Chapter three
The setup of the internship program had been initiated as planned and the appointed team surprised her with their fresh ideas and coordination. Apparently, only the best of the best were hired at the Kapoor industries, as the owner himself was a Harvard graduate, so she had learned. Besides the occasional the run ins into him, she was starting to see less and less of him. Was he deliberately avoiding her?...good riddance she thought, besides he never left a chance to pester her so she should be happy about seeing less of him. But why he did seem quiet and distant most of the time...as a matter of fact, she had noticed that he worked long hours. She had been there nearly two weeks and even on the days that she had left late, he would still be in his office. Did he have time for his so called flings only while he vacationed? ...what's it to you Priya...why can't you stop thinking of him? Remember, he showed you his true colors already...people like him don't value sentiments, they only know to use people to get what they want and keep moving ahead...so don't be a fool...this is nothing but a momentary infatuation. You find him intriguing because he is way out of your league. Truth be told, Priya was a little disappointed with herself. As much as she loathed the man, her raging hormones seemed to be overbearing her thoughts, the moment she would get a glimpse of him or smelled his cologne, her traitor heart seemed to be racing a hundred miles a minute and all her senses heightened!
*********
Priya had finally gotten herself into a set routine, besides keeping track of the man occupying her mind, on the weekends she decided to spend her free time with her other interest...reading. She had found this perfect spot in cafe paradise by the beach, it's outdoor seating had a very zen garden like feel, a bench under a small frangipani tree overlooking the ocean.
Khuli phalkon se yeh jo sapne dekh rahi ho, kaash humein bhi inme shamil kar liya hota, yeh nacheez tadapta hai teri ek nazar ko, tuhne ek baar toh deedar-e-yaar kar liya hota!
(The dreams that you are dreaming with your eyes wide open, I wish I was a part of them, I keep trying for you to notice me but you have to look at me first..with the same feelings)
Priya looked up from her book to find Ram sitting in front of her. Priya, " I should have known, this third class shayari can only be from the one and only " egohead,she fired away
Ram smiled and continued " you are my inspiration for this shayari..warna mein shayar toh nahin"
" oh God! You are impossible! How did you find me here?" She questioned
"It's simple! it was very easy to spot you..." He quipped, Priya raised her eyebrows
Sipping from his cup, he leaned closer to her and whispered, "madam, the whole time I have been here, I have seen you musing over every emotion in this novel and if you haven't realized you are probably on your tenth cup of tea..I hope that the tea is decaffeinated...you are enough feisty, as it is." He continued " I mean I have read it twice too but never enjoyed it as much as you..." Priya opened her mouth to retort but he interrupted again " I have cleared your bill...please do them a favor and let someone else,who will buy more than just tea use this spot" Priya decided not to argue with him as he was right after all. She had been there about two hours now...how could she have lost track of time to that extent! The waiter serving her, gave an amused nod as she walked out with Ram.
" Are you stalking me?" She questioned again
" oye hello madam...I do have better things to do" Priya sniggered " this is my regular stop whenever I need some lone time ...you have to agree, it indeed is a quiet serene place!" Ram stated clearing her doubt.
Priya nodded in acknowledgement as she walked with him. She had never seen him dressed in casuals before. Dressed in Light blue polo shirt and denim jeans, he looked so much younger and the wisps of hair fluttering with the wind around his face were taking her breath away.
" what happened?"Priya spoke casually pointing to the small cuts on his neck, cheek and near the lips.
Ram, " you..you are the one who did this!" He spoke in an accusing tone
"Me...how can it be me?" Priya tried to clarify
" of course, it's you!..as I was shaving, you kept bothering me," ram dramatically spoke, ignoring his comment, Priya asked, "did your girlfriend get you this time or her boyfriend beat the crap out of you again?"
Shocked Ram looked at her, " you knew that day!!!"
Priya shook her head, "No...I heard later hotel staff talking about it... and you know what? You deserved it too...I mean you were trying to steal his girl" " maybe not that badly but you deserved it!" Priya corrected herself
" Arrey yaar, I am a bas***d but not to that extent, give me some credit...she had lied to me, didn't bother to tell me that she was with someone else" Ram fumed thinking about Shika.
" and what about what you did to me...a simple Thank You would have been enough but the arrogant bas***d that you are...you tried to repay me for my compassion" Priya couldn't believe that she was actually expressing her grievance but she had to get it off her chest and put an end to her misery.
He stopped and turned towards her, taking her hands in his, looking into her eyes, he said, " I am sorry, Priya! Sorry for hurting your feelings, I am sorry for not knowing that there are actually people like you full of kindness and compassion, who will drop everything just to be by your side. I had learned about how you paid extra to get a later flight, missed out on your sightseeing tour...so I thought that's the least I could do...but I did realize how wrong I was and as far as not coming to personally thank you..I had to clean up the mess the media was about to make..I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me for all the intentional and unintentional hurt that I have caused you...I just didn't know any better" Ram spoke sincerely "...please forgive me!"
Priya just nodded in yes with tears welling up in her eyes.
Excitedly he spoke, " so does that mean you forgave me!!" Priya nodded in agreement...Ram continued "..I knew it...you couldn't resist my deadly charm any longer..." " okay if you have forgiven me for sure then you have to prove it by going out to dinner with me..I promise that except for whole evening of shameless flirting and a few attempts to convince you to take things to second base I will be a thorough gentleman"
Priya couldn't help smiling at his antics, she quipped " I don't go out to dinners with my boss and technically you are my boss now...and another thing I am not looking to take things to any other base with a player like you"... " Thank you but no thank you" she laughingly dismissed him.
He shrugged his shoulders saying " okay, as you wish Ms. Sharma...if you reconsider ..my offer will stand ..a whole evening with yours truly and who knows you might enjoy it" he winked.
They walked by the beach for about an hour, laughing,teasing and feeling at ease again.
Ram bid her goodbye and left, Priya stood there thinking, "that's exactly what I am afraid of...I might enjoy it" she couldn't believe how easily she had forgiven him...15 long months of living in agony and all the pain forgotten with a few words of sincere apology( at least that's what she hoped it was).
Two months later
Days were going by, Ram had started dropping her back after work, they both looked forward to their time together. Ram had started to open up about his past, turned out that he did have a stepsister and stepbrother but he was not on talking terms with them...and as far as girlfriend, he never had a relationship long enough time with anyone to call anyone his steady girlfriend .. ...though he prided the fact that since women always flocked him for his good looks and wealth, he'd had several flings. He teased her " you are the only one who has had the audacity to outright turn me down...that's why I have nicknamed you "The Ice Queen"!
Priya " you can call me whatever you wish but I am not like those other women...I can see through your tactics and forget it I am not falling for anything...so keep trying!" she laughed.
One evening on their walks he had even tricked her in going to dinner with him, by making a random stop at a restaurant. Priya didn't think twice about breaking her own rules, she also enjoyed his company immensely.
In the elevator
he remarked playfully winking at her, " now that you have crossed the laxman rekha, dinner with your boss...how about we cross all the boundaries tonight!!!..." She found his attempt to persuade her irresistible, and the seductive look on his handsome face triggered a jolt of excitement unlike anything she'd ever felt before.
Priya looked at him for a few seconds...looking straight in his eyes, she drawled towards him and pulled him towards her. Bringing her face next to his ear she seductively spoke, " you are right..Mr. Kapoor! Give me a night to remember...I have resisted your charm long enough but I can't any longer...make me yours!" Her words were laced with desire. She lightly nibbled his ear while skimming his jawline with a gentle touch of her lips. Ram swallowed hard, never had he felt such loss of control...he was always the one in control, knowing exactly how to keep playing for things to turn in his favor...unknowingly,he arched his neck back to give her better access as Priya nuzzled leaving a trail of goosebumps in her wake. Trying to regain control in this game of seduction, Ram yelped , " stop Priya...please stop...before it's too late!" Pushing her away from him yet firmly holding her by her shoulders, he took a deep breath trying to get some oxygen to clear his muddled brain and to calm his racing thoughts. The playful spark had faded from his eyes,replaced by sadness
" Priya ...never even in your wildest thoughts should you entertain the idea of starting anything with me...it will never end well! You are the most purest, sincerest and genuine person I have met and you have been nothing but a great inspiration to me...as much as I want you ...I could never bear breaking your heart...you see infidelity is in my blood and I have grown up seeing my mom suffer as my dad couldn't stay loyal to her.You are the only person who hasn't judged me and have been a true friend...sure the chemistry between us is undeniable but I would rather have you as a lifelong friend than a momentary lover.." His voice heavy with pain as he tried to explain. While trying to meet his eyes, Priya sniggered, " Arrey what happened to the player that you are known to be...Mr. Kapoor, you are not so dark and dangerous after all!"
"Well, since you already revealed your dirty secret, that you're not actually dangerous..." she said, "I'm afraid the magic is gone. I'll have to hold you out for the hurtin' kind."
" when it is my turn to play, you chickened out... I never thought you were such a wimp!" She laughed,
" Relax,... I was just giving you a taste of your own medicine...otherwise, me interested in you...you gotta be kidding" she guffawed.
Ram " come on Priya! That's not fair yaar...I said all those nice things about you and here you are being so mean again!"
Priya stood there, staring at him with such a mix of emotions in her eyes.
He kept the smile on his face, shoving the thoughts back where they belonged. He held out a hand instead. "Friends?"
She hesitated a moment longer, then took it, and her hand felt good in his. Warm, and firm, and just soft enough. Exactly like her.
"Sure," she said. "Friends."
Jab soch hi liya ho Dil neh udhne ki, toh machalte arman hi kafi hain, lakh manaya Dil ko par sulagte jazbat hi kafi hain! ( when the heart has already decided to fall in love, some wayward thoughts are enough, no matter how one tries,once a spark of desire is lite it's too late then!)
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