Chapter 9

Tarini's POV

It has been a few days since the phone call with my mom and bua and I haven't got any call from them or any other relatives for that matter.

I was in the usual restaurant having food, alone because Aadhya went to meet her parents for lunch and Navya had to attend a lunch meeting with the investors for her art gallery, hope her dream comes true soon

I was eating my food like a loner while scrolling through my phone

"Miss Verma" A voice called out, I looked up to see who it was. I didn't expect to see him here

"Mr. Rajput, hello" I stood up to greet him, he looks hot in the black suit

"Hello, are you waiting for someone?" He asked

"No I was just having my lunch my friends are busy" I added the friends part so he doesn't think I'm a lonely soul

"I see, do you mind if I join you?" He asked looking straight in my eyes

"Of course not, please have a sit" I hope I didn't come out desperate

He took a seat and, the seat was little small for him so he had to spread his leg and sit, he ditched his blazer and kept it on the arm of the chair and rolled his shirt sleeves

Jesus Christ he looks hot as fuck. I had to pinch my thigh in order to stop myself from touching him and making sure his real

He ordered a salad and turned towards me

"So, how are you Miss. Verma?" He asked

That certainly did catch me off guard

"You can call me Tarini sir, and I'm good" I said hoping I didn't sound nervous

"Well in that case you should call me Ruhaan" He said

"How can I? I mean you are our client it deems unprofessional" I said while playing with the spoon

"How about this, we can call each other with our first names outside office and in office we can be professional" He said

"So are you implying that we are going to meet outside office too?" I said trying my best not to let the giddy smile appear

"Yes" He said with confidence and it baffled me

"What?" I said lightly laughing thinking he is joking

"I'm serious" He said while wiping his mouth with the tissue

When did he finish eating?

"Oh" That's all I could say

"My break time is almost over I'll have to return back" I said after a few minutes because he kept looking at me

"How did you come here?" He asked

"I walked" I said

"Come on I'll walk you back to your office" He said while standing up

I stood up too while fixing my dress

"You don't have to take trouble, I can go on my own it's just 5 minutes walk from here" I tried to politely decline him

"I insist and as you said it's just 5 minutes walk" He said while nodding towards the door so I could walk in front of him

"Okay" I reluctantly agreed

He was walking besides me with his hands in his pockets, I can't stop myself from taking glance every now and then

We were walking silently, it was a comfortable one, we didn't have to indulge in conversation just because the atmosphere was awkward

We reached my office and he stood in front of me

"Bye Tarini" He said while giving me a small smile

"Bye Ruhaan" His name sounds foreign from my lips

I gave him a last smile and went inside

I was smiling all the way up to my office like a kid

As I reached my cabin I put halt to my brain to stop thinking about Ruhaan so I could work properly

I went to the main room so we could discuss about the Rajput hotel, the meeting went on for quiet long since we all had too many ideas for the project

We decided to conclude the meeting and continue it tomorrow since it was close to our leaving time

I packed my bag and left the office since Navya decided we should meet in the evening because we couldn't meet today

I drove towards Marine Drive where we were going to meet there, we go there often to relax after a hectic day or week

I parked my car and fortunately I found a proper place, I grabbed my phone and walked towards the sitting area

I got a call from Navya telling me where they were, I found them after some time because obviously it's marine drive it's bound to be crowded but somehow they both got place to sit and saved one for me too

"How are uncle aunty?" I asked while looking at Aadhya while munching on the Vada pav Navya had brought for us

Thankfully there are still places where they serve the original mumbai vada pav instead of adding cheese, butter, chocolate and what not.

"They're good, they were asking about you both actually" She said while taking a sip from her chai

Aadhya's parents are the sweetest, they have treated me and Navya as their own since we three became friends

Navya doesn't really have a good relationship with her parents because they wanted her to go for a field which will give her a stable income

Aadhya and I couldn't be more proud of her for choosing what she actually likes

"Okay guys I need to tell you guys something" Navya said while dusting her hands together to remove the excess crumbs of the vada pav

We looked at her waiting for her to continue

"So you both know how I went to meet an investor right" I could see a full blown smile coming on her face

We nodded at her asking her to continue

"So he saw my paintings and he agreed to invest in my gallery" She said with a huge smile

Me and Aadhya both squealed and hugged her and telling her how happy we are for her

"Oh my God I knew this will be a good meeting" Aadhya said with a smile

"We are so proud of you" I said while hugging her, Aadhya too joined the hug

We later enjoyed while watching the sunset

I didn't tell them about Ruhaan because it was a special day for Navya and I didn't wanted it to make it about me

We left for our respective home after having a dinner on a stall nearby