By the time Ria reached the café, it was 5:35pm. She had left early enough, but traffic was bad.
He was already there. Sitting in an isolated corner. Engrossed in his mobile.
If he did see her as she got into her seat, he didn't let it on.
Ria cleared her throat.
Shiv put his mobile aside and sat back in his chair. "So talk."
"What no niceties?"
"You came here to meet me to hear niceties?"
Trying to play it cool, huh? You shouldn't have responded so quickly then! Ria thought.
"Let's have some coffee. I want a mochaccino," Ria said looking around for a waiter. "May be a velvet cake to go with it."
"Are you here to eat?" His tone was bored and a tad annoyed.
"I am hungry. I cannot talk if I am hungry." Ria said with a bright smile.
Shiv narrowed his eyes and looked at Ria, but didn't comment more.
"Do you want anything?" she asked.
"I want to be out of here. Stop wasting my time."
Wasting your time, my ass! Ria thought. Time to make it a level playing field.
"So why did you come?" Ria asked
"Did you suffer a memory loss or something? You called me here!"
"And you agreed to come."
"Is there a point to this? I thought you wanted to talk. Or was that all a joke?" Shiv asked. He was now clearly annoyed.
"I do want to talk," Ria said
"Then get on with it. What are you waiting for?"
"I am waiting for you to admit that you want to talk as well," Ria said leaning back into her chair confidently
"You were the one who requested me to meet you. I didn't come to you asking anything."
"So you don't want to talk about our brothers?"
Shiv clenched his jaw; his eyes narrowing as he looked at her. "Look, stop wasting—"
Ria had gotten out of her chair, picking up her handbag. "I wont waste your time then."
Ria turned away. She bit her lip. Come on! Come on! Admit it already! She prayed.
"Ria." His voice was flat. He didn't say anything more.
He isn't going to give in completely. Ria closed her eyes. It was now up to her to decide if she really wanted to go through with the threat and see if he would contact. But what if he doesn't? He might want this as well, but it was going to be about who wanted it more. And right now, she knew it was her–even if he didn't.
"Ria, sit down," he told her again.
She bit her lip. She straightened her back and turned around meeting his eyes. They both stayed where they were, with eyes locked on each other in challenge, before Shiv tilted his chin to point to the chair in front of him.
Ria eased in to the chair without breaking eye contact. They may still not be at equal positions of strength in this deal, but he wanted this as well and she wasn't going to let him forget that.
"So?" Shiv said after a few minutes
"So"
"Are you going to talk?"
"Why don't you start? You want to talk about it too!"
"You want it more!" Shiv smirked, letting her know he knew.
"What do you think is going on between our brothers?"
"Umm Umm! I thought you wanted to talk. That was a question."
Ria rolled her eyes. "I know it was a question. What do you think of it?"
"Why don't you tell me what you think?"
"Really! Seriously! Are you going to play who blinks first in this!" Ria said widening her eyes.
"Isn't that a bit like pot calling kettle black?" Shiv was smirking.
Ria huffed. "Fine. I will be the mature one."
Shiv cleared his throat and rolled his eyes.
Idiot! Ria thought, but didn't say out loud. "Have you seen the way they react to each other. Doesn't it seem as though there is a something that has happened between them?"
Shiv shrugged his shoulder. "They are rivals, not best friends. They hate each other."
"They looked ready to kill each other!" Ria exclaimed.
"Are you telling me you don't think of killing me? Let me break your illusion then. You give me those looks as well," Shiv said with lopsided smile.
Don't tempt me! She thought. Annoyance creeping into her being.
"You are giving me that look now. I should take a photo of it," Shiv said taking out his phone.
"Shiv! Okay! Fine! I get it. Please put that away!" Ria exclaimed. Unbelievable! Ria knew he would have taken that photo as well.
Shiv smirked and put the phone away.
"Look we both know it is more than simple business rivalry. There is something serious going on." Ria was sombre. She didn't want to drag this more.
Shiv's expression turned serious as well. "What do you think it is?"
Ria knew he wasn't trying to be an ass. It was a genuine question. "I don't know." She was taking a risk by saying more, but she knew she needed to. "It just feels very personal. I know that if their control breaks, they could actually kill each other."
Shiv looked at her but didn't say anything. He seemed to be thinking.
"Is there something different about your brother? Is he acting odd?" Ria asked
"Odd how?" Even as Shiv said those words, his recent car conversation with his brother popped up in his head.
"Like they would do anything to destroy the other person. That it is all they can think. Live. Breath." Ria's eyes prickled and she looked away for a second.
Shiv remembered walking in on his brother a fortnight back. It was on the rooftop at their house. His brother was finishing a cigarette, holding a drink–probably whiskey–in his hand. Shiv remembered standing there frozen for a second. That was supposed to be his athletic, health conscious teetotaler brother?
"There are some things different," Shiv admitted almost reluctantly. "Nothing big though." That last one was more for himself. He wanted to hear it, even if it didn't feel true.
"Like what?" Ria asked casually
"Just some drinking, smoking and things..." He didn't want to reveal more about his brother to Ria. She was after all still the enemy.
He wasn't sure why he agreed to come. When she first messaged him, he was just trying to mess with her with the dating comment. When her next message came, it felt as though it glared at him. He was worried about his brother, but Ria wasn't his preferred person to talk about it. Far from it.
But she had messaged. She must have seen something. Heard something may be. He wanted to know. There was no one at home he could ask–at least not without causing panic for his mom and Bhabhi or without raise ire from his father and his brother. They really were Villain and Minion!
"Things like what?" Ria asked wide-eyed. "Drugs? Women?"
"What the hell! Have you lost it? What kind of weird things do you think about?" Shiv asked.
"You were the one who said drinking, smoking and things. What else would come after that!" Ria asked, annoyed.
"Nothing! Nothing that you need to know. Stick to the topic!" Shiv warned her.
"I am trying to!" Ria shot back.
"So what do you know?" Shiv asked, steering her away from talking on 'things'.
"If I did know anything I would have never come to you!" Ria said.
Shiv rolled his eyes. I don't want to be here as well, he thought. "So how do we find out?"
"I have tried my family and all of Bhai's friends. What about your brother or your family?"
Shiv shook his head. "That is no-go zone"
"Then who?"
"I know someone," Shiv said vaguely.
"Who? Some friend? Another rival? Some business cont—," Ria shot
"Hold your horses. I know a detective. God! You don't know when to stop!" Shiv said, shaking his head.
Ria huffed. "Is he any good?"
"It's a she," Shiv said plainly.
"I am guessing one of your girlfriends!" Ria rolled her eyes. "Flirt!"
"Excuse me!" Shiv said annoyed.
"So when do we meet her?" Ria asked
"You don't meet her."
"It is about my brother. I want to know who is going to be involved." Ria crossed her arms.
Shiv looked at her for a second–annoyed. "Fine!"
Ria smiled back and sinking in her chair, satisfied.
"Can you handle a bike ride?"
"What?" Ria asked wide-eyed. Bike?
Thanks for reading. Hope you like this one. Since the last one was a bit slow one, I thought I should write one more for all of you. Do vote and share your comments.