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“What do you want me to do?” she asked. “How do I proceed from here?”
He rubbed his lower lip, thinking for a moment. “You could quit and return to Mumbai. I’ll give you a very favorable recommendation.”
“How can you even suggest that?” She glared at him. “I left my life in Mumbai to move here. I fought with my sister to come work for you. How do I go back now? How do you think it will look on my resume if I resign in just a few months?”
She shook her head, her heart breaking.
“Think about it, Jiya. It’s best for both of us if you leave.”
She wanted to hit him. She didn’t need his pity or sympathy.
“You don’t know what I want,” she spat out. “And now I understand that you’ve never cared enough to know. You broke up with me foryou. Not for me. To safeguard yourself from God knows what. And I’m done trying to make you see sense. I have too much pride and self-respect to allow any man to treat me badly. I thought if I fooled around a bit, you’d focus on me. That those pranks could make you realize that I’m important to you and you’re making a mistake by giving up on us. But it was wrong on my part to assume that and to force you to do something you clearly don’t want to. Hence, from now on, we’re only going to be boss and employee…nothing else until I decide whether I want to quit or stay.”
He lowered his chin in acknowledgement. Tears burned behind her eyes, seeing his easy acceptance.
“My sister was right. You are heartless, and you care for no one but yourself. So be alone, Mr. Bali. You deserve that.”
Hurt crossed his face at her words, but she was too mad and too hurt by him to care about what he was feeling. She stormed out of his office and jabbed the elevator button.
When she finally reached her floor, she rushed to the ladies’ room and locked herself in a cubicle, where she finally let the tears fall. It was all so messed up. Perhaps he was right, and she ought to quit. How did one face their boss on a daily basis after sleeping with him? Fuck. She never should have gotten involved with Rohan. She ought to have steered clear of him like her sister had warned her. Now she regretted not listening to her. Raashi hadn’t wanted her to get hurt, and now she finally understood her sister’s hesitation and disapproval. Wiping her eyes, she pulled out her phone and made a call to the one person who could help her gain perspective on what she ought to do next.
22
“Stop pacing,” Akash muttered. “You’re giving me a headache.”
“Don’t look at me then,” Jiya retorted. She was angry, upset, and so hurt. Her heart felt like it had cracked into a thousand pieces.
It was late evening, and Akash had refused to let her be alone. He’d insisted on taking her home and had stayed with her while they’d had dinner. She’d been unable to eat much, but he’d forced her to eat a little. She appreciated his care. It was just that his cool demeanor was irking her, annoying her further when she was already agitated and pissed off.
As per him, this was all a misunderstanding between Rohan and her, and it would eventually work out between them. She, however, knew Rohan better. He could be extremely difficult and pig-headed once he’d got something stuck in his head, and in his mind, he was convinced that ending their relationship was the best course of action for her.
She fumed. How could he be so presumptuous? She wanted to hit him, and she wanted to bawl her eyes out at the same time. The finality in his words and the complete resignation on his face were too hard to forget or to be hopeful against.
“I don’t like you when you’re in a bad mood,” Akash grumbled. He stretched on the sofa of her living room, looking completely at ease, while she was coming apart from the insides.
“Then go away.”
“You’re being rude.”
She pivoted to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. “How do you expect me to behave then?”
“I told you earlier also that he’s in love with you. You just need to give him time to accept it.”
“How much time should I give him?” she said. “He broke up with me. He refuses to even give a proper explanation for that. What am I to think? Maybe, I should quit and move back to Mumbai.”
Akash straightened. “No! Absolutely not. What you should do is fight for him?”
“And what the hell do you think I was doing when I was playing those pranks on him?”
“I told you those were a bad idea.”
“You always thought my pranks were bad.”
“And I was right, especially this time. For someone like Rohan…to get his attention…you need to do something drastic.”
“Drastic?”
Before he could reply, her doorbell rang and she rushed to get it. She opened the door, and Janak walked inside. She leapt into his arms, and he held her close, enveloping her in a bear hug. A tear fell down her cheek, and he shifted to wipe her face. She’d called him earlier and told him everything. Janak had heard her crying and promised her that he’d be there with her soon, and here he was a couple of hours later.
