chapter : 03
behave nicely

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k a b i r
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"How am I supposed to help you with that?" I slump back on my chair, resisting the urge to rake my fingers through my already set hair. I had decided to come in a little early and finish my work before we had to leave for the party.

The benefit of having an apartment near the office area is that it saves you so much commutation time. I live in a luxurious duplex apartment, overlooking the Arabian Sea, a location nearby my workplace.

"It's not my fault you popped the question out of nowhere and are not ready to accept no for an answer." Noor's exasperated voice comes from the other side. It's well past five in the evening, and most have left for home.

My phone rests on my desk peacefully with her voice reverberating in the entire room due to the speaker mode. I had thought to finish up some files but this lady acts as if there's a mission up her sleeve to destroy my work balance.

"Noor." I sigh loudly. "How would I know if a red saree goes well with a black blouse? I. Don't. Know. Google it."

"It's maroon!"

"Noor."

"Sir. Black or Maroon?"

"I'm working. Bye. It's already thirty minutes past five, I hope you aren't going to be tardy again." I cut the call, silencing it and diving back into the portfolios.

It's an important season for companies like us, we will be soon hiring recruits and I need to sieve only the best for my firm. I scan through the documents, circling and making notes of the additional pointers to be included.

The ticking of the wall clock hung on the wall is the only sound I hear until I am done with my work. I close my laptop, pack it, and organise my table so that it's clean and tidy for tomorrow. After a quick trip to the washroom, I freshen up and adjust my coat and tie properly.

Even though it's a birthday party, my grandfather is a thorough businessman. After the death of my parents when I was only eight, it was he who took me under his wings. Nurtured and cared for me. Grew me into a capable, independent man.

I owe my entire life to my grandfather, all my values and ethics, my business traits, I have picked up seeing him. He had retired some years ago, handing me my shares and his, making me the highest shareholder of the company but then there's a tricky twist.

I glance at my wristwatch, noticing that it's practically six and with no sight of Noor. I stroll outside my cabin, noticing her desk, carefully for the first time.

Her desk is white coloured, a change she made in the very first week of her employment, except for the desk computer nothing is easy to decipher. It's a mess. There's a small plant, which I doubt is real, and tons of marker pens all scattered in a line.

A stack of files is shoved into a corner to make space for more papers, I can also see a fresh chips packet and a bar of chocolate hidden by those documents. I still remember the day she was appointed, the best from her college, ambitious and goal-oriented but the day after, her habits started irking me.

This desk has seen it all. She eats her lunch here, sips her gallons of coffee here, works and even manages to sleep here. She might be a little messy for my liking, okay, very messy to my liking but she works genuinely. Her drive keeps me motivated to not give in to my urge to fire her for her unkept habits.

"I'll clean it tomorrow." A statement I have probably heard every day in the last five years.

"I have lost hope, Noor." I change the focus of my eyes to look at my secretary who has managed to revamp herself entirely.

Regularly, you'll always see Noor in the most casual outfits during work hours. She skips traditional wear even when there's an event or function. Paint me surprised when I see a different version of Noor standing right before me, wrapped perfectly in a red—maroon—coloured saree, a thin black strap of her blouse peeking.

Her hair which I have always seen tied around, is left loose, as it flows to her waist. A thick silver necklace around her neck is paired with a silver nose pin.

"So you think this is good enough?" She asks, juggling her purse and phone. She doesn't look up to see me surprised.

"This will do." It's not a lie, my grandfather would be happy to meet her as my girlfriend. He had been persuading me for marriage for years now, but this time he took it too far.

It's better to find myself a fake companion for an event than to chain myself to an arranged marriage. I have been single for some time now, prioritising my work and steering away from the dating life.

We walk to the elevator, taking it to the basement where my car is parked. I had given my driver an early off so that I could drive and inform Noor about some of the rules in my household.

The moment we sit in the car, we are enveloped by the musky smell of the leather and gripped by an awkward silence. She has never been in my car, and now she is accompanying me to an event where is posing as my girlfriend.

"How did you arrive so soon?"

"I am fast." She snickers, there's always something bizarre about her. You know her and yet you don't.

"See, my grandfather, is a man of morals. I want you to make him believe that we indeed are dating. You as it know more than enough about me, you just have to convince him. Also, you will have to maintain a certain way of speaking there."

"So you are saying I don't have manners, sir?" The moment she says this I realise the slip of my tongue. I know she isn't someone who doesn't know how to carry herself but I wanted to just make sure that she doesn't bicker with me there the way she normally does.

"I never said that. You know what I mean, don't twist my words."

"I know how to carry myself. You don't have to worry about me taunting or fighting with you over there. I am scared for you,"

"And why is that?"

"I am not sure if you'll be able to convince your grandfather of our fake relationship, you are a little uptight, no?"

"We'll see, Noor."

"Oh indeed, sir."

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thank you!

fun fact: if you wear spectacles for difficulty in seeing far away objects, and your number is over -6 D, you have pathological myopia.

happy new year my lovelies. i hope this new year brings you love, luck and prosperity.

as i publish this chapter, i am already working on the tenth chapter. this book is my comfort space. i felt a heavy block and couldn't bring myself to type nefarious deceit but with this book, the chapters just flow.

it's a new book, trust me, i know it can come off as cliche, but also, it's my cliche.

who doesn't like a shade from the heavy books we often read. this book is my warm blanket, and i aim to make it yours too.

new book, and so it would mean the world to me (and kabir and noor) if you could share it, spread the word across.

do vote and comment.

royally yours,
meethi.