Page 172 of No Boss
To the soft chime of her bangles. To her hands resting in her lap. To his own hand reaching across without thought until his fingers closed around hers.
The ache inside him turned sharp as memories rose.
Meera in the balloon, eyes bright as she whispered yes.
Meera in the hidden courtyard, breath trembling against his mouth.
Meera laughing into his chest as he held her close.
Each memory cut deeper than the last. Proof she had been there. Proof he had touched her only hours ago.
His vision blurred. He blinked, trying to clear it. Moisture slipped down his face. He frowned and brushed his cheek.
Wet.
Another tear fell at his wrist. Then another. No sound came with them. No breakdown. Only exhaustion pushing through a body pushed beyond its limit.
He let them fall.
The road bent ahead. Headlights swept across the turn and caught a figure at the roadside.
His foot hit the brake on instinct. The car slowed.
An elderly woman stood under a streetlight in a deep red saree. The color glowed strangely bright against the darkness around her. She raised one hand. Not waving or pleading. Simply raised.
Abhinav watched through the glass. Every instinct urged him forward. Meera was missing. Every second mattered.
Yet, he stopped the car.
The woman approached. The saree moved softly around her ankles, untouched by the restless wind. She reached the passenger window.
He lowered it halfway.
“Are you lost?” His voice came rough, scraped raw.
“No.” The answer arrived calmly.
His brows drew together. “Then why are you here alone?”
“I need to go home. It is close.”
He almost drove away. He should have. Instead, his hand tightened on the wheel and he unlocked the door. “Get in.”
She settled beside him with ease. The door closed.
“Where?”
“Straight first. Then right.”
He drove.
Silence filled the car.
Her red saree seemed to breathe in the corner of his vision. He fixed his focus on the road.
She, however, was looking at him. “What brings you out at this hour? Most people hurry home before night deepens.”
“I could ask you the same.”
