Besabriyaan

Chapter 41

1 month later

N A N D I N I

"Where the hell are you, Aaliya?" I fretted leaving her the twelfth voice message within a span of half an hour "You better show up within the next ten minutes."

Things were not going as planned. Nothing was happening as it should have. Here, I was hiding in the washroom of this nice Italian restaurant since past fifteen minutes praying to Lord for Aliya to show up every second. We were to have a conference with a sponsor over lunch and she decided to ditch me at the right time. Great!

As I peeped through the door, I could clearly see the weird guy awaiting my return from the washroom but I just couldn't without having Aaliya by my side. There was something off about this guy and the way he wore that bow tie just for the sake of a conference early in the afternoon strengthened my hesitancy.

'Let me call Aaliya one more time' Telling myself, I dialled her digits waiting for that stupid caller tune to end. Impatience was taking a toll on me as I kept switching between peeping and biting my nails until I heard a beep from the other side.

"I'm so sorry, Nandini. I don't think I'll be able to make it today. Not feeling well ya." She spoke in her lazy way without giving me a chance to interrupt.

"What? Why on earth are you unwell today?" Anxiety was clear in my tone.

"What do you mean by that? A fever doesn't serve a 7 day notice?" I rolled my eyes. Duh!

"Can't you come for at least ten minutes? I don't know much about this project and this man is alone here without his team which is awkward." I gave a side to a lady entering the washroom. By that time, the housekeeper even started gaping me suspiciously thinking I was perhaps there to plant some bomb or things like that.

"Babe, I can't get up from bed ya. My head is heavy and I'm gonna see doctor soon. And so what if he is without his team? You are alone too. Don't you worry, my tigress. Everything is there in that blue file, so you chill okay? Please manage this one time, pretty please? I'll owe you this one, I swear." She coaxed, hard. A sigh was all I could do tapping my foot.

"Yea whatever! You take care, okay? See ya." Disconnecting the call, I turned towards the mirror one more time, displeased at the choices on my plate. Why couldn't we hold the meeting at the conference hall at Grey Petals only!

✯

"So, if you ask me from the marketing point of view which is my forte, I think the branding which your company is laying out is on point." I ducked closing my file.

"Thank you, Ms.Murthy but I must say you are much sharper than what I expected you to be." I stopped signing the papers for a moment to look up at him.

"And..why did you exactly expect me to be?" This question was obvious but he might not have seen it coming since his eyes broadened.

"Oh no no! That came out wrong. I meant it as a compliment, trust me." He laughed putting one hand on his chest shaking his head and I plastered a small smile continuing my signature.

"So let's order now?" He asked and since our job was done, it had to be the food time irrespective of how much I wanted to evade. Food is something which should be eaten either alone or around people you are comfortable with. Not when, you are stuck with some stranger who mostly seems weird pushing his spectacles on the bridge of his nose.