Story of Our Life

Chapter 16

Rishabh's eyes opened to the bright sunlight that was pooling onto Prerna's bed through the sheer curtains. His arm searched for her beside him but not finding her there, he shot up alarmed to look for her, only to see her staring at him from the desk with a soft smile.

'Good afternoon Mr. Bajaj.' She said softly and he blinked, shaking his head.

'What's the time?' He asked hoarsely and she pursed her lips.

'12:20 PM, but don't worry, we still have a lot of time before our meeting. It's at 3 PM.' She said and went back to typing something on the laptop in front of her.

It was then when Rishabh registered that she was already showered and dressed, looking prim and proper in her pale yellow silky shirt and black pants. Her hair was up in a bun and his heart warmed up with something unknown.

'What are you doing outside of bed?' He asked and Prerna almost laughed at his pout.

'I woke up really early and didn't want to disturb you.' She shrugged. 'So I freshened up, had a quick breakfast and made some notes for you for the meeting. It's almost done, you can look at them while we are on the way for the meeting.'

'You didn't have to do all that.' He said and got up, walking towards her. 'You are in the finance team, and-

'I wanted to help you.' She said as if it was not a big deal and Rishabh was pleasantly shocked for a moment.

Did she really go through hundreds of pages to make notes for him, without being asked and without it being a part of her job description, just because she wanted to help him?

'Why?' The question slipped from his lips without any warning and Prerna frowned.

'Why? Because I wanted-

'No one does anything without wanting something in return Ms. Sharma.' His response was curt and put his arms behind his back. 'What do you want?'

Prerna could not believe his coldness. He was so warm and amazing last night and now he seemed like a totally opposite person. What did he think she was? What they shared last night was something beautiful that she would never forget, did he not feel the same? Was this his way of rejecting her already?

Sighing, she stood up slowly and looked him straight into the eyes.

'I do not want anything Mr. Bajaj. I did all of this because I actually wanted to help you. I am your employee and I wasted your time last night, so I thought it will be nice to share my responsibility and...anyways, if you don't need my help, you can leave the room.' She said, trying to blink away her tears. 'I get you 

'You did not waste my time Prerna.' His voice turned soft and she looked away, unable to handle his rejection. 'I apologize for lashing out at you. Thank you for the notes.'

Prerna just nodded, and shut the laptop down.

'I have mailed you everything, you can freshen up and meet me downstairs. I will be in the lobby.' She said and got up to gather everything when he stopped her, holding her softly by her wrist.

'Ms. Sharma-

'I told you last night Mr. Bajaj, that I was not worried about what would happen today. If you want to forget everything about last night, I will do the same. It should not have to be a big deal.' She said clearly, looking at him with stern eyes. 'We are adults, we can handle this like mature people.'

Rishabh was so shocked at her response that his hold went slack for a moment, giving Prerna enough time to free her wrist and leave the room. 

For the next hour, Prerna sat in the lobby, trying to control her emotions. What was she expecting? For Mr. Bajaj to be lovey-dovey once he woke up? For him to talk sweetly to her like a lover? No, she was better than acting like a love sick girl. What happened between them was not a big deal. They were mature adults, as she had said, and the night had passed. If Mr. Bajaj wanted to move on like nothing happened, she would do the same. She respected him immensely and wanted the same respect in return. Simple.

'Ms. Sharma.' His deep voice broke into her thoughts and she looked up. Mr. Bajaj was immaculately dressed in a black suit, his hair still damp. Prerna stood up with a smile and gathered her stuff, indicating towards the exit. 

'The car is waiting.' She said and he nodded.

For the next three hours, Rishabh focused on the meeting, making sure to play his cards well to end up at the profitable side of the deal. When they left the office, he was $50 million richer and more powerful than before.

Prerna was in awe of Mr. Bajaj once again. He surely was a magician in business, the way he talked, the way he commanded  a room, the way people were intimidated by him yet wanted his approval. He was truly a force to reckon with and she felt lucky to be in his presence and learn about business.

'Ms. Sharma.' He called her out and she looked at him, wondering what he wanted to say now. She was already tired and all she wanted was to sleep. 'I do not want to forget.'

'What?' She asked, confused.

'You said if I wanted to forget about last night, you will do the same.' He said and could see Prerna recalling her words from early morning. She blinked in surprise as he took a step towards her. 'I do not want to forget about it.'

Prerna's heart beat loudly in her ears as she stared into his eyes, full of sincerity. She could feel his fingers on her wrist and she gulped, breathing softly. Did he really mean that?

'Do you want to forget about it?' He asked and looked away. 'Because if you do, I would too.'

Rishabh looked away for a moment, weirdly nervous to know what Prerna had to say. It would be utterly unfortunate if Ms. Sharma wanted to end things, if they had even begun, and he would have to stay away from this amazing woman out of sheer respect towards her.

Before he could turn towards her on his own accord, he felt her soft palm on his cheek, and her lips on his. 

Rishabh's whole body reacted to Prerna's kiss and his arm went around her waist, locking her in his hold as she wound her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. It was a good thing they were on the empty side of their hotel lobby, the scene they were creating was certainly not family friendly and the voices coming from Prerna were certainly not for anyone else to hear.

'Ms. Sharma.' He whispered and Prerna pulled back, eyes wide in surprise.

'Oh my God, I just attacked you-

'You answered my question.' He said and smiled, his dimple almost making Prerna falter in his arms. 'Would you...like to go for dinner?'

Prerna just nodded, her heart still hammering and her whole body still humming with desire for this amazing man. She really just wanted to go to her room with him-

'After dinner.' He said as if he had read her mind and she felt the blood rushing to her face, a soft smile appearing on her lips. 'I would like to do this in a gentleman's manner.'

'Thank you.' She said and Rishabh could not help but smile at her blushing face and eyes that sparkled with surprise.

'Are you surprised Ms. Sharma?' He asked as they walked towards the hotel's restaurant. Prerna just shrugged at his question and looked at him sheepishly.

'It's just that...you weren't so gentle last night.' She said, trying to control her laughter and Rishabh nodded, staring her at with a wicked look in his eyes.

'Well, I was just doing what my partner was begging me to do. I am a gentleman in that sense.' He said and her eyes widened, blush spreading till the tips of her ears.

This was going to be a long night.

And that's what they both desired.