Chapter 10

"Meeti, get up!"

 

Khushi grumbled incoherently in response. She was not a morning person, and the fact that she did not sleep until late the previous night thanks to a disastrous encounter with a certain someone, didn't help matters.

 

"I'm serious Meeti," Shyam said. "You can sleep for the rest of the day!"

 

"I'm sleeping now," she muttered.

 

"At least look at what I have - I think it's an appointment letter from AR Designs."

 

Khushi's eyes snapped open. "What?!" she exclaimed, sitting up hurriedly and pulling the said letter from her brother's hands.

 

Shyam chuckled. "Slow down! The letter is not running anywhere."

 

She ignored him and ripped open the brown envelope, pulling out a piece of paper stamped with the logo of AR Designs.

 

"Dear Ms. Gupta," she read out loud. "We are pleased to inform you that your application for an internship at AR Designs has been accepted. Yo-"

 

Shyam didn't let her finish. "Congratulations!" he said, pulling her into a hug. "I knew you would get it. There is no one better than my sister!"

Khushi stared blankly at the letter in her hands, stumped with the sudden turn of events. Surely it was a mistake. Why else would she be hired when she explicitly made it clear she didn't want to work there?

 

"What happened?" he asked, watching her downcast face. "Are you in shock? You got the job silly!"

 

Khushi looked at Shyam, trying to will her mouth to move.

 

"Meeti?" he said, the smile wiped off his face. "What's wrong?"

 

She shook her head, guilt pooling in her stomach. She hated hiding things from her brother, but there was no way she was going to let him know she kissed Arnav Singh Raizada on her birthday. That was strictly a secret, meant only for her to know (and regret).

 

"Are you not happy? Don't you want this job anymore?"

 

"I don't know," she lied. "I was thinking that maybe I should take a break. I mean, I just finished school..."

 

Shyam scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "Are you sure there is nothing else?"

 

She nodded guiltily.

 

"Well it's up to you Meeti," he said slowly, still unconvinced of her explanation. "I will be happy with whatever you decide."

 

And giving her a small pat on the shoulder, Shyam left the room.

 

Khushi watched her brother go, rage suddenly coursing through her. She knew the whole thing was a set up by a certain arrogant Raizada, who it appeared, made it his mission to simply torment her. However, he was gravely mistaken if he thought she was going to play along.

 

No, she was much stronger than that. And she was determined to make him realize it.

 

And with that thought she barged into AR Designs an hour later, demanding to see the CEO. It seemed she was being expected, for there was no surprise whatsoever on Arnav's face when she burst into his office, without even bothering to knock. Instead, he was casually perched on his desk, a file in his hands.

 

"Hello," he greeted cheerfully.

 

Khushi held up the letter in response. "What the hell is this?!" 

 

"Your letter of appointment."

 

"Oh really?" she answered, sarcastically. "I thought it was a certificate of my amazing personality. I meant why did you send this to me?"

 

"Because you are hired. I thought a brilliant student like you would have figured that out all by yourself."

 

"I know you think you are smart and funny and whatever else it is that you think you are," she snapped. "But you are not.  I told you - I'm not going to work here."

 

"And I told you birthday girl," he said, standing up and walking around to sit on the leather chair. "There is a lot you will learn here."

 

"I guess you really don't understand the meaning of professionalism."

 

"Do I not?" Arnav asked, raising an eyebrow. "I wasn't the one who barged in this morning, demanding to see the CEO without an appointment. I wasn't the one who didn't bother knocking before walking into the said CEO's office. And I, for sure am not, the one being extremely rude at the moment."

 

"So, disregarding someone's wish is considered professional in this company? All the more reason for me to not work here. I'm leaving."

 

"Oh sure," he said sarcastically, when she turned towards the door. "Go right to Joshi and Sons - I heard they have an appointment letter waiting for you."

 

Khushi stopped in her tracks, feeling nothing but resentment burn through her. If only her brother didn't forbid her from ever meeting her father; if only her father didn't refuse to acknowledge her, she wouldn't have to listen to the obnoxious man standing in front of her.

 

If only.

 

"I don't know what pathetic theory you have made up about me and Joshi and Sons," she retorted. "But let me just tell you that it is wrong. I have a very good working relationship with its owner, Mr. Sashi Joshi, and I definitely plan on applying there should I get the chance."

 

A line appeared on Arnav's forehead

 

"They are not hiring right now," she clarified. "So, that's why I chose AR Designs. Happy?"

 

He wasn't convinced, but decided to drop the matter. "So, when you know all that, why are you rejecting my offer, despite your terrible interview yesterday?"

 

"Because you seemed to be under the impression that you can do whatever you want with me because I kissed you that night... by accident."

 

Arnav stared at her. "Okay, let me just say this loud and clear, so you can stop jumping to conclusions. I did not hire you because you kissed me. I hired you because of your qualifications."

 

Khushi was baffled.

 

"As much as I hate to say it," he continued. "You are good. At least, you're better than all the applicants who came in yesterday. You actually want to work here, and not just get a fancy letter of recommendation from me.  So in short, you are perfect for this position and in return, you will get an ample amount of opportunities to improve your knowledge about the corporate world. The way I see it, it's a win-win situation."

She didn't reply, listening to his explanation in deep thought.

 

"And for the record, letting your personal life interfere with your job is called being unprofessional - not the other way around. I take my company very seriously."

 

Khushi felt all her arguments vanish into thin air. She had spent a good chunk of time that morning coming up with all the negatives of accepting the internship she was being offered. However, she realized with a jolt, that none of them made sense, because Arnav was right.

 

She needed the job.

 

She needed to prove to the world how accomplished she was. She needed to prove to her brother that he didn't lack anything in his upbringing. And most important of all, she needed to prove to her father that she was worthy of being his daughter.

 

And if getting all that only meant putting up with one infuriating man for a few months, then she hardly had a reason to complain.

 

"So," Arnav said, interrupting the silence. "I believe you have no more inhibitions accepting this position?"

 

Khushi shook her head with a heavy heart.

 

"Great - I will see you in two weeks from today. Good luck on your exams!"

 

And Khushi knew she was dismissed, even though she was neither a student, nor he, her teacher. Regardless, she quietly left the office, having nothing left to say.

 

* * *

 

"How can I help you Sir?"

 

Shyam stared at the florist - a young girl in her twenties - in front of him, trying to choose his words carefully. "Erm... can I have a bouquet?"

 

It was well into the morning of another day in Delhi. The streets had quieted down somewhat, relieved from the morning rush hour, while vendors settled into their regular routine with customers. And it was with one such owner of a small flower shop that the city's biggest lawyer was found, having immense difficulty in choosing the correct bunch of flowers to gift his secretary on her birthday.

 

"Sure Sir," the florist answered obediently. "What would you like in the bouquet?"

 

"Flowers I suppose?"

 

The girl refrained from cracking a smile.

 

Great, Shyam thought sarcastically. I'm must look like a big idiot.  Why didn't I just order this online?!

 

"Yes, but what kind of flowers would you like?"

 

"What do you have?"

 

The florist let out a sigh. "We have roses, lilies, violets, tulips-"

 

"Roses," Shyam interrupted. "I would like roses in the bouquet."

 

"Sure Sir. What color do you want them in?"

 

Shyam let out a silent groan. "Just make it anything... I'm short on time."

 

"But Sir-"

 

"No, really - I'm getting late. I'm sure you know these flowers much better than I do. So just make me a nice, presentable bouquet."

 

A new voice interrupted their conversation. "Are you sure you wanna do that?"

 

Shyam spun around to see a tall girl, with waist length hair stare back him. Dressed in jeans and a white colored cotton kurti, she appeared almost surreal in the small shop.

 

All of a sudden, Shyam felt very conscious of himself. "Sorry?"

 

"Do you really want to buy a bunch of random flowers?" she asked, in a tinkling voice.

 

And without even knowing why, he answered in all honesty. "To tell you the truth, I don't know much about flowers, let alone how to make bouquet out of them."

 

"Why don't I help you then?"

 

Shyam was surprised, but pleased all the same. "If you don't mind!"

 

The girl beamed at him in response and turned to the numerous rows of flowers in the shop. "Who is it for?"

 

"My secretary. It's her birthday today."

 

"That's sweet! What does she like?"

 

A line appeared on his forehead. "Umm... I don't know."

 

The girl looked at him incredulously. "She works for you right?"

 

Shyam nodded.

 

"So how do you not know what she likes? Like in general?"

 

"She joined only a few months ago," he said, defensively.

 

"So why were you going to give her roses?"

 

"Because her name is Rosie."

 

Shyam watched the girl stare at him, momentarily stunned, before bursting into laughter.

 

"You are buying her roses, because her name is Rosie?!"

 

"What?" he asked slightly embarrassed. "Clearly, she like roses. I mean there must a reason her parents picked that name. They could have easily named her Lily, or something like that, but they chose Rosie."

 

The girl stopped laughing, but her eyes continued to shine in humor. "And you have spoken like a true lawyer."

 

Shyam gasped.

 

"Relax," she said. "You are wearing your black coat. I don't have a habit of stalking people."

 

He looked down and sure enough, he was dressed in the customary white shirt with a black blazer, reminding him of the hearing he had to attend later that day. However, what threw him off was not that a complete stranger figured out his occupation, but how easily he let such a simple fact slip his mind.

 

It was not in his nature to be distracted and yet, the girl in front of him made him so.

 

"So," she said, turning back to the flowers. "How is Rosie like? Is she loud? Does she keep her desk clean? Are there any photos on it? How does she organize her files? Does she ever call in sick?"

 

"Whoa - slow down!"

 

"I thought you were in a hurry?"

 

"I am. And no, Rosie is very quiet. She is organized, keeps her desk clean, has a photo of her family on it and till date, has never taken a day off. Anything else James Bond?"

 

The girl threw him a look of mock disapproval, before saying, "I can work with that. You see Mr. Lawyer, it's a lot easier to understand people than criminals. And even more easy than that, is understanding flowers."

 

Shyam listened in rapt attention.

 

"So, pink tulips for caring," she said, picking them up as she spoke. "Hyacinth and fern for sincerity, freesia for trust and basil for good wishes."

 

The girl then turned around and asked, holding up the flowers, "How do they look?"

 

Shyam stared open-mouthed. "Um... is it really normal for someone to know so much about flowers? Or am I just the odd one out?"

 

The girl laughed, her sweet voice filling up the entire shop. "Sorry," she said, shaking her head. "I tend to get carried away when it comes to flowers. My mom was really into gardening, so I practically grew up with them."

 

"Phew! I actually thought, for a good minute, that I missed something essential in my life."

 

"Well," she said, thoughtfully. "Knowing what flowers to buy is pretty useful, believe it or not. Turns out, I won't always be here to help you."

 

And handing him the flowers she effortlessly put together, she began to head out of the shop. It was as he paid for the bouquet that Shyam realized with a jolt, he forgot to ask her the most important thing.

 

"Excuse me!" he called, running out onto the street.

 

He saw the girl pause on her way, and turn around. Letting out a sigh of relief, Shyam hurriedly walked up to her.

 

"Sorry," he said. "I just realized I don't even know your name! Not that I have a habit of asking girls their names, I mean random girls on the street, even though you really aren't random and I didn't technically meet you on the street - Okay, I'm making no sense! I don't usually rant but-"

 

The girl began to laugh, effectively putting an end to his chatter. And it was then that Shyam realized she looked extremely good while smiling; he liked her that way.

 

"Hi, my name is Shyam," he said with a sheepish grin.

 

"And I'm Anjali," she answered, shaking his hand.

 

"Nice to meet you Anjali! Thank you so much for helping me with the bouquet."

 

"My pleasure! Wish Rosie a very happy birthday from my side."

 

"I will... by the way, do you need a ride somewhere? I can definitely drop you off."

 

"No thanks," she said, politely. "I'm actually meeting a client in a few minutes."

 

"A client? You are not a lawyer, are you?"

 

Anjali laughed. "No, thank god - I would be the worst lawyer on this planet! I'm an interior designer."

 

"That's nice! How do you feel about a little renovating project?"

 

"That's depends on what I'm renovating."

 

"Say it's a medium sized office that is currently arranged in most boring and mechanical way possible - would you be interested?"

 

"Does this office belong to you by any chance?"

 

Shyam grinned. "Yes... I have been meaning to re-decorate it for ages now. My sister thinks it would be an absolute disaster if I did it myself and she is probably right. So, if you don't mind squeezing this in to your busy schedule...?"

 

Anjali couldn't believe her ears. "Yes, of course! I would love to renovate your office!"

 

Shyam smiled and pulled out his business card. "Here is my contact info. Come by when you a few minutes to spare and we will work out the details."

 

She nodded, wide-eyed. It wasn't everyday that you are handed a big project in return for putting together a bouquet.

 

Giving her one last look, Shyam turned and made his way to his car, when-

 

"Mr. Gupta?"

 

He stopped in his tracks, as she caught up to him.

 

"Not that I'm complaining or anything," she said quickly. "But this is a huge project. Are you sure you want to give it to someone who you met only five minutes ago?"

 

Shyam watched her nervously fiddle with her hands as she waited for him to reply. He simply picked out a lone freesia from the bouquet of flowers she arranged and handed it to her. 

 

Anjali was bewildered, as she understood his answer.

 

He trusted her.