Heat rushes to my cheeks. “That… wasn’t because of him. I was just overwhelmed.”
He watches me for a moment, his eyes softening. “Meera, you’ve got to be careful. You get dragged into things without even realising it.”
“That’s not fair.”
“It’s true,” he counters matter-of-factly. “And Dev, he’s not someone you just talk to and forget.”
I swallow, because somewhere it’s too close to the truth.
He sighs and looks ahead through the windshield. “Anyway, forget it. We’d better go in. We’re already late.”
“Yeah,” I nod, reaching for the door handle.
But just as I push the door open, his phone rings.
He glances at the screen. “I need to take this call.”
“You take the call. I’ll head in,” I tell him, stepping out.
He hesitates for a fraction of a second, then nods. “Okay. See you inside.”
I give him a small smile and close the door, watching him lift the phone to his ear as I make my way towards the office entrance. I push through the glass doors, my eyes glued to my purse as I search for my access card.Where did I even keep it?I mutter under my breath, heading straight for the elevator without looking up.
My fingers finally brush the plastic edge, and I exhale in relief as I step into the lift and press the button for my floor.
Just as the doors start to close, an annoyingly familiar husky voice cuts through.
“Good morning, sweetheart.”
I jerk and turn to see Dev standing right beside me, leaning casually against the elevator wall.
“You?” I whisper in disbelief.
He grins. “Yes, me, sweetheart.”
I jab the button for the lift to stop, wanting nothing more than to get away, but the elevator halts abruptly. My stomach drops.
“Why did the lift stop?” I ask, pressing the button again. And again. Harder.
“Thank me for it, sweetheart. I figured this was the only way to make a stubborn kid like you talk to me.”
I whirl towards him. “Don’t act too smart, Mr. Dev Rathore. Do you think I am some stupid, helpless girl who can’t handle herself when you do something so absurd?”
He chuckles, a deep, amused sound that sends a shiver down my spine. “Of course I don’t. If you were stupid or helpless, I wouldn’t bother stalking you.”
My breath catches as he steps closer, and I stumble back until my back hits the lift wall.
“Relax,” he murmurs, his eyes locked on mine. “I only want to spend a few minutes with you.”
“Minutes?” I scoff. “I can’t even spend asecondwith you.”
Before I can move, he lifts his hands and places them on either side of me on the metal wall,cagingme in.
“Then who do you like spending time with? That loser journalist boyfriend of yours? The one whose car you just stepped out of?”
My breath stutters. “That’s none of your business.”
“Oh, it is,” he says calmly. “And I must say, it’s a sad choice. No, actually, a bad choice.” He leans in slightly. “But I guess girls like you prefer boys like him.”
