|Chapter 1-The Perfectionist|
Rudra callously flipped the pages of the menu as he waited for the meeting. He had arrived almost half an hour earlier and felt like cursing himself. He couldn’t exactly blame his partner though, because the meeting was supposed to be at 10:30 am sharp. And he didn’t know what he was trying to prove but he decided that the best time for him to show up would be at 10 am. And here he was, blankly staring at apparently nowhere. The other guests were probably passing weird glances toward him, he mused. He risked a side glance and caught the waiter who brought the menu over to him standing awkwardly a few feet away, probably hesitating if he should approach to collect an order. Annoyed, he glanced down at his watch, there was still 3 more minutes to go. He cursed. Did Maya always had to be on the exact time for every event? Why was she such a perfectionist? He wouldn’t deny, he came earlier with a heart full of hope that maybe Maya would be late for five minutes or so and then he could pull her leg. But he ended up making a fool of himself in the end. He sighed and gestured toward the waiter to come over. At least he could put the waiter out of his misery.
“One-“
“White mocha with whipped cream.”
He registered the clicking hills first, and of course that voice. He didn’t need to turn around to see who had exactly placed the order for him. He rolled his eyes as Maya took her seat across from him.
“I just thought I would even the scores.”
Maya said in her casual, cold tone.
Rudra chuckled.
“And black coffee for me, without sugar.”
Rudra raised an eyebrow.
“No lemon cake today?”
Maya gave him her signature cold glance and he raised his hands in defeat.
“None of my business.”
As the waiter retreated, he looked at her, this time his gaze unwavering, as he took in her features. Of course she followed her dress code. She was wearing a jet black jumpsuit, with her hair casually yet serenely falling over her shoulder on one side. He always thought the red locks of her hair really complemented her attire. She wore little makeup, as usual, unlike most other women he had encountered. He always thought girls had an obsession with makeup. Maya changed that perspective. She was different, a lot different than most other people in his life.
Something told him that Maya probably caught him staring, he cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed.
“So I thought-“
He was interrupted once again, as the waiter placed their respective drinks in front of them. He sighed again and waited for the waiter to leave.
Maya took a sip and glanced at him over the rim of her cup.
“Why did you think this meeting was necessary?”
Rudra was expecting that question. Honestly, he didn’t think she would agree for this meetup. Given her attitude, he was actually a bit surprised when he asked her to meet and she agreed. That made him think, maybe she was indeed serious about this deal and was taking him seriously. Unlike their first few meetings, when she would just hold onto and counter every point that he brought up and go to the point of taunting and insulting him at every opportunity she got; she now came off as a sober person, with bits of behavior issues and lacking some courtesy, but this was progress and he thanked the heavens.
“I thought now that we’ve entered into a partnership, maybe we could discuss about your upcoming book? I mean our next project.”
Rudra said as he raised his mug to take a sip.
“What’s there to discuss about?”
Maya set down her steaming coffee cup and looked at him.
Rudra tried to make a gesture with his hands to make her understand. Maya watched him coolly. Rudra sighed again.
“I just wanted to talk about when you’re going to start the actual writing part, you know. I mean we have to decide the project deadline and stuff. And also the plot of your story.”
Rudra thought he saw something flicker across Maya’s face for a split second. Maya put her empty cup down and looked at him square in the eyes.
“I’m the writer. I’ve decided the story and you don’t need to know the plot.”
She paused, then looked up at him again.
“At least not yet.”
She was about to get up when Rudra spoke again.
“But I’m the publisher. If not the story, I get to decide the timeline of the project.”
Maya rubbed her temple, looking slightly irked.
“I’m afraid to remind you once again that I am the investor. If I don’t want to, this book’s not gonna get published at all. Because you don’t have the resource to do so.”
She looked at him pointedly. Rudra felt his temper flaring. And here he was thinking that she could change. The nerve of that woman. She never wasted an opportunity to put him down. He decided against his better judgment to not blow off the deal then and there. He didn’t hate Maya Jaisingh as much as he hated MJ Roy. If he lost this contract, he would have to either give in to his father’s offer or lose his company. Neither was an option for him. And he knew Maya enough to know that she anticipated this and was merely taking advantage of his situation. And though he hated this option as well, it was the only one available to him. So he gathered all the patience he could muster and spoke in a calm tone, his teeth almost gritting.
“Listen, I need to at least know about the deadline okay? I’ve gotta plan everything according to it. A lot of stuff needs to be done. And all that can’t happen if I don’t know when your story’s going to be finished.”
Maya kept silent for a few seconds, thinking. Then she abruptly stood up again.
“I’ll let you know when the time comes.”
With that, she turned on her heel and left. Rudra slammed his hand loudly against the table. Thankfully it wasn’t made of glass, he mused. But the banging noise surely earned him some weird glances. Rudra cursed.
“Why can’t my life ever be simple?”
***
Maya sat at her writing desk, the tip of her fountain pen gliding gracefully across the blank paper. Rudra’s words echoed in her ears and she smirked.
“Don’t worry Rudra. I’m anticipating the end of this story much more than you know. Much more than you ever will. Only if you live to see this get published, that is.”
Her smirk widened, her eyes darkened. Her reverie was broken by her ringing cellphone. The name ‘Chemist’ flashed on the screen. She lifted the phone, stared at it for a split second and then put it down again.
As the phone continued ringing relentlessly, with notifications of incoming messages in between calls and the name ‘Chemist’ flooded her screen, she hummed along with the ringtone as she wrote the final lines of the chapter.
“The traps had been set. The prey had been lured. One was desperate, lost, unsure of his steps as he fell deeper into the trap. The other was still faltering, but surely was headed towards his destination. Before long he too will be lost in the labyrinth, the enchantment, ‘Maya’.”
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Phew! That was the first chapter guys. Please excuse the typos and please forgive me if the writing sucks. I’m writing after a long, long time. But please let me know if you liked it. 🤗
Edited by -AnnieQueen- - 4 years ago
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