Apricity

Part 10

"What about it?" she asked in an icy tone.

Her question was as unexpected as her reaction to his words. Since there was no chance for him to reach an intelligent solution, he struggled to string together some words that could keep her from assuming him to be someone who indulged in inane small talk that led nowhere.

"Uh, well, I, uh... I was wondering, um, how I should act? Yeah..." he trailed off, deciding it was better he did not add more words to the sentence which sounded off to even him.

Suhani squinted. Confusion replaced the consternation marring her face. "What do you mean? How do you want to act?"

"Oh, I mean, should I drop hints of this, uh, budding relationship-of-convenience?" Cognizance gleamed in her eyes and Ranveer thanked his stars for the changed demeanor. "Or should we stick to a formal exchange of greetings, as always?"

His frenzied heart, suffering from pangs of irrepressible and unrequited ardor, nudged him to add on. "Or should we act like friends?"

Amusement twinkled in her perceptive eyes, noting the endearing awkwardness. The enigmatic woman had always preached against displacing one's frustrations and fury to an unexpected and undeserved third person. Far be it for her to turn into a hypocrite and distress someone with no blame to shoulder for the demons that ravaged her mind.

"Friends? Are we?" she asked, the edges of her lips twitching into a mischievous smirk.

The undertone of playfulness allured his aching heart and showered soothing solace upon the blaze of contrition for discomfiting her with his earlier questions. "Well, if we are not, that status is far from tenable, I hope."

The flirtatious edge to his voice made her arch her eyebrows, and she lifted her chin and rested it in her hand. Her elbow was propped up on the glass table top between them, and she felt at ease with him.

The impasse of conviction and confidence remained unresolved for the want of the absolute evidence. However, there was no dearth of goodwill between the acquaintances to warrant turning down an earnest offer of companionship or exercising restraint from impish banter.

"Befriending you would thrill my father beyond measure. I suppose it is not an imprudent option."

The dimple on his right cheek had its appearance when a smirk mirrored that of the Wharton alumnus. "Glad I could convince you to see the prudence of accepting my friendship. Perhaps, I can accomplish a feat as remarkable by convincing you to try my favorite in the cafe, Pasta 'Ncasciata."

The otherwise nonchalant woman hummed in response. "Only if you try my favorite."

A warm chuckle reverberated in her ears. "Fair enough, and so be it!"

"But since you enjoy playing Sherlock as a hobby, why don't you guess what would be favorite for a main course?" she asked, reclining against the backrest of her chair with a teasing glint in her eyes.

The questioned man's smirk faded into a frown of alarmed confusion. He had never seen her enthusiasm for the main course. She relished the appetizers, of which she delighted in anything which contained cheese, and waited on for the desserts. It was no wonder she had chosen the middle course to put his skills of observation to the test.

The cogs continued to move in his mind when she called the waiter to request for water. The spread of the lavish banquets hosted by the Malhotras, and the other elite families, was predominantly Continental. Perhaps it was the cuisine that hindered her interest in the main course.

"Clueless, Mr. Sherlock?" she asked, a triumphant glint twinkling in her eyes. "You had no intention of making this easy, and I have to say, you are successful so far."

The feigned rage from the man on the verge of accepting his defeat elicited a chuckle from her as she shook her head. "It is a bit of a weird combination. I would be a shock if you had deduced it because I'm sure only Ramesh Kaka knows it."

The fondness in her voice when she articulated the name of the gentle housekeeper curled his lips into a smile. "Well, I am not vain enough to assume my omniscience. However, I trust my perseverance, and you will have the answer soon."

The unabashed acceptance of temporary defeat had beguiled her more than his accomplishment could have. It spoke of a confidence unadulterated by arrogance and a pride bereft of conceit, and Suhani Malhotra was a woman who prized both.

The glimmer of fascination in her dilated eyes enraptured him further. "I'll look forward to that, Mr. Sherlock. For now, we can have your favorite."

Ranveer nodded with a grin. As she summoned the server and listed their order for the day, the concerned curiosity returned to the fore.

There was something about the question about the inauguration of the charity that had drenched her in the icy displeasure. His intuition speculated if it had any connection to her reasons for the peculiar proposition.

When she turned back to him with an earnest smile after completing her order, he felt a sharp pang of guilt for engaging in the investigation. She had finally lowered her defenses - it was obvious from the way she broke into a smile as soon as she noticed he had come wearing the purple shirt she liked so much - and their relationship had shifted from being mere acquaintances to something that bordered on friendship.

He decided to call off the private investigator, smiling back at her. The data analyst had scarce doubt about her imminent animosity, sprouted from a sense of betrayal, if she were to learn of his choice of actions to rid himself of his inquisitiveness.

He could endure the icy winds of yearning with the scorching heat of her love. But to face the fiery inferno of her disappointment, to quench his thirst for knowledge, was a choice that no longer had any appeal.

He would wait. He would await a time when her heart would long to reveal itself as fiercely as his soul burned to understand her. And he pleaded, for his own peace of mind, that the moment would come much sooner than expected.