Faking It With a Billionaire || MaAn

Chapter 25 | Anuj

Anupama's giving me the "you just said the moon's made of green cheese" look. Her eyes ping from the office to me.

"We were hanging here yesterday, and you swore up and down this was your turf."

I give her a little nudge into the room, let the door swish shut. "Yeah, it used to be mine, but now it's all yours."

"Why the snap change?"

"Easy deal. This one's got the killer view. I don't dig it the way you do." I could've watched her check out the city below all day yesterday if we hadn't hit a rough patch. When I stormed off, throwing down in the conference room while she chilled here, gazing out the windows, I rang up the building staff. Asked them to shake things up. The corner office offers the primo view of the city, like you're floating in the sky.

"Anuj," she murmurs, staring at me with way too many feelings. It makes my chest feel heavy and tight. It pulls longingly as her eyes gloss over. "You didn't have to."

I take a careful step toward her, testing the space between us. Both of us hold our coffees like shields, keeping me from getting any closer. "I know I didn't have to. Doesn't change the fact I wanted to."

Her lips pop open as her eyes roam my face. For once, I don't know what she sees in my features. I've always been good at putting on the mask of indifference. It wasn't really a mask. It's my personality. I just typically don't care about others—until her. I wouldn't have kept this office knowing she could've appreciated it more.

"What about you?" The ice rattles in her cup as her hand drops to the side.

I shrug, turning my head to look at the connecting door. "I'm right next door, just through that door. My new office was meant to be yours."

"I thought I'd snag a cubicle or maybe a desk next to yours," she jokes, setting her drink down.

"We don't roll with cubicles here. I believe in a more teamwork setup."

"I noticed. Why the private office, then?"

"Because the only cat you need to team up with is me." I stroll to the door connecting our offices, throw it open, and point to my new digs. Slightly smaller but lacking the corner view she fell for.

"See, we can easily team up now."

Anupama rolls her eyes, turning to scope out her new space. "Can't believe this is mine. If I'm just your coffee gal, hate to break it to you, Beck, but I don't think I need an office, no matter how much I love what I'm seeing here."

"You're gonna be calling the shots on more than just getting me coffee," I tell her, taking a seat across from her, going over her tasks at Kapadia Cyber Security.