Love's a B... - Page 10

Daring Chicken

He received a "thank you in the body of the email that night as he nursed his purple fist. Toast kept sniffing at it, not knowing how else to comfort his human

He watched Narcos for an hour, played video games with his friends for an hour and went to bed

His mother had nagged him after Gur had texted her on their way home to his Jor Bagh apartment

"Khan Market mein gundon se bhidne ki kya zaroorat thi?

"Not plural Ma... singular one guy

"Aapke dost bhi they waha AAP HEE ne kyon larai mol lee?

"Umm.. its someone I work with, it's the sensible thing to do he said patiently

"Dad ko pata laga to gussa karenge

"I have a temper too... remember? he growled

"Saath saal se jhel rahe hain hum "Jaante hain his mother loosened up

"Just forgetting Charu even existed would have cheapened my own existence ma he was somber

"Jaante hain beta... Abhi to rehne dein aap go to a Doc

"Will do... aur kuch?

"Ghar aayen khaane par, aapke pasand ki karhai paneer hai aur lamb korma hai

"Yumm... sabe some, kal pick up kar loonga

"Milega tabhi jab aap yahan khaaye

He Heard his Dad in the back "Kaise hain?

"Just my knuckle Dad

"Did u draw blood? he checked

"I think so, from his nose

"Good job his Dad appreciated

His mother scowled at the back

He smiled and hung up

He answered her business questions patiently that nite

He attached documents without her asking for it and asked her questions about the deck she had reviewed

She would go missing the next 4 or 5 days, he had no idea where she lived or what hours she worked

She showed up in NOIDA on days she was expected to meet his team

By the 4^th day when his emails were responded to by Samir, he became uneasy

It took him a while to figure out "Deal Desk was answering

They all responded politely but impersonally to ensure support was seamless between all the restructuring consultants

So clients did not miss one or the other

He called the deal desk and Samir answered "Hi! Mr Singh how can I help

He got the help he wanted the 2nd^d day and hung up

3^rd & 4^th day he was too wrapped up in a missing container intended for Dabur, he spent the 2 days chasing it down at the dry port

4^th day, he went to the Khan Market pub to hang with friends and the floor manager walked over to apologize and appreciated him for being bold and merciless

"Can u please tell your friend this is an absolutely safe space and she is welcome to return? I will throw a gift card in? he begged

"I am a client I actually don't socialize much he said awkwardly "With her I mean

"She didn't leave her name or number or file a complaint, the bartender covered her drink so we don't have a card on file either

5^th day when his emails to the Deal Desk were being answered in a generic fashion he decided to call in

One of his creditors was now willing to renegotiate terms and offer easy repayment but he had to build a case

Gauri answered

"Hi! Mr Singh how may I help

"I am looking for some dashboards that Mrs Saran built that walked from Revenue on 1^st year to 7^th year with major cost events, I need that please

"Umm... its so far along in your case, I am going to check the cloud if its not in your folder then I would reach out to her

"Umm.. I don't have her contact information

"Oh? Gauri hesitated

"Sam yahan to nahi hai... kidhar hai EurAmr ka financial history?

"I don't know dude Samir was heard mumbling

"Where is Ms Saran? "Mrs Saran

"When will she be back? Gauri hissed covering the phone

"Usko bol pata nahi, shes sick man

"Sir she is not well so we don't know?

He felt his stomach muscles tighten oddly "What happened?

"Oh kuch nahi... Who chai bahut peeti hai she gets frequent bouts of acidity Gauri laughed off

"Huh Avyaan ack perplexed

"When she returns I will pass on your message

"thanks he mumbled hanging up

Actually no one knew where she lived "PG in CR park was her answer

She was too afraid of making it alone in Delhi she rarely revealed details

She hung out with Bik's guy friends during free time, she was too chicken to do anything else

She parked her car at the office and took an auto or Metro to her appointments so she could be in a public transport and not drive back alone

She knew how to get from home to work but didn't venture out in her car by herself

She returned on the 6thday and was told Avyaan Sinhg wanted some content Stern had pulled together

She reached out and sent it over with a fair warning "We haven't completed our assessment yet, please don't approach banks etc for stop gap funding requests

"This is someone I have been working with for a few years he said without asking her where she was or why she went missing

"There were some caveats to the slides that I had in my offline notes... you should review those just in case she wrote

"It cannot be any worse than now Mrs Saran I have to make a move he promised

A day or two passed and she went to meet a Batra Residency in Golf Links that was a Airbnb type place that was struggling with occupancy and incurring losses 2 years in a row it was one of the 6 Samir had handed to her

On her way out she called Avyaan to ask if it was OK to pick up the incorporation documents

Hearing her voice gave him butterflies

He wasn't expecting her call at all

He didn't even recognize the number "Batra Residency? on his phone

"Mr Singh?

"Hi! Yeah this is Avyaan

"Samidha

"Hi!

"I want to pick up the incorporation files

"Umm.. sure... I just went for a run with my dog

"Oh Toast?

"Ha he smiled

Her insides lurched

"Oh? Today?

"Yeah I am home if u can pick it up

She appeared in a offwhite linen pants and a flowery chiffon blouse with her hair down, he was in black shorts and a white and navy stripe tee

"Come on in he urged

Toast went berserk just knocking her with his tail a million times

She shrunk sliding by the wall in slow steps

"Tch tch... Hey bud... this way he urged the dog to go the bedroom

"My human is very vulnerable right now I want to protect him you better not be here to mess with him" Toast growled

"Here... dude... lets walk" Avyaan dragged the collar

"I like her... can I stay?" the dog begged him

"Nope... u may not" Avyaan told him

"Ur hand is better? she asked when he reappeared

"Oh yes he waved as the purple was half gone

"Water?

"Tea" she said

"Sorry, u cant have tea he said bravely color rushing to his face

"WHY? she asked baffled

"I heard u were sick

"Oh that's nothing she waved "Pfftt she was really uncomfortable that he knew about her personal life "It was nothing "I can have tea she insisted

"No Samidha" he said firmly "I wont make any" "You cant have any"

She looked up at the challenge in his eyes

"I can make it"

she said unfazed, she was a supreme prankster that inhaled and flourished on dares

"I dare u to... Then" he said arms crossing slowly

She actually GOT UP

and walked over to his kitchen and called the maid next door and asked for a packet of Mother Dairy milk... as she proceeded to boil water... did exactly everything he had 2 weeks ago as he picked up his jaw off the floor

Now that's interesting!!
😉

Such lovely updates!! Thank you!!!!!🤗

That was fantastic to start with after a few days gap!!!🤣

Beautiful chapters Nisha !

I love Toast got a voice ! Absolutely loved your comedic sense in the last chapter - Daring Chicken. Kalakkal !

"No chai for you gets a very interesting twisty "I make my own

The Tea Brined chicken has smoked him in his kitchen and Toast can't have enough of her. It's possibly a Live, laugh, love dare on a Tea mug for them.

Enjoyed it thoroughly. We are just beginning to peel the layers of them as people and she is a revelation 😊 .

Drool & Zit😆

After she poured it out in the exact mugs he had two weeks ago and taken one herself and sipped. The maid next door had given her a strange look which will turn into gossip later

"We had milk in the frig BTW he said trying to suppress a laugh

"Oh? Um... Her face turned red

"But good memory he winked

It was burning hot in the kitchen the tea was steaming

"If u want to stand here I can turn on the AC

"We can go out she mumbled mortified

Her mind racing ahead making assumptions about what he must be thinking about that stunt

Toast was out, literally spazzing out knocking cushions over and and wagging his giant fluffy tail

She put her palms over both cups hoping to hold it down

Removing them quickly as it scalded her palms

"Hey ... Goob boi... come here

"He never listens to you she said smugly

Cringing in her seat as the dog sniffed her feet

"I am sooo afraid she bleated

"He wont bite

"Huh? Hmm.. umm "Ughhh Toast licked her feet and looked up at her

"See, I can be nice

Her eyes were shut and she was stiff like a stick

He dragged the dog back into the bedroom and shut the door

"Were you in Golf Links? he asked sipping his tea

"Umm yeah... their occupancy was very low, like an Air Bnb place she explained looking up from the binder she was poring over

He walked out looking for his keys and found them and threw them on the coffee table

"U have to go?

"Not quite yet he nodded

"I am almost done she slurped enjoying herself

"Tea's not good for you he mocked

She just bent over her cup and didn't look up

"Brig... My land... umm... I know someone that makes excellent chai she finished up her censored sentence

"Oh? he was bemused

"Umm.. yes she nodded knowingly

His eyes were scanning her face, like he was looking at her for the first time

The moisture from the chai steam coating her smooth face, glistening and red blemish free, very striking. Something stirred inside when he allowed himself to ogle for a few seconds. So much taller than Charu he noted

He wondered how her husband must have been

Whatever he had felt seconds ago evaporating at that thought

"So much of these notes and forms are in Hindi she said looking up, she found him staring

He smiled again confused

"Its incorporated in UP right?

"Umm.. yes she said not revealing she didn't understand a word of what was in those forms

"Do u speak Hindi? he asked

"Oh yeah... a LOT she claimed

His phone rang, Alok... "I am going against traffic I shud be fine, I can bring them Avyaan walked around hand in his pocket

She was looking at him now

When he hung up, she bend down

"I can take it home and read it she promised

"Reach out if you have questions, one of my customs guys is gifted in the art of reading babu chicken scratch

She nodded faithfully

She picked up her mug and walked into the kitchen and set it in the sink and looked for ways to wash

"I have help "thanks he nodded just as she was turning to go out of the open kitchen

Careening into him

"Oh good... I didn't want to be a impolite guest she chuckled her eyes twinkling

"Oh u are not... I mean u know the drill, bribe the maid, get milk, make tea he laughed

"I am sorry I bought more milk

"No worries he shrugged awkwardly

If they were beginning to feel things about each other physically they were not going to admit it

Teasing every hair follicle as they approached each other, a combination of fear and joy

Like a comb that was ran through silk and waved over the baby's head

She prayed he wouldn't follow her out

But he did

"Big plans for the weekend? he asked and kicked himself virtually at the indecent question

"Umm... I am meeting... my... h.. friends... that's what I do every weekend she laughed

"Hey I do as well he raised his hand in oath

"We cant... I mean" (she wanted to say "We cant meet at my PG dig" "Brig Mitra has too many rules" no house guest allowed") she stopped gathering the stuff she wanted to take

"Let me get that for you he promised picking it up quickly

She tossed the strap of her bag around her neck-shoulder

The dog barked furiously

"He knows you are leaving Avyaan went to open the bedroom door as Taost scratched the heck out of it

He came charging out and drooled around her

She was ready to drop the stack she was carrying

"He wont bite he promised

He waited by the guard for her to find an auto and deposited the binders by her

"Let me know if you need anything else

"I will thanks Mr..

Before she could put a distance between them he verbally lurched forward "Avyaan is fine he nodded

"Bye" she smiled confidently waving

her eyes sparkling in the twilight

"Kidhar madam? the driver quizzed

She told him to go to the office of Stern so she could pick up her car... "He probably saw my ugly scar from that giant zit"

she fingered her face despondently, unwittingly RESUMING/beginning to care how she looked like in front of a man

Jeez louise Samidha!!! Going to someone's house and then into his kitchen and making yourself at home to make tea (after bribing next door neighbor's maid)!!!! 😆 It is a little too much! Good that Avyaan didn't take it amiss😉

she fingered her face despondently, unwittingly RESUMING/beginning to care how she looked like in front of a man

This line was so simple but hold a lot of sense

Kala