Maeve #3
“And thank you for that, Eve.” He shook his head, but his shoulders finally dropped, releasing the tension they’d been holding. “You want to tell me what that was about?”
Before Rihaan could reply, I offered the truth like it was nothing, knowing full well that knowing the man beside me would never manage to hide his frustration and would do the work for me.
“Oh, nothing. Just Rihaan going past his allowed volume, ignoring the warning and then refusing to perform a shoulder stability test.”
Like a fish taking the bait, Rihaan fell for it. I felt his hot glare burn into my skin, giving my father all the confirmation he needed to know whether I had been telling the truth or not.
If Rihaan’s glare was dark and enough to make you rethink your steps, the glare my father wore was enough to make a person run away altogether. It cut sharper than blade.
“Do I need to have another talk with you, Rihaan?” My father spoke, his voice equally sharp as his expression.
“No, sir.” He replied, before giving me another look and exiting the room without waiting for a response from either of us.
Taking a deep breath, I met my father’s gaze, hesitantly.
Over the past two weeks, things had seemingly gone back to how they used to be, and a part of me was worried that any progress the two week long distance and silence made between us was about to be ruined.
Any thoughts of being told off, again, vanished when I noticed the lighter expression in his eyes as he settled into his chair.
Biting down my surprise, I filled in the silence instead. “Did you know that all cells in your body completely change every seven years?”
He shook his head, unbothered by the sudden topic change. I suppose after years of me doing this to him had prepared him. “Really?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “I mean, all cells have different lifetimes. Some die and regenerate after a few days, or a few years—but every seven years, you can basically claim that you’re a ‘new’ person.”
“Interesting.” He leaned back in his chair. “What’s your point, trouble?”
“My point is, tomorrow, you’ll be a new person for the,” I closed my eye, deliberately. “Sixth time. Damn, Dad. That’s a lot.”
“You calling me old?”
I lifted a shoulder. “Be glad I’m not calling you ancient.”
He shook his head, and paused. “Does that mean in three years, I can say that not a single part of me has met your mother?”
I snorted. “If you can manage to evade her for the next three years, then, technically? Yeah.”
He mulled it over, and gave me a pointed look then. “You planning to get married anytime soon?”
My eyes widened.
“What?” I squeaked. “Dear god. No! Why in the world would you even ask that?”
“Your wedding would be the only place I meet her,” He explained. “On the other hand, whenever you do get married, that would also reset the cell cycle.”
“What makes you think she’d get an invite?” I asked, even though this conversation had gone on a tangent I didn’t like.
“She’s your mother,” He replied, like it was obvious.
“So? I haven’t spoken to her since my graduation either.”
Dad blinked, as though just being let into a secret. “You haven’t?”
I shook my head, unable to offer any words that could explain the reasons.
He tapped his table once, before nodding in understanding. “Back to the topic, does this also mean you aren’t seeing anyone?”
“That is so not the topic of our conversation.” I groaned. “And since when are you interested in my love life?”
He frowned. “That is no answer, young lady.”
“Ew, Dad. Don’t call me that. We’re not living in medieval times.”
“Again, not an answer.” He paused, a tiny flicker of horror creeping in his expressions. “You’re not seeing any of my players, are you?”
My face dropped. “No. I don’t date cricketers. As a matter of fact, I’m not dating anyone at all.”
He released a breath, relieved. “Okay, that saves me a conversation.”
My eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”
His lips pressed into a thin line. “The conversation where I tell you that no matter what, my players are totally off-limit. It may not be in your contract, but we have an unspoken non-fraternisation rule.”
My tablet pinged, pulling my attention and I waved my father off. “Yeah, thank yourself. No cricketers for me.”
Not now. Not ever.
I had two simple rules when it came to dating, but this was an absolute non-negotiable.
I flicked back my eyes to meet his, only to realise he’d been caught up in a thought of trying to figure out what my words truly meant.
Shit.
“Hey,” I spoke, pulling his attention. “Is the team doing something for you tomorrow, or do you want to grab some dinner just the two of us?”
“Dinner sounds great.” He gave me a smile that I returned.
“Any hints for a gift?” I asked, taking a step back to get back to my duties.
“Yeah,” He replied, making me pause. “Make up with Rihaan. I don’t care if it’s a temporary truce, or pretend. We can’t have a repeat of today, ever.”
“Now you’re just asking too much.”
“Do it for your old man, anyway.”
I forced myself to smile. “I’ll see what I can I do. No promises though.”