Page 19 of Driven By Desire

“ A re you in town for the next week?” Jiggling his keys in his pant pocket, Krish waited for his brother to finish yawning and reply.

As an investigative journalist, Chirag spent a lot of time travelling for work and right now Krish desperately needed him to stay put.

Heaving a sigh of relief when his still groggy brother nodded in the affirmative, Krish ran a hand through his hair.

“I need to go to Vizag on work. I won’t be back until Sunday morning. Can you handle things here till I get back?”

“Sure.” Stretching, Chirag got out of bed and grabbed the bottle of water on the nightstand. “All okay?”

“There’s a problem with the factory there.

Not something I can handle remotely.” Mind already on the day ahead, Krish straightened.

“Pooja’s feeling better so she can start school.

Today’s her last day of antibiotics though.

Make sure she finishes the course. Also, remind Adi that he needs to pay the first installment of his MBA tuition fee as soon as possible. ”

“Are you okay?” Frowning, Chirag swallowed a huge gulp of water and faced his brother. “You look awfully stressed out.”

Had it been just yesterday he’d had Max in his arms? Soft, willing, laughing and tasting deliciously of dark chocolate. After the morning he’d woken up to, it seemed like a lifetime ago. Running a tired hand along the back of his neck, he hefted his laptop bag.

“Not the best of news. One of the factory workers was injured on the job and it looks like a strike is brewing.”

“Shit.” Wincing, Chirag thought, not for the first time, that he didn’t envy his brother his life. “Want me to come along? We can have Adi and Pooja stay over at Maasi’s till we come back.”

“God, no.” Shuddering at the thought of the lectures that would follow that idea, Krish pushed away from the door. “If you could just hold down the fort here, that would be perfect.”

“Sure.” Chirag watched his brother shoulder his laptop bag and grip the handle of a suitcase with the other hand.

“I’ll let you know if I’m going to be later than Sunday.

” Still rattling off a string of instructions, Krish made his way downstairs with his brother trailing behind him.

Adi and Pooja looked up from breakfast long enough to wish him goodbye.

Dropping a kiss on Pooja’s birds nest morning hairstyle, he said his goodbyes with one last admonition to listen to Chirag who was in charge in his absence.

The ease with which both of them ignored him and his instructions had a reluctant grin fighting its way to the surface through the corrosive stress that had been eating at him from the last several hours.

“Do me a favour,” he said to the only sibling who seemed interested in what he was saying. “Let Max know that I won’t be back till Sunday.”

Interest had the last remnants of sleep fleeing. “Why aren’t you telling her?” Chirag asked.

“I’m going to the airport with Mr. Mishra.

” Grimacing at the sound of the car horn that punctuated the sentence, he yanked the front door open.

“We’ll be talking shop, plus, I really don’t want him listening to my personal conversations.

I won’t get to talk to her till I get to the hotel room.

Which with the way the day is looking won’t be until really late at night. ”

“Awww.” Grinning, Chirag made sure they were out of earshot of the other two before saying, “So it would be intensely personal then?”

“Shut up.” Rolling his eyes at the good-natured ribbing, he signaled to his manager to lay off the horn.

“I’m just saying you’d never hesitate to call me in front of Mr. Mishra and I qualify as a personal call too. Also, there is something called, sending a message?”

Ignoring the dig, Krish said, “Just make sure the house doesn’t burn down in my absence.” Opening the trunk, he slung his luggage in before walking over to open one of the rear doors.

“Anything else you want me to tell Max?” Wiggling his eyebrows, Chirag grinned.

Getting in and slamming the car door, he answered. “Yes. Tell her I sincerely apologize for the lunatics I call family and anything they might put her through in my absence.”

“That’s what you should be saying to me.” The yelled words had Krish smiling even as his manager began a dry as dust recitation of the day’s problems.

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“All week?” Surprising herself with the sheer depth of her disappointment, Max bent to rummage through her tool bag. Keeping her face averted so Chirag couldn’t see her, she pulled out a wrench she had absolutely no use for.

“He’ll be back Sunday.”

“Okay.” The casual shrug took a lot of effort to pull off but Max managed it. Tapping the wrench against her palm, she eyed the MG a trifle malevolently.

Wisely choking back his chuckle, Chirag propped himself against the trunk of the mango tree that grew in their backyard and waited.

“He couldn’t tell me himself?” That was a lot faster than the two minutes he’d estimated.

“He’s got a crisis on his hands and he had his manager with him even on the commute to the airport.” When she didn’t reply immediately, he added, “Bhai is intensely private, Max. He won’t-“

“How long does it take to type out a private message? A minute, maybe less?”

The question sliced through his explanation and left him floundering. “Ummm. He’ll probably message or call later today when he’s free.”

“When he’s free?” Nonchalant mask firmly in place, Max shrugged again. She was getting good at this shrugging thing. “Whatever. I have a busy day ahead too.”

Right. This wasn’t good. Shuffling his feet, Chirag tried to think of something to say that would make it better. Or at the very least, not make it worse.

“I’m going to start on this now.” Waving the wrench a trifle wildly, Max marched over to the car. So she didn’t even rate a measly text message before he disappeared for a week? She’d show him exactly what he rated when he tried to contact her next.

“Max?” Waiting patiently for her to stop muttering to herself and meet his eyes, Chirag asked, “Did you know he wanted to be an architect?”

“What?” Confused at the random tangent the conversation had taken, Max stopped pretending to tinker with the car.

“He was forever doodling on a notepad he carried with him everywhere. That and pestering dad with ideas on how we could improve the house.” Smiling at the memory, he added, “He once prepared a ten slide presentation on all the ways the house could have been designed better.”

“Did he ever implement any of them?”

“What do you think?” Together they turned to scan the house that loomed over them.

Weathered, worn and comfortably lived in, it didn’t look like a newly renovated, swanky house or even the house of the CEO of one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the country.

It looked like a much loved, carefully tended home.

“I have no idea where he buried that notepad. He hasn’t taken a moment to think about what he wants or what he likes in the last ten years.

This house and what it stands for is what makes him who he is today.

Home, family and responsibilities. He’s probably forgotten what it’s like to want something.

To have something that’s just about him, just for him.

Someone who is in his life for no other reason than for the fact that she wants him.

Wants not needs. Wants him for who he is and not the glittering trophy he represents.

Not that he hasn’t had his share of flings with the trophy hunting type.

So many that I don’t think even he can keep track.

” He continued blithely, blissfully unaware of the narrowed look his companion sent him. “Anyway, my point is-“

“Yes, please do tell me what your point is.”

The dry tone was his first clue that he’d blundered somewhere. Mentally retracing his steps, he winced as he came to ‘so many that he can’t keep track.’ “I think, maybe, I should stop talking now?”

“Don’t! I’m waiting with bated breath to see what you’re going to come up with next.”

Right. Definitely time to stop talking. For someone who made his living from words, he was doing a terrible job with them right now. The militant look in her eye didn’t bode well for either him or his poor, absent brother.

“If you don’t mind, this fling would like to get back to work.” Max’s frigidly polite voice broke through his mental apologies to Krish.

She’d already turned away from him and was peering under the hood of the car by the time Chirag ushered his scrambled thoughts into some semblance of an apology.

“Max, I’m sorry.” Undeterred by the fact that he was addressing a stiff back, Chirag soldiered on.

“That came out wrong. All I was trying to say was that while my brother is a rock star at the million things other people would shudder to take on, he’s clueless at relationships. The personal, boy-girl kind.”

When she straightened and faced him, he managed his best puppy dog look and said mournfully, “Take pity on the poor, lost cause, Max.” Dropping to his knees for added effect, he pleaded. “Teach him to be human again. Baby steps. Guide him into the light. I beg you.”

An unwilling smile tugged at her lips even as she fought the irresistible tug of the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.

“Get up, you idiot.” Holding out a hand to help him to his feet, she let him use it to pull her into a hug. Temper fading as fast as it had flared, she relaxed into the affectionate embrace.

“Be gentle with him, Max.” The soft words feathered against her hair and had her stiffening again.

“My brother’s tough. He’s fought and survived odds that would have leveled another human being and he’s done most of it alone.”

“But?”

“But I have a feeling you have the power to bring him to his knees.” The worry in his eyes had her shivering. The oddest premonition of disaster touched chill fingers to the nape of her neck as Chirag repeated, “Be gentle with him. Please?”

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