Chapter 22: chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-TwoShe hadn’t replied to his message. For the umpteenth time that day, Yash forced himself to stop checking his phone. It had been more than a day since he’d sent her that last message. She’d said she was getting discharged the previous day so she was probably at home, resting and recovering. And there was really no reason for her to message him. Their paths had crossed unexpectedly but that’s all it was. A random moment out of time. It didn’t mean anything and it certainly didn’t mean they owed each other anything. He glanced at the phone again. Across the table, Malvika Arora, his Vice President of Marketing and immediate junior glared at him. “What is with you today?” she demanded. “You’re not concentrating on anything I’m saying.” Yash stared at her, his face impassive. It took all his self-control not to flinch at the well-deserved accusation. “Budgets are being cut because the last few advertising campaigns had a pathetic conversion rate. If the teams want more money to play with, ask them to deliver the results that demand it.” “If we don’t have the money to showcase our best work, results are bound to be impacted,” Malvika argued.Yash sighed. “Really, Malvika? Come on…the two of us have been in this business long enough to know that if we think out of the box and come up with something innovative, we can actually get better results with less money. Every campaign doesn’t need a celebrity endorsing it. Especially when the idiot celebrity then does something scandalous and loses any credibility he or she has to begin with.” “We’re talking about a new perfume. A celebrity-““The budget won’t lend itself to anyone worth having,” Yash cut her off. “So stop arguing about it and tell your team to come up with something else, something that doesn’t piggyback on a celebrity’s fame.”Malvika groaned, accepting defeat and leaning back in her chair. “This is going to be a bloody challenge.” “Isn’t it a good thing you’re bloody amazing when it comes to rising to a challenge?” he asked, smiling.She looked like she wanted to show him her middle finger but she smiled instead, a feral baring of her teeth. “I am going to blow your socks off,” she vowed.“I look forward to it. Also, I never wear socks.” He waited until she’d left the room before checking his phone again. No message from Maya but five voice notes from his mother. He ignored those and got down to work. He was taking the second half of the day off so he could move into his new flat and he wanted to get as much as he could done before he left the office. He was just leaving the office building when Aakash pulled up in his Jaguar convertible. More than one woman turned to look at him as he came to a rolling stop in front of Yash.“What are you doing here?” Yash asked his friend. “Came to help you shift into your new place,” he said, sliding his dark glasses on top of his head. “You certainly dressed for it,” Yash grinned, taking in his friend’s custom tailored, perfectly fitting suit.“Get in, asshole,” Aakash said, grinning back. Yash could feel the tension in his shoulders melting away as he stepped away from the car. “I have my car parked there. Luggage is already in it.” He pointed at the parking lot. “Follow me to the new place.” They reached his new flat in ten minutes flat. Aakash helped him carry one of the two suitcases and they walked up the stairs to the fifth floor. He was pretty sure his fancy friend wasn’t going to get into the rickety elevator. After dumping the suitcases in the empty living area, the two of them stared around at the empty space. “What now?” Aakash asked. Yash checked his watch. “The furniture I ordered will get delivered in an hour. Let’s change into something comfortable and crack open some beers. We’ll be busy assembling shit once it arrives.” They’d just changed when the bell rang. Yash opened it to find that the furniture had actually arrived early. For once, he’d managed to get efficient service. That thought lasted until they unpacked the virulent green couch. Aakash scratched the back of his head and said, “Your taste has changed a lot man. I wouldn’t have thought you’d pick something like that out.” Yash glowered at him. “I didn’t pick it out now either. They’ve sent me the wrong one.” They both stared at the puke green couch with white buttons in silence before Yash exploded. “FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!”Aakash gaped at him. “It’s just a couch,” he murmured. “We’ll get it exchanged. No harm done.”“It is not just a couch.” Yash tunneled his hands through his hair and groaned. “That couch is representative of everything wrong with my life right now.”Aakash looked at the couch and back at him. “Your life is green?” he ventured. Yash started to laugh, the sound exploding out of him. “Yes,” he barked. “My life is fucking green.” Aakash cracked the beers open and sat down on the bloody couch, patting the seat beside him. “Tell me everything,” he said, like a television show therapist.Â