To Not Love Mr. Perfectly Fine

18

ARYAN

"No. You don't understand it. It is important to have the same layout there, as it is here." I was shouting the same thing for the umpteenth time as the contractor suggested some other "new" designs that he thought would suit the project better.

Getting all the permissions for the land didn't take as much time as it was taking me to settle this simple matter. The layout of this building was thought of by my Dada. It was the legacy of Rainbow. Nothing could ever seem better to me to change it.

"But the dimensions here are different from your Mumbai branch, Sir." He spoke as I massaged my head for it had started aching. "Our architects don't think constructing the same layout would be possible."

I sighed. "Ask them not to bother about this project anymore. My team will meet you at the site tomorrow with the designs." I said and hung up.

I threw my head on the headrest of the leather chair and closed my eyes in exhaustion. How hard was it to come up with some workable plan? I wasn't some psychotic sadist. Give me an option that serves both me and you and I'll be happy to go along with it. But no.

"Hi." A sweet voice made me look up and almost instantly some of my twitching nerves numbed. "Are you done?" She asked, making me kind of forget what was I supposed to be done with.

"No. Not yet. Why?" She pouted her mouth. "I was heading out, so, I thought I'd ask you. Should I wait then?"

"That excited to go home with me, huh?"

I received an unimpressed stare from her as a response. "Your narcissistic ass gets too excited too soon, you know?" My left index rose to scratch the corner of my mouth in order to hide the huge grin that threatened to break free any second. "Now if you can tell me, I'd like to know if I should wait or not."

"Please. Go home and rest. I have to take another meeting and it's probably gonna be long."

Her lips thinned, followed by a curt "okay" before she left. The glow around my space faded with her departure, as I focused back on the concerned meeting.

After almost an hour, I was finally done the meeting. Happy and content that my architecture team here, understood my points. Hopefully now, I won't need to bust my ass around the same topic again.

My phone buzzed against my pocket as I closed my eyes in frustration. Who could it be now? I plucked it out, and it showed an unknown number again. I swore if this time I didn't get an answer I would report the number to my security team for investigation.

"Who is this?" Silence. I didn't even say anything further. I hung up the phone and sent it to my team asking for immediate information.

On my way back home, my thoughts wandered in all directions, but specifically to a certain pretty brunette who, I was yet to get used to seeing around my apartment. It had been two days since she moved in and the awkwardness was thick enough that I could cut it with a knife. But I was hopeful that we would work through it.

Yet, it was unsettling and relieving at the same time, now that she was here. Unsettling because, I couldn't believe I got her to stay with me. The woman who kind of... No, not kind of, definitely hated me a few months back, was finally trusting me enough to stay with me. And relieving because she was finally safe from that psychopath for, I knew he could never reach her as long as she was with me.

The door slid open as I punched the password and called out to Ira. I didn't want to step in at bizarre times and make things more awkward between us. But she never answered.

"Ira? ..." No answer again. But by that time, I could hear a speaker playing somewhere in my apartment.

That's strange.