Silent Whispers

Chapter 13: Unfinished Business

Arnav loved Monday mornings. Contrary to what the rest of his employees thought, the first day of the week always held a promise for success; the feeling was almost intoxicating. 

However, he knew his excitement was far from the mindset of a certain someone. Standing in front of him with dark bags under her eyes and a sour expression to match, Khushi looked grumpy to the say the least. It was clear she wasn't a morning person.

Of course, that didn't come as shocker to him.

Despite working with her for only three days now, Arnav knew a surprising amount of details about her; more than she let on, and definitely enough to make her angry if she even guessed how much he penetrated the barricade she put around herself.

Yes, he knew about the barricade; a wall that guarded her at all times, a facade that never slipped. It was evident from the moment he met her on the night of her birthday, when he arrived from a long and tiring trip to London.

It was another thing that his fatigue vanished as soon as he set his eyes on her. In the dim lights of his room in Shantivaan, he was instantly taken by her proud figure and smart mouth. He was smitten by how tall she stood, accusing him of kissing her, and how well she bounced back from the curveball she was hit with.

She was fighter.

And perhaps that's what intrigued him the most about her. With her high ponytails and two-piece suits, she wore a no-nonsense attitude that put even the best of people on their nerves. But that didn't bother him in the slightest.

No, Khushi Kumari Gupta mesmerized him. She was different from all the women he met in his life. She never failed to have a retort ready, even if it was for things where she was clearly wrong. It was almost as if she considered life to be a battleground and he, her enemy.

All these thoughts, however, were strictly guarded inside his mind. He knew it was a privilege to know so much about her, albeit an unintentional one; but, whatever it was, he planned to keep it for as long as he could.

"I take it," he said, breaking the unnatural silence in his cabin. "That nothing I said in the past five minutes has managed to penetrate your eardrums."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "I think it's more of a matter of nothing you said in the last five minutes made sense."

"How so?"

"Well, you basically told me my report sucks. What you conveniently left out was why."

Arnav couldn't help but grin at the comment.

"Thank you for your observation Miss Gupta, but I didn't leave out why. I told you what lacks in the report, which I believe is more than enough reason."

She grumbled in response, causing Arnav to smirk.

He knew she hated being wrong, and more so, being proven wrong by him. And that was precisely what he enjoyed the most in their conversations. He enjoyed seeing the frown on her face every time he brought up her errors, as if she was a sulking five year old. It was almost adorable to watch.

"Well," she said. "I agree my report lacks some things, but at the same time, that doesn't make it wrong."

And here it is again, Arnav thought drily.

Her need to establish her intelligence, her need to prove she was right. It surprised him endlessly to see a girl of just twenty-four driven so hard. What was is that she was seeking? His approval? Her recognition? It all seemed so hazy.

"No, it doesn't," he answered, thoughtfully. "But it doesn't make it the best either."

"Says who?"