Poles Apart

Chapter: Twenty-Four

Arvi

I walk out of my office, intending to stretch my legs and make myself some coffee.

Perhaps, on seeing me, Vivek, my newly appointed bodyguard, hurries towards me as though I'd disappear if I had been left alone for the slightest second.

"Vivek," I sigh, "The media or the ISIS are not going to hound me on my way to the kitchen."

Vivek's mouth forms an 'o' and I have to stop myself from mocking him. "I will go back then," he says.

I never asked him to go with me in the first place. Nevertheless, I nod at him, curtly. With that, Vivek leaves me alone.

A question creeps up from the back of my mind, 'Was I rude?' No, I tell myself. What's rude about nodding at Vivek? I wasn't yelling at him or throwing things at him, or even being inconsiderate. It was a simple, professional nod.

You're not as professional with your assistant, a voice mocks. For a reason unknown, I feel like I might be wrong to treat Vivek as I do.

With these thoughts revolving in my head, I make my coffee using the coffee maker and make my way over to Karthik's office.

I enter his office without knocking, aware that he had no company. Karthik looks up from his screen with a scowl. "Hear about knocking?" he mocks.

Caught him in a bad mood, I guess. I shrug. "Sorry, sir. My parents didn't teach me any manners."

He gives me a disapproving glare. "Okay, sorry. They taught me, but I don't use any of it. Happy?"

He rolls his eyes, but a small smile escapes onto his stupid, straight face. "I didn't come to talk about my manners, though," I tell him, sitting down on the couch, away from his neat office table. When things are as clean as Karthik Anna's office table, it unnerves me-- makes me uncomfortable.

"What did you come for, then?" he asks as if my manners are the only thing critical enough to be dealt with now.

I give him a blank look but tell him anyway. "Dollar's on the rise, but it will fall soon, you should close that shipment."

A look somewhere between surprise and amusement crosses his face. He looks up at the TV screen before looking down at me again. I sip my coffee calmly. I find myself with a special attachment to Karthik's couch. So comfortable.

"Are you sure it won't rise some more?" he asks, looking back at me.

I turn in my seat to look at the TV mounted on the wall and shrug. "That's it, I think. It will fall by tomorrow."

"You think?" he asks, questioning the lack of surety in my voice. Watch the boss come at me now.

Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I reply. "Currency values are uncertain things. I cannot make an assumption for sure, but I'm certain the rise will not be worth the risk if the dollar falls by tomorrow."

"Are you sure, Arvi?"

"Certain."

He nods and gets to work. I sit unmovingly for a couple more minutes thinking about my day. I was only halfway through, but the tiredness was already creeping up to me. Probably from the lack of sleep. We were going out for dinner today, as a family, with the Kona's, before Savitri leaves for the US.

Anything to do with them freaks the absolute shit out of me. Wrecks my nerves, I swear. Sighing, I pull myself up to go back to my office.

Karthik looks up at me. His features brighten, the corners of his eyes crinkling with a withheld smile.