& Then They Loved (Ampersand Love #3)

18. Priorities

18

Priorities

Vera

Fourteen Years Ago

T he phone rang. Again.

Vera stood behind the desk, her hand hovering over the page upon which she was about to stamp the library code, a chore which had been somewhat therapeutic given her irritability.

She’d not picked up the phone thrice already and would have continued to let this one ring into oblivion had it not been for the furious frown on her boss’s face. The rotund lady, old Mrs. Mhatre, pulled her glasses down her nose, her lips thinning under the downy moustache she never seemed to realise was growing on her face.

With an awkward smile, Vera picked up the receiver, speaking through clenched teeth .

“Hello?”

“Princess, finally! Come outside. I’ve been waiting for ages!”

“I’m busy.”

“Come out, or I’ll come in.”

Vera drew in a deep breath, trying to not let her annoyance with Vihaan rise. His voice was playful, but she also knew he was stubborn. He didn’t care about what anyone thought. He’d draw looks if he came inside, and she didn’t want anyone gossiping about them. She needed to keep her job and knowing Mrs. Mhatre’s inherent distrust of the youth, she couldn’t risk Vihaan bursting into her workplace.

She turned the old status plate atop the reception desk to indicate that she was taking her break and walked down the slightly gloomy hallway to the back door.

She stepped out, barely stifling a squeak when she was grabbed and scooped up in a hug. “Let me go before someone sees!” she scolded, her heart thudding as she put some distance between her boyfriend and herself.

Vihaan grinned at her, her prickly behavior no longer a deterrent to him. His cheery countenance was a marked contrast to her dark mood. Self-conscious and on edge, she threw a glance about them, relieved that the back gate where they were was deserted.

“What took you so long? I thought we’d made plans to meet,” he complained.

She broke eye contact, uncomfortable with her truth. She’d hoped to avoid seeing Vihaan when she was feeling so temperamental. She should’ve known he’d come looking. Guilt and anxiety twisted about her lungs, constricting her breath. The lack of clarity in her feelings drove her frustration with life higher than usual.

“What is it, Vihaan?”

“I want to take you somewhere. Let’s go.” Warm fingers laced with hers, his brows clashing when she pulled away from his hold.

“I can’t. I have work. ”

Vihaan rolled his eyes, flashing her his usual charming smile. “Blow it off.”

“Easy for you to say. I’d lose my wages.”

“I can give you money,” he flippantly offered. “Forget about work today.”

Maybe on a different day, at a different time, Vera would have heard those words for what they were. An entreaty to pay him some attention, an inducement to spend time with him. She would have seen the excitement glimmering in his eyes, the nervous way in which he kept licking his lips, barely holding back a goofy smile. She’d have noticed that he was behaving in a way unusual to him.

But on the heels of her conversation with Ambernath and his concerns about the longevity of Vera’s relationship with Vihaan, this offer only made the differences in their social class and mindset more pronounced.

“Why do you think people go to work and make money?” she asked him after a moment, acid churning in her stomach while she waited for his answer.

Her question had him straightening, finally picking up on the undercurrent of restlessness in her tone.

“To live. To enjoy,” he answered, cupping her face. The worry in his expression changed to wariness when Vera pulled away yet again.

“That’s the difference between us, Vihaan. You have money, that’s why it’s a thing that is used for entertainment and relaxation. I grew up with the bare minimum, so for me, money is a requirement for survival. It’s a chance to attain a freedom that I don’t have.”

“I can’t help that I have money, Vera.”

“But you don’t,“ she instantly argued. “Your father does. And that’s another difference between us. I don’t have a rich daddy to cover for me on the days I don’t feel like fulfilling my responsibilities.”

A dark shadow fell over them both, the atmosphere shifting with tension .

“You’re being insulting,” Vihaan answered tightly.

“I’m being honest.”

“Princess, I don’t know why you’re in a shitty mood. All I wanted was to take you out on a date today and tell you something important. But it seems like a few hundred rupees is more important to you than me.”

Her fear snowballed into anger. The fact that Vihaan couldn’t understand her point of view felt like a very big confirmation of Nanaji’s worries. In a tone that was a clear condemnation, Vera chastised him, “You have so much money, it doesn’t matter if you lose thousands. For me, even these few hundred are too important to let go. I need the security of money so if I have to pick it over you, I will.”

“Vera!”

She heard him call out behind her as she spun away and stalked back inside, feeling a lot like she was driving a stake through her own heart.