He didn’t look convinced. “How come Nanaji seemed. . . I don’t know. . . It was like he didn’t recognise me.”
Vera shrugged, trying to remain nonchalant. “Should he have?”
“He knew me all my life.”
“You look different now.”
“He also seemed a little tired. Is he ok?”
“He’s fine. Look,” she huffed, arms folded across her chest. “I’m trying to be civil but there is no need to start quizzing me about my personal life.”
“He meant something to me too,” Vihaan shot back, hands in his pockets. “I have a right to ask about him.”
“No, you don’t. Until two months ago, you had no idea if he was even alive. Don’t pretend you gave him a single thought all these years.”
Or me,she almost added. She folded her arms across her chest in a defensive stance, tipping her chin up insolently when he gave her a once over, as if he knew exactly what she was doing. Picking a fight was the easiest way to keep someone from peering into the mess that was her life.
Vihaan’s face darkened, his lips tightening into a frown. “You have no clue what I have and have not given thought to.”
“Enlighten me,” she said, the sarcasm heavy.
“Would you believe me?”
“No, so it's best to drop this topic.” She waved him off, indicating that she was done with the conversation. For an instance, it looked like he would argue. Then, as though he’d changed his plan of attack, his features relaxed and he shot her a sweet smile that had her doing a double-take.
“You don’t want to discuss Nanu? Fine. Let’s talk about you instead.”
“What about me?” she asked suspiciously.
“What’s it going to take for me to get you into bed again?”
Her jaw unhinged, a furious zing shooting through her body at that unexpected question. “Huh?”
“Haan?” His brows almost shot off his forehead. “I didn’t think you’d agree so easily.”
“I didn’t say haan!” she snapped, refusing to turn pink, knowing that her efforts were futile when she felt a furious bloom of heat settle upon the apples of her cheeks.
Vihaan tilted his head to grin playfully at her. “Then you need to mumble less. Unless your mouth is full of me.”
She slapped one hand over her eyes, frustrated with herself for wanting to giggle like a brainless flamingo because she was certain she matched the damned bird in colour. Still, she instilled some firmness in her tone when she glared at him. “This is harassment, you know?”
Vera wondered if she’d imagined the slight dimming of his smile.
“You’re right,” he said. “I seem to be terrible at being your boss. Maybe you’ll quit?”
Her annoyed reaction was immediate. She raised her foot and brought it down hard, trying to stomp on his expensive shoes, but he was too quick. He shuffled back, side-stepping her swat, swivelling and dodging her angry attempts to punch him. For the next several minutes, it was as though Vihaan and Vera had reverted to being children again. They dodged and weaved through the fluttering clothes as Vera rained curses at him and he ran ahead, mocking her, teasing her, laughing when she was unable to catch him. Frustrated with his evasion she spun in a huff, ready to stomp away when she heard the quick approach of feet behind her. His arm banded about her stomach like an iron vise, pulling her back flush to his chest.
“Let me go, you douche-goblin!” she spat, still out of breath. It didn’t help that she could feel every firm muscle of his body pressed against her now. Her chest heaved with the effort to draw air into her lungs, bringing her breasts to rest on his forearm.A couple inches upwards, and he could grab. . .
She almost cried at her unruly thoughts, going still when his lips brushed against the outer whorls of her ear.
“I may be terrible at being your boss,” he muttered softly. “But you are equally bad at treating me like other employees do, especially with the creative insults you seem to tailor just for me. Have you ever wondered why?”
“Because you’re a pain-in-the-ass dipshit, that’s why!”
To her surprise, he chuckled and released her.
She should have been offended. She should have been raging at him for speaking to her this way. Instead, it felt . . . Damnit, it felt good. His presence was like a drug injected into her veins that made her crave an interaction with him. Being flirted with by someone who refused to be cowed by her made her feel like a young schoolgirl experiencing her first crush. It was so easy to be with Vihaan, bickering and bantering like they’d never grown up. She’d forgotten how carefree she used to feel around him and somehow, even today, he managed to unearth a childishness in her that she’d never been able to harness with anyone else. Her heart ached, confused between fondness and fear for this man she had so much history with. Their past was shadowed by a bad end, but not all of her time with him had been bad.