Chapter 17
For someone who had built a solid reputation around being fashionably late, sometimes accidentally and sometimes out of sheer stubbornness, Abhay was in a rush to reach office on time.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this kind of urgency in his steps.
Time had a way of slipping through his fingers, but today, he had arrived half an hour early.
The saying on Siya’s coffee mug back at home was true. Love makes people do reckless, illogical, and ridiculous things.
He’d found her note on the kitchen counter, written in her cursive handwriting. Went ahead to prep for the supplier meeting today. Don’t be late!
- Siya
As if anyone else except her would give him an order like that. So he’d thrown on the first thing he found and rushed to the office, unable to tolerate her absence in his too silent apartment.
The last two days after their wedding went by in rituals and family visits, and he couldn’t find a private moment to make sure she was alright. Of course, she came back to the office as soon as she could.
He was dying to see her.
The office buzzed with its usual quiet energy as he walked through the glass doors, but it all blurred into the background when he opened her cabin door.
Her office was a perfect mirror of her personality. Curated minimalist furniture was scattered through the room, and pale oak shelves stacked with neat files and law books lined the walls.
Siya sat at her desk, jaw tight in focus, fingers flying across the keyboard.
A muted grey sleeveless pantsuit hugged her like a second skin.
Her hair was twisted up but not pinned well enough, strands falling to her nape.
The curtains were half drawn, sunlight spilling over her in long golden streaks.
She looked like she hadn’t slept.
Abhay leaned against the doorway, letting himself have a few seconds to simply marvel at her. No matter how many times he saw her, there were still moments when he could barely believe someone so beautiful could be real.
She looked up and her fingers froze in the middle of typing as she caught him standing there. ‘Stop looking at me like that.’
‘Like what?’ he mused.
She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘Like whatever you’re thinking may require me to fill out a very detailed HR complaint.’
His shoulder shook from laughter as he made his way to her. ‘You can file whatever you want, but all I’m guilty of is being completely crazy about my wife.’
She looked away, shaking her head, like she always did when she wanted to hide how much she liked hearing things like that from him.
‘Well, unfortunately, being crazy about me isn’t going to get the investors to sign off on the gemstone collection.
So maybe focus on that instead of flirting with me. ’
Abhay came up behind her, and leaned forward until his breath skimmed her neck. He slid his hands over her shoulders and his thumbs pressed gently into the knots beneath the silk fabric.
‘What are you—Abhay, we’re in the office and there is so much work to do,’ she meant to scold him but by the end, only a sigh came out.
He bent closer, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear as he whispered, ‘Shh, exactly, which is why I’m helping you relax to make sure you survive the day.’
‘I don’t need your help,’ she said firmly.
Abhay was getting used to her reluctance to accept help, but it didn’t mean he would let her continue it with him. ‘Tough. You’re still getting my help.’
‘I cannot afford to relax! The meeting is in an hour and I have a ton of things to check,’ Siya argued, stiff under his touch.
‘Come on. I’ll finish your checklist for the meeting. Let me take care of you. Just for a minute.’
Siya shook her head. ‘Not at all, you are so disorganised you can’t keep track of the smallest of things. Why do you think I have curated a detailed task list for everyone but you?’
‘If I’m that bad at keeping track of things, how come I safely held on to your anklet all these years?’
She took a moment before answering. ‘Don’t flatter yourself. It’s not that big of a deal.’
‘Is that why you still have it on?’
‘I might have forgotten to take it off,’ Siya quipped.
He smiled inwardly when he felt her shaky exhale and that was all the permission he needed.
He pressed with slow, deliberate circles, finding every tight knot along her nape and coaxed the tension out of them.
The bone-deep exhaustion was etched into the curve of her back.
Her skin was warm beneath his touch, and he wanted to memorise the feel of her all over again. Slowly, he felt her relax.
‘Since you’re already here, how about I bring you up to speed?’
When he nodded, she began typing again and the soft glow of her Mac screen came to life. She zoomed in on the design list, explaining the colour palette, and their sources and origins.
The scent of her vanilla shampoo blending with the softness of her floral perfume teased his nose and he took a deep inhale, savouring it.
She yawned once, covering her mouth with the back of her hand, and on impulse, he leaned over and pressed his lips to her cheek.
A shiver ran through her in response and she closed her eyes.
He kneaded hard in the middle of her back, until her spine straightened, her body leaning back into him. He felt immense delight in the way her muscles relaxed under his hands and he was glad to give her a semblance of rest in the eye of the storm.
When she slightly slumped back, her eyes closed, Abhay realised she’d dozed off. Her eyes fluttered lightly and her lips were parted. His fingers itched to brush the stray hair from her face. She looked adorable.
He noticed the subtle glint of her mangalsutra tucked inside her silk top, and the wide dot of sindoor she wore in the parting of her hair. Unable to resist, he caressed his thumb over the single mole on her shoulder that he’d once kissed in the dark.
A wave of possessiveness came over him. He traced a thumb along her cheekbone but froze when suddenly, Dhruv strode into the cabin without knocking. Acting on impulse, Abhay lifted one hand, palm outward, and silently willed him to back off.
Dhruv hesitated, lips parted as if to speak, but Abhay shook his finger to warn him. Resentment boiled under his calm exterior. Siya badly needed a few minutes of rest, and he wouldn’t let her stepbrother shatter her momentary peace with his barbs.
Dhruv stepped back, muttering under his breath, and left the door ajar.
Just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out to see a message from Aadar.
The marketing campaign checklist he’d asked for was waiting for him in his cabin.
Reality and duty tugged at him, pulling him away from her.
He pressed a soft kiss to her temple, then slipped out of the room with half a heart.
As he passed Namita’s desk, he instructed in a hushed tone. ‘Do not let anyone in right now, and knock on the door when there are ten minutes left for the meeting. Before she goes in, make sure to bring her coffee, please.’
Namita gave a sharp nod.
‘Thank you, Namita,’ he offered with a smile.
Abhay rounded a corner, making a beeline for the conference room when his phone rang. He answered the incoming call from Raghav. When he gave a grunt as a greeting, Raghav snickered. ‘This is why I hate it when it’s my turn to wake you up. You’re such a grumpy caveman when you’re sleepy.’
‘When do you ever wake me up?’ Abhay inquired.
‘Never before, because I always find a way out of it and leave it to Luv to suffer your verbal lashings, but Meera had to head to the university early so I’m it.’
‘You’re off the hook,’ Abhay said, pressing the button to call the elevator. ‘I’m already at the office.’
‘What?’ Raghav asked, shock evident in his voice.
‘Don’t be dramatic, Raag,’ Abhay warned.
Raghav instead chose to double down on the drama. ‘Marriage has changed you, made you responsible. Now how will I live my life on the edge without your tardiness and the magical inability to tell time?’
‘There’s no need to get me pissed off at you. If you want me to punch you, just say the word.’ Abhay walked out of the elevator and made his way to the conference room at the far end.
Raghav waved off his threat. ‘Mihu also wanted me to check up on both of you and see if you guys would like to grab dinner together. How are you and Siya?’ he asked, sobered up.
‘Yeah, we’re good enough. Hey, listen, I’m heading into a meeting right now. We’ll see you,’ Abhay said, walking into the room behind his design team.
As soon as he entered, he caught Shyamlal Sisodia yelling into his cell phone but in a hushed tone, insisting that Kartik be put on the line immediately.
But when he saw Abhay walk up to the head of the polished glass table, he quickly disconnected the call, and greeted him.
‘Good morning, Mr Agrawal. It's such a beautiful day today, isn’t it?’
Every nerve in Abhay went on high alert. Suspicion settled in his gut like a stone. Something in his cordial smile seemed forced and sweet. He made a mental note to keep an eye on him.
***
Siya rushed up to the conference room a few minutes late, but paused at the door when coffee sloshed over the edge of the mug. Despite taking pride in her punctuality, she’d needed the nap more than anything else. She’d stayed up all night finalising the designs for today.
The fatigue hadn’t vanished entirely, but it dulled enough so she could focus. Thank god for coffee… and Abhay.
Before she could talk herself out of it, she quickly tapped a thank you message to him and sent it.
She pushed the door open and came face to face with his smile as he read her text.
She looked away before he could catch her eye, but a flutter of nerves whirled in her stomach. She took a seat across from him.
Of course, he couldn’t let it be. Her phone buzzed on the glass tabletop and she read the blinking message on the screen.