Cross-border Merger

Small world

Sid was visibly fuming through the screen upon knowing all of this.

"How are you now?", he asked instead of going all 'I'm going to kill him' mode.

"I'm good actually. Today has been the best day since I've arrived here and not even that jerk can bring me down. Plus I'm getting better at ignoring him so that's a yay", I tell him honestly.

He gave me nod and said, "Yuk I know I can't physically be there for you. No matter how angry and sad all of this has made me, I feel way more helpless right now. I know you are capable of facing all such fuckward assholes on your own but in the process of doing that don't you ever forget that you can always talk to us. Don't let the distance and your non-disclosure come in between our relationship. Even if you can't share every single detail with me, just be honest with me. I don't need you to be okay always... I just need you to be open about what you're feeling."

"Oh God, Sid! Do you really want me to cry now?"

"I'm serious Yukta! Plus you are an ugly crier so that entertainment would be a bonus for me if you're willing." He said trying to keep his serious face on.

"At last your goodness could last only for so long." 

He couldn't contain his laughter after that. I then heard someone knock my door.

"Just a moment Sid. There's someone on the door."

I opened my door to find Sam standing there. As soon as I opened the door he walked in.

"Since you were so very kind to me with your chai, I wanted to know if you want to have pizza for dinner. We were ordering one and I thought I'd ask you" Sam said while flopping on my bed.  

He then saw Sid on my screen and of course commented, "Oh you were busy! Are you guys together or something?" I couldn't stop an eye roll at this.

"No no we aren't. This is Sid, my best friend from back home. Sid, this is Sam." I said introducing them to each other.

They both 'Hey man!'ed each other and then Sam went went back agreeing to order something vegetarian for me.

"Soooo, he seems good", Sid said as soon as Sam left.

"Yeah he is. He is quite surprisingly a friend of the jerk I'm sharing this house with."

Sid takes a moment as if contemplating whether to say whatever he wants to or not. He finally shakes his head a bit and starts speaking, "Yuk you know how I always try to understand people by knowing their friends, their social life and other factors. Sam, even though I just saw him for a few seconds, I could get the vibe of someone really loyal and trustworthy. If that jerk keeps such people around himself, then maybe, he is not as bad as we think right now. I've always trusted your judgement and I absolutely hate him for the way he has treated you but maybe just maybe, as you lawyers do, try to give him a benefit of doubt if you can." 

I understand where he is coming from because truthfully, after meeting Uncle and now Sam, the same thought has crossed my mind too. To be honest, I don't even have a choice other than befriending Michael. If I'm his lawyer, there cannot be any sort of hostility between us especially in such a sensitive matter.

I cannot tell all of this to Sid so I simply nod and a few seconds later we cut the call.

Since I do not have to prepare dinner tonight, I take out the agreement and start reading it after making sure that my door is locked. Each clause in the agreement was raising so many questions and the biggest one of these was the most simple - Why in the Lord's name would someone enter into such an agreement? Yet, the simplest questions have the complex answers and I had this strong feeling that this was no different.

What happened with you Mr. Michael Daniels?

I was trying to make sense of the black letters in front of me when Sam called me downstairs for the dinner.

"Consider this as us welcoming you to the city, to this house", Sam told me as we were walking down the stairs. 

"Us?"

"Yes, us! Michael, me and another close mate of ours. I hope you don't mind meeting new people which would be sad especially considering you're in a new city and that you've already met new people including me," Sam looks at me as if he's just won a debate against me.

"I hope you do realise that you've just wasted your energy trying to strengthen a point of view for which I was never on the opposing side." The best part about practicing law for this long is that I've learned to say the simplest things in a confusing way which gives me an edge of a few seconds over people to just process what I've said, when I'm trying to simply mess with them.

Sam looked slightly confused and I couldn't stop laughing at his expressions.

Just then a voice I heard a voice that sounded familiar to me.

"You? Here?" I ask the person genuinely shocked.

"Indeed a small world, new best friend!", Ashar replied way less surprised than me.

This evening just got a hell lot more interesting.

A/N: And I'm back. Thank you for your well wishes! I hope you guys are safe and well because Covid honestly sucks. Tell me what do you think about where Yukta is headed with these new friends a fresh perspective on Michael's situation.