Stuck with the boss

Chapter - 14 Journeys and destinations

Shreya's POV

I was still staring out of the window, trying very hard to act like I wasn't sitting next to a walking emotional disaster named Reyhansh Singhania.

The drive had been annoyingly peaceful. The kind of peace that feels suspicious—like when Rey is too quiet, it usually means he's mentally planning something that will either ruin my sanity or my pulse rate.

My phone buzzed again.

"WAKE UP PRINCESS. TODAY IT'S JUST YOU AND ME."

I rolled my eyes so hard I almost saw my childhood memories.

"This man is dangerously confident," I muttered.

Rey glanced at me instantly. "Something wrong, princess?"

"Yes. You."

He smiled like I had just praised him.

I sighed and went back to twisting my bracelet aggressively, pretending I didn't feel hyper-aware of his presence every time he moved. Which was absurd, because this was the same man I had filed emotional complaints against in my brain multiple times.

⸻

Soon, I noticed movement behind us.

My brothers had joined in another car.

Of course.

Aayush immediately leaned out of the window like he was born to embarrass me in public.
"SISSSS! DON'T LET THIS MAN RUIN YOUR LIFE!"

Abhay calmly adjusted his seatbelt like he was heading into a board meeting instead of emotional warfare.
"Aayush, behave."

Aryan just waved lazily from the back, already half-asleep. "Is there food in Rania?"

Rey, of course, suddenly became too polite for human standards.

He rolled down his window slightly. "So you're the brothers."

Aayush narrowed his eyes. "And you're the boss who thinks he owns her life?"

Abhay sighed. "Aayush—breathe."

Rey smiled calmly. "I prefer 'future husband,' but I'm flexible."

Aayush literally choked. "HE WHAT—"

I kicked the back of Rey's seat.

"Stop collecting chaos like it's your hobby."

He didn't even flinch. "Noted."

⸻

The rest of the drive was a strange combination of silence, my brothers slowly warming up to him, and Rey deliberately testing my patience at regular intervals.

Like when he "accidentally" brushed his hand near mine.

Or when he leaned closer just to ask, "Are you always this tense or only around me?"

Or when he casually said, "Your brothers are surprisingly less scary than you."

Aayush from behind immediately snapped, "I HEARD THAT."

Rey, without missing a beat: "Good."

Abhay rubbed his forehead. "Why is this happening before lunch?"

Aryan: sleeping like he pays no taxes

⸻

And the worst part?

Somewhere between arguments and sarcastic remarks... it almost felt normal.

Which was dangerous.

Because this man was literally the reason I had signed a prenup at 2 AM while questioning my entire life choices.

⸻

Finally, we crossed into Rania.

The air shifted instantly.

Slower. Familiar. Dusty roads. Open fields. The kind of silence that didn't feel empty—it felt like memory.

For a moment, I forgot everything else.

Rey noticed immediately.

"So this is Rania," he said, looking out.

I nodded slightly. "Yeah. Small town. No skyscrapers. No ego battles. Peaceful."

He glanced at me. "And yet you turned out like this."

I turned slowly. "Like what?"

He smiled. "Complicated."

I narrowed my eyes. "That sounded like an insult disguised as poetry."

"It was both," he said smoothly.

⸻

As we drove further in, I felt something tug inside me.

This place always did that—pulled me back into a version of myself I didn't show in boardrooms or arguments.

Rey noticed the shift again.

"You're quiet," he said.

"I'm thinking."

"About what?"

I hesitated. Then shrugged. "About how peaceful life was before you entered it."

From the back seat, Aayush immediately shouted, "FACTS!"

Abhay sighed. "He's not wrong though."

Rey leaned back slightly, completely unfazed. "Peace is overrated."

I looked at him. "Says the man who creates storms for entertainment."

He smirked. "And yet you're still sitting in my storm."

That silence after hit differently.

Aayush whispered loudly, "Okay this is getting romantic. I'm uncomfortable."

Aryan, still half-asleep: "Are we there yet or am I dreaming this?"

⸻

We finally entered deeper into Rania.

Old familiar lanes. Houses I remembered. Dusty corners that somehow still felt like home.

My grip on my bag tightened slightly without me realizing.

Rey noticed again.

Of course he did.

"You always do that," he said softly.

"Do what?"

"Hold yourself back when you come here."

I didn't answer.

Because he was right.

And I hated that he noticed.

⸻

He leaned back, looking ahead.

"We'll see what Rania thinks of me," he said lightly.

I scoffed. "Rania doesn't care about you."

He turned slightly toward me. "No?"

I met his gaze.

"No," I said firmly. "But it might ruin you anyway."

A slow smile formed on his face.

"Now that," he said, "sounds interesting."

⸻

And just like that—

Rania welcomed us.

And I had a very bad feeling this town was about to witness the most chaotic chapter of my life.