Not A Simple Engineer Boy!

Forty Four: Torsional Rigidity (Part 3)

'Hello, Sunshine.'

Krithika smiled as she read the message. She understood how persistent men could be when they wanted a woman's attention.

It had been a week already and Rathna was not tired at all. Something was charming about him that made her not block him from her list of contacts. His imprudent innuendo, his crappy cringe messages, his genuine concern, everything felt comforting.

He didn't ignite passion or desire within her rather he brought calmness to her anxious self. Chatting with him was nothing but joyful at its best. Yet she couldn't agree with his request, she kept delaying any response.

A ping from her phone made her look at the screen again.

'I ate a Tilgul- sesame laddoo today, it reminded me of you.'

She replied, 'Why? Was it round and ugly?'

'No, it was dark and sweet, just like you.'

She blushed at his hopeless romanticism. He couldn't stop flirting with her, every day chatting about things he did and how it reminded him of her.

'And they were so good, so tasty, that I wanted more...'

'Shut up!'

If she had been fair-skinned, she would have looked like a tomato but her dark cheeks could only have a faint tint of pink.

'I am typing, how could I shut up?'

'Bye, I reached the office.' she typed as she entered the elevator. Rathna had left for his ancestral home to celebrate Uttarayan, which was located somewhere in Ahmedabad.

'Okay... Can I call you tonight?'

She read the message twice. It wasn't like he was being unreasonable, after chatting for a week he just was trying to take his chance. She sighed, 'Okay, but I like my sleep way more than anything, I won't be able to talk much.'

'No problem, your voice would be enough for my dreams.'

'BYE!'

She just wanted to keep her phone down and stop smiling like a fool.

--

"Krithika, you are not going home?"

Sathya asked her as she walked towards the office cafeteria, "No, I like to be alone during festivities.", she replied ignoring the pang in her heart.

"Sorry, I forgot.", Sathya slipped next to her, the pleats of her saree flowing with every step. She looked nothing less than regally graceful.

"It's okay, I am just grateful that you tried and convinced my father for the job.", Krithika gave her a weak smile.

"Oh, yes.", Satya nodded, "Your father, sorry to say, is the most intolerable human I have ever met.", she huffed, "I don't know how Xavier had kept his calm and put some sense into him."

Krithika stopped in her tracks, "Xa-- I mean sir was with you?", she tried to control her tone, wanting to sound casual and not at all as shocked as her mind, which felt uncomfortable with this new revelation.

He was there?

"Yes, I can't deal with men like him, moreover I despise sexists. I wanted you to join me as I saw that great potential in you.", she added as they slowly started to walk, "Xavier never questioned my intention, it was not the first time where I dragged him through the mud and emerged with a diamond."

She would have swooned with the compliment that Satya had directed on her if her mind wasn't stuck on the fact that it was Xavier who had stood for her. Does it change anything though? He didn't stand for her against her father, he talked to her father only because Sathya had believed in her.

But she knew her father and she knew what kind of insults would have been hurled at anyone who defied him. And... Xavier had stood against all of it?

"Parents are not always right, they say it wrong.", Sathya held Krithika's shoulders, "You should join me for the Pongal. I only have my little sister around with me every year... She would love you."

"Umm... Okay.", she couldn't deny it.

He stood against my father for me.

She went to take her coffee; she wanted it to taste as bitter as poison to remove any thoughts from her mind.

--

A/N

The line- "Ippadiku Yen Idhaayam." awww :*

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