… I just hope you never terminate me. You do scare me, and boy, those mood swings. I will have to be very careful around you.”

 

I smack his arm, before trying to push him away, but he pulls me into his arms.

 

“You’re my boss, so technically I can’t terminate you. It should be me that needs to be careful ASR doesn’t fire me.”

 

“No chance in hell am I ever letting you go. And one never knows, you could be my boss one day.” He leans down, and kisses me before I can say anything.    

 

“You should go before you’re late for your meeting with the Delhi staff. I should be there in an hour.”

 

“Okay take your time, I will see you before lunch since I am in meetings all morning. But if…”

 

“Yes, I know, if something comes up, I will come straight to you barging into your office no matter what meeting you are in.” I laugh pushing him towards the front door.

 

“Are you making fun of me? You know what, I know how to shut you up.” He kisses me again, but this time it’s not a gentle kiss. The intensity of the kiss leaves me breathless when he pulls away.

 

I hold onto the doorframe for support as he opens the door, and smiles at me.

 

“Works like a charm every time. I love you, sweetheart.”

 

With another kiss on my cheek, he walks towards the elevator.

 

My heart flutters as he turns around throwing a flying kiss to me which I catch, placing my hand close to my heart. I wave to him hearing the elevator, and he waves back before getting inside.

 

“Arnav, Arnav…” I chant his name in my head making my way inside towards the bedroom.

 

As I walk inside, I laugh looking at the bed which he has attempted to fix up. The comforter is placed semi correctly, but the sheets underneath are a mess peeking out with the pillows thrown on the middle of the bed. But it’s the thought that counts, and he can’t be perfect at everything.

 

Arnav continues to surprise me everyday, with the random things that he does for me, for us and our relationship.  

 

I often find myself feeling guilty, for not doing enough for him or us, even though he disagrees when I bring it up.

 

The fact that he suggested we stay here for the week during dinner on Sunday, had me surprised and excited since I love this place. It’s cozy and comfortable, not to mention I like doing domestic things for us which are more manageable here than the Penthouse. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Penthouse since it screams of him. But after our breakdown Friday into the tensed weekend, I wanted normalcy between us.

 

And that has happened here the past couple of days. We go about our normal routine here, leaving work, along with the big issue that he has been ‘obsessing’ over at the office.  

 

I leave for work after him, since he starts his day at seven handling things for AR in Delhi during the earlier part of the day. In the evenings, I am home before him to get dinner started for us. This routine has helped me keep sane, and distracted from the lingering problems at work with Sameer and Symphony.

 

“Prick…”

 

He has been a thorn in my side for almost three weeks, and now it’s time to throw him out… let’s hope the door hits him on the way out.

 

It’s time to take a shower and then get ready for the office.

 

I decide on all black today, a fitted pant suit with a blouse, paired with my long boots that I purchased during my shopping spree with Anjali.

 

When I glance at myself in the mirror, I smile since it looks like I am going to a funeral. Well technically I am. The end of Sameer’s career.

 

That thought makes me realize what he has turned me into. This isn’t who I am, wishing ill on someone. However, what he has done to AR as a personal vendetta towards me has turned me into this bitch.

 

It’s all about karma- what goes around comes around, and he will get to experience this first hand today.

 

And no one messes with AR which is my Arnav’s pride built by his hard work. As long as I am with him, AR will never lose or have its reputation tarnished through no fault of the company.  

 

With that determination, I take my things, making my way out of the apartment.

 

When I get downstairs, I am not surprised that Mohan is waiting in front of the building.

 

“Hi Ma’am. Did you want me to take you to the office or will you be walking?”

 

“Good morning, Mohan. I will be walking today. Tell me did your Sir send you back for me?”  

 

He smiles, shaking his head.

 

“Actually no, it’s a little cold today so I figured I would see if you changed your mind. If you would like I can take your bags, and meet you in the front of the building when you get there.”

 

I smile at him, grateful to be around such kind and caring people. And his suggestion is not so bad as I look at my heavy computer bag and handbag. He’s headed in that direction anyway.

 

“Thank you so much. That was really nice for you to come back for me.  And you know what, I will take you up on your offer if you don’t mind.”

 

“Not at all.” He takes my things, and I start my walk towards the office.

 

I embrace the chill in the air and the essence of New York City in the fall, surrounded by tall buildings and the crowd where one can easily blend in.  

 

This city has become home in such a short span of time. It also has given me the most precious gift. One that I never thought was possible… Arnav.

 

Since we have met, I have seen nothing but love and admiration for me in his eyes. But when he confronted me about Sameer the hurt in his eyes and his cold tone, practically shattered me.

 

Him finding out the way he had was not how I had intended for him to find out.  I know I should have told him the night before. But I could see how tired he was. Plus I was being selfish, wanting the evening with him to myself after being away from each other for two weeks.  

 

Even when he was telling me about his stay with my parents, I couldn’t focus knowing I was keeping this from him.  

 

Why didn’t I just tell him the night he returned?

 

Would his reaction have been different?

 

That day will be embedded in my mind for a long time to come.

 

How does one get over hurting the person they love the most?

 

Or the disappointment of letting them down?

 

Seeing the different emotions emanate from Arnav that day made me realize what he and his support means to me.  

 

The confrontation in his office; his somewhat controlled and irrational anger was justified. He was hurt at being kept in the dark, but more because he wasn’t there for me. All I wanted to do was make him understand why I did what I did, but both of us knew he needed time to cool down.

 

Which is why I was shocked seeing him in Aakash’s office. Seeing their expressions, I immediately knew Aakash told him that I had confided in him. The reaction I had expected was another heated confrontation. But yet again, I was left stunned.  

 

I smile looking at the hand he kissed and put it against my lips, as I wait at the traffic signal to cross the road.

 

When I saw his faint smile, as I gazed up at him, I knew everything was going to be fine.

 

And that is what he proved in the meeting, putting Sam in his place and then encouraging me to stand up for myself. Though initially I had my doubts the way Arnav was handling Sam. But nonetheless, I was proud of Arnav sitting back and allowing me to take control.

 

Being accused of leaking the information was something I had not expected from Sam. I will admit that was the lowest point for me in dealing with him. That along with what happened in the morning, felt like a slap on my face, making me shut myself off for the first time in my career. I was done, and ready to give up, until I looked over at Arnav. Seeing his controlled frustration he was holding back for my sake, and then him giving me the slight nod encouraging me was what I needed.  

 

There was no way I was going to let Arnav down again. That’s when I decided to stay strong like I had been, and with Arnav in the room I felt empowered to stand up for myself.

 

It felt exhilarating to say what I needed to Sam, but once he was out of the conference room I was drained; emotionally and physically with the last two weeks finally catching up with me.

 

As always, Arnav was by my side to pick me up.

 

I take a deep breath, thinking about my breakdown in his arms and how he made love to me. In both of those moments, I bared my emotions, stripping them from all pretenses as he gave me his all. His shoulder to lean on, his support, his love, and him. All of him to me.

 

There has never been any doubt in my mind that this man loves me, But that moment showed the depth of love he has for me.

 

So, to find him not by my side that night when I opened my eyes, made me go out in search for him.  After not seeing him in the main area and finding the bottle of scotch on the table- I had this uneasy feeling.  I headed towards his study, but the sight which greeted me when I walked in was not what I expected. His things were scattered on the floor, there were a few dents on the wall, along with broken glass on the floor.  

 

But never in my wildest dreams did I imagine what I would see when Arnav finally looked up at me. The agony in his bloodshot eyes filled with tears, was enough to cause me to stop breathing.  

 

All this because he blamed himself for bringing Sameer into my life. So how can I not trust him when he explained the situation about the background check?

 

At that point nothing mattered to me more then taking his pain away.  

 

I really didn’t care if he had opened the report or not since I have nothing to hide. And they are common in this day and age with someone of his stature.  Come to think of it, if his life wasn’t an open book in front of the public; I would have gotten a background check on him.

 

Why make it into a big deal when it’s not?

 

It will take both of us some time to get over the guilt, but I believe once Sameer is out of our lives- we can move forward.  And that’s what today is about.  

 

As I arrive in front of the building, I stare up, thinking about what lies ahead of me today.

 

It’s time to show Sam and Sameer the door out of AR and my life… for good!

 

Once I get to the office, my morning is occupied  in meetings with Legal and HR regarding Sam’s termination. The amount of logistics and documentation that has been prepared to safeguard AR, Symphony and me, boggles my mind.  

 

All thanks to one man that has made this happen, keeping in mind how I wanted to handle this. ASR. I am grateful to him for stepping in, since this is one aspect of the business that I am still learning.  

 

“Lunchtime, let’s go!”  

 

I glance up from the files I am reviewing to prepare myself for this afternoon to find Arnav standing at my office door.

 

“But I can’t…”

 

“Khushi! Don’t even try it, you need to eat. You can come with us nicely or I can carry you out of here.”  

 

I frown, as he walks towards me.

 

“You… you… I swear you’re so bossy. And by the way, hello to you too!”  

 

With no option left, I get up from my seat, and straighten my suit jacket.

 

He raises his eyebrow coming around my desk stopping in front me, and inspects me from head to toe.

 

“What is this? Have you joined the dark side? I mean don’t get me wrong, you look beautiful but all black and your hair tied back…”

 

“Bhai, isn’t this the dress code when you want to take slash someone?” Aakash says sliding his hand across his throat.   

 

I glare at both of them as they start laughing, but they instantly stop seeing that I am not at all amused.

 

“Why don’t you both go to lunch without me since apparently I look like an assassin. Oh, I suggest you watch your backs, you never know who my next target could be. Right Arnav?”

 

He tilts his head, placing his hand on my shoulder.

 

“Sweetheart, come on. This was his fault not mine. You look professional, and very nice, doesn’t she Aakash?”

 

“Sorry Behen, you look great. And I have a surprise for you downstairs, don’t you want to see?”He smiles, holding his ears.

 

“Theek hai Bhaiya. Wait, you have a surprise for me? Now I have to see this.”

 

Arnav takes a hold of my hand,  looks at me questioningly when I don’t budge.

 

“Did you forget we are in the office?”  I gesture at our hands.

 

“How can I forget the no touching rule in the office? Look at who is bossy now…”

 

He lets go of my hand, raising his own up before taking a step back.

 

As soon as we walk out of my office, we see Sam approaching us. Arnav doesn’t pay attention to him as he looks at his phone, while Aakash and I watch him walk up to us.

 

Sam’s scowl catches my attention, and I can tell he is displeased. He stands there stilled momentarily looking at the three of us, before speaking up.

 

“Ms. Gupta, I need to discuss a few things with you now. It’s in regards to the instructions you provided the team for executing the upcoming product launch for new clients onboarding. They don’t make sense…”

 

Arnav looks up from his phone fixing his piercing gaze on Sam, then slides his phone in his pocket coming to stand closer to me on one side. While Aakash comes closer on the other side.  

 

I mentally shake my head at the two bodyguards, taking a step forward.

 

“There isn’t anything to discuss, the team will follow what Aman and I have outlined for new implementations going forward. I am not interested in hearing what your issues are at the moment. If you will excuse us, we are headed out to lunch.”

 

Before he can say anything, I walk away without glancing back. A few more hours, and I don’t have to deal with him ever again. This was what I tell myself to stay in control.

 

Neither Arnav nor Aakash say anything to me as we wait for the elevator, though I can feel their eyes on me as I anxiously wait for it.

 

“Seriously Arnav, you need to do something about these damn elevators… they take a hell of a long time to come up here!”

 

His eyes widen in shock, as I shake my head in annoyance.

 

“Yes Madam, I will look into it.”  

 

I gaze at him as he suppresses a smile as the elevator doors open.  

 

Once we are inside, I realize how absurd my outburst regarding the elevator was towards Arnav, and I can’t help but laugh. In seconds they both join me, as we laugh uncontrollably.

 

And I realize going out to lunch with these two is exactly what I needed before the intense afternoon. I wish it could have been over earlier, but the lawyers needed to make some last minute changes that Arnav and I both requested on the termination papers earlier today.

 

Aakash suggests Italian, so we head to the shops area of the building where we frequently dine for lunch. When we approach the restaurant, I smile widely seeing my surprise.

 

Anjali and Payal are here, and I rush over to them.  The three of us get together in a group hug.

 

“What are you two doing here? I can’t believe it…”

 

“We heard it was a big day for you, so figured we would come and give you our support. We are always with you Khushi, I hope you know that. Not to mention my two brothers offered us lunch, we wouldn’t dare to turn that down, would we?”

 

“I am so proud of you. Do you have any idea how much we miss you?” Payal whispers. I take a deep breath trying to keep a hold of my emotions, as we pull away.

 

All I can do is nod, as words are hard to express at the moment, being overwhelmed with the support and love coming from these two women.

 

As I come face to face with Anjali I find myself avoiding looking her in the eye, feeling guilty for not confiding in her.

 

“Shall we go inside?” Arnav says coming up behind putting his hand around my waist.

 

“Sweetheart, just talk to her.” He whispers in my ear as the others walk ahead of us inside the restaurant.  

 

I nod, then attempt to smile, taking a hold of his hand as we make our way towards the table.  

 

Once there, I sit in between Anjali and Arnav, while Payal and Aakash sit across from us.  

 

We fall into an easy and light conversation, which makes it enjoyable not thinking about what is waiting for me upstairs. As we talk about my favorite little guy who is home with Shyam and Nani, I can’t stop smiling.  The proud mother,shows me some new pictures of him. I swear he has grown in a week to which Anjali shakes her head in amusement.    

 

As I look at everyone enjoying their lunch, the company, I think if only life can be like this all the time.

 

“How are you, Khushi?” Anjali says softly putting her hand on my shoulder breaking me out of my thoughts.

 

I notice the other three are engrossed in a conversation about Arnav’s visit to Delhi and Mamaji.

 

“Better, now that Arnav is back. I wanted to apologize for not telling you about Sameer, but I didn’t want to put you in the middle of Arnav and I.”

 

“I honestly don’t know what I would have done if I knew- but I do know it would have been in your best interest.  When I saw him in the conference room, I knew there was a reason why you kept this from us. And Aakash told me why that evening, so I understand. But just like Arnav, I wish you didn’t have to deal with him alone. Khushi, you are not just a friend anymore, you never were, we have this special bond between us that makes us close since Wharton. Yes we drifted away for a couple of years because of all that was happening in our life. I hope you know, no matter what, I am always here for you. Not as Arnav’s sister but as your sister too.”

 

Feeling the lump in my throat, I quickly take a sip of water. We both reach out instantly for an embrace, pushing back the sudden tears in our eyes.  

 

“I am really sorry Anjali. You’ve always understood me, and have been on my side supporting me. If only I had confided in you about Sameer at Wharton, and now…”

 

It’s something I need to voice out to her with it being on my mind the past few months, and especially this week. She has always been there for me, and there is no doubt she would have been before and now. But there is no point in thinking about the what if’s. What’s done is done.

 

We pull away, and I take a deep breath to compose myself. As I turn to look over at Arnav, I am met with a tender smile, as he takes my hand and squeezes it under the table.

 

“Waise Khushi, why are you in all black today? I have never seen you dressed like this before?” Anjali says.

 

Aakash chokes on his water, and Payal leans over to him. “Aap theek hai?” She says patting his back while he nods.

 

I watch as Arnav looks away with an amused smirk plastered on his face.

 

“What is it with all of you today commenting about how I am dressed? Does it look bad?”

 

They all shake their heads simultaneously, and look at Arnav for help.

 

“Sweetheart, you can never look bad. It’s just that we have never seen you dressed in all black. There is nothing wrong with it, but that is not how our Khushi dresses. That’s all.”

 

“Haan Khushi, but I think this makes you look powerful and intimidating, in a good way.”  Payal adds.

 

“That’s right, our Khushi is going to take out Ravan today. I think this suits her perfectly. I love this serious look on you.” Anjali places her arms around my shoulder.

 

“Thank you. That is exactly why I chose to wear this today. It should be interesting this afternoon. It’s nice you both came for lunch, I needed the distraction.”

 

After lunch, Aakash walks Payal and Anjali out to the car while Arnav and I head upstairs.  On the elevator ride up to the office, I am taken aback when Arnav suggests we use my office to meet with Sam. It’s rare for him to hand over something with the magnitude of the issue created by Sam affecting AR to someone else. But he has, for me, aware how important it is for me to face Sam.

 

We spend the next hour in my office reviewing the final terms that will be presented to him during his termination. He helps me translate some of the legal terms, along with providing guidance on how to present them to him.  

 

“I think that covers it, you ready to call him in here?” He stands up from the sofa in my office, giving me his hand and helps me up.

 

“Um, yes.”

 

He senses my nerves making an appearance, and squeezes my hand.

 

“Khushi, you can do this. I am confident he will wish he never crossed you after you are done with him. And I am going to be right here with you, so there is nothing to be worried about.”

 

“I know, sorry, I don’t know what just happened to me for a second. It’s unlike me. This whole process has been overwhelming with him. But I am ready to get this over with.”

 

“That’s my girl.” He wraps his arms around me, where I remain holding him tight feeling calm before the storm.

 

A few moments later, I sit behind my desk while Arnav sits across from me as we wait for Sam to arrive.

 

“Khus… um… Ms. Gupta, your assistant said you needed to speak with me.”  

 

Sam stops from entering my office seeing Arnav, who is comfortably leaning back in the chair with his ankle resting on his knee.  

 

“Yes come in.”  I gesture for him to sit down.

 

As he takes the empty seat next to Arnav, I am about to get up to close the door, but Arnav takes care of it.

 

“Hi ASR.”

 

Arnav nods reluctantly when Sameer greets, then raises his eyebrow urging me to proceed.

 

I glance at the two men sitting in front me, one is my past while the other my present and future. And I think how worlds apart they are, and realize there is no comparison between the two.  

 

It’s time to end this once and for all.

 

“It looks like we have found the source who leaked the false product information out to the clients. Are you interested in knowing who that is? Or do you already know?”

 

Sameer’s eyes widen in shock as he looks at me then at Arnav.

 

“How the hell would I know?! But it looks like you are going to tell me, so go ahead.” He raises his voice defensively, sitting up straight in his seat.

 

Arnav tilts his head slightly facing Sam with disgust, as I raise my eyebrow in disbelief at his continued arrogance. But then why am I surprised.  

“Well, it’s none other than you.”

 

“Is this a fucking joke?!” His features tauten with barely concealed irritation, his demeanor reeking of defiance.

 

“No it’s not a fucking joke. Based on the evidence I have, it all points to you and no one else. It would be in your benefit to admit that you were the one sabotaging the company.”

 

“And what proof is that? I would like to know.”

 

“It seems a couple of clients that you sent the information to, know Mr. Raizada very well. And they sent us the IP address from the content they had received, which was tracked back to your computer. Not to mention you called these clients personally from your desk at AR letting them know about the issue. You also notified them that you were in the midst of fixing it, since you are in charge. What surprises me is that you actually thought we would not figure this out. Or were you trying to frame me so that you could take over?”

 

“This is bullshit! Lies, she is fucking making this up. And I wouldn’t be surprised if those client she is referring to were bribed to go against me. I don’t have to take this, you can’t do anything about this, Khushi.”

 

Sam stands up abruptly outraged, pushing the chair back. But Arnav immediately grabs a hold his hand tightly while remaining seated. A vein throbbing at the angle of his tensed jaw with his anger barely in control.

 

“I suggest you sit the fuck down, and listen to what the lady has to say. And it’s Ms. Gupta for you, do I need to write it down so your brainless head gets it? SIT DOWN!”  

 

He jerks his hand out of Arnav’s grip and sits down instantly, seething.

 

“I still think it’s her word against mine, she doesn’t have proof.”  

 

“You want proof, here it is.”  Taking the file from my desk, I hold it out for him, which he aggressively pulls out of my hand. As he reviews the content, his body stiffens, then looks over at me.

 

“What do you have to say now, Sam? It’s all there, pointing to you without a doubt.”  

 

He stares down at the open file, stunned speechless for a few minutes. But then the arrogance makes an appearance. Once again.

 

“You’ve had it in for me since I got here, right Khushi… oh sorry, Ms. Gupta? This is you getting back to me for what happened between us. Does ASR know…”

 

That’s it I have had enough, I cut him off as my rage reaches a new height at the nerve of him for making this out to be a personal revenge.

 

“That is irrelevant right now, the fact is you did this to yourself by being an egotistical jerk seeing me in my position. I was ready to work with you, if you recall. But you had your own agenda. You made this personal, not me. I suggest you look at yourself before pointing your finger at others. I am done with you, and so is AR after this stunt you pulled. You’re fired”

 

He stifles a laugh, and looks over at Arnav. Arnav’s piercing gaze is set to take him out, his knuckles whitened as he grips on his chair. I can see he is barely keeping himself in control, but that changes in an instant.

 

“ASR, are you going to allow her to do this?  You do realize this is personal for her. I am not sure if you are aware, but Ms. Gupta and I were engag…”

 

Arnav snaps. His fury rises, staring at Sam, just before he speaks.

 

“Shut up! I don’t want to hear anything else come out of your mouth. And why wouldn’t I allow her to fire someone who deserves it? You leaked the information and created this mess, not her. I am done listening to your bullshit. This is how it’s going to work, Ms. Gupta is going to take you through your termination papers, and then you will quietly sign them. Am I clear?”

 

“You can fire me if you want, but I hold the rights to the patents so you are stuck with me as far as Symphony stands.”

 

I glare at Sam at his audacity, while Arnav looks like he wants to strangle him.

 

“You have absolutely no remorse for what you have done… unbelievable. AR is not stuck with you, since you actually screwed yourself over. Take a close look at the terms, and you will see for yourself. You are finished!”

 

I hold out the termination papers, but he doesn’t move. Arnav shakes his head furiously, taking them from me, then forces them upon Sam.

 

“I don’t have all day, so I suggest you take a look at them before I have Ms. Gupta forfeit the generous terms we are providing.”

 

Arnav roughly shakes Sam shoulder, breaking him out of his trance. Silence fills the room as Sam spends the next few minutes going through the terms.

 

“You call this generous?! I lose my job and have to sign over the patents to AR with no compensation or recommendation of any sorts. This also means I lose my work visa, unless I can find a job in thirty days with a company that will sponsor me.  You both can’t do this to me. I refuse to sign the papers, let’s see what you do, Khushi!” He leans back in the chair, nonchalantly folding his arms around his chest, challenging me.  

 

Is this man in denial not understanding what is going to happen if he doesn’t sign these papers?

 

I look over at Arnav who is barely holding it together, with his lips pressed together, and fists clenched.

 

“You either sign the papers, or I file a lawsuit against you that guarantees to put you behind bars. The choice is yours, what is it going to be?”

 

His eyes widen, and I realize my low, cold tone has the desired effect on him as I watch him drop the papers on the floor.

 

“You wouldn’t do that… the Khushi I know doesn’t have the guts to do this.”

 

“The Khushi you knew, was never me to begin with. What you have been seeing is a woman who isn’t afraid of standing up for herself. I would do anything to fight for my career, and AR. You attacked both of them, and I refuse to sit back and let you get away with it. So, don’t assume anything. Try me by not signing the papers, and see what happens.”

 

He sucks in a sharp breath, as his hands tremble picking up the papers from the floor. I watch as he fumbles through the documents taking a look at them once again.

 

“Looks like you got what you wanted, Khushi.”

 

“No Sam, you go what you deserved.”

 

We both stare at each other as he finally accepts his defeat dropping his shoulders.

 

Arnav clears his throat, handing his pen to Sameer to sign the papers. He slumps back, signing where Arnav instructs him. Once he signs the terms, Arnav hands over the papers to me for my signature. He then takes the extra copy giving it to Sam, and stands up on a mission to get him out.

 

“Security will escort you downstairs, if you have any personal belongings I will have my assistant mail them to you.” Arnav says firmly while walking to the door.

 

Sameer gets up in a daze, and nods at Arnav before looking at me. Sam gives me a faint smile then walks out of my office with Arnav, who hands him over to Security waiting outside.

 

To clear my mind, I get up from my chair walking around the table looking out the window at the view which tends to relax me.

 

There is a slight guilt burning inside of me for ending someone’s career this way, it isn’t something I enjoy doing. But there was no contrition on his end, none whatsoever.

 

“You okay?”  

 

I continue to look outside at the calming view of the park, as Arnav comes and stands next to me, and takes my hand in his.

 

“Arnav, thank you.  I know it wasn’t easy for you to sit there and listen to what he said…” I wrap my arm through his and put my head on his shoulder.

 

“It was definitely a lot harder than I thought it would be, sitting next to him and not being able to punch his face the way he was speaking to you. What I would do to put that arrogant, piece of shit, asshole in his fucking place.”

 

“Please calm down, it’s over and he is gone now. Arnav look at me.”

 

I force him to face me, as he continues to suppress his rage at the entire situation inside of him. Cupping his face in my hand, I lean closer to him, and press my forehead against his. His body relaxes instantly, as his arms wrap around my waist.

 

“Sorry sweetheart, I know it’s time forget his existence. I am so proud of you for handling him with an iron tight fist. Just answer one question, did you at any point want to punch him?”

 

I roll my eyes, giving him a wide smile, which makes him chuckle.

 

“I knew it! I could tell by the way you were looking at him at times. You are really good at keeping yourself composed. I nominate you to do all the firing at AR going forward.”

 

“No way, I am done with this. And I won’t argue with you anymore going forward when the time comes to fire someone. It’s all yours baby.”

 

He slides his hand in my hair freeing it from the clip, then tilts my head placing a gentle kiss on my lips. I tighten my arms around him feeling secure, never wanting to let go. When he pulls away, I blush as he caresses my lips with his fingers.

 

“We need to get back to work.”  I whisper, and he shakes his head. “Aakash is probably waiting to hear what happened.”

 

He takes a deep breath, and takes a few steps back. But the void I feel, makes me yearn to be in his arms again.

 

“Fine, have it your way. For now. I think we need to go out on a date tonight to celebrate. How does that sound?”

 

“I am always ready for a date with my boyfriend, but will you be able to leave on time?”

 

“For you, I will.” He smiles, and then winks at me before leaving my office.

 

It’s time to get busy, take care of work that has been pushed aside to handle this mess.  

 

Time to move forward, once again.

 

And that is what Arnav and I do the next couple of days in the office. I get busy executing the new business model with Symphony and integrating them with AR. Arnav has his own work and hectic schedule that keeps him occupied during the day. Even at night after I am off to bed.

 

But today is Friday, and I am in no mood to work late. My brain is overloaded from this week, so I decide to barge into Arnav’s office a little after six o’clock to drag him out of here.

 

“That’s it for today, wrap it up, Mr. Raizada.” I walk towards his desk, as he looks up at me. He runs his hand through his hair, which is a sign that I am not going to like what he has to say.  

 

“No, please don’t tell me you are working late again tonight.” I pause as he looks at me apologetically. “Arnav, it’s Friday. You have worked till way after midnight yesterday, coming home after I fell asleep.”

 

“I am sorry, but I need to get this completed right now. Please understand.” He gets up from his desk and walks around to me. I frown crossing my arms around my chest turning away, as he raises my chin to face him. “Sweetheart, I promise to wrap up shortly. You go ahead of me, and relax. I will even take care of ordering dinner for us.”

 

I shake my head in annoyance, knowing I am acting childish but I wanted us to go home together for once. And it’s Friday night for crying out loud.

 

“How about I make you a deal? I will watch a movie tonight or tomorrow with you. And you get to choose the movie.” As I turn slowly to face him, he pouts mimicking me bringing a smile to my face.

 

“Fine, I will make sure to pick the longest Bollywood romance movie with tons of songs and dancing. Also, I want pizza for dinner. Oh and one more thing, I am walking home. Deal?”

 

“I didn’t saying anything about you walking home. You know I don’t feel comfortable with that, it’s almost dark outside.”

 

“Which is why we need to stop negotiating, so I can leave before it gets dark. Please come home soon.”  

 

He hesitantly nods, as I kiss him on his cheek.  

 

“Sweetheart, leave your things in your office and I will bring them home. Please be careful, and text me when you get inside the apartment. I love you.”  He caresses my face with his fingers before leaning down to kiss me.  

 

“I love you too.” I whisper before heading out of the office.  

 

When I walk outside of the building, it’s quite chilly. For a moment I debate whether to have Mohan take me home, but quickly decide against it.

 

I am glad that I have comfortable flats on which allows me to walk faster. For some reason there’s anxiousness in a rush to get home. Which is unusual since I tend to take my time walking.  

 

Perhaps I am just overly exhausted. Tomorrow I plan on sleeping in late, as long as Amma doesn’t call me at eight o’clock in the morning like clockwork every Saturday.  

 

“Almost home.” I smile as I turn the corner approaching the building.

 

“Good evening Ms. Gupta. Did you walk home today?”

 

“Hi Henry. Yes I needed the exercise. Mr. Raizada should be here shortly, but he might have our dinner delivered prior to his arrival. You can send them up, don’t worry about bringing it upstairs.  Have a good night and stay warm. It’s getting cold!”

 

“I will, you take care. Good night!” I smile as he opens the door for me, and then head upstairs.  

 

Once I get inside the apartment, I send a quick text to Arnav, then look around at our things scattered around from this morning.  

 

Maybe Arnav is right, I should have someone come look after this place when we stay here. All the sudden I feel lazy to clean up right now.  

 

But knowing how clean and tidy Arnav likes things at home, I decide to fix up before he gets here. Otherwise he will attempt to clean making more of a mess.  

 

After getting changed into my sweatpants and Arnav’s t-shirt, I decide to pour myself a glass of wine to relax. I turn on some music, listening to the latest catchy desi songs as I make my way around the apartment cleaning.

 

This is rather soothing. Wait, did I just think cleaning is soothing? It has to be the wine talking.

 

Twenty minutes later, I walk out of the bedroom hearing the doorbell.  When it rings constantly I take quick strides towards the door.

 

“Coming…”  

 

It looks like someone is impatient today. I shake my head opening the door.  

 

“Did you forget your key?”

 

I freeze in place, stunned at the person standing at my doorway. But I quickly gather myself, before speaking up.  

 

“What the hell are you doing here, Sameer?”

 

He pushes my hand away from the doorway, and then walks inside closing the door behind him.

 

“I don’t recall inviting you inside, get out!”

 

He leans against the door, blocking it from me. There is an icy glint in his eyes that leaves me feeling unsettled as my heart thuds out of my chest hearing his cold serious tone.

 

“Did you really think I would let you get away with ruining me?  No way in hell, Khushi!”

 

 

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