OS - Like a Boss (IC)

OS - Like a Boss

Arnav Singh Raizada stood under the rich yellow lighting of his dressing room checking his reflection in the mirror.

Grey trousers, blue shirt, and a grey unbuttoned blazer.

Neat. Super neat, Raizada.

With an approving glance at himself, he reached for a tie. Navy blue or grey?  

He picked out the grey one. But as he placed the tie around his neck, he was reminded of how uncomfortable it made him.

These blasted things! Who the hell had invented them anyway?

With a smooth pull at one of the ends of the tie, he threw it back inside the wardrobe. That's right. He was not going to wear it today. Besides, a lot people wore suits without ties. Why couldn't he? Why couldn't Arnav Singh Raizada, the CEO of R&R, wear a suit without a freakin' tie?

To hell with that choking device, he thought as he opened the topmost button of his shirt. He will make sure to rock a suit without a tie...Like a boss!   

Hell, yeah!

With another approving glace at his reflection, he turned around and almost had a little heart attack looking at the tall figure clad in orange standing by door.

"What the fu - "

"Shhh. Shhh..." said his sister, Anjali, wearing a sari of the brightest, most blinding orange colour. "You should not say such words. There are kids in the house now."

"Your kids can't even hear me right now. And what the hell is wrong with you, woman? Can't you knock? 'Scared the shit out of me."

"Excuse me? Did you just say that I scared you?" his sister asked, her eyes narrowing in an accusing sort of way, faking a hurt.

"Did I? My bad." Replied Arnav, sarcasm dripping out of his every word.

"You're pathetic."

"And you're my elder sister."

"So?"

"That kind of makes you pathetic too. Actually, a lot more pathetic than me." And, saying that, he flashed his sister a grin, doubled with a wink. 

She gasped. "You're incorrigible, Arnav."

He flashed another one of his grin. "Thanks, sister. You always have such lovely things to say about me."

"I know." She replied smiling at him in her I-am-an-angel sort of way, and walked into his bedroom. "You need to re-do you bedroom. It's too...boring and modern."

"Excuse me?" he questioned as he came to stand beside her." What d'you mean by boring and modern. I like it this way."

"Yeah. Yeah." She said as she looked around a bit more. "You're toh boring type ka hi. I think... the real problem is that you're growing too old, too soon."

"What the hell?"

"What? Don't give me that look of yours again. You're like..." she explained animatedly. "Twenty - eight years old.  And you don't even have a girlfriend. I think Laxiana might have been right, that you are...you know... maybe a little tedha*."

"Tedha? Are you saying that..."

" Tedha as in not straight. But it's okay, you know," she said as she walked to him and, for the second time in the day, dared to pull his cheeks. "Tedha hai, par mera hai."

"Remind me why," he asked as he continued to look his sister with narrowed eyes, "do I allow you stay at my place when you come over to India? I mean...why??"

"Because you love me?" she answered with an evil smile.

Family! He sighed.

"So..." started his sister as her eyes gained that teasing glint again. "I've noticed that you haven't stepped out of your room since past couple of hours. Should I start believing that you're shying away from your Female Assistant Secretary?"

He glared at her sister. Why couldn't she just stop with this female secretary drama?

"Arre, chill na. You can tell me. I know you're not used to having female secretaries and all. That funny guy...what's his name? Yeah Buddy Chopra has been around you forever. I mean he's nice and all... but secretary toh female hi honi chahiye."

"Right."

"Waise- I like her. Khushi." she said and sighed. "She's really cute. Like really, really cute, you know. And she bakes awesome vanilla cakes."

Miss Khushi Gupta bakes awesome vanilla cakes...interesting fact.

"Yeah, it was so delicious, that we made her bake three more vanilla cakes. Poor girl, we made her work a lot. Anyway... now we finally finished and I sent her for a shower 'cause she smelled like cake batter, you know."

Miss Khushi Gupta smelling like cake batter...very very interesting piece of informa - what the hell! I'm her boss. Cannot. Think. Like. That.

Cannot. Just. Cannot.

"I really like her, you know." His sister said, again that evilness shining in her dark eyes.

"I know, Anjali. You've mentioned that before. Multiple times."

"No I mean..." his sister explained. "You two can... actually look good together, you know? But I guess...nah. Nah nah nah... that'll just be wrong."

He looked at her wide eyed, too shocked to speak. When he finally found his voice, he said, "Are you like...linking me up with my SECRETARY?"

"Female secretary." She corrected him before adding, "And no, no...I'm not linking you up. I guess she's too young, and she just started working with you and all... so it'll spoil everything."

"She's not that young."

What the hell, that wasn't supposed to come out so loud. Hell, that wasn't supposed to come out at all.

Where the hell did it come from, anyway?

When he looked back at his sister to see her reaction, she has an eyebrow raised and a wicked smile on her face which she was trying very hard to hide. For several moments she didn't say anything, and then, when he was about to say something to kill the silence, she finally said, "Okaa...aaay."

"Okaaay? Okay with what?" he asked, curious.

"I'm not saying anything." She replied as she made an act of zipping her lips. "I'm just going to see how it goes while I do my work."

"What the hell are you going on about, Anjali? And what work?" Seriously, this was too much suspense.

"Too bad you can't eat cake. Diabetes and all." His sister said as she turned to go, ignoring his earlier question.

Yes, too bad I can't eat cake...vanilla cake. But see how what goes?

"Anjali, I mean it. You explain to me what you just meant by - "

She turned and then with her oh so famous I-am-the-elder-one-so-you-will-listen-to-me voice, replied, "It's almost eight. Come out of your den and don't be such a pathetic host, brother dear."

And he knew...he knew he had to follow her out. Because when Anjali Pratap Singh used that voice of hers, Arnav Singh Raizada knew it'll do him no good not to follow her orders.

And so, like an obedient little brother, he followed his elder sister out. When he finally reached the hall area of the penthouse his company had so graciously granted him the rights to, he came face to face with the one he had tried to avoid all evening.

Miss Khushi Gupta.

Who is really, really cute and bakes awesome Vanilla cakes.

And probably a few minutes back, even smelled like one.

Now she didn't of course...smell like vanilla cake, that is. Because now she smelled of...fruits. Tropical fruits. And, probably a bit of strawberry?

And she looked like...flowers. A bouquet of flowers to be precise. She was wearing a little black dress, with cute little pink roses on it. There were hundreds of pretty pink roses, and if given enough time, he could literally count them. But of course, he wasn't actually going to count them...

...because who does that, really? Count the number of pretty pink roses printed on your pretty little secretary's little black dress?

It's funny how he had been avoiding her though. Since past three hours, she, his female secretary, had been in his kitchen, baking vanilla cakes for his guests. While he, he just sat in his room, trying very hard to concentrate on the newspaper.  

Maybe he was too embarrassed. Yeah, that maybe it, the reason.

It's not everyday a boss gets downright insulted by his family and friends in front of his secretary... his cute female secretary.

And no, the embarrassment didn't stop there. His sister and Laxiana, their friend, actually invited her to his house...to bake cakes! 

Who does that? WHO?

And then of course, he had to go and open the door and receive her. And, notice her cute little denim shorts and the pretty white top. AND also notice her cu - not cute - legs and the stupid white bandage around her knees which reminded him of the events of the weekend...

...when she had fallen, not once, but twice, the second time of which, she had decided to quite conveniently fall into his arms.

Or maybe it him who had caught her.

Yep, he had caught her. She could have well fallen on hard marble and injured her head as well, just like she had injured her elbow and knee.

And so... just to avoid his future embarrassment by his sister and Laxiana, and just to avoid seeing Miss. Khushi Gupta bake cake for his guests in her tiny little denim shorts, he had made himself gone.

Gone straight for three hours...

...to avoid seeing her legs, which, he had been seeing a lot of ever since her injury. And which, suddenly, reminded him of the colour and texture of Vanilla cake batter.

Hell. You deserve to go to hell for your thoughts, Raizada. Hell!

Shaking the very disturbing, yet welcome thoughts off his mind, he decided to acknowledge her shy smile and return it with his confident one.

"You look lovely, Khushi." he said with a smile as she saw her peachy skin go pink and then red. Really, in a matter of two seconds.

Damn, the girl could blush.

She could. He often saw her change colours when she was talking to him. And for the devil in disguise that he was, he often found himself complimenting her to see the changes of colour on her cheeks.

And because he had no moral sense. And because...he simply couldn't resist seeing her turn a more deeper shade of red, like a boss, he added, "You're blushing, aren't you?"

Moron! Pathetic, pathetic moron. Boss, my ass!

"I - No, of course not. I'm no - But um- thank you for the compliment..." and then, still avoiding eye contact, she added, a quiet, "...sir."

"You're welcome. By the way," he asked, looking at how she played with her wavy long hair, "when's your family coming?"

Finally putting a strand of hair behind her ear, she replied, "I guess, they should be coming any minute now. When's Buddy coming?"

Buddy! Why, why, did that name irritate him suddenly? They weren't dating or anything obviously, Buddy and Khushi. But they had this...weird thing going on, where they'd always hang out with each other. And of course, he wanted them to get along. Work gets easier that way...

But hell, all he felt was irritation whenever he saw them. But he didn't care of course. He was their boss...and obviously had a lot of work.

He shouldn't care. And he didn't. Because...why would he?

Even if they, Khushi and Buddy, were actually dating, it wouldn't and shouldn't matter him.

But they weren't dating obviously...because Buddy had a girlfriend. So it was all good.

...not that it mattered him.

But it somehow was. All good.

"Soon, I guess." He replied to her. "He's coming here with his girlfriend. 'Asked him to invite her. Thought he'd get bored otherwise."

...and why he said that, he didn't know. All he knew was, he had to call Buddy this instant, and ask him to get his girlfriend!

*****

Buddy, thankfully, did end up getting his girlfriend. Jasmine something, her name was...

And truth to be told, she and Buddy Chopra made a funny couple, a very, very funny couple.

She was this...typical, typical LSR college type of girl with long, just-way-too-much-ironed hair. While Buddy Chopra, he... hell, Arnav couldn't even place him in any category.

But much to his irritation, Buddy, paid more attention to the other female on his left side. And the female on his left side, much to his irritation, was none other than Miss. Khushi Gupta.

Not that it was any of his business... because why would he care if Buddy Chopra talked to the female on his right side, or to the female on his left?

It didn't because apparently...he had other problems.

...Like his assistant secretary's elder sister Miss. Lavanya Gupta and their mother, Mrs. Manorama Gupta.

He didn't even know what the hell they were going on about, and truth to be told, he didn't even care. There were some questions related to how his work was going, and of course, there were some on his personal life which he had avoided answering. And then, the mother was promoting the elder daughter for a reason that was becoming too apparent, again and again going on about how she was participating in the Miss. Delhi pageant, or something of that sorts. He knew what they were trying to do, it wasn't too hard to guess.

"And Shashi was very sorry that he couldn't make it, you know. But he had to leave for Delhi aaj evening ko hi. It was very urgent." The Gupta mother again said for the hundredth time.

"I know, I know. Don't worry. He had called me and explained the situation."

"Oh."

"Umm- if you'll excuse me, I got to meet a few..umm...people." he said to both ladies and made his escape.

And carefully, and swiftly, avoiding his colleagues, and his three best friends, he walked straight to where his secretaries stood.

"What's up, ladies?" he asked them, and later when he had the joy was watching Buddy's flushed face because of being called a lady, he added, "and gentleman."

"Good." They all - his secretaries, and that LSR girl - said in unison.

A few awkward, and that LSR-type-girl-literally-flirting-with-him-in-front-of-her-boyfriend moments later, Buddy said, "Sir! Have you tasted the Vanilla cake? It's awesome! Rumour has it that Miss. Gupta baked it...in your kitchen."

"Really?" he said as he looked at Khushi's face again. She was pink. "Is it that awesome?"

"Gotta' taste and see for yourself." Buddy suggested.

"Of course, I'll go get them. Sorry you didn't get to taste them yet." Khushi quickly said and almost ran to the kitchen to get the cake before he could actually tell her that he...couldn't, that he couldn't have cakes...or any kind of desserts, except the ones with Sugar-free in them.

Damn it!

"See you later, guys." he said and made his way to his kitchen to stop her from doing all the extra work.

*****

"Khushi?" he called out and obviously it startled her as she almost dropped the can of icing sugar she had been using to sprinkle over a few pieces of cake.  

"Oh." She started, clearly blushing again due to embarrassment. I'm sorry. I just got - "

"It's okay." He said as he walked a little further into his kitchen which smelled like freshly baked cakes. "I just...came here to tell you that I don't have cakes."

Her face fell. Quite literally. Her eyes and cheeks literally dropped a little as soon he said his last sentence. "You don't? Oh. Then you can have Gulab Jamuns instead...your sister made - "

"Khushi," he explained cutting her off, "what I mean is...I don't have any kind of desserts. I can't. I'm diabetic."

"You are?" her face fell some more.

Damn it, it was like he was telling someone that he had cancer. So f**king hard. And heart-breaking.

And then there was her expression. He almost felt...bad for himself for not being able to have sweets.

"I'm so sorry." She continued with that same sad expression on her face. "I didn't know. If I did I..."

"Khushi" he explained, trying not to break out into laughter, "I'm not dying. It's just that I can't have sweet things...much. Sugar-free, yes. But it tastes like crap."

"Oh. Umm... Well then I'm really sorry that you can't have desserts, and you wouldn't be able to have the cake today."

"Me too." ....what?

...Because suddenly, he did want to have to it. Her cake, which she baked in his kitchen.  

And damn, the entire kitchen smelled like cake. And the cake smelled like cake... and she just looked so, so sad that he couldn't have the cake that he actually wanted to have it. Arnav Singh Raizada wanted cake. And he wanted it bad!

"And the fact that I want it so much right now," he continued, "more than I ever did in the last thirteen years of me being diabetic, makes it worse. A lot worse"

"You...want to eat the cake?"

"Hell yes, I want to eat the cake, Khushi."

And kiss you, because your cheeks are so pink and you smell like the sweet fruits I can't ever have.

"What are you going to do now?" she asked, her big eyes, widening some more.

It was a perfectly innocent question. Perfectly. But suddenly he knew exactly what to do.

The smell of freshly baked cakes slowly faded, the smell of sweet fruits taking its place. The music outside, at that moment, changed to a lovely soft melody he had often hummed in his childhood days. And he knew, he just knew what he was going to do now to stop the craving, or to fulfil it.

With two casual steps, he was there right in front of her. Her eyes widened some more, but she didn't say anything. So he decided to answer his earlier question, "This, this is what I'm going to do." And without wasting any time, and not wanting to let moment slip, and before he changed his mind to stop himself from doing this stupid thing he was going to, he bent his head, and softly, yet firmly, placed his lips on her warm, pink cheek.

And at that moment, nothing mattered. The wrongness of the situation didn't matter, the fact that there actually might be something going on between Khushi and Buddy didn't matter, the place didn't matter, and neither did the reason behind the action.

All that mattered was that he wanted to kiss her. And he could. Because he was the boss, and she was his secretary.

And it all wrong.

But that was the least of his concerns.

So like a boss, he placed a soft kissed her right cheek, the one which was a little less pink than the other one, and saw it change colours.

*****