The Promise (9 page)

'What do you mean, Ms Sen?' he cocked his eyebrow.

'I mean that just because the people around you have their paycheck depending upon you, they do not tell you what a jerk you are. I thought I should do the honours.'

'Thank you. That's very considerate. Now-get in the car.'

'Excuse me?' She was stunned.

'You heard it right. Get in.'

'What? But ... why?'

'The same reason why I asked Faisal to leave. And the same reason why I will leave my driver here-I want you all to myself.'

When we fight our hearts, to prevent ourselves from falling in love, the conflict is inevitably lost. The heart is already lost, long before the realization strikes.

rjun stole a look at Shambhavi, sitting in the passenger seat of his car. Even though he was the one who practically forced her to come with him, he still wished that she had refused. He knew she would not have; just the way he could feel that she was excited, sitting in the car, next to him. It almost oozed out of her, like a physical presence. Darn.

Ever since he had first met her, he had been trying to fight the instant attraction he felt towards her. He was not a man who believed in love, or more importantly, trusted it. He did not think he was even capable of loving. If they kept meeting, their professional relationship would eventually develop into something more. They would reach a point where he would have no idea how to control things from getting out of hand. And he did not want that to happen.

For his sake. And hers.

'Where are we going?' Shambhavi asked, just as he was crossing Palasia Square.

'Radisson,' Arjun replied shortly.

'Oh. We're having lunch?'

'Yes. Didn't I hear you say that you were hungry?'

'Kind of, yes. But I didn't know you were listening. Were you eavesdropping, Mr Datta?' she cocked her head to a side and asked.

'No, I wasn't. It was you who was not speaking very softly,' Arjun said stiffly.

'I was. I was whispering into Faisal's ear. We were going to go on a date ... why would I shout?'

'Date, Ms Sen? You met that man just once, and you were already going on a date with him?'

'How does that concern you?' Shambhavi prodded, grinning widely. 'I know-you're jealous! You are jealous of Faisal. You could not stand that I was going to go out with him. So you sent him away and kidnapped me.'

'I kidnapped no one.'

'Yeah, right. You should have seen the look on your face. You didn't even need a gun to scare me into getting into the car. Even your driver was scared.'

'I just asked, and you agreed. And my driver wasn't scared. He left because I asked him to. That's in his job profile,' Arjun tried to convince Shambhavi.

'Of course, of course. Whatever you say,' she just rolled her eyes.

There was a silence in the car for some time. Arjun thought that it was a little awkward, but Shambhavi did not seem to mind. She was looking outside the window and smiling to herself like a lunatic.

'What's so funny?' he asked.

She turned to face him, grinning from ear to ear. He did not understand why she smiled so much. No matter what was happening around her, her default state was-being happy.

'What's funny is-you. You're the strangest person I have ever seen. All this time, you kept giving me a cold shoulder, when I was all starry-eyed about you. And when I gave up on getting through your sad, dark exterior, I find that you secretly like me.' She flashed him a dazzling smile, which made her eyes light up and her nose turn slightly pink.

'Starry-eyed about me? Do you think it's a good idea to start giving away such information just yet?' Arjun tried to act cool, but what she said had made his heart skip a beat. He did not like that feeling. He wanted no one to get in through the walls he had knowingly and rightly created around his heart.

'How does it matter? We're already going on a date, and knowing myself as I do, I'm sure you won't be able to let me go, ever.'

'That we will see. It seems like you assume too much. Likewe are going on a date and I secretly like you.'

'I'm not assuming, Arjun. I know. I can see,' Shambhavi said and blushed furiously, as if just realizing what she had been saying.

'Arjun? What happened to Mr Datta?'

'That was changed recently. It'll be so odd to call you Mr Datta now, with us dating and all, don't you think? And you can call me Shambhavi.'

By that time, they had reached Radisson. As the valet pulled the door open for her and she climbed out of his car, he scolded himself for the millionth time, for doing what he was doing. He had been doing a good job of being aloof and staying away from her, and he should have stuck to it. But seconds later, he found himself getting out of the car and handing over the keys to the valet.

'Shall we?' he asked, placing his hand softly at the small of her back.

'We shall!'

'Why are you so happy?'

'Why are you so irritable?' she questioned back.

'It's my way of living. Answer me, I want to know,' he asked, curious.

'Well, because being sad is not a good feeling. And looking sad will let others know that I am weak. I hate it. So I have made happiness my way of living.'

'Is there a reason why you should be sad?'

'Is that the kind of question you ask a girl on your first date with her?' she swiftly changed the topic, but he noticed.

'Fair enough. So, okay-tell me all about yourself,' he asked. He was not good at making small talk, so it was a good thing that he was genuinely interested in her and the question came to him naturally.

She rubbed her hands together and started, 'Well, I am an extrovert. I do not keep things to myself. I express what I feel in several forms of art. Except singing; I'm really bad at that. I write poetry, but don't show it to others. I write blog posts, but no one reads them, except this guy by the alias taciturnaficionada. I think he stalks me, but I do not mind. I have never had any follower my entire life. I love painting and dream of a day when I would have to do nothing in life except paint.'

'So you want to make a living out of painting?' Arjun asked.

'I just want to paint. And since making a living out of something is an obligation in order to place food on the table, I won't mind doing it through painting. Though, I do not know how that is going to work; I never sell my paintings.'

'And why is that?'

'I just don't. While painting them, I form a certain connection and cannot see them part from me.' She made a face. 'That's how interior designing comes in-to earn. I agree that it is fun too, and I have grown to love it, but for me it's still basically about a pay packet,' she explained.

'Why is money so important?' he asked. He fought against it, but his lips still formed a thin line of disapproval.

'Because I want to go to Paris,' she stated simply.

'Paris? Why?' He was confused.

'Because Paris is awesome, why else? Anyway, where's the waiter? I am starved. Will you think of me as gawaar if I order Indian food? I really do not want anything to do with Italian or Thai right now.'

'I'll have the same,' Arjun said, silently appreciating her for choosing Indian food.

They summoned the waiter and placed their orders. Surprisingly, his hunger had disappeared as soon as the topic of money had come up. He knew it was his problem, not hers, but he still could not make himself understand that this girl was different.