If You Could Stay

12. Naira

"You sure you don't want to borrow my pocket knife, Naira?"

I stopped applying my lipstick to turn and look at Mayuri.

"Ri, I don't know if I should be concerned by the fact that you have a pocket knife. Or by the fact that you, a lawyer, are offering me a weapon."

Mayuri smoothened out her blazer and shrugged. "Hey, I fight for justice. Whether I do it in the courtroom or by stabbing a certain grumpy-faced crorepati, that depends on the situation."

I couldn't help but laugh. Mayuri has been my best friend ever since she punched a boy for bothering me during high school. Now, she was a successful prosecutor who still wouldn't hesitate to lay a fist on someone for me. Although it looks like she has now graduated from punching to stabbing.

I oddly suspected that may have been one of the reasons why my brother allowed me to live in Mumbai alone; because I had Mayuri with me.

Mayuri looks at me with a serious expression. "Naira, are you sure you'll be okay? I can go with you if you want."

I put on my heels, immediately feeling a surge of power.

"I'll be fine, Ri. It's just a business meeting."

It had been almost two weeks since "The Incident". Aka the night of the gala. Aka the night I made a total fool of myself in front of Kartik.

My ankle has almost healed and the bruise on my forehead was barely noticeable. And with a little touch of makeup, you couldn't even tell there was once a bruise there.

I was headed over to Kartik's office for a meeting regarding our upcoming photoshoot. Nryta's launch would be in four weeks and in collaboration with the Goenka Medias magazine, we were releasing an issue with a sneak peak of some of the jewelry.

Mayuri looks at me cautiously. I sigh.

"Mayuri, I'll be fine. Mr. Goenka hurt me once, but that was my mistake. He's cruel by default, I shouldn't have let his words affect me that much. It won't happen again."

Mayuri opens her mouth as if to say something, but after a second of hesitation, she closes it again. Her face softens.

"Okay."

I smile.

"But only because he helped you after you got injured." Mayuri points her finger at me. "Also, why are you calling him Mr. Goenka like he's some door ke rishtedar? Isn't he supposed to be your fiancé? Even if you guys are fake dating and all."

I pause. Ever since we met, he's been calling me Miss Singhania—except for that occasional stupid Miss Pink Drink— like we lived in a business meeting 24/7. Which I guess we are. Technically, this relationship is only a business deal.

Still, it didn't seem right to call him by his first name when he was addressing me by my last. The only time I had done that was that night in his house. It had felt too...personal. And nothing about Kartik Goenka should be feeling personal to me.

I shake my head and give Mayuri a quick hug.

"Go fight for some justice in the courtroom, meri jaan. I'll be fine fighting my own battles. Bye, love you!"

I grab my purse and run out of the apartment before she could ask any more questions.

************

"Good morning Miss Naira." Inaya gets up from her desk as she notices me approach.

I greet Inaya with a polite smile as she leads me down the hall to a conference room. When the door opens, a dozen heads swivel to look in my direction.

I freeze momentarily at the entrance of the room, scanning the full conference table, until my eyes land on the only empty chair left. The one next to Kartik.

Great.

I've been trying to avoid him but I guess the universe had other plans for me. I feel his heated stare as his eyes travel down my body to my feet. As gracefully as I can, I lift my chin up, straighten my back, and walk towards the chair.

I must have left my grace back at home because when I approach the table, my step falters momentarily and I reach out to the first thing in front of me to balance myself. Kartik swivels his chair around to try to catch me and that's how I land right onto his lap.

I hear some gasps in the background as a dozen pair of eyes fixes on us. But I'm too busy looking into the two amber pools staring back at me. Kartik's eyes widen a fraction of an inch. The rhythm of his heart under my hand quickens its pace, a sharp contrast to his emotionless face. The heat from his body, his hands on my waist, the rich scent of his cologne, all overtake my senses.

Kartik's eyes drift slowly to my forehead, before searching the rest of my face, as if he's looking for something. When his eyes glance at my feet for the second time in the last two minutes, realization hits me.

He's searching for my injuries.

I don't know why but a sudden urge to reassure him comes over me.

"I'm fine. Everything healed." My voice comes out so soft, it's almost a whisper.

"Good." The one word in his low voice vibrates through my body.

The air suddenly shifts into something different. Everything intensifies. My breathing. My heartbeat.

"Ahem."

Someone clears their throat and I'm brought back to reality. I scramble off of Kartik and straighten my dress before promptly sitting down in my seat. I feel my face heating up while Kartik turns back to the table, with not a hair out of place or a reaction on his face. It's as if I didn't just plop onto his lap only minutes ago.

"Kartik sir, if we may begin the meeting?" A gentleman at the end of the table speaks up.

Kartik nods.

"Miss Singhania, before we discuss the details of the photoshoot, would you explain the essence of your jewelry line? We'd like to hear more about it personally from you." The man directs to me.

I stand and make my way to the front of the room, pointing toward the projector screen that loads my PowerPoint slides.

"Good morning, everyone. I would like to introduce you to Nryta. A project my mother dreamt of, and one that I want to bring to life."

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. My mother's face flashes in my darkened vision.

For you, Mumma.

I open my eyes with a smile on my face and continue presenting the designer gungroos, maang-tikas, kamarbands, and necklaces. As I begin talking about Nryta, I forget about my mortifying experience with Kartik. Confidence quickly builds inside me as the others in the room nod to certain parts of my presentation. I refuse to look at Kartik but I can feel his heated gaze.

By the end of my presentation, I have a big smile on my face and a heart full of love and pride for my jewelry line. Everyone claps and I sneak a glance at Kartik. The pressure in my chest increases when I notice he almost looks...proud. His eyes are lit with a sparkle I've never seen before. But his face remains as stoic as usual.

The rest of the meeting goes well and I'm giddy with excitement by the time everyone files out of the conference room. Kartik stands near the doorway with his hands in the pockets of his slacks, while everyone else files out of the room. I want to leave as quickly as possible, avoiding any conversations with him.

The meeting went so well, I feel like the brightest rays of sunshine were beaming down on me. Just when I'm about to cross the threshold of the room, Inaya walks in, visibly distressed.

"Sir, Naira ma'am, there's a big problem."

My stomach drops at her words. With one sentence, my sunshine is diminished by dark storm clouds.