Upon entering, they were greeted by a chaotic sight. Documents and papers lay scattered across the glass coffee table in the center of the living room. Darshan sat on the couch, hunched over his MacBook, his eyes flicking between the screen and a particular sheet of paper that seemed to demand his attention.
It was Darshan who noticed Shubman first. “Enjoying the party, were you?” he said tauntingly, still typing something on his laptop. “Meanwhile, I’ve been here, drowning in these documents,” he added, his tone laced with mild irritation, he was still oblivious to Ishan's presence.
Shubman was unfazed by his manager’s jab. He let his eyes roam over the scattered documents and commented, “I see you’ve got everything under control. Knew I could count on you.”
Darshan glanced up, narrowing his eyes. “Oh? Is that so? But don’t you think it’s unfair? I’m stuck here brainstorming and sorting through all this legal nonsense, while you got to have fancy drinks with your…” He trailed off when he saw a visibly confused Ishan come into view.
The “your” in question was obviously Ishan, but Darshan caught himself just in time.
Ishan lingered awkwardly, completely lost on the banter between the other two. He couldn’t tell whether these two were genuinely annoyed or if this was their normal way of interacting, but either way, he didn’t want to stick around long enough to figure out their dynamic. He was here for the night and planned to be out of this place by morning, never to see Shubman again. Yeah.
Darshan darted his gaze from Ishan to Shubman, then back to Ishan. “Um, hi?” he greeted Ishan, sounding uncertain. He knew Shubman had gone to the party solely because of Ishan, but seeing him here was a bit surprising.
Before he could ask Shubman anything, Shubman cut in, “Don’t be upset that I had a good time.” Darshan gestured toward the scattered papers and replied, “At my expense, clearly.”
Shubman decided to leave Darshan to his devices, brushing off his grumbling with a shrug. He gestured for Ishan to follow him upstairs. “You’re welcome, by the way!” Darshan shouted after him.
As they left a busy Darshan and the chaotic living room behind, Shubman led Ishan through a series of hallways in the enormous mansion. Ishan felt out of place, like an outsider who didn’t belong in this world of power and business deals. Perhaps he was right - this world couldn’t be more different from his own. Was he risking something by being here? Not just by being around Shubman, but by stepping into his world. He would find out soon enough.
Shubman, a few steps ahead of Ishan, came to a stop in front of a room and opened the door. “Here, it’s all yours,” he said. Ishan recognized the room immediately, he had stayed here once before. But this time, he noticed details he had overlooked on his previous visit. The room was designed in a mid-century modern style, and he took in the expanse as he walked inside.
“Like it?” Shubman asked.
Ishan just shrugged in response.
“It’s not like you’re staying here for the first time,” Shubman said with that goddamn smug look on his face, which he never bothered to hide around Ishan.
Ishan’s face flushed at Shubman’s words. All he wanted to do in that moment was storm out of the place, but not before hurling some unkind words at Shubman.
But instead, he bit back his tongue, refusing to give Shubman any kind of satisfaction.
“Do you need something?” Shubman pressed.
“I’ll be fine as long as you leave me alone,” Ishan retorted sharply.
*
