Invisible String

Chapter 6: Playboy

Word count: 2113
Naina's POV:

The aftermath of the wedding had thrown my meticulously planned schedule into disarray. These late nights were proving to be a real menace and making my days even more chaotic than they usually were. My brain felt like it was going to explode if it didn’t get its precious sleep.

Determined to regain control of my professional life, I decided to channel my inner workaholic and woke up earlier than usual --6:30 am—the digital display mocked me as I reluctantly dragged myself out of bed. Sometimes, I swear it was the most annoying piece of shit in the world. Normally, I cherished my sleep, even on vacations where I indulged in lazy mornings. But today was different. Today, I needed to catch up, to reclaim the lost time and stay ahead of the curve.

Sighing heavily, I began the arduous process of getting ready for work, my mind already racing with the multitude of tasks awaiting my attention. My goal for the day was clear: to tackle the most important tasks upon my arrival at the office by 7:30 am.

The morning flew by in a blur of emails to clients and urgent deadlines, while the afternoon was consumed by endless meetings and conferences. By 5 pm, fatigue had settled deep within my bones, and my body craved for some caffeine and rest. As I glanced at the calendar and realized it was Wednesday, I remembered my impending meeting with Mr. Kapoor. Despite my exhaustion, I knew I couldn't afford to miss it. However, I resolved to keep the interaction brief, unwilling to prolong the day any further.

Grabbing my car keys, I made my way to the meeting, determined not to waste any time with idle small talk. I drove towards my favourite café for the meeting, my car began acting up, adding another layer of frustration to an already exhausting day.
By the time the meeting with Mr. Kapoor concluded, I decided it was best to have my car checked by a mechanic on the way home. I pushed through the fatigue, determined to address the issue before it escalated further.

After the smooth meeting with Mr. Kapoor, I bid him goodbye and dropped him off at his car. Craving a chicken sandwich, I made my way back to the café counter, placing an order.

"Oh, we meet again. Don’t you think this is  a sign of destiny? Tell me, did you miss me?" I heard a familiar voice behind me. Turning around, I found Aditya standing there, a playful smile on his lips. Despite him acting like a dumbass at the pani- puri stall, Sam told me that he took care of me when I was completely wasted.

I just smirked at him saying, "Oh, yeah? Is this a sign of destiny or you being a stalker? And no, I wouldn’t miss you in a million years." And looked ahead, at the counter.

He chuckled in response. "Really? Because that’s not the tone you had that night." He retorted with a cheeky smile as if to say ‘gotcha’.

I turned around quicker than the speed of light. My mind froze. All Samaira told me was that he took care of me. She didn’t tell me the entire conversation between the both of us. Why on earth do I think it's a good idea to drink when I can’t even handle it? Oh my god, could I have told him about…? no no that's too far fetched. Ignoring my thoughts which were running at 100km/hr, I decided to put my best game face on and said coolly, “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

The idiot smiled even wider at this, as if he just saw a window of opportunity. “It’s a shame you don’t remember all the wonderful things you told me. How I was the most handsome man you’ve ever seen and that you wanted my number.”

Okay now even I know that was complete bullshit. I wouldn’t say all of that… would I? No, doesn't matter. I wasn’t going to give in to his little tricks so instead I just raised my eyebrows and gave him a sarcastic smile. “I know that even if I was absolutely shit-faced drunk, I would rather confess my love to a frog than say all that to you.” At this, he let out a deep and genuine laugh. He truly was a sight to see when he laughed. His eyes twinkled with amusement and there were those tiny wrinkles around his golden-brown eyes. Something about the way he laughed made my stomach flip.

I didn’t realise I was staring, until he stared right back. I quickly looked away, in an attempt to hide my flushed cheeks from his view. He suddenly took a step closer to me and put his finger under my chin to make me look at him.

“Even you know that a part of that was true, sweetheart.” He murmured in a low voice. I looked him in the eyes in defiance and even though our close proximity did things to me, I wouldn’t show him that it affected me and spoke in a tone that matched his. “Don’t call me sweetheart.”

He grinned at this saying, “I won’t, if you just tell me your name.” I sighed at this. This man wouldn’t give up. “Fine, Naina Ahuja, CEO of Ahuja and Company, happy?” I deadpanned, and started to walk away as my sandwich was parcelled up. “Very, sweetheart!” He called out from behind me but I just let out a quiet laugh and left with a small wave of goodbye, leaving him behind, a small smile lingering on my lips against my will at the antics of this man.

I reached my car with a glimmer of hope, eager for a smooth journey home. However, my optimism quickly evaporated as I attempted to start the engine, only to be met with the ominous silence that signalled yet another failure. Frustration simmered beneath the surface as I twisted the keys once more, desperate for a different outcome. Yet, as before, my car remained stubbornly inert, its engine refusing to roar to life.

With a groan of exasperation, I swung open the door and unleashed my pent-up frustration by delivering a swift kick to the tires. "Sweetheart, kicking it won’t start it!" Aditya's voice rang out from behind me, and I turned to see him striding towards me with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“I thought you would stop calling me that.” I spoke with nothing but annoyance in my voice. “I lied. It’s more fun like this.” The man said shamelessly. I am so sure I’m gonna kill him someday and that day seemed closer than ever.

"Look, that’s not how you start a car. Kick the accelerator, not the car," he advised, his tone tinged with humour in an effort to alleviate the tension. “Thanks Sherlock, for that ground-breaking observation. What would I have done without you?” I retorted, rolling my eyes at him.

Despite my irritation, deep down I wished he could see me in action behind the wheel. If he had, he would have known the true extent of my driving skills.

He leaned a bit towards the bonnet of the car, with his arms crossed and watching my every move with a hint of humour in his eyes. I felt a mixture of irritation and embarrassment. "Don’t just stand there, stalker. Move," I snapped, pushing him aside as I marched towards the front of the car. Determined to diagnose the problem myself, I lifted the bonnet, only to be greeted by a cloud of smoke billowing out towards me.

Coughing and sputtering, I waved my hand in front of my face, trying to clear the air. Even through watery eyes, I saw Aditya standing there, a smirk playing on his lips as he watched me struggle.

As I waved away the smoke, struggling to catch my breath amidst the haze, Aditya's  remark cut through the air like a knife. “I must say you look even cuter with dusty smoke blowing up in your face.”

His smirk, infuriatingly smug, only served to heighten my frustration. "Wipe that stupid smirk off your face or I’ll do it for you." With that, I turned my attention back to the car, determined to salvage whatever remained of my evening. Closing the bonnet with a resolute thud, I made a mental note to call a mechanic as soon as possible. As I reached for my phone, I couldn't shake the feeling that Aditya's presence had turned a simple car breakdown into a moment of sheer abashment.

"Sorry to be interrupting, but your car seems to have been running on hopes and wishes rather than engine oil and fuel," he remarked with a chuckle, his teasing tone only adding to my frustration.
No matter how frustrated I was right now, I couldn’t deny the way I felt so drawn to him but it was wrong.

But as much as I wanted to push him away, a part of me yearned to give in. But I couldn't let myself go down that road again, only for my hopes to be completely shattered.

Drawing a shaky breath, I attempted to steady my racing thoughts, forcing myself to focus on the reality of the situation. "Aditya, I would like to be left alone right now, please, just go.” I muttered, clutching the bridge of my nose with my fingers.

But even as the words left my lips, they didn’t seem like my own. Of course I wanted him to stay but I didn’t want him to get his hopes up because he deserved better than a girl who was confused about her own feelings and had issues of her own which she didn’t know how to resolve. Besides, why would he care? He wasn’t looking for something serious. Probably a fling to pass his time.

But before I could entertain any more thoughts, his hand closed around my wrist, pulling me towards him with a gentle yet insistent force. My eyes grew wide at his sudden actions and as our faces drew closer. The sunlight made the green of his eyes look more prominent. I could swear at that moment, he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen in my existence.

"Why do you keep doing this?” he whispered, his voice tinged with a raw edge of emotion. "Trust me, I don’t even know why I feel so damn drawn to you. As if there is some invisible string pulling me towards you. But I know that I don’t want to get rid of this feeling. I get it if you don't feel the same but I do want to know why you keep pushing me away."

His words hung in the air like a delicate thread, tethering us together in a fragile moment of truth. And as I stood there, enveloped in the warmth of his touch and his intense gaze hovering over me, I realised that I wasn’t being fair to him at all because he had no idea why I acted so distant to him.

My heart raced as Aditya's words washed over me. His hand on my wrist sent shivers down my spine, and for a moment, I found myself lost in the depths of his eyes.

But I quickly snapped back to reality, reminding myself of the countless rumours surrounding him and his reputation as a player. I couldn't afford to fall for someone who might only break my heart.

Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, "Aditya, I really don’t know what I feel for you but I don’t hate you. It’s just.. it’s hard for me to trust people and with your reputation as a playboy, it just makes it more complicated." I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. As I spoke, I gently tried to pull my wrist from his grasp, but his grip only tightened, anchoring me in place. The frustration in his voice was palpable as he tried to get me to listen, to give him a chance to prove himself.

"Naina, listen to me. I am not a playboy," he insisted, his tone firm as he stated that. "Please, just atleast hear me out once."

His words hung in the air between us, heavy with unspoken emotions and unanswered questions. And as I stood there, locked in his gaze, I knew that the choice I made in that moment would shape the course of my future in ways I couldn't yet comprehend.

To be continued…