He glanced at her gloved and mud-covered hands, detecting a mud smudge also coating a few strands of her hair. Was this the cool and impeccable Lyna of his office? With a ponytail and a shiny nose that made her look like a teenager.
‘You’re planting trees on the roadside?’
He usually prided himself on not stating the obvious, but she had caught him by surprise this time.
The security man was relieved to find an ally. Or at least impartial observer. He rushed to secure his sympathy. ‘That’s what I have been telling ma’am, sir for the past fifteen minutes. This is the portion of ground as you can see where cars reverse for a bit when they straighten to go out. Especially the big SUV which can’t turn on the concrete.’
‘Well, the car can go back and forth instead of going off the concrete to the ground.’ Lyna was in no mood to take no. ‘I can’t move the tree more than this. It needs space to grow.’
‘I can’t allow you to put it in soil without the owner knowing about it ma’am. Already we have three by the boundary there.’ He pointed towards the back of the building. ‘The manager wasn’t happy about that. He said the gardener was planning to plant rose bushes…’
‘Trees are more useful than rose bushes. Surely, they know that! And I know I cannot put anymore there. And the policeman told me not to plant them by the roadside. How will we manage the environment if citizens are not willing to adjust even this much...’ She held up her fingers and thumb at one inch distance… ‘I don’t know!’
Guy glanced around. ‘What about by that gap there, in the hedge?’ He pointed to the far side.
‘Sir, the hedge is growing there.’
‘No, it’s not filling the bend of the L.’ They all walked over to the spot. ‘The cars can have room to draw figures of eight if they are so inclined – and there’s plenty of space for the tree to grow thick and stout,’ Guy announced.
He got a warm look from Lyna. ‘It looks even better than the other site.’
The security man stood scratching his head. ‘I don’t know,’ he said uncertainly. ‘No one puts in a tree in the corner of the hedge.’
Lyna said in a placating way. ‘I’ll talk to Mr. Kang. He won’t mind. I’ll tell him it’s important and…’ Her eyes brightened as an idea struck her. ‘We can have a row of trees here instead of a hedge.’
‘No, ma’am, the cars would be dirtied by birds sitting in the trees.’
‘Think of the shade!’ said the redoubtable Miss Perry.
Guy began to chuckle as they finally made their way inside. Not one to leave him shirking his duties as a conscientious environmentalist, she had him help her with the planting, rewarding him with splatters of mud droplets on his sneakers. Even the security man, whose name turned out to be Bimal, was roped in to water the young one, slightly appeased when he was asked to pose with the growing sapling, with all his tobacco stained teeth, for a photo Guy promised him would be shared with ten thousand people which made him say, ‘Sir, one more!’ and pose in an alert posture, his chest puffed out and hands straight by his side. ‘In this you look just like a hawaldar,’ Guy told him. That made him bear with equanimity the prospective tree thrust on his conscience.
‘What’s so funny?’ Lyna demanded as they stepped into the elevator.
‘Nothing. I’m just overawed that you actually invited me for tea.’
‘I know you don’t take tea. That was a way of speaking.’ She smiled happily at him. Or at least benignly. The absence of ice was a refreshing change. He felt the sight prick his conscience. ‘You won’t like me so much when you hear the news,’ he warned as they stepped out of the elevator to walk down the tiled corridor.
She paused. ‘The news?’
‘You haven’t heard? You haven’t checked your mobile, have you? Been busy planting trees?’
‘Well, someone has to.’ She went inside and gestured for him to go along to what he found was the living room. She disappeared along the hall and her voice floated back to him. ‘For your information, tree planting isn’t that much of a pastime as you seemed to regard it. It’s a necessity. Every year we are losing trees at an alarming rate. Did you know that 14,000 square km of forests has been cleared over the past three decades in India, that means forests nearly two-thirds the size of Haryana? Mining, industries and urbanization is taking precedence over the environment. Cities aren’t even ideal for growth of trees because they affect their number and the age at which they mature. Did you know that?’ She came back, drying her hands with a towel and putting it away in a basket. ‘But even so, planting trees still helps. Street trees also reduce the negative effects of urbanization on birds.’
With almost automatic movements, she opened the fridge located in the open plan kitchen and extracted two bottles of what looked like mango squash. ‘Peepal gives out maximum oxygen,’ she told him, handing him an ice cold bottle. ‘That’s why I prefer to plant it. It’s a hardy sapling. Of course, it has to be protected from animals, but it grows anywhere! People uproot it though because it grows in cracks and splits walls and the roots might even go deep enough to the foundations.’
‘I suppose they should move house rather than uproot the poor peepal,’ Guy said.
‘Well no…I was just discussing…’ Their eyes met and she stopped, obviously realizing she’d been going on a tirade. Guy wished he hadn’t interrupted. She smiled and said with a lilt of amusement in her voice. ‘How I must have been torturing you! I guess I got a bit carried away.’ But the color rose in her cheeks and she seemed to get down from her hobby horse.
CHAPTER NINE
‘A bit?’ he kidded her. ‘I thought I was going to be treated to a lecture on climate change and urbanization. But seriously, it was refreshing to see you all fired up when you’re so cool usually.’
Lyna felt the keenness of his gaze. He added, ‘Not to mention, it was inspiring, from someone who has lived in the city all her life.’
‘I haven’t actually. My mother belongs to the suburbs of Pathankot and I used to love roaming about in the mango orchards whenever she took me there for a visit. But you don’t want to hear about that.’ She made a dismissing gesture. ‘I don’t know what possessed me. I shouldn’t have bored you. Except that I hate it when anyone puts nature down and glosses over its importance.’
‘I’m sure no one could gloss over peepal tree and the resultant cracks,’ he said, straight facedly. Only a gleam in his eyes betrayed him as he added, ‘By the way, if you continue biting your cheeks, you’ll have pits in them. Haven’t I told you, you should laugh out loud and not keep it in?’
She made the mistake of looking into his eyes. Amusement shone in the dark depths and lit an answering spark in hers.
Beyond the shared humor, she was conscious of a sensation of warmth, unexpected but alarmingly, not so unwelcome. She was caught by surprise, much like she had been at the party.
She still wasn’t over that. Last night she’d lain awake, her mind fast forwarding and back over the events of the evening. Despite herself, her mind kept braking on that kiss. How it felt to have his hands tighten on her waist. How his lips had felt like the trigger of an instant chemical reaction. How the flame of wanting burned through her body for a quicksilver moment as shock held her immobile.
The next instant reality had dawned. Thankfully.
And then he’d followed her. ‘I saw you two arguing. Needed to take the bike around anyway. In summers, it’s kept shut too long in the garage. Might get rusted.’ Was all he would say when she brought up the matter again when he dropped her home.
Now he was here outside the work hours. Taking her part against the recalcitrant security man. So what? She shook herself out of stupid thinking. She’d better find out what he wanted. It was probably related to work. He should have phoned though, a small voice in her mind persisted.
These thoughts would do her no good, she told herself firmly. Last evening should have remained just what it was supposed to be. Guy helping her. And she should put
anything else which had arisen as a consequence, out of her mind.
About to ask him for the reason of his visit, she caught sight of him drinking mango juice rather tamely and almost apologized. ‘I don’t take or keep beer,’ she told him.
‘I sort of got that.’ He inclined his head. ‘This is good. Quite sweet, but nicely chilled.’
‘And much healthier!’ She was encouraged to add, ‘Beer damages the liver and in the long term, it affects your judgement and diminishes memory.’ He raised eyebrows and she put her hand on her eyes. ‘And I’d better stop with the lectures now.’
‘Lecture on, I don’t mind. The supporters would argue, it increases stamina. However, I’m not a chronic drinker. You’re mistaken if you think I guzzle beer.’
‘Yes, I know you don’t.’ She’d seen him drink butter milk on thirst inducing afternoons. ‘I was...’ She stopped short. She’d been thinking of another guy...another time.
‘Maybe because of the bike, I was slotting you in those sort of groups,’ she tagged on rather lamely.
‘I didn’t know you went with the popular views.’ She didn’t respond to that, still slightly jarred by the memory of her ex that had crept up. Harish had used to take beer…he would load the fridge. Why had she related Guy with that sort of behavior? Unconsciously, she’d connected him with a relationship that was past. Guy wasn’t her boyfriend. Far from it.
He said, breaking the silence. ‘At home, we have thandai in summers...milk with rose, saffron and almonds.’
‘Do you go there often? You haven’t taken much time off in the last few months, have you?’
He shook his head. Like her, he fell silent.
She searched for something to say and was reminded of what he had said. ‘You said something about checking my mobile? Was there anything urgent? Hope nothing has occurred at the office that shouldn’t have.’
‘No such luck. Though not at the office precisely.’ He caught her expression and nodded. ‘Oh yes, it’s that fiancé of yours.’
‘Ex fiancé! I gave him his ring back.’
‘Well done,’ he said warmly. ‘Anyway, your ex fiancé Mr. Kook has put his threat through. It’s all over the sharing apps.’
‘What?’ She made a dash for her phone and gasped as she pressed the fingerprint sensor. ‘One thousand messages!’
About 500 were from her mother along with about twenty missed calls. ‘Oh no, I forgot to turn on the sound after I was done with meditation this morning!’
‘You plant trees and meditate as well? Are you Buddhist?
She was frowning and responded absently, ‘No. My mother takes me to seminars sometimes. I meant I’m done with… I mean literally done with it. I tried and decided I couldn’t concentrate. I think too much. Oh God.’ She sat down. ‘What am I going to say to my Ma?’
‘What about your Pa? He doesn’t mind?’
‘He’s probably too busy keeping his own kisses from going viral.’ She looked up, tongue between her teeth. ‘Heck, I didn’t say that. I didn’t mean to, anyway.’
‘I didn’t hear anything,’ he said obligingly. She darted him a look which held a mixture of feelings, not least of which was curiosity and grudging gratitude.
‘Why don’t we have another mango juice and discuss this?’ He went to her fridge and brought two bottles out. ‘To hell with blood sugar.’ He handed her a bottle and raised his in a toast.
‘Thanks.’ She sipped quietly, beginning to feel a little calmer in spite of the sweetness.
‘They didn’t even have a clear view.’ She ran the ten second video again.
‘But enough to make us recognizable. And we are a bit known in the industry.’
‘It’s all your fault,’ she said. ‘No, mine. It’s all my fault. I had to go to you for help despite your reputation.’
‘What’s this about my reputation? Didn’t I tell you not to listen to gossip?’
‘Well, I didn’t. But you did cross the line,’ she pointed out. ‘Like the flirt that you are.’
‘You’re wrong.’ His denial came crisp and firm. ‘Things aren’t always what they seem.’
She was prevented from musing over this cryptic statement. Her head jerked up as she heard the screeching sound of tires subjected to being braked suddenly and the slamming of a car door. She hurried to the window and looked down. ‘Oh no, it’s someone in a van. Looks like media.’
‘Calm down.’ He held up a hand and made a call. ‘There. That will be taken care of.’
She didn’t have to wait for long to see the effect. In a few minutes, by the time she gingerly sipped her mango juice, the van had backed away.
‘Wow, you do know how to pull the strings. I’m impressed.’
‘That’s nothing.’ He winked. ‘Try me on a date, I could impress you much more. In ways that really matter.’
‘Couldn’t resist that, could you?’ She sighed and shook her head at him.
He grinned and changed the subject. ‘To come back to the clip, it’s more the impression of our home viewers I’m thinking of. And I have a way out.’
‘You do? I wonder if you can pull a rabbit out of a hat. Because that’s what we need.’
‘Better than a rabbit. Magic shows are entertaining but fairy tales…now they are heart touching,’ he announced triumphantly. ‘Suppose we go along with it? It’s not that farfetched. I’ll issue a statement that Brijesh was involved with that woman and so you broke off –’
‘No, nothing about Meghna. I promised her that her name wouldn’t come into it.’
He gave her a considering look, then accepted her objection. ‘Well, then what about laying the blame on Brijesh himself? After you become engaged with him, gradually you were coming to realize it was a bad idea. You two had differences, so you turned to me. We hit it off so well, now you aren’t thinking of going back. All too plausible. He didn’t even take you to the dance floor once in yesterday’s party. Is it any wonder you got fed up with him and impressed with my charm, my kisses and my dancing? Not in that order!’ His eyes glinted wickedly. ‘In fact, all that is needed to make the whole thing real, is for you to come out on an actual date with me.’
Their eyes met and there was an infinitesimal pause in which her heart miss a beat and her breath hitched at the thought of an intimate evening with him, and during which she instinctively and immediately decided he could not be serious even if his offer sounded like it.
She managed to laugh. ‘Very likely. As though we should get along even for a few minutes together. You’d probably get on my nerves. And irritate me with your flirty innuendoes. And you’d hate my orderly ways in everything.’
‘May be, may be not. So, we go along with this thing for a while.’ He continued so normally, she heaved a silent sigh of relief she hadn’t shown any interest in his half flippant offer. Obviously, he hadn’t meant it seriously. She concentrated on his words. ‘Then something new comes along and we can quietly break up.’
‘Because fairy tales do end?’ she derided.
‘People are wise enough to know they do. But they still lap it up. Do you know, in some cities, there’s a 350 per cent increase in divorce rate. The world over, eight hundred thousand people get divorced every year.’ He shook his head. ‘People go bonkers over romance anyway.’
She didn’t have anything to say to that. Her own parents had made a hash of it, so her silence was affirmative rather than negative.
After a while, he switched to another aspect of their predicament. ‘The media won’t trouble you. I can come and pick you up in the morning, if you’re feeling apprehensive.’
‘No. I can handle minor things like that.’ She shrugged. Inwardly, she felt a warm rush to know he was willing to take the trouble for her. For his company director. She derided her reaction.
She mused over Brijesh’s move. ‘He called last night, you know. Dead drunk. Told me if he wasn’t getting me to agree to the engagement, he would make sure I would regret being so rash…or something to that effec
t.’
‘It didn’t change your mind?’
She tilted her chin. ‘Do you think it would? Then you don’t know me. I hate turning down challenges!’
‘That’s my girl!’ he said approvingly.
For some reason, it made her cheeks warm up. Her gaze met his and they smiled in a sort of comradeship.
He began to make noises about leaving. ‘Wait.’ A thought struck her. ‘What do I tell my mother?’
She realized the incongruity of asking him that question and added, ‘We should be clear on our versions in case someone asks her.’
‘If she saw the clip, she’d know also he was too busy eating to take you to the dance floor. So, you were full of gratitude because I rescued you from boredom. By the way, you forgot to give me a kiss to show your gratitude. If you’re regretting it, you can make amends.’ He gave her a bland look, for all the world as though he meant his over the top remark in all sincerity.
She must be a fool, but she couldn’t resist saying, ‘We have been to that department.’
‘Yes...fun, wasn’t it?’
His cool, laughing gaze settled on her face. She wished her expression wasn’t showing anything. But her mother often said her face showed every reaction.
‘You really like rubbing people up the wrong way, don’t you?’ she said with some spirit.
His smile widened. ‘I like to ruffle you. Is that coolness natural? How deep is it? Are you really that way or is it to keep guys away?’
He’d hit on it. She tried to control the butterflies rising in her stomach and took a deep breath. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. And I’ve warned you, I don’t like sex innuendos.’
‘You haven’t told me you won’t put up with them,’ he said provocatively.
She gave him a cool stare. ‘Jashith Pratap Singh, it’s not always wise to go breaking the ground rules.’
He chuckled. ‘It’s not always wise to stay on the shore. Sometimes you have to take the jump.’ His eyes glinted. ‘If I put it clearer than that, I would be breaching protocol, so I’ll let it stand.’
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