by M. V. Kasi
“True. But you have already done enough damage. Maybe next time, you should stop and think before sneaking up on the gym members, especially this early in the morning.”
At her stern set down, he stopped what he was doing to glance at her.
His eyes blazed as he looked at her face, and then slowly, and unashamedly, he dragged his eyes down the length of her body, lingering on her toned arms and legs.
Instead of being offended, she felt his gaze ignite something.
Soon, a warning siren went off in her head as images of them spending a dirty night ran in her mind. She recoiled mentally from those images.
She had stopped having random meaningless sex almost a year ago. And more recently, she had promised herself, she would not be distracted from her mission by anything or anyone.
But right then, staring at the beautiful man with a sweet, melting smile, and a contradictory brazen look, she was ready to jump on him on the gym floor, and take what her body wanted from him.
Before she pounced on a complete stranger, she grabbed her phone from his hand, and took a few steps away from him to give herself some space. She subtly took some deep breaths to calm down, even as she noticed his eyes continuing their assessment of her.
When his eyes met hers, he smiled again. “I’m Ajay, and you are…?”
Before she could reply, another man’s voice interrupted them. “Good morning, Ajay. How have you been bro?”
A brief look of irritation passed on Ajay’s face, but he turned, and smiled openly at the guy who had joined them. “I’m doing great Ravi. It’s been a while. Quite a set up you have here…”
Before he could finish catching up with the other guy, she began walking out from there. After collecting her water bottle and work-out towel, she moved towards the stairs, and then glanced back briefly towards him.
He was still talking to the other man, but his eyes were on her, laughing at her in amusement. As though he knew she was running away because of him.
Dammit!
***
Her next encounter with Ajay was a week later as she set out on her daily run at six in the morning.
Ever since she had decided to turn her life around, a few years ago, she decided to discipline herself by doing something she absolutely loathed.
Running on public streets. Where any stranger could approach her.
Running made her confront some of her fears.
Putting on her headphones, so no one would talk to her, she began to run at her own pace. She went along the path suggested by the front desk guy at the hotel.
It seemed really long, but she continued running along the path.
It was going to be a hot day. Because even though it was relatively early in the morning, the temperature was high enough to make her sweat.
A group of joggers began approaching her from the opposite direction.
Her mind screamed in panic. It was hell as she saw them get closer.
They are going to attack you.
Turn around and run!
Why are you putting yourself in danger like this every day? Don’t you understand what they might be capable of?
As usual her thoughts included danger signals at the simplest things that others didn’t find threatening. But she drove herself forward, ignoring those voices in her head.
Some of the joggers waved at her in a friendly manner. And when they got really close, her breathing sped up in further panic. But she looked at them nonchalantly, and waved back, albeit without a smile on her face.
And then, she continued running with her ponytail swinging behind her as though she wasn’t close to having a panic attack right then.
Even though Dr. Patel had suggested that running was supposed to reduce frustration and other daily stresses, she didn’t really believe in it. The only good thing that came out of it was that it made her appear normal.
And during the run, when her mind wasn’t freaking out about danger, she could pull her thoughts together.
After a while, finally her mind relaxed enough to drift towards a crucial lead she had gotten.
The hacker had given her the address of the family attorney who dealt with the Naidu Estate. And she was able to reach out to him.
But more than the attorney, it was his son whom she was particularly interested in and had wanted to meet personally. But the attorney’s son had refused to meet her.
According to the attorney and his wife, their son was a recluse who had a lot of phobias.
She felt quite certain that those phobias had developed due to the same reason as hers.
“Varun doesn’t like to come out of the house or talk to anyone,” the attorney’s wife, who was the man’s mother, told her over the phone.
“Please, let me try and talk to him. It’s very important that I do,” Sia tried to convince the woman.
The woman sighed. “I’ll try. I don’t know if you can really help him like you said, but since we have tried everything else to get him to overcome his phobias, I guess there is nothing much to lose.”
That afternoon she was supposed to meet with Varun at his house.
“Hi!” A familiar deep voice called out, interrupting her thoughts.
She didn’t bother stopping at first. She simply turned her head slightly, about to continue with her run. But when she recognized the person who had greeted her, she stopped.
It was the same face that had been haunting her with naughty dreams from the past week.
She blinked a couple of times, still unable to believe it was him.
Ajay.
Slowly, as though in a trance, she went towards him.
What the hell are you doing? Are you insane? Don’t be stupid and get the hell away from him!
Ignoring her own warning, she stood in front of him. And she ran her fingers through her sweaty hair to fluff it.
Why the hell she did something that silly, she had no freaking idea.
But she wanted to know why she was behaving the way she was. Why she was responding to him in that way.
Maybe in the dimly lit gym, at four in the morning, it had felt intimate, and she somehow imagined that feeling of security and warmth around him.
“Hey,” she said, sounding slightly out of breath. And she knew it wasn’t because of the run.
Her eyes ran over his body briefly, trying not to be obvious.
He grinned at her not-so-subtle look of checking him out. He was probably used to women staring at him. And considering he was wearing only in his running shorts, leaving his upper body bare, he was receiving a lot of stares.
He was staring at her too. And that too openly at her exposed abs. She had worn only a tank top and shorts for the run due to the warm weather.
Usually, being studied like that made her uncomfortable; making her want to turn away, but there was admiration in Ajay’s gaze, along with something else that drew her in.
“So…you run here every day?” he asked.
His presence absorbed her so much that she had to force herself back to reality.
She blinked hard.
“I just started a couple of days ago,” she replied in a slightly breathless tone.
She was sweating, her lips were dry, and her hair clung to her forehead. She probably looked like a mess. She controlled the urge to straighten her hair again.
He was sweating too, but instead of looking like a mess, he looked hot. His torso was glistening, making his abs even more prominent.
“Why are you always without a shirt?” Her mouth blurted out the stupid question.
“Maybe I like the admiring glances I draw,” he deadpanned, and then laughed at her frown. “It’s way too hot for running with a shirt today.”
She couldn’t take her eyes off from his smile. Something about his smile made her melt, and feel safe.
At the word safe, her mind rebelled.
How can you ever imagine you’d be safe? Walk away and stop wasting your time with strangers.
While sh
e was having an internal battle, Ajay stepped closer, and pulled out something from behind him, and pointed it at her.
At his sudden gesture, her entire body froze.
Oh my god, he’s one of them! Maybe they found out somehow, and sent him to get you…
While her paranoid mind screamed, Ajay was watching her in amusement. “Quite jumpy, aren’t you?” he asked. “It’s just some cool water. Looks like you are out of yours,” he said, indicating to her empty bottle.
The man had just reached out for his water bottle to hand it over to her, and saw her freeze. She was sure he’d think she was crazy. And now, it was getting even weirder with her standing still, not responding. She was torn between wanting to run the opposite way, or to linger around to accept his generosity and be in his presence.
Ajay sighed. “It’s my peace offering,” he said, extending his cold bottle towards her. “An apology for startling you the other day and making you drop your phone. I hope it’s still working.”
When she still didn’t move because of her conflicting mind, he gave her one of his melting smiles.
“It’s just water. And I swear it’s not drugged. And besides, we have way too many witnesses around us, in case I really had any nefarious plans for you.”
At his teasing, she overcame her hesitation and slowly reached out and took the water bottle from his hands. Tipping it up, she drank a few sips and handed it back to him.
“Uh…thanks. I’ll get going then,” she said reluctantly.
If given a chance, she’d gaze at him all damn day. As though she didn’t have an important thing to do that day.
“It’s going to take you close to forty five minutes to get back to your hotel. Do you need a ride back?” he asked her casually.
At his offer, her entire body stiffened, and she immediately took a step back.
“How do you know where I’m currently staying? Have you been following me?” she demanded.
Ajay looked at her fierce expression, and burst out laughing. “I should ask you that,” he said as he waved at someone behind her.
“What?” she asked as her anger and fear turned into confusion.
“We are standing in front of my home. I live in those apartments, on the top most floor,” he pointed. “I can see your hotel key card,” he said, tapping at her waist where she had clipped the key card along with her phone and a small empty water bottle.
Ajay saw the goose bumps on her bare arms at his touch and smiled.
She felt like a fool.
She cleared her throat. “Well…in that case, thank you for the water,” she managed to say in a calm tone.
“My car is parked right there—” he pointed at the underground garage.
But she cut him off before she got tempted by that offer. “I don’t need a ride. I’m used to running long distances. I need to get going before it gets even warmer.”
“Wait, you didn’t even tell me your name.” He was watching her expectantly with open, eager eyes.
She paused. “Sia,” she replied finally, even though her paranoid brain was shouting at her not to give out anything.
But Ajay had been nice to her. First he fixed her broken phone, and then gave her water.
“Sia…nice name. Why a hotel? Are you visiting for a few days?” he asked.
“No. I sort of moved here recently. My first time here,” she murmured.
Apparently, her mouth stopped listening to her brain, and wanted to spill out her guts to this beautiful stranger.
“That’s nice to hear. Welcome to our great city, Sia. You should let me be your tour guide, sometime,” he grinned, pushing his hand through his hair that was due a haircut.
Her eyes followed his actions, and her fingers flexed, itching to grab him. At her stare, his eyes flared slightly, and she felt the temperature between them soar up.
She didn’t know how long they stood in middle of the road, eying each other quietly.
Until a voice called out, “Ajay!” breaking the spell between them.
A short and petite woman was heading towards them. Sia looked towards the woman and then at him.
He was smiling affectionately at the woman.
His girlfriend?
Why did that thought cause such a huge disappointment?
She really needed to get away from him.
“You must be busy. Thanks again for the water. “
“Wait. Let me introduce you to Jo. You said you were new here. You could do with some more friends.”
The woman who had joined them was staring curiously at Sia.
“Jo, this is Sia. Sia this is Jo, short for Jyotika,” Ajay introduced.
Both women assessed each other, and greeted each other politely.
“You guys must be busy. I need to be somewhere too,” said Sia, feeling slightly awkward.
“Wait. So what time will you be here to stalk me tomorrow?” Ajay asked in a mock serious tone.
Jo’s eyes widened at that. “What?”
“Long story Jo. I’ll tell you later about how Sia met me at the gym, and was so impressed by me, that she decided to follow me home. Ever since then, she’s been waiting outside, trying to catch my eyes. Today was her lucky day.”
Jo rolled her eyes at his explanation.
He grinned.
“Can I get your phone?” he asked Sia.
Without questioning, she gave it to him.
Smiling, he dialed a number on her phone and soon there was ringing in his pocket. “I have saved my personal contact number in your contacts. I know a lot of places and also a lot of people in the city. I can help you if you need anything,” he said.
Sia felt torn between wanting to accept his offer or to avoid him completely. She didn’t even know why she had given him her phone. But all she knew was that she felt excited, and also flattered.
“Jo, tell Sia that I’m a really nice and harmless guy. And that she can totally trust me as a running buddy and a soon-to-be tour guide.”
Jo looked at him, and when she saw that he was serious, “Um…yes. I have known Ajay since the last ten years. He does really know a lot of people,” she said.
Sia stared at him. Everyone in the city? Maybe he could be of some help.
Before she could re-think or overanalyze, she said, “Six. I usually start my run around that time in the morning.” Sia’s eyes widened slightly, having no clue how those words came out of her mouth.
And Ajay smiled sweetly, flashing his lick worthy dimples again. “Deal. I’m going to hold you to your word. If you break it, then I’m going to demand my due. I’ll see you tomorrow at six, Sia.”
That afternoon, after Sia had gone back to her hotel, she had later met with Varun at his house. Almost immediately, her priorities had shifted.
She didn’t keep up her promise to run with Ajay. In fact she checked-out from the hotel that very evening, and checked into another one further away from his house.
But life had a strange way of throwing Ajay at her, again, and again.
***
Two weeks had passed since what Sia had termed as the jogging incident. Since then, she had gotten a few calls from Ajay, which she refused to answer. She even blocked his number from her phone. And then unblocked him.
‘So why did you unblock him?’ her mind had taunted.
‘I don’t want to go out with him or anything. I just want it handy in case of an emergency.’
That explanation was quite lame, but she was happy enough with it.
The next time she had seen him, she was meeting her old roommate, Anjali for the first time, after nearly three years.
She was slightly nervous since she didn’t know if Anjali would even talk to her because of their last confrontation after her drug overdose.
She had accused Anjali of being jealous of her life, and called her a wannabe who could never ever amount to something. She had even called Anjali an ass-kisser because her aunt favored Anjali.
Sia knew Anjali wasn’t any of thos
e things she had accused her of. But she was enraged with her aunt telling her repeatedly that she wished she had adopted a girl like Anjali, instead of someone like Sia.
But after her long re-hab and counseling stint, Sia had looked for Anjali, but she was told that Anjali had left both the internship at Blush Enterprises and also the country.
Sia wanted to make amends, even though it might be too late. And so, she called Anjali.
Not surprisingly, based on what Sia remembered about her former roommate, Anjali had been polite. Friendly even, and wanted to catch up with her.
Since Anjali was staying with her parents, and Sia was still putting up at a hotel—until she finalized on a house—they decided to pick a quiet restaurant to have lunch and catch up.
They had been discussing about the job offer Sia had for Anjali. And right in the middle of their conversation, a man cleared his throat noisily, and sat next to Anjali, facing Sia.
It was him again. Ajay
“I’m collecting my due. Dinner. Tonight. My treat,” he said.
Sia jerked back in shock.
The damn man was everywhere. It was almost as if someone was conspiring against her and waved the temptation in front of her to distract her from her plans.
“Dinner? I don’t do that,” she replied haughtily.
“You don’t have dinner?” Ajay asked, his eyes shining in amusement.
At that comment, Sia’s eyes flared in slight annoyance, even though her face remained completely composed. “I do have dinner. But only with close acquaintances. “
“Well, we’ve met twice already, we have each other’s phone numbers. So technically, we are acquaintances. And soon, we can be close acquaintances too, once we can get to know more about each other. Over dinner.”
“No.”
“Oh come on. What’s the harm in having dinner at a public place?”
Sia sighed as though she found the whole conversation tedious, even though her heart had picked up speed in excitement. “Do you make it a habit to harass strange women for dinner?” she asked.
Even Anjali was giving Ajay a stink eye at his brazen behavior.