Page 110 of No Boss
The courtyard moved around him. Work ending. Day settling into rest. The Haveli did what it had always done.
It brought the Anands home.
Chapter 21
Day Four
That morning, Abhinav waited near his office when her footsteps reached him.
He had come to recognize them. Her anklets marked a rhythm that settled in him before she appeared.
Meera turned the corner, a small brass plate in her hands, a servant behind her. She saw him and walked straight to him. Before he could speak, she rose on her toes. Her thumb pressed kumkum onto his forehead.
A shiver ran down his spine, he went still.
She stepped back and handed the plate to the servant, who turned away.
His eyes narrowed. “Are you not bossing your boss a bit too much?”
Meera clicked her tongue, dismissing the protest without a word.
With one hand tucked behind her back, she extended the other toward the passage ahead and dipped into a playful bow. “It was necessary, Hukum. For where we are going today.”
Abhinav looked at her. At the passage. Back at her.
He muttered something under his breath. She didn’t catch the words, but the tone was clear. He adjusted his shirt and walked beside her.
They moved through parts of the Haveli he hadn’t been to yet. Older corridors, darker stone.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“Down.”
“Down where?”
“You will see.”
He glanced at her. “You enjoy this.”
“I enjoy knowing things you don’t,” she replied pleasantly.
“That must keep you very entertained.”
“Very.” She bit the inside of her cheek.
He chose not to react to his bodily instincts.
The corridor narrowed. Light from the outer windows faded behind them.
Meera took out a small matchbox and lit two oil lamps from a niche in the wall near something that barely passed for a door.
She handed him one. Their fingers brushed. A jolt shot up her arms. She drew back first. His gaze lingered at the point of contact before returning to the flame.
“Time runs differently down there,” she cleared her throat.
He looked at her. “That’s not possible.”
“Challenging me, Hukum?”
