Chapter 12 #2
“I take full responsibility,” Rohit said, his voice quiet but firm. “I didn’t research TeamStart closely enough. I panicked, tried to get things done quickly, and made an error in judgment.”
Somewhere down the table, someone let out a long, low whistle, but when Cynthia made to speak, Rohit shook his head in her direction with such severity that her mouth snapped shut.
“I’m not going to sit here and pretend like I haven’t made mistakes in the past,” Rich said, “but I expect better from you, Rohit. This is a serious matter, and it should have been obvious to you that it deserves serious consideration. Attempting a quick fix was stupid and an embarrassing representation of this organization’s values.
” Rich paused and Rohit lowered his head.
“I assigned this task to both of you,” Rich continued, his gaze seeking Cynthia’s across the table, “and so not only do I expect both of you to work on this, but it should be your top priority!”
“Uh, sorry to interrupt,” Martin said from Rich’s left, “but what exactly is this ‘task’ you keep referring to?”
Rich’s frown deepened and he reached under his seat before tossing a copy of The Watch onto the table. It slid dramatically before coming to a rest near the center of the long boardroom table, its front-page headline startling the room with its big, black letters:
LOCAL BUSINESS’S SUCCESS BUILT ON THE BACKS OF DISGRUNTLED WORKERS
Cynthia couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Typical Melanie Burgos: long-winded and dramatic as hell.
“?‘Disgruntled workers’?” Keer read out loud. “What is this nonsense? Where did it even come from?”
“This ‘nonsense’ is a task I gave Cynthia and Rohit to take care of. The editor of The Watch owes me a favor and was kind enough to pass this advance copy along,” Rich said, his eyebrows slamming down on a tight glare.
“And considering they’re running this in the paper tomorrow, I think it’s clear that Cynthia and Rohit have failed. ”
Moments later, Cynthia and Rohit stood in the elevator, staring at the shiny reflective doors as they silently slid shut.
Cynthia couldn’t bring herself to look at Rohit, so she focused on his blurred, motionless reflection on the door instead. Tucking her hair behind her ears, Cynthia forced her chin up and addressed the reflection.
“Are you…” She wet her lips. “How are you feeling?”
A short laugh puffed from Rohit’s blur. “About what, exactly? About my boss handing my ass to me in front of the entire senior leadership team? Or that The Watch is running the story and now we’re in deeper shit than we were before?
Or about being dismissed from a meeting like a naughty child being sent to bed without dinner?
” Rohit turned to lean against the side wall, his fingers massaging the bridge of his nose. “What a mess.”
Cynthia followed suit, leaning against the opposite side and bracing her arms behind her on the safety rail. Rohit’s shoulders were hunched forward, all traces of the charismatic, confident Chosen One wiped clean.
Because of her.
A part of Cynthia wanted to blow up at him, charge him for taking the fall like some kind of altruistic wannabe knight. She hadn’t forced him to do it. It was his choice to step in and play the hero.
But she knew that was the guilt talking. She owed him gratitude, and an apology for everything that had led up to this horrible moment. But when she opened her mouth to scrape out the words, Rohit spoke, too.
“Thank you for—” she started.
“Listen, I’m sorry—” Rohit said before his eyes widened. “Wait…What?”
“I’m trying to say thank you,” Cynthia snapped, and then flinched when she heard how defensive she sounded. “For what happened back there. Why are you apologizing?”
Rohit ducked his head. “Habit, I guess? Even with the best intentions, I usually fuck up when it comes to you.”
A reluctant laugh escaped Cynthia’s lips, and she leaned into it for the sheer pleasure of basking, just for a moment, in the unfamiliar warmth blooming within. Her chest cavity felt full of something sweet and special that she’d never felt before and couldn’t name.
And it made her feel bashful, God help her.
This man had stood up for her. And now he was apologizing.
He looked like he wanted to say something else, but the elevator doors slid open to the lobby, surprising them both.
They’d forgotten to select their floor. Yet, as if by some unspoken agreement, they made their way to the front doors and simultaneously veered for the ramp where, together, they’d confronted Melanie just two weeks ago.
It was in that quiet place, alone with Rohit, that something settled in Cynthia’s stomach and the words that had deserted her in the face of her father’s disappointment became startingly clear. Suddenly, she wasn’t embarrassed to admit them.
“I shouldn’t have ditched you that day,” she said. “I thought I could fix things myself. I wanted to take care of everything without anyone’s help, but…”
Rohit folded his arms over his chest, a dubious look shadowing his handsome face. He was clearly expecting her to qualify her apology and try to defend herself.
Cynthia swallowed hard. “But I was wrong.”
“Why did you feel the need to go at this alone, anyway?” Rohit asked. The question was kind considering she always went at everything alone and they both knew it.
“You probably don’t see it, but everything is an uphill battle around here for me,” Cynthia said, but there was no heat behind her words. For once, she wasn’t angry with Rohit’s obliviousness. “I guess I’m just…used to standing on my own.”
“It sounds lonely,” Rohit said, his voice quiet.
Cynthia bit her lip. Strange how, only a few weeks ago, she would’ve choked on these painstaking confessions. Maybe it was the earnestness in Rohit’s brown eyes or the seclusion of their spot, but the admission didn’t make her feel weak or lacking. She just wanted him to understand.
“Well, you don’t have to do it alone,” he added. “I wish you didn’t feel like that.”
Cynthia couldn’t help lifting a skeptical eyebrow. “Didn’t you notice that the blame of what happened fell upon me first? My dad was so quick to hold me responsible even though he didn’t actually know that the idea to bring in Sahara was mine.”
“Yeah, I did,” Rohit murmured, his eyes searching hers, his face unreadable.
Whether it was compassion or regret flitting across his gaze, Cynthia wasn’t sure, and she shook her head, still bewildered over Rohit’s decision to take responsibility for her actions. “And now he thinks the idea was yours. Why did you cover for me?”
“I’ve thought about our conversation the last time we were here…
” Rohit trailed off and stared into the crowded parking lot in silence for a few minutes.
When he turned back to her, there was a new softness just shy of tender in his eyes that was both hypnotizing and made Cynthia want to look away.
For a brief, silly second, she wondered if this innocuous wheelchair ramp, lined with bright green shrubs, was beginning to mean something to Rohit, too.
If, like her, this smooth, cold cement transported him to a different place, made him feel vulnerable and safe at the same time.
“I saw how everyone was looking at you and, I don’t know. I wanted to help you, Cynthia,” he finished.
He wanted to help me. She’d always viewed that four-letter word with a degree of loathing; needing help was weak and she had never, ever considered herself a damsel in distress.
But with her insides still battered and bruised from her father’s chilling disappointment, she couldn’t summon an ounce of disgust for what he’d done. She hadn’t asked nor had she made it easy for him, but he’d scaled the wall and slain the dragon anyway.
Cynthia glanced at Rohit’s left hand on the safety railing. A part of her wanted to cover it with her own, feel the warmth of skin and the strength of bones under her hand—maybe she’d draw a little of it for herself or, perhaps, offer her own.
But that felt like too much; he’d probably jerk his hand away in shock.
“I still don’t understand why,” she murmured softly, mostly to herself.
Rohit let out a long sigh. “Cynthia, I’m on your side.”
The words, so simply said, overwhelmed her body.
Her chest felt full, her throat tight, and her eyes suspiciously moist. To hell with it.
Before she could talk herself out of it, Cynthia placed her hand on the railing next to Rohit’s, their pinkies lightly brushing against each other, hoping he’d understand the gesture.
Hoping he’d realize that for her, it was a big step.
That, for once, she didn’t feel alone.