Dating apps were like priye’s football stadium. She and her match were players and she approached the ones that progressed into dates with all seriousness. This week’s match was Felix, a finance guy. We’d both been invested in this date since it was planned after they matched. I couldn't keep up with the whole flirty banter, but I knew we were kinda vested in this one.“Tonight,” she declared, flicking her winged liner into the make up bag, “I meet Felix. He is six feet tall, owns a plant he hasn’t murdered and very articulate in his messages. I hope you're taking notes Maya, in case he turns out to be a serial killer and I get murdered. Save the picture I sent you.”I was on her bed laughing, a pile of throw pillows swallowing me. “Oh my God! You're the worst. Sincerely I feel more for the poor soul going on a date with you. You're crazy girl”She pointed a mascara wand at me. “But you love me that way.” She said it, so confident of my love for her.“My own br
The next day, Ethan had reached out to me during lunch, inviting me for a date. Which I accepted ofcourse. I drove to the venue at close of work. Tired and looking forward to something exciting that I wasn't being paid to do. The restaurant’s windows glowed like amber lanterns in contrast with the city’s night. I hesitated at the side walk a bit too long, tugging at the sleeves of my blazer. I mustered the courage and approached closer, after all i was already there. Ethan was already inside. I could see him through the glass. He waved me in like we’d been doing this forever.When I pushed through the door, the smell of coconut bread and melted butter wrapped around me, tantalizing my nostrils, and my stomach grawled. Ethan stood, the kind of man who still did that in a world where most forgot. Chivalry isn't that dead i noted, a pleasant surprise. He kissed my cheek, light, confident, the perfect temperature between familiar and res
Zane Cross’s office was all sharp contrasts and blinding wealth. Dark wood, chrome accents, and a skyline view that whispered power. This evening, the city beyond the glass was just a blur behind his thoughts. He couldn’t stop replaying the image of Maya Alvarez, watching him exchange that envelope. She’d seen him obviously and he couldn't wait to get out of her judgemental gaze. If only she could walk a mile in his shoes.When his assistant messaged that Maya was on her way up, Zane frowned, tapping his pen against his knee. She’d said she wanted to “discuss a few points.” Discuss could mean anything, from an innocuous deck revision to an accusation that could blow up his reputation. Maya wasn’t the type to gossip, but she was the type to follow a thread until it unravelled something. Since she’d seen him with that envelope, she’d bide her time, sharpen her argument, and pick the right moment to strike. She wasn't his lawye
Sunday evening, Priya and I let ourselves into the apartment like thieves returning stolen time. We’d ran into each other at the coffee shop close to our apartment. The apartment smelled like our lives. Vanilla candle, takeout ghosts and feminine perfume. She kicked the door shut with a hip and set the two cups on the counter. “So,” she said, drawing out the vowel until it wrapped around my throat. “Confession time. Handsome vintage ex-boyfriend. I want every crumb.” I dropped my keys in the bowl and propped myself against the counter as if it could hold me up. “He said he came back for me, in a nutshell.” Priya’s face did a gymnastic routine,with eyes wide open. “I knew it.’’ I felt the swoon through our chat, even though I wasn’t in it.” “Dont be so dramatic, it’s not a swoon.” I smiled, as i stared at the floor. “It’s… history sneaking through a side door.” She slid the cup into my hands. “And how does history tas
.Mom’s kitchen smelled like garlic and home. She’d been humming all afternoon, slicing vegetables with a suspicious amount of joy, and shooing me away from the stove as though my stirring might offend the soup. Thankfully it was a Saturday and my crazy schedule was on hold today.“You could just admit you're excited,” I said, leaning against the counter.She glanced at me over her shoulder. “Excited for dinner, cariño. Good food, good company.” Her grin was the kind that said good company had a name.Dark thoughts suddenly interrupted the moment as I glanced at Dad.Dad was propped on the couch like an emperor recovering from battle, watching the evening news. Nothing had changed about his diagnosis no matter how hard Mum prayed these days. Transplant was the way forward and I was tired of thinking of all the ways I could raise money.I’d never been religious, but at this point I didn't mind a miracle. We couldn't lose Dad this way, not if
.By Eleven-thirty I was back, downtown, I walk absent mindedly into Cross Development’s board room. He stood at the head of the table, immaculate in a charcoal grey suit today.“Alvarez,” he greeted, eyes sharp. “ How is your Dad?” “ He is fine” I mummured, surprised he bothered to remember.“ Why the gloomy look?” He said rhetorically, Just when I thought he cared, he roared, “Convince me last night wasn’t a fluke.”I roll my inner eyes before i launched into data and strategy, my slides snapping to life on the big screen. Halfway through, Zane interrupted. “What if transparency backfires, what’s your contingency?”“Then we lean into accountability,” I said. “Mistakes acknowledged before the headlines write themselves.”His lips curved, not quite the approval, nor mockery. “Not bad.”When the meeting dispersed, Neha caught my arm. “He’s testing you. Don’t get cocky, Cross burns agencies for sport.”I swallowed hard, nodding, full