You don't know how glad I am to learn that Arnav Singh Raizada can read more than just reports if he puts his mind to it. And he controlled himself from having an argument and actually apologized. OMG - that's a first. Cannot wait to read more such firsts from him as well as from Khushi.
Chapter 06 - The Abyss
Arnav jabbed at his favorite rosebush, a little too harshly albeit, clipping the dead leaves.
“The old has to go so that the new can grow”, he said softly, as if reassuring the plant.
He looked around his terrace garden with a sense of pride enveloping him. The lush green around him stood in stark contrast from his suit, out of which he was yet to change. He had been very particular about creating this space for himself when he had moved. The deliberate act of nurturing and the wait made him feel as if he could balance the rest of his life against this one part of himself. Mumbai’s weather provided ample backup during his travels to avoid the plants from drying up. He finished watering the last climber and set the hose down. Turning around, he fell backward into his bed and closed his eyes.
He could feel every muscle in his body ache as he kicked off his shoes. he was used to be being hammered once in a while but it still caught him off-guard sometimes. He had barely slept for fifteen hours the whole week. Thankfully, the deal had been signed today. The execution team would take up from here and get it closed. Yet, he felt none of the post-marathon euphoria or his own version of runners’ high this time around. He had made a cursory appearance at the theafter-work party that took place every Friday like a clockwork and made his move. He thought making it to home would make him feel better, but the act of opening the door to an empty flat made his heart sink.
He rubbed his eyes and decided to blame it on exhaustion.
“But you’ve had worse before this, haven’t you?”, a small voice inside his head quipped. He shook himself mentally and stared up at the ceiling fan as if trying to stay afloat over the sea of loneliness that threatened to engulf him. Was work finally getting boring, as he thought it would, eventually? He sometimes couldn't shake off the feeling that he needed a new challenge. Did he need something… or someone more in his life?
He had barely attempted to establish a single relationshipin the past few years. Lavanya stuck around because they kept running into eachother. And strangely, the next one was Khushi. Working with her was not as terrible as he had imagined – she was extremely smart, great at her work and in her own weird way, even funny. Her Bollywood obsession was only mildly annoying by now. It was a handy point to use when he wanted to see her eyes flash in anger and her nose crinkle in disgust for his own entertainment. However, he felt a constant push-and-pull dilemma around her, where he wanted to avoid her like plague and failed to find a reason for his behavior later.
His phone rang and startled him – strangely, it was Rishabh, Khushi’s boss, asking for a meeting over the weekend. He groaned - just as he thought the worst was over. He typed in his boiler-plate "Always ready to get down on my knees for the bigshots" response and hit send. Only then did he notice that he had not cc'ed anyone in the email. This meeting was not regarding work then, it seemed.