Nitin shrugged. “At some level, yes. Think about it, has she ever denied you anything? She’s always been around for you, hardly ever dated anyone else…”
“Shit!” Ritwik emptied his beer bottle.
Nitin’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not very encouraging. You better not mess with her.”
“Shut the f**k up! You know I wouldn’t ever do that to TinTin. I mean, c’mon man! But…”
“But? But what?” Nitin snapped.
“I don’t know whether I am attracted to her that way. I was zapped when she told me she’s had feelings, okay? I want to see where this goes, at least for her. And, well, we have been keeping other guys at bay. Now to think that I am dating her.” He laughed awkwardly. “It’s surreal.”
Nitin stared at Ritwik. He felt a little sorry at his friend’s predicament, although he wasn’t sure if what Tanya felt wasn’t a mere crush.Time alone will answer that, Nitin thought to himself.
“Anyway, I got to get back. Thanks, man!” Ritwik got up, followed by Nitin. They did the man slap thing and moved out. Before Ritwik turned away, Nitin stopped him for a moment.
“Don’t hurt her. Until you’re sure about your feelings, take it slow. I won’t spare you if you break her heart.” For a happy-go-lucky man, Nitin’s face was completely serious.
“Seriously? She’s my friend too, asshole! I’ll handle this.” Ritwik nodded and got into his car.
Chapter 9
On Thursday morning, Tanya got up with a smile on her face. She hummed to herself and almost skipped to the shower, and dressed in her favorite white and black office dress. After having a healthy fruit and muesli for breakfast, she did her makeup and blow dried her burgundy-strewn tresses. Taking her car keys, she got into her favorite pair of Miu Miu black pumps that had a cute bow.
Tanya drove with ease, entering the office building much before her usual time. “Good morning,” Her chirpy voice amused the security, who nodded back with a smile. Tanya came out of the elevator, almost colliding against a hard chest.
“Ouch! Sorry.” Her pulse fluttered as she inhaled the cologne. She stared into the dark eyes, her smile and good mood dipping as she noticed the angry expression on Neil’s face. “Is everything...okay?” Tanya asked tentatively.
“Get me the quarter end reports in half an hour. I want to look through them before tomorrow’s meeting.”
“Yes, sir.” Tanya hurriedly moved to her desk, opening her mailbox in a flurry.
“Ms. Kumar?” Tanya looked up at the angry face. “Come in with a print out of the reports. I also want to know the revenue per division. Get me the charts against the previous quarter.”
“Yes, sure.” Tanya was hurt at Neil’s tone and attitude. She found it hard to believe this was the same man who had kissed her softly on her cheek. She almost felt her heart break at the memory, but swallowed her hurt and quickly printed out the reports. Ten minutes later, she knocked at Neil’s door.
“Come in.”
She pretended not to notice his brusque tone. “Here you go.” Tanya gave him the reports. What started as a discussion about the quarter ending report, went on for the next two hours. By ten, Tanya was dying for some coffee. Her good mood had vanished by the time they’d communicated the changes to the leadership.
“That will be it. Make the changes to the report and get the presentation done by tomorrow. I want to have a look at the updated slides by nine tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir.” Tanya’s voice was quiet, almost withdrawn. She got up from her seat without another word, and slowly walked towards the door. She hesitated for a minute behind the closed door. “Don’t you want to know how my dinner went with Ritwik yesterday?” Despite his cold shoulder, she looked hopeful.
“I don’t see how your personal life is related to the quarter results, Ms. Kumar. Perhaps you should concentrate more on the work at hand.” Neil couldn’t help himself. He knew he was being harsh, taking his bad mood on her.
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” Tanya looked down, her voice deathly quiet.
Almost immediately, Neil regretted his outburst. Usually, he was never deliberately hurtful towards anyone. He was honest and blunt, never hurtful. He knew he had made a grave mistake when she refused to argue with him. She didn’t even attempt to raise her voice or give him a piece of her mind. Cursing his short temper, he walked up to Tanya. “I am sorry.” His voice was quiet and apologetic. At his words, Tanya raised her eyes to his. Something shifted in him at the unshed tears in her gray eyes. Her lips trembled as if she couldn’t take his harshness.
“Ah, shit!” Neil mumbled. He pulled her petite form to his larger one, engulfing her in a hug. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
“It was.” Her watery voice made him smile. “I thought you were my friend. No worries, I wouldn’t…”
Neil placed a finger on her lips. “I said I’m sorry.” His eyes begged for her forgiveness along with his lips.
Tanya looked into his dark eyes, almost forgetting what they were speaking about. Neil looked at her eyes, his gaze slowly moving down. His eyes skimmed over the dress, finally looking at her black heels. He almost let out a groan, “One day, you will be the death of me.”
Tanya continued to look in to his eyes. She felt herself stiffen at his perusal. Her eyes widened when she felt his lips come closer to hers. Instinctively, she closed her eyes as his lips almost touched hers. She was surprised her heartbeat couldn’t be heard outside. She gave a breathy sigh, waiting for his kiss, when a brisk knock pulled them apart. She drew back, looking as shocked as Neil.
