Page 52 of No Boss
The paratha returned to the plate.
“7:15 AM. Boss rolls shoulders. Tension visible in upper back.”
A strangled sound escaped Naina. She tried to make it sound like a cough at the last second and failed spectacularly. Sarita set her cup down with the care of someone bracing for impact.
Abhinav was staring at Meera.
Meera was staring at the notebook. “7:18 AM. Boss picks up a pen. Taps it against the desk three times.”
“What,” he asked, voice low, “is this?”
She looked up then. Calm. Polite. Entirely sincere. “The notes, Boss. Complete records of everything. As requested.”
“I meant business notes.”
“What? No, Boss. You said everything.” She paused just enough to make it clear. “I noted everything.”
Her attention returned to the page. “7:23 AM. Boss’s attention moves to the window. Devotees in the courtyard below.”
His jaw tightened further. His breakfast sat untouched.
She turned the page.
And went on.
Timestamp after timestamp. Gesture after gesture. Every minor movement preserved with the diligence of someone who had been given an instruction and had chosen, very deliberately, not to interpret it.
Naina gave up on food. Sarita sat still, her gaze moving between her son and Meera with mounting disbelief.
Meera reached the final page. “9:47 AM. Boss removes the watch, sets it on the desk, rolls sleeves further, revealing…”
She stopped.
The air at the table drew tight.
Abhinav leaned back. “Revealing what.”
“The note is incomplete,” she replied. “I was interrupted.”
“By what?”
“Your next comment to the Singapore team.”
He watched her. “Meera.”
“Forearms,” she helpfully added after a moment. “You had rolled your sleeves up, revealing your forearms.”
Naina turned away, shoulders shaking. This time she did not even try to hide it. Sarita pressed her lips together and fixed her eyes on a distant tree.
“You told me to note everything, Boss,” Meera went on, calm as ever. “I noted everything. Should I exclude physical observations from future records?”
He held her gaze. Annoyance flashed. Alongside it, something sharper, unwillingly impressed.
“Yes,” he replied, each word measured. “Exclude physical observations.”
“Noted.”
She wrote it down.
