Dare Trilogy | Book 3 Editing | ✓

3.20 | Burning Calories

Aarav forwarded his hand for a shake, "ASR." I realized that he was like his dad in this too. To strangers, they both offered their initials. Only after forming friendships or for family, they allowed others to call them by their first names. "It's nice to meet you, Sam. Khushi has said a lot about you."

Sam was a mixture of amused and impressed as he shook the tiny hand with his large one. "I'm sorry I can't say the same for you. How do you know Khushi?"

I just let them be, realizing I didn't need to be the mediator here. Aarav could be quite confident when he needed to be. He was a brave kid in that manner. "Oh, she's my dad's..." He had trouble saying fiancé, and so said it in a different statement, "My dad is going to marry her."

"Really?" Sam looked up at me in surprise. I'm sure he had noticed the ring on my finger, but he couldn't have known about a child in the equation.

Aarav nodded, "Yes, finally. My dad's been in love with her for years! But she..."

I ended the topic realizing it wasn't going to the direction I wanted, "Hey, okay. My boss doesn't need to know any of that."

Sam chuckled as he started asking Aarav, "So, ASR, what are you doing here? Don't you have school? As far as I know, St. Johns starts promptly at 8:30 doesn't it?" He read the name of the school from there it was printed on the tie of the uniform.

"I wanted to meet you."

"Oh?"

"Yes, had to make sure Khushi's new boss was nice." Aarav offered the alternative reality, making me smile to myself.

"He can be protective." I said to Sam whose amusement continued to grow.

"So, did I pass?"

Aarav tapped his chin and I could mentally imagine him putting on his thinking hat. "Yes." He eventually answered and Sam pretended to look relieved at having his approval.

Aarav slid off the couch and walked back over to me. He motioned for me to kneel and I leaned down with my ear next to him. He cupped my ear to whisper secretly. "I approve of your choice." I grinned at the acceptance and stood up properly. Then he went back to his mature self, "Now take me to school, lady. I'm late! Jhanvi is going to skin me alive for leaving her alone in first period."

"Okay, okay!" I laughed at him pushing me out of the room with his hands on my back.

He yelled back, "Bye Sam!"

I don't know what I was expecting when I agreed last night to introduce Aarav to Sam, but this was probably not it. He didn't give Sam the third degree. He didn't ask a single question.

After dropping him to school giving the excuse to the teacher that Aarav had forgotten to put his homework in his bag and so we had to go back to get it, I returned to work. I was sure Aarav was disappointed in me for not coming up with a better excuse that would be more believable. Because let's face it. Aarav and forget something? Impossible. Even the teacher had seemed unconvinced at that and Aarav simply had shrugged his shoulders at her.

I decided to take the elevator to 6th floor first to talk to Sam. After a knock and 'come in', I walked in to find Sam blotting a napkin over his brown shirt. "What happened in the 15 minutes I was gone?" I questioned his pitiful state.

He exhaled, "Richa." I followed my eyes to the empty cup of tea and then the dirty spot on the shirt. I could imagine she came on to him and in an attempt to avoid her, the tea fell on him. "I may just have to fire her."

I advised, "Do that, but don't continue to blot that stain any more. I suggest you just change if you have an extra shirt. If you don't, I'm pretty sure I have one in my car. I don't think my fiancé would mind."