She grinned — “I’ll just have to find a rickshaw from home then. It’ll be at your expense.”
He frowned.
She did not take the bait.
“How?” He clipped.
“I am putting my travel on party expense.”
“Your celebrations are not party expense.”
“As per my latest conversation with Atharva on employee budgeting, they are.”
He exhaled through his nose. The turn to Highland’s Pub came closer, and Samar took the turn, sensing her whole body brighten up at an apparent victory. They came closer to the pub, and he slowed the car. Just when her finger went to the handle, he pressed the accelerator and she was thumped back in her seat.
“Hey!”
“Answer straight.”
“Stop! Samar!”
“Do you have it?”
“It must have expired.”
He stopped the car. And turned to her — “You haven’t bought a new pepper spray in four years?”
“I never got around to using that one. It’s anyway in my other purse.”
He ground his teeth. Amaal smiled at him, that dimple pushing into her left cheek like some redemption for any crime she had ever committed and ever would commit. Samar startled at that thought. Where was he going with this? This was wrong. This was… madness.
“Don’t worry,” she snapped open her door and pushed one foot out of the car. “I will be coming home with Fahad and everyone. They have a car.”
“What time?”
“Enough now.” She jumped down and closed the door.Bye,she mimed through the closed window. Then turned and began to walk back to the door of the pub behind them. Samar sat there, watching her go in the sideview. And then he saw what she had left behind.
He put the car in reverse and hit the accelerator. She startled as he stopped next to her.
“What?!” She fumed.
He depressed the passenger window. “Call me when you reach home.”
“Ok.” She waved, clearly not looking like she was planning to.
“With what will you call?”
“My phone.”
“Where is it?”
She pushed into her pocket and stilled. Instantly, she dove through the window, pushing her head and arm to reach for her mobile lying in the coffee holder between their seats. She couldn’t reach it. She began to open the door, and he locked it.
“What?” She snapped.
“Stand on the side.”
She stepped back from the window but did not move from her spot. So he had to reverse twice to turn the car and park it in the space outside the pub. Samar grabbed her mobile, her folders, and climbed out. He shut the door and locked the car.
