A bet that changed their lives

Part 3 - A Chance Encounter

"God damn the nightmares! I can't be late today," muttered Arya as she went about readying herself for the interview. Her nightmares the night before had wrecked havoc with her sleep. Add to it the fact that she had stopped her alarm from ringing again after five minutes, instead of pressing snooze. She rushed into the kitchen, had a couple of bites of a vegetable cheese sandwich that Aunt Susan had just prepared, kissed her aunt on the cheek with her mouth full, and rushed out of the house.

After trying to hail a cab for more than 10 minutes, she finally got one, only to find someone else trying to get in the cab through the other door. Before they could comprehend what was happening, the ignorant cabbie asked where they wanted to go. "The Jones Towers, please!" both replied in unison, giving awkward glances to each other. Before Arya could voice her displeasure, the man said, "Apologies for this situation, but I am in a hurry as are you. We both have to go to the same place, why not share a cab?"

Arya pondered over the preposition. It was true, she was running horribly late, an argument with him would waste precious time. She meekly nodded her head, sticking to her side of the door as she tried to be a bit comfortable. "Hi, I am Mason," the young man offered his hand, with a charming smile. Arya forced a fake smile, wondering if he was also going to the Jones Towers for the same interview. Her fears were led to rest during the 15-minute cab ride as Mason, being a talkative person, shared who he was, what were his hobbies, his favourite restaurants, and how he thought he wasn't at an age where he wanted to find a job and work his ass off.

"Can't you see I am not at all interested? You don't have to share every detail of your life with a stranger! Over-sharing doesn't make us friends, you know!" Arya snapped before she could realise what had happened. Following a moment of awkward silence, she saw a boyish grin on Mason's face. "You're quite blunt, aren't you?" He cheekily responded before adding, "I really liked your company, even though I did all the talking. When does your work get done at the Towers?"

"Umm.... I don't really know. Thank you for the ride," she hastily responded as the cab reached their destination. She quickly paid the fare and got out of the vehicle, making sure that Mason didn't have a chance to react to her sudden behaviour. She made a dash for the entrance of the Jones Towers, not glancing back lest she saw Mason again or if he took that as a sign to call her out. She approached the receptionist, a middle-aged woman with a pleasant personality, and was asked to go to the 67th floor. Arya entered the lift and heaved a sigh of relief. She had panicked, no doubt over that, with the sudden friendliness and the weird behaviour of the stranger. Not to forget the absurd situation she was in. She feared if he turned out to be a stalker; after all, he kind of knew where she stayed and probably where she would be working. When the elevator dinged, she shook aside those thoughts as she braced herself for the interview. Taking a few deep breaths, she stepped out of the elevator, trying to shake out the after-effects of last night's nightmare and today's weird cab situation. She wanted to give her hundred percent to this interview and she intended to do just that. Everything else be damned.

***

Mason was left wondering what had suddenly happened in a matter of a few minutes. The beautiful girl right next to him had taken off on an apparently harmless question. He found her behaviour odd, but the girl different enough to even think of giving up on finding more about her. Her dark wavy hair that was tied in a low bun, which rested on the nape of neck, chocolate brown eyes that were almost always narrowed through the entire journey, the way her eyebrows seemed to be permanently set in a frown. He smiled, the girl was a bit weird to have behaved like that, sure, but she was an enigma he wanted to unravel. The cabbie's awkward cough brought him out of his reverie. He immediately proceeded to pay the fare, but the driver reminded him that the girl had already paid, he just had to get out of the car.

Mason walked towards the Towers' entrance, still lost in his thoughts about that pretty girl that he forget to greet the friendly lady at the receptionist desk. He got in a private elevator and pressed 67. He let out a sigh as he had to get his thoughts straight or else his brother would again lecture him on punctuality and being serious in life. But he was in a good mood today. Maybe, just maybe, he could tolerate his brother's presence today and whatever it was that he had to say. That girl had surely piqued his interest and he was determined to find out more about her, if fate were to be on his side.

The elevator treached the 43rd floor, which housed the PR department. He had heard that this department was actively recruiting right now. Maybe the girl had come here for an interview? Wow! If that were the case, he would sincerely hope that she got selected as that would make his office trips worth it. He unknowingly smiled, confused and happy at the different kind of emotions that mysterious girl had managed to evoke in such a less time, with an attitude like hers. The smile on his face slowly faded as the elevator neared the 67th floor, where his brother's office was located. "Another long day!" He mentally sighed as he stepped out of the elevator and walked towards his brother's cabin, mind having temporarily forgotton the allure of that girl in the cab.