DevAkshi One Shot: Uneasy

"It's the last one, I promise." Dev said, meaning to reassure her but failing as he kept his eyes glued to the laptop screen.

"That's what you said three cups ago." Sonakshi said sternly.

When she got no response from him, she swatted his hands away. Pressing the Ctrl and S, she saved the document that Dev was working on and closed the laptop.

"Sonakshi!" He said, irritably. "Yeh kya hai? Mein kaam kara hoon."

"Woh toh mujhe bhi pata hai Mr. Dixit. But what I want to know is what you're so stressed about? Four cups of coffee? That too, black? In the past two hours? What's going on?" She asked running her hand through his hair.

Dev instantly leaned back in his chair, his head craving her soft touch. He released a deep breath as he felt almost half of his stress go away from her continuous caresses.

"I may not understand it fully, but it will help you to get it off your chest." Sonakshi urged once again after a few silent minutes had passed by.

"It's just this new contract. It's a really big order. If it's successful and goes through, we will get the chance to open up a new plant. A new manufacturing factory in a small town. But we will need to get some homes evacuated to make room for the land." Dev stopped as his face fell in a deep and heavy sadness.

"Dev, what are you basing this dreadful assumption on? Do you find that these people are shady in any way?" Sonakshi asked, genuinely worried about what Dev might be getting himself into.

"Nothing concrete, but there's something that's not right. Whenever I think of these people I get uneasy. They don't necessarily do anything but there's something leaves me unsettled."

Sonakshi nodded her head in understanding.

"Then don't associate yourself with them." She stated simply. "In this situation, you have to look at what's right. Yes, you have a business that prospers in profits and success. But at what cost would you like to achieve that success? Through illegal, wrong methods that will put your name to tarnish if you're ever caught? Or become a company that people come to rely on and trust explicitly?"

"But Sonakshi, if I turn this deal down, we will be considered the biggest fools of the year. There is no reason for me to say reject it."

"Except for your intuition." Sonakshi interfered. "If you go ahead with this deal and you find that they really are not good people, then what are you going to do? You'll either have to stick through the contract or break it and suffer an even bigger loss. But if you don't make the deal, then you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The opportunity to grow that you think you would have gotten from this company will be given by some other. And who knows maybe that new company will make yours grow far bigger than you have ever imagined. Plus, if these shady people do mess up illegally then you call them out on it and help so many people out. You would get your goodwill and blessings from so many people." She nudged him with a proud smile on her face.

Dev answered back with a tired smile. Leaning back, he wrapped his arms around her and made her to sit on his lap. As he stared at her, he wondered how he ever got so lucky to have a woman like her in his life.

"I love you." He said softly.

With a soft smile, Sonakshi briefly touched his forehead with hers. "I know."

He gave her a tight hug before he got up from his chair and got into his bed. Letting all his tensions and stress slip away into the night, he blinked blearily, faintly remembering the lights turning off. But the fragrance of Sonakshi's perfume and the remnants of her lingering kiss on his temple remained with him well into the morning.