Accidentally Ever After

by Mariyam Hasnain

  Please, stop calling me Vicky coz hearing my nickname in your sexy voice is like throwing gasoline on the already burning fire.

  “I’m trying to be a gentleman.” Vikram chuckles.

  “I think then it’s fine.” Natasha smiles as she makes herself comfortable in the chair.

  Vikram rounds the table and reaches his own office chair, sliding in front of Natasha.

  “So what’s the urgency? You could have rested at home. It must be a hectic night for you.”

  “For you too, Vicky, but still you’re up and about your day.”

  Shit! Not again.

  Vikram watches the movement of Natasha’s pink lips, curving and rounding with each word that comes out of her sexy mouth.

  How would it feel to taste her again? Does she taste any different than she tasted a few months ago when they had a night together? Vikram wants to know.

  A creamy hand waves back and forth pulling Vikram out of his reverie. “You lost?” Next, a silky voice enters his ears and brings him back to reality.

  “No. Not at all.” Vikram straightens his back. He rests his hands on the big Mahogany table with several papers and files, a few photograph frames, a tiny china vase with no flower in it, and a MacBook.

  “So I was telling that if you can come to the office and go about your work, why can’t I follow suit.” Natasha smiles.

  “I thought I should reach office and start with work rather than spending the whole day lying in bed and gazing at the ceiling. Besides, I had this awful meeting to attend.” Vikram leans back in his chair, his gaze still resting on Natasha’s sexy as hell face.

  “Not the same reason but to some extent I too want to start with work. I want to start working as soon as I can so that I would have less time thinking about...” Natasha rests her hands on the table as she leans forward. Her head drops down for a moment and then she lifts it.

  “You okay?”

  How much Vikram wants to go by her side and pull her in his arms, take away all her pain and worries, diffuse them inside his body through osmosis.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” A weak smile plays across those fragile petals of rose.

  Silence unfurls in the serenity of the room as Vikram studies the beautiful woman sitting across from him. She’s in pain. She said she has broken up with her boyfriend. Perhaps, she's still struggling with the aftermath of the heartbreak. She needs to move on. I need to distract her.

  “You had your breakfast?” Vikram speaks picking up his mobile phone from the table.

  “Um…”

  “Undecided?”

  “Actually. I had some coffee…”

  “So you haven’t eaten anything since morning?” Vikram narrows his eyes. How could she be so careless?

  Natasha shakes her head.

  Without speaking anything, Vikram presses a number on his mobile and then lifts the device to his ear.

  “A table for two. Yup. We’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  There’s a nice office canteen on the top floor of the building but Vikram prefers to take Natasha to someplace serene. Perhaps, the cozy ambiance of Caesars could help brighten up her mood and diffuse some of her pain.

  “Hey… No… I just don’t feel like eating anything. Cancel the reservation.” Natasha narrows her eyes, her brows arching.

  “We’re going and you will eat. You’re not allowed to fast when pregnant.”

  “Is it company’s policy for pregnant employees.”

  “It’s not yet but I’ll soon be making it a policy.”

  “And what all changes you’re going to make in the wake of me joining your company.”

  Again silence descends between them, and this time it feels awkward to Vikram.

  He clears his throat and speaks, “It’s not mine but the HR’s job to think about making changes in company’s policies. I can only tell them, and if they think it's viable, they go ahead and put it in place. Simple.”

  “I do so want to trust you Vicky, but I can’t.”

  Shit. This lady is strong-headed. Not like some damsel in distress, she stands strong and reacts rationally.

  “Then don’t,” Vikram whispers looking inside Natasha’s big piercing eyes.

  Again, crimson tide paints her check. She bites her lower lip. Her eyes flinch. She drops her gaze. Looks at the table and then her doe eyes meet Vikram’s.

  “Why are you doing all this?”

  “Doing what?”

  “Going the extra mile to help me. I accepted your job offer because I needed it. You helped me with home, I appreciated it. I understand you did all this because even though we’d never been friends somehow you knew me. But now, making reservations at a restaurant just because I’m pregnant and haven’t eaten anything since morning is not right. Stop doing me favors, Vicky.” She sniffs and then dabs her thin long fingers over her eyes, wiping some stray tears hanging on her eyelids.

  “Stop calling me Vicky.” Vikram fixes her eyes on the lady. He knows the effect of his unyielding stare. It freezes Natasha for a while. Her face loses color. Her lips round. It feels as if she’s about to say something but then she drops her gaze back to the table.

  “I’m sorry if it bothers you, Mister Jaysingh. I won’t call you by that name again.”

  Shit. Mister Jaysingh has never sounded this much awful ever before.

  “Can you tell me where I’m supposed to go now? I still don’t have my offer letter and I don’t know which floor the Transaction Department is.”

  “I’ll talk to Priya. She’ll help you out. Go and meet her in the guests' lobby.”

  With that said, Vikram picks up the phone, pushes a button on the device and instructs his PA to help Natasha with the formalities of joining the office.

  “Thank you.” Natasha rises from her chair and turns around.

  “There’s a canteen on the top floor. For god’s sake, go and have something before you’re all business,” he says, his voice comes out more like a croak than the baritone it usually is.

  Vikram notices Natasha stopping in her tracks. A moment later, she spins around. Doe eyes meet the dark ones. She flinches, lips quiver but she doesn’t say anything. She turns back and trudges to the exit. Next moment, she’s gone.

  Chapter Fourteen

  What’s wrong with me? Why did I react that way? I should have politely said no. Instead, I blurted out at him, asking him to stop doing favors. How humiliating it might have been to him and how apathetic I’ve become to my own feelings.

  Natasha feels her throat clogging. Her feet falter. She somehow drags herself to the guests' lobby. A red-headed lady in a sleek black coat and slim-fit pants meet her there.

  “Hi. I’m Priya.” The lady puts her well-groomed hand out.

  Natasha shakes hand with the charming woman. Priya smiles, her shiny red lips stretching, mascara-clad eyes shining.

  “There’s a canteen at the top floor. Let me take you there. Eat something and then we'll begin with joining formalities.”

  Hell. Why everybody thinks that I should eat first.

  “No. I’m not hungry. I think first we wrap up the joining formalities.”

  “I seriously need a dose of caffeine to fight with my hangover. If you don’t want to eat, at least you can have some light drink or if you want to wait up here in the lobby, that’s also perfectly fine with me.” She motions her index to the big leather couch sitting elegantly on the ivory tiled floor.

  Natasha thinks for a while. She’s hungry. Her baby is hungry. She wants to go to the canteen and gobble down whatever is available for breakfast. Yet, she is ignoring the rumbling of her stomach. She's pretending that she is not hungry because she doesn’t want special treatment. She’s a normal employee of Jaysingh Enterprises. Nothing more than that. It doesn’t matter that she knows Vikram. It doesn’t matter if she has ever had a crush on Vikram. She wants to be seen and treated like any other worker of the company. Availing any kind of special treatment just because she and Vikram knew each other goes aga
inst Natasha’s dignity and principals.

  She can’t accept any more favors neither from Vikram nor from any of his team members.

  “Still thinking? Cool. I’ll be right back. It won’t take more than ten minutes,” Priya says and then she spins on her heels.

  “Umm…Just a sec…” Natasha fumbles.

  “Yes, hon.” Turning around, Priya speaks, her eyebrows shooting upward.

  “I think… I can eat some breakfast.”

  “Great! Let’s…” Priya smiles as she offers a hand to Natasha. Natasha gives her cold hand in the lady’s comparatively warmer one.

  “Oh, you’re so cold. Let’s feed you with some hot cheese sandwiches, girl.”

  Natasha smiles when Priya squeezes her hand, perhaps trying to warm it up. The woman is friendly and reminds her of Samantha.

  This is the way Samantha used to be with her. Always smiling and friendly and so much caring and loving she wished they were sisters. But never mind, some relationships are even stronger than blood relations. When her entire family abandoned her. When there wasn’t anyone to stand with her, Samantha offered her a helping hand.

  Natasha’s heart swells with gratitude. She feels thankful to God that He has blessed her with such a loving friend like Samantha.

  With gratitude and thankfulness, Natasha recalls what all Vikram has done for her. Not only he offered her a job in his company but helped her with a permanent flat as well. Who will offer this much help to an old schoolmate even when you’d hated that schoolmate? Okay. If not hated always maintained a distance with them. Vikram was so far away from her back in those days that it often made her question about her looks and dressing. She’d always felt self-conscious around him. Not that she doesn’t feel any self-conscious now whenever he’s around.

  “This way.” Priya gestures Natasha to enter the elevator. Next moment, they are inside the lift. Within seconds, the elevator door opens, and they step out of it.

  The corridor to the canteen has marble flooring with few metal pots decorating the corners of the narrow alley. Abstract art and colorful murals decorate the beige walls. At the end of the corridor, there’s a glass door. Priya pushes the door open and the two enter the brightly lit canteen. All sorts of food smells enter Natasha’s nose and she feels her stomach growl.

  A few minutes later, they are standing in front of the food counter. Priya orders herself a cup of coffee while Natasha zeroes in on a cheese sandwich and a glass of milk.

  Enough of the caffeine. She will drink milk now. Natasha recalls her ob./gyn words— “Plenty of milk.”

  The two then take their orders and march to an empty table.

  Setting her tray on the solid wooden table, Natasha pulls the wooden chair and slides into it. Priya follows suit.

  Priya’s behavior seems very normal to Natasha. Unlike Vikram, Priya is not going any extra mile to make Natasha feel better. Priya behaves as if Natasha is a rookie and needs help with getting along with the office environment.

  Thank god. At least, I’m gaining normalcy in life. Else, since I’ve met Vikram, it feels like my life has suddenly been transformed from a rocky pathway to a bed of roses. Something which I’m not used to of.

  Everything has been so soothing and happy for the past twenty-four hours, Natasha feels as if she’s been transported to some fairy-tale. Where Vikram is a loving and caring prince and she a pampered princess.

  “You’re a management graduate. Instead of working for some corporate giant, you chose to work in a pub and that too as a waitress. It’s surprising.” Priya sips her coffee before setting the cup on the table.

  Natasha finishes chewing the sandwich and speaks, “It’s just I want to stay away from the hustle and bustle of big cities for a while, I chose Krishnagiri. It’s a small town. They don’t have big firms there, only pubs and hotels and restaurants for the tourists. The only job I could find was in the pub as a waitress.”

  “Oh, okay. That sounds fun!" Priya chirps, "Did you ever steal a bottle or two of booze, hide it in your cloak and bring it home and enjoy it watching your favorite show?"

  Natasha smiles. “Waitresses wear aprons not cloaks. And we’re not supposed to go home in uniforms. We had to change our uniforms to our normal clothes before stepping out of the pub.”

  “So you never got a chance to enjoy the free booze?”

  “We often had staff get-togethers where we drank in moderation. Nothing extravagant. A few tequila shots here and a few vodka sips there. That’s it. And yes, free alcohol does taste better.” Natasha nods, gobbling the rest of her sandwich.

  “I bet.” Priya raises her cup in some sort of a cheers move. Smilingly, she finishes the remaining coffee, sets the cup back on the table. She dabs the napkin at the corners of her red lips and gazes at Natasha who’s having the last piece of her sandwich.

  “Done?”

  “Yup.”

  “Let’s get the thingies done.” Priya smiles rising from her chair.

  “I’m all business.”

  The moment those words escape from Natasha’s mouth, she recalls Vikram’s words. Is she here only for business? Doing her job and then going back home? Or does she expect something else? Maybe, a comforting company, a shoulder to cry on, a healing touch.

  Somewhere deep in her heart, Natasha does feel the need to have someone who she can share her pain with. Is it Vikram? Does she want Vikram to help her heal?

  Yes. She does.

  Conflicting thoughts whirl around Natasha’s head. She wants Vikram but she doesn’t want him. She wants his company, but she rejects him.

  What’s happening?

  Does she still feel something for Vikram?

  Years-old heartache resurfaces as Natasha analyzes the dynamics of her relationship with Vikram.

  Nothing exists between them. Not now, not ever. Then why the hell she is getting drawn toward him? To the owner of sexy dark eyes and even sexier lips with a double-barreled dimpled smile. Smile that’s more crooked than honest.

  “Lost?”

  Natasha jolts awake the moment a hand lands on her shoulder and a modulated female voice enters her ears. She twists her neck to face Priya.

  “Um. I’m fine.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah.” Natasha wears a sheepish smile trying to pull herself together.

  “So, let’s get going. Let’s get everything finished by lunch.”

  “Yeah.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Yes, I’ll be right there,” Vikram speaks into the receiver before disconnecting the call and setting the mobile phone on the table.

  Next, he rises and adjusts his tie knot. His meeting with the Purohits is crucial. It’s true that Mr. Purohit has agreed on investing in the Krishnagiri project, Vikram is still apprehensive about the deal.

  Although Purohits have a history of long association with Jaysinghs. Mr. Balraj Purohit and Mr. Ram Jaysingh have worked on several joint ventures and successfully completed the projects. Still, there’s this nagging worry that disturbs Vikram every now and then. Not exactly fishy but Vikram could sense something brewing inside the massive head of Mr. Balraj Purohit.

  He’s a cunning man. It’s surprising that he agreed on investing in a not-so-lucrative housing project. Krishnagiri is a small town, but Vikram sees the potential. In the next few years, there’s going to be a real estate boom. But this is Vikram's own opinion. He could be wrong. Looking at the current economic slump, there are chances that the entire real estate sector bites the dust because of lack of funding.

  Even then, Mr. Purohit is ready on investing, in fact, almost financing the entire housing project there.

  There must be something running in the old businessman’s head. Something that Vikram could only sense but couldn’t comprehend.

  Anyway. Whatever the case is. Right now, Vikram must meet Mr. Purohit on lunch and discuss the details about the project.

  Hoping that everything goes by the plan and Mr. Purohit doesn’t come up with some
new condition, Vikram marches to the door. But before he would have stepped out, his cell phone buzzes.

  “Yeah.”

  “Miss Malik wants to meet with you.”

  Natasha.

  “Send her in.”

  Disconnecting the call, Vikram strides back to his chair. His eyes study the Rolex tied to his wrist.

  Still ten minutes to the meeting.

  Vikram massages his temples. He doesn’t want to be late for the meeting nor he could avoid Natasha. It’s been two weeks since she has joined office and two weeks since their last meeting.

  What does she want to talk now? She’s clearly said that she doesn’t want me to treat her differently, that I knew her from high school. She wants to work here as a normal employee. Then why the hell she wants to meet with me without any prior appointment, especially when I’m going for a meeting?

  What the heck? This lady is driving me nuts.

  Vikram rests the palms of his hands on the cold wood of the table. And just as he does that, the door to the room clicks open. A subtle fragrance of jasmine begins assaulting Vikram’s senses as he hears a familiar footfall.

  He stands upright and sucks in a sharp breath, taking in the beauty standing at the other side of the table.

  She’s wearing a white chiffon blouse and a pleated skirt. Who asks her to wear such a sexy clothing to office? Doesn’t she know the dress code? It’s strictly formal from Monday to Thursday.

  Hell. Why does he forget it’s Friday today? She hasn’t broken any rule. This outfit goes with the HR policy of wearing casuals on Fridays.

  “Anything urgent?”

  “I’m sorry but yeah there’s something I want to talk about.”

  “Sit,” Vikram orders, pulling his chair and sliding into it, not bothering to take his eyes off her. She’s looking insanely hot and Vikram is having a hard time not to stare at her.

  “Speak,” Vikram commands as soon as Natasha sits in the chair across from him.

  “I want a leave. Tomorrow.”