A/N: I have some news for you.
First, I have decided where I want to head this story and that you must have realised. So, just a fair warning, please don't leave comments like Swayam's missing in this update and all, because they will not end up together in this story. This is going to be angsty. Just kidding, they will end up together. SwaRon is endgame obviously. But since I am showing them with a corporate background, I won't be able to show the kind of romance you would notice in jobless teenagers! Their romance will be more subtle. But since people missed Swayam in the previous chapter, this one's for you guys.
Two, I have fever and my periodics start on Monday. Brilliant timing, Rhinovirus!
Three, I finally got a new Laptop (and christened her as Noah). So basically, I can PM again. Noah has been very obedient so far, and says Hi!
Four, I am trying to make this a schedule, like, updating on every Friday or Saturday. So please do check this thread on weekends to see if there is any new update.
Five, an old character will make an appearance in the story. Any guesses?
"Love is like a Venn diagram of which two sets are never mutually exclusive. The two sets will always intersect other sets, only A intersection B will have higher area than the other intersections. (Go figure)"
Me, because why the hell not!
Chapter 4
"Automatically, it seemed Dumbledore reached out a long hand and seized the parchment. He held it out and stared at the name written upon it. There was a long pause, during which Dumbledore stared at the slip in his hands and everyone stared at Dumbledore. And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out -
Harry Potter' "
Holy shit!
Sharon looked up from her book, outside through window. Convenient, how very convenient. So convenient for the chapter to end just there and so convenient for her bus stop to be reached in like five seconds. Just how very... Convenient!
Sharon grumbled under her breath, irritated by the climax, and knowing she would have to wait for a whole day for the mystery to unravel. She shoved the book back inside her bag and got up from her seat, making her way through the crowd and out of the bus, lost in thoughts.
But how did his name come up? There was supposed to be Age Line... and only one competitor was supposed to be selected. How would the writer justify that?
She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she almost jumped out of her skin when someone called her from the back.
"Sharon?"
The same questioning way that she had heard the last time. That showed surprise dripping in every syllable... two... per se.
But that didn't stop a smile to spread wide on her face even before she had turned around.
"Hi," Swayam exclaimed, marching towards her, his bag slung on one shoulder which invariably reminded her of Harry's description of Hermione.
What! That was random... and not very relevant either.
"Hi," she smiled back at him. "What are you doing here?"
"I was stalking you," Swayam replied back immediately. "I knew you were going to get down at this stop so..."
"Ha... bloody... ha," Sharon remarked in the most dry fashion she could, her face showing absolutely zero amusement. "Honestly, if you want to use sarcasm, at least be humorous."
The way his face lit up with the brightest smile she had seen was the most puzzling thing ever. But before she could question him on it, he asked, "Do you normally travel by bus?" as they ambled out of the bus depot.
"Yup."
"Why? I mean you work in your parent's company so, wouldn't it be easier to just go to office with them?"
"Nah," she tried to reply in the most nonchalant way she could afford. "I find this better."
"Sharon Raiprakash travelling in a bus! Somebody pinch me," he muttered. Sharon didn't know if it was intended to be heard by her, but somewhere it hurt her heart. Sharon had started travelling by bus during the third year of college because she couldn't afford any other means of travelling apart from train... and train was the last means of transportation she would use. Ever. She stuck to that habit because it gave her a sense of independence. Sure, Swayam had not meant to belittle her but sometimes such comments made her feel like she had no identity outside of being a Raiprakash. No, he didn't mean it that way. Don't. She shook the thoughts out of her head and to distract herself, she did what he asked for. Pinched him.
"Ouch!" he shouted, probably more out of surprise than pain and that was enough for Sharon to laugh out, her eyes crinkling at the edges and body shaking with it.
"Yeah right," he grumbled moodily, massaging the assaulted area, "my pain is a reason for you joy."
"Please," Sharon rolled her eyes, not quite stopping chuckling, "you don't have to be so philosophical."
They had reached the bottom of a skywalk by the time and Sharon asked, "I have to take the bridge to the other side of the road, what about you?"
"I'll go to the other side and take train."
"You mean the other exit of skywalk... Cool, let's go." Sharon commented as they climbed the stairs. "How come I have never seen you in the bus stop?"
"That's because I don't take bus. I have my bike," Swayam replied.
"Oh really! Which one!" she asked sparked by sudden excitement. Swayam was as surprised as he was amused. He had never taken Sharon to be the kind of girl who would show any interest in bikes. But then Sharon had been surprising him since the time they met on that road.
"Er... Honda CBR 150R," he replied not quite sure why he made it sound like a question.
"Shit! That's like one of the best bikes currently available," Sharon exclaimed, "I mean, there are, like, faster bikes out there but this one's quite fuel efficient. But their price is above one lakh!"
"True," Swayam answered, thrown off by Sharon's knowledge, "but EMI is a magical element... By the way, don't mind me saying this but I didn't know you were interested in bikes."
"Why?" she stretched the remark, her eyebrows raised in open challenge, "because I'm a girl I couldn't be interested in bikes?"
"No," Swayam quickly shot back, "it was just... I don't know... but I'm impressed."
"Hmmm..., I wasn't interested initially, to be honest, but then one day Rey decided to teach me how to ride a bike and..." Sharon's voice drifted away looking at the way Swayam's mouth twisted from smile to a tight lipped straight line. Had she actually seen that or was it just a hallucination because Swayam turned to her and asked, "And what?" with a smile back on his face.
"And... nothing, just... I got fascinated by bikes..." she ended softly. An awkward silence, which she had not experienced with Swayam for the last two times they had met each other, made her feel queasy, knotting her stomach. "Er..., I have to turn left... my office's here," Sharon broke the silence.
"Oh... okay," Sharon didn't like the nonchalance, with which he said it, the slightest bit. As she turned left and separated from him, her head desperately rummaged for something. She didn't want it to end in such an awkward way... but... nothing. And she was walking farther away from him with a strangely heavy heart.
"Hey!" she called up, making Swayam stop in tracks and turn, eyebrows raised up in surprise. "Let's meet up sometime, like, not just by coincidence... but let's go for lunch or something together. Er... not today... because I have a presentation to prepare but, like, Saturday... if you don't mind... that would be nice."
"Er... Simons is open on Saturday so... that won't be possible," Swayam replied quietly and looking rather uncomfortable, judging by the way he rubbed his back and didn't quite look at her. Sharon frowned, "What about Sunday?"
"Supposed to meet family. My sister's coming on Saturday evening... so I'll be spending the day with her."
Sister. Right. Sure. And you want me to believe that. More than anything, that sounded like open rejection to her. Sharon felt small and that feeling was not something she enjoyed.
"Oh... okay," she genuinely felt like running away and never look at him again. If you don't want to be with me, might as well say it. "Well..."
"We will... figure some day out," Swayam supplied weakly. To Sharon, it screamed, I don't want to go anywhere with you.
Yeah well thanks... but no thanks.
"Sure..." she shrugged, "well then, see you," she stated coolly and turned around once he replied with a, yeah, bye'. She couldn't help but stomp down the stairs. How dare he? When she had been nothing but nice to him, how dare he turn her down.
She could still feel the anger when she entered office, crossed the hallway and pressed the button for elevator, when she heard someone whistle from the back, and, for the second time, felt herself almost jump out her skin. "Not a very good morning, is it?" Rey asked with humour laced in his voice.
Sharon turned around, surprised, to see the face of her annoyingly adorable best friend as he pushed away from his leaning-on-the-wall posture and joined her. "I didn't expect you to be here. Don't you have some work to attend to yourself?"
"My life does not revolve around you," he shot back with an air of fake haughtiness, complete with his head slightly tilted up, "Miss Sharanjeet Raipr-"
"Shh," Sharon looked around the hall, wildly scanning the area. Fortunately, there was no one apart from the receptionist who couldn't seem less bothered by them. Relieved that no one had heard it, she grabbed Rey's collar and yanked him to herself. "No one knows I am a Raiprakash, okay?" she hissed at him, "And I intend to keep it that way."
"Whoa," he laughed nervously, "so now are we playing MI or something?"
"No," Sharon snapped back, "I just don't want anyone to treat me anyway other than just another employee," she added in a much softer way but kept a scorn intact on her face.
Rey simply shrugged his shoulders and shoved his hands into his pocket. After a beat of silence, Sharon finally asked, "So? Why are you here?" The ping of elevator informed them of its arrival, and they both got on it.
"To meet Mr. Menon regarding the merger. I don't know why did Dad have to send me for that?" Rey remarked with a frown.
"He wants you to take up responsibility, Rey. You are indeed going to be running an industry after him," Sharon tried to knock some sense into him.
"What if I don't want to?" Rey countered with his usual childish pout.
Sharon was in no mood to humour him, not after everything that had happened. "You don't understand the gravity of situation now, but you will one day, when it gets too late. Just like I have."
His eyes softened in a way that Sharon completely hated. "Sharon..."
The door opened to reveal the floor they had to go to.
"This is your cue," Sharon told him, facing him with a blank stare. "Go meet Menon Sir. I will go to my cubicle because I do have to work. And I want to."
Before Rey could say anything, Sharon walked away. Rey didn't follow.
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