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“Why not intern under Kabier?”
“Please! Kabier is my brother-in-law. He’d just pat my back if I made an error and say something like, ‘It’s fine, move on and do it better the next time.’”
Jiya smiled. Yeah. That was exactly what Keya’s husband Kabier would say. To the world, he was tough as nails, but he was soft as butter with the people he cared about.
“I suppose Sameer and Rishi would do the same,” Jiya commented.
“Exactly, and Rithwik has seen me grow up. He’d never take me seriously. But Rohan, fuck, he’s tough. He’s a genius in business. See how he’s grown FF in the last few years from zero to this million-dollar empire. He’s not afraid to call me out and kicks my ass each time I do something wrong. That’s the kind of person I want to mentor me. He’s a good guy, and I think we’ve become sort of friends, but considering how closed off he is, I doubt he’d ever accept it, much less acknowledge it.”
That sounded like Rohan, alright. Her new colleagues had painted a similar picture of him in the last week she’d worked here. He wasn’t afraid to call a spade a spade, and was very reclusive.
“This is just the first of my internships,” Akash continued, standing up. “After this, I’m going to intern with Aditya Wahi and his Gemini Group, and then I’ll be in Dubai for a year working with Dev Luthra and Aaryan Rajpoot at KeyStone Corp.”
Whoa! Her eyes rounded. Aditya was another common friend of both their sisters. His Gemini Group was huge in paints and steel, while the KeyStone group, she knew, was big in mining, air conditioning, restaurants, construction, and real estate. It was amazing that Akash would be interning at these powerhouses. It was a brilliant opportunity for him, and she was truly delighted for him. Janak, she knew, had always been close to Keya and Akash. They’d been orphaned at a young age as well, and he’d looked after them just like he’d taken care of Raashi and her. But one thing still struck her as extremely odd.
She rose to face Akash. He was so tall that she had to look up to talk to him. “It looks like Janak’s planning your whole career. Why only yours, though? Why not Shauna’s? She’s been working at Sehgal Media for a while now. Hasn’t he planned to hand the reins of the company to her?”
He shrugged. “I suppose you ought to ask him that.”
“Shauna isn’t going to like this when she hears it.”
“Then don’t tell her.”
“Hello! She’s one of my closest friends.”
“And I’m one of your oldest ones. Don’t forget, I caught you painting the History teacher’s scooter with the words ‘Ass hat’ in school when you were in grade seven.”
Jiya made a face. “That manwasan ass hat. He was mean to the girls in class and thought we were a lesser species. He even gave us lesser grades than the boys.”
“And I was the junior school captain, yet I didn’t report you. So, where’s your bro code now?”
She grimaced. “Okay, fine. I won’t mention anything to her. One thing you did for me in school, and you’re calling me out on it.”
He angled his head. “Really, Jee? One thing? What about when I caught you walking in the woods behind the school at midnight all by yourself because of some stupid bet? Then there was the itch powder you put in that boy’s pants when they were in the laundry because he was nasty to you. And the time that you…”
She pinched his arm. “Stop it.”
“Ow… That hurts. You’re such a brat!”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Brat!”
She pinched his arm harder.
He yanked on a strand of her hair, tugging it. “Stop pinching me.”
“Stop pulling my hair.”
“It’s not even hurting you in the slightest. Stop pretending.”
She glared at him.
“You know I’m speaking the truth, Jee. You got into way too much trouble in school, and I got you out of all your messes. God help anyone who messes with you. I could list…”
She leaned closer and slammed a hand on his mouth. “Enough, okay. I get it.”
They really did have a history. While Raashi had always been a mother figure, Akash had been the brother she’d never had. They’d fought just like this since they were kids. Even though they hadn’t met so often over the years, their bond was, indeed, unshakeable.
