WHEN FATE BRINGS YOU HOME

CHAPTER 17

"Really?"

"Yes and I am really sorry to have caused you trouble, Professor."

"As you wish, Ms. Tara Menon."

His words were filled with distaste. Without giving it a second thought or trying to persuade me into going, he walked out the open door and disappeared into the stairs down. I let out a sigh. I can't miss today's program at any rate. It's Hera's and Ryan's first official major event and I want to be a part of it. After two seconds, I went to the stairs to check if he's gone. No sign of any movement. Success. I picked up my keys and locked the apartment. Without wasting any time, I started walking down the lane to the bus stop.

Walking for thirty two long minutes in a saree is definitely going to be awkward, if I keep getting the weird stares from everyone I come past on the road. And hence walking is not an option. Keeping the costume factors and the traffic in mind, if a three kilometer car ride takes ten minutes or less, bus ride covering the same distance should also take nearly the same, two to three minutes extra at the most. I can reach the venue in leisure time. I patiently sit down at one of the benches available in the stop waiting for the next bus, when a black car pulled over in the front of the bus stop. I can never get away with something this simple, can I? Shaurya got out from the car and leaned on the door of his car, eyeing me with a smirk. 

Two long and silenced minutes passed.

"What?" 

"I thought you weren't going anywhere."

"I meant I was not going anywhere with you."

A mischievous smile popped at the corner of his lips. This man is incredibly extra handsome today (He is everyday), in his full black suit. Black shirt of which the first two buttons are left unbuttoned, I could map the place where his Adam's apple meets his neck, black pants and black blazer, which is also left unbuttoned, no tie. His hair is not long enough to tie back but it has plenty of flow making one want to run the fingers down through them. Most of his hair curls fall down now and then to his eyes, before he slicks them back to place. He straightened himself and strolled towards me slowly. 

"Get in, Tara. They're waiting for us."

"Yeah, I'm coming. Just not with you."

"You're taking a bus?"

I nodded confidently.

"Wearing that?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Why not?"

I looked around us. Thankfully no one is around the bus stop, it is just us and our stubbornness. 

"I have a nice car, Tara."

"Don't try to bribe me-"

His suit and hair had been indeed distracting for me to forget to notice my surrounding. I looked past him for the first time to look at his car properly. His car is a black colored Model 3-

"You have a fucking Tesla?"

My next few movements are purely instinctive, which includes standing up, ignoring the owner whom I couldn't stop staring until a picosecond ago, and running to the car. I've seen Tesla cars before but it's the first time seeing one up this close. I may look like a child who got to see a dinosaur skeleton in a museum. And I don't care. I run my hands along the smooth material of the hood. It looks classy, and makes me look shallow. Never mind. 

"How rich are you?"

"I'm not-" 

I cut him half way with the next question. Over excitement makes me ask way more questions to my fellow converser and not giving them enough time to reply before shooting the next one.