The Independent Girl (Sample)

Chapter 4 - Crush

Sandhya found herself in a foul mood the next morning. Her efforts to forget the incident with Akash were in vain. She looked at the document and tried once more to form the sentence she had been struggling with for fifteen minutes.

She heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," Sandhya uttered in a wary tone.

A startled Sandhya found Akash standing in front of her with an expression she could not fathom. Remaining silent, she stared at him with a questioning glare, knowing that she would only blurt out something rude that she might regret later if she opened her mouth then. His hair was ruffled, and he looked tired, with dark circles around his eyes. At least he didn't seem to be angry now.

Taking a couple of steps towards her desk, he placed the file in his hands on the desk.

He looked at her and attempted to speak with effort.

"Sandhya... I... I..."

Sandhya waited with patience as to what would come after the 'I' but all she got were another couple of 'I's with pauses between them. He seemed to be in considerable discomfort as he said the 'I' and whatever was supposed to come next.

"I...wanted to get together to discuss the board meeting presentation." Words finally came out of Akash's mouth.

Sandhya composed herself for a few seconds.

"Sorry, I might not be worthy enough to get together to discuss 'work' with you. It's better to work on our presentations individually and keep our 'comments' to ourselves," Sandhya replied in a sarcastic tone, looking straight into his eyes.

Akash stood still for a few seconds. Suddenly, his expression changed. He had a mischievous look now and a glint in his eye. "Whatever you say," Akash said as he left with a smug smile on his face.

She stared in his direction in disbelief and sat down at her desk, wondering what was wrong with him. Maybe this was some kind of mental disorder? She picked up the file that he had left, expecting it to contain the contents she had given him. As she turned through the pages, she noticed something different and halted. She studied the pages one by one and noticed the changes.

Realization dawned on her and she gasped in joy. The design looked perfect now! So...he had paid heed to her comments. What surprised her more was how well he had solved her concerns with his new updated design. How did he do that in such a short time? He must have been up all night; that explained why he looked that way.

She picked up her phone. There was an important board meeting presentation to be prepared for after all.

"I won the bet," Akash said seriously.

"What bet?"

"That you would call me within ten minutes to beg me to discuss the board meeting."

Sandhya let out a laugh.

~

Sandhya sat with Varun and Dhiren at lunch as she discussed how the kids at the orphanage were tired of going to the same nearby park for outings.

"Why don't they take them to a different location?" Varun mused.

"I guess they never thought about it. Can you think of any other place nearby where I could take them?" she asked.

"You know what? I could arrange for an excursion for the kids to Ooty, if it's OK with you. I have a few friends there and can make the reservations," Varun exclaimed with sudden energy.

"Thanks, Varun. But I am not sure if the budget will be approved."

"You can consider it a donation on my part. As a budding politician, it will enforce my image too. Although..." Varun paused, looking at her eyes. "I will do it only if you return the favor."