Chapter 38: chapter 38

Chapter Thirty EightThe apocalypse was here. It was the end of the world as they knew it.Maya watched in disbelief as Aakash Thakkar, the Aakash Thakkar, stood in front of them and apologised for his behaviour at Vikram’s memorial. Granted, he looked at the wall behind them as he did it but still, this wasn’t something Maya would have believed would happen in her lifetime.Behind Aakash, Yash stood, his arms crossed in front of his chest, his usual unreadable gaze focused on her face. Maya made it a point not to look at him. She focused instead on the man who continued to stare over her head and talk. “My sister invited you all in good faith and I was a bad host,” he said, grimly. It looked like he was grinding his teeth to dust. “I should have done better. I should have been better.”“Is that even possible?” Kanak asked, sardonically. Maya dug her nail into her friend’s ribcage making her squeak. Kanak moved away from Maya’s reach, her glare promising retribution. “Thank you for saying that,” Maya said gently to the man who was boring a hole in the conference room’s wall. “But I really don’t think it’s a good idea for our groups to mingle again. Clearly, we don’t mix well.” “Like dicks and ants,” Kanak prompted helpfully. “Or oil and water,” Maya interjected hastily because Aakash had transferred his death glare from the wall to Kanak. Yash stepped forward. “Aayushi has been badly affected by all that has happened. Aakash and I are hoping that seeing all of Vikram’s loved ones getting along and in one place might help her find some closure.”Oh. He was worried about Aayushi, was he? Maya squashed the petty jealousy that reared its ugly head inside her and tried to focus on the moment. Aakash rubbed his chest, almost as if his heart was hurting. “Karam won’t come,” Kanak said, abruptly. “Does that mean the three of you will at least consider it?” Yash asked, bringing a hand to rest on Aakash’s shoulder in comfort. Maya nodded. “We’ll discuss it with Ved.” She glanced at Aakash’s granite hewn face hesitantly. “I’ll try to talk to Karam too.” “He won’t come,” Kanak said again.“I’ll try my best.” Maya shot her an exasperated look. “We’ll see what he says.” “We’ll take that. Thank you,” Yash said, gravely. Aakash looked like he was choking on something but he nodded.“What happened to your clothes?” Maya asked, genuinely curious. Kanak made a strange gurgling sound next to her but when Maya looked over she’d turned away and was fiddling with her laptop. “I had a little accident,” Aakash ground out. “A blind duck waddled into me.” Say what? Maya was confused but Yash only shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. Kanak, on the other hand, mumbled something like four inches but Maya was sure she couldn’t have heard that right either. With another grim nod in their direction, Aakash left the room with Yash. “What did I miss?” Maya asked Kanak who still had her back to her. Kanak shrugged. “I bumped into him and spilled coffee down his pants.” Maya winced. Aakash’s clothes probably cost more than their company’s annual turnover. “I apologised to Yash,” Kanak said now. A weight she hadn’t realised she was carrying lifted off Maya’s shoulders. “Thank you Kan. You’re the best,” she said, softly.Kanak shrugged that off too. “Maya, going back to that vineyard is a mistake. The guys will never agree to it. Especially after the scene in the nightclub.” “I know,” Maya admitted, getting up to pace the small conference room. “But I’m still going to try.”“Why?” Kanak asked, baffled. “Because Vikram would have done it for us,” she answered quietly. Kanak fell silent. “And because his sister is in distress and if Vikram can’t be there for her, shouldn’t we be?” “Shit.” Kanak let her head fall back on the chair. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”“I take it that means you’ll come?” Maya asked with a sad smile. “Yes, I will.” Kanak sighed. “I hate you.” “I hate you too darling.” Someone cleared their throat by the door and both Maya and Kanak looked up. Yash stood there, a strange expression on his face.Maya’s pulse sped up, beating rapidly in her throat. How much had he heard? And why did she care? Why did it make her feel vulnerable?“What are you doing here?” she croaked, her throat closing up around the words. “Malvika asked me to meet her here,” he said, sounding as raspy as she did. “I’m not sure why.”On cue, Malvika came charging into the room. She shepherded Yash further into the room and dropped her laptop down on the table between the four of them. She slapped a hand on her hip and struggled to catch her breath. Maya poured her a glass of water and held it out. She accepted it gratefully, chugged the whole thing in one shot and slammed the glass back on the table.“We have a problem,” she announced. Â