Indifferent

Mergers and Ice Creams

Varun's POV

She was sat there in front of me watching something on her laptop - must be some film, perhaps that one which Bittu had suggested her. My tulip here is a massive movie buff. I felt a tiny smile forming on my face at that name. Tulip. Or more like, my tulip. How naturally had it come to me.

Her expressions changed every single moment, and as much as I have come to know her, her expressions do change very drastically when she watches these movie, to be very precise, with every single frame.

I had the document of this merger in front of me. A company which we might consider to be bigger than an MSME, but still not big enough wanted to takeover this startup which some college graduates had founded just a year prior. And they were willing, but the legal department of this big company found a few things to be fishy. Especially considering that the startup was performing quite well and gaining a reasonable amount of popularity, then why would it want to be a part of the merger? And that too, when it came at the stake of their brand identity.

Which is why they came to Acharya sir for legal advice considering his reputation in the city, and the state too, but Acharya sir was confident that I could handle it, and here we come. Its been a week I am working on these documents trying to find the loopholes and studying and researching every single piece of information I can collect.

Despite of all of this, and especially now that Deepika's sat here in front of me, the manner in which Acharya sir is becoming increasingly persistent about me taking over just doesn't leave my mind. Not that I don't trust his judgement, and that too when his own firm, his very business is concerned, but I just cannot come to terms with taking over half of his shares. And especially when he wants to do this after my marriage with his daughter.

I am not a gold digger, not at all. Yes, sir's support has helped me with my survival and my education, but whatever I did after that - all of that has solely been on the basis of my efforts, my hard work, and to be honest, it just doesn't seem right to me.

But he's as persistent as ever. I wonder what Deepika has to say about this. I wonder what's her opinion. Would it make her feel that I married her just for money and property if I take over? But if I do not, how could I ever say no to Acharya sir? And the very unfair part about this entire ordeal is the way I cannot speak with her about this, not until I know about her complete equation with him.

I certainly do not need any rocket science to understand that nothing in between sir and Deepika is like a normal father-daughter relationship. A far cry from that, so as much as I would want to speak with her about this, understand her stance on this entire issue, I cannot. At least not now.

And most of all, in any circumstance, I do not wish to see her hurt. Not at all, and not when she's the only one in my life who has filled the deafening silence with a tranquil melody.

I shook my head to get rid of all these thoughts for now, and threw one glance at her. Our eyes met, and she smiled as sweetly as ever - the dimples popping out and all. Man, those dimples are so f*cking gorgeous.

'Just like her.'

Hmm, true.

'Someone's whipped.'

Shut up.

Great - I have started arguing with myself now.

Initially when I had asked her to accompany me to my home office, she was skeptical and didn't want to disturb me. While I would have let the matter go, I found myself insisting until she gave in. Just another excuse for having her near me, feeling her presence with me.

"Hey.", she dragged her chair and sat alongside me - our chairs at a certain distance, not too far, but not close enough. I could feel a slight frown forming on my face before I took ahold of her chair and dragged it closer to mine. Close enough for me to feel her scent engulfing me, and close enough to feel her warmth and see the thousands of goosebumps on her arm which was very near mine.