𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲

• 𝐧 𝐢 𝐧 𝐞 •

As she settles in, I press the gas so that I could focus on the road other than her piercing gaze. "Thank you for waiting. Shall we?"

From the corner of my eye I saw her nod resolutely. But then her voice came softer than expected. "You seemed... distracted, when you arrived. Is everything alright?"

I hesitated, then decided that honesty was best option right now. "You, uh, seemed engrossed with your new friend."

Meher looks away, a trace of pink appearing on her cheeks. "It's a welcomed distraction from planning. I've always had a soft spot for animals."

Her small confession stirred something in me. I ventured carefully, "There's much still to learn about each other, it seems."

Her lips quirked up - not quite a smile, but acknowledging all the same. "Perhaps."

We lapsed into silence as I drove, but it felt lighter somehow in contrast to our conversation in this car last time. The silence felt comfortable in contrast to our bickering few hours ago which almost made us rip each other's throats out.

I still remember the moment when I pulled up to the cafe and saw Meher crouched down, petting a stray cat that had wandered over to her. What struck me most was her smile—her sweet, gentle smile as she scratched behind the cat's ears.

It was a side of Meher I hadn't seen before. Her usual stern frown had melted away in that moment of simple kindness. The sunlight filtering through the trees dappled her skin with a warm glow, bringing out fiery undertones in her dark locks.

As I watched, a breeze picked up and stirred the leaves overhead. Sunbeams dancing across Meher's face in shifting patterns of light and shadow. Her smile widened at something the cat did, crinkling the corners of her eyes in joyful creases and bringing out those faint dimples on her cheeks. She appeared almost ethereal, like something from a dream.

I found myself unable to look away, utterly captivated.

This vulnerable glimpse into her softer nature only made Meher more breathtakingly beautiful in my eyes. The businesswoman was gone—in her place there was a young woman unveiling her delicate compassion.

It struck me then how little I truly knew of Meher beyond our arranged partnership. Layers remained hidden beneath her cold and sleek exterior that was begging to be discovered. In that fleeting moment with the stray, she had my complete attention and... dare I say, stirring of affection.

Seeing Meher with that cat, the way she smiled so softly... it caught me off guard. I find myself replaying that vision... over and over, unable to look away even when she caught me staring.

How long I stayed there... bewitched. I don't know. But when she eventually glanced up and caught my stare. I must have looked utterly foolish, for the embarrassment colored my face as I quickly looked away. But the vision of her smile remains etched in my mind, sure to haunt my memories for nights to come. Meher straightened and gave the cat one last pat before walking over to the car.