They both sat in their respective cabins particularly restless today. It was the first day at the office after he had held her close to put on the jhumka in her ear. Both knew something had changed with the other and themselves, but being the folks they were, both were in stubborn denial of their feelings for the other. They didn't make any attempts to come in the other's way all day which kinda help both of them to ease their racing hearts whenever they happened to see each other. Their cabins were separated by a huge glass window which allowed them to steal glaces off the other. Things were fine until both didn't know the other was looking at them. However, things changed when their eyes met during one of these sessions. Theirs hearts started pounding in their chests because none was willing to look away. Several moments passed before she was rudely brought out of her trance by a phone call.
"Hello. Khurana Constructions. Maan Singh Khurana's office. How may I address your call" she said politely.
"Can I speak with Maan please?" said the voice on the other end.
"May I know who's calling? I'm afraid he's a bit busy right now. Can I help you in his stead?" she said so sweetly that a smile crept on the lips of the person at the other end.
"I'm his dadi. No problem if he is busy. I'll call back later."
Maan didn't know why he still kept looking at her rather than trying to complete the task at hand for an important presentation the next day. She looked at him to see if he would be willing to take this call and her heart started thumping when she saw him still looking in her direction. He instantly looked away looking scared at being caught over shoplifting.
"Oh I'm so sorry. Please hold a moment. I'll transfer you to him." with that she dialed his extension to inform him that his dadima was on the other line but as soon as she heard his voice, her hands started trembling. Her actions were beyond her understanding. She tried as much to remain calm to speak to him. "It's your dadima, sir. Do you want to speak with her?" and without waiting for an answer she connected the lines and banged the phone in a loud thud as if a huge burden was taken off her head.
She looked at the clock which read 9:00 pm and then towards him. She patiently waited till he finished his phone conversation to ask if he needed her for something. Once he got off the phone, she knocked at his cabin door hesitatingly and entered when he asked her to come in.
"Sir, do you need me for anything? I'd like to get home before I am unable to get a taxi. If you are not going to be too long, I can wait." she said hesitatingly, standing inside his cabin, but far from his desk. What she was doing today was totally beyond her. She had never acted this strange before.
"Thank you Geet. I will be here for long. You can go. I'll see you tomorrow?" he squeezed his fingers at his stupid question. She was his employee and he would be seeing her tomorrow. Why did he have to add the last bit which sounded more like asking her for a date. While he was still lost chiding at his stupidity, the same thought crossed her head. Since she was acting strange today, she decided not to ponder over it for too long and simply nodded before walking out the door. As soon as she stepped out, his head fell back on the chair with a loud sigh. He was totally unsure of what he wanted. He wanted her to stay so he could spend some more time with her but he also wanted to make sure she reached home safely.
With much effort he got back to his work. He worked with all vigor for a half hour or so before his eyes started closing on him. He was clearly tired. He rubbed his eyes a few times but couldn't take it anymore. He had to finish his work tonight, there was no way he could afford leaving it for tomorrow. He rested his head on the table with the thought of taking a power nap of a few minutes. But all he could think of was her. Great, now even sleep has abandoned me, even in this state of tiredness. Great going Maan. You are acting like a 20 year old guy in love. Love? Is this what it is? No no, it can't be.
While his head was still resting on the table, he heard a knock and looked up surprised to see Geet get a cup of hot coffee for him. With mixed feelings he asked her "You haven't left yet?"
"I wasn't sure if you would need me for anything so I decided to stay back to help you. Sorry it took me a while to get you some coffee. I had to clean the machine to get you some fresh refreshing drink." she said with the sweetest smile as she placed the tray on the table. With that, he was sure he had fallen in love with her if he had any doubts before.
Another 2 hours passed as they worked together. To his surprise, she helped him more than he thought she could. He was happy she stayed back to keep him company. All his tiredness had vanished into thin air and her company did help him complete his task sooner. Once he was done with the presentation, they left the office to go to their respective places. "I'll drop you" he said and she simply nodded without arguing. Something had definitely changed, he thought.
They sat in his car looking out their windows still wondering what was wrong with them. They were in such denial that subtle hints probably felt like shooting one with a flower in stead of a bullet. The car made a steep turn and he placed his hand on the seat to steady himself. Unfortunately, or fortunately, it landed on her hand which was already resting on the seat. When he looked at her, her head was on the back rest and her eyes closed. He would have thought she was asleep if it wasn't for the subtle change in her facial expression at his touch, her heaving chest and her trembling hand underneath his. He instantly knew she was only pretending. When she didn't make any effort to remove her hand from under his, he tightened his grip letting her know that he didn't want to take his hand off either.
Tomorrow I'll have to tell her that I want to hold her hand like this forever and ever, till death do us apart. With that thought he too rested his head on the head rest and closed his eyes to fall asleep instantly. He woke up when the car jerked to a stop only to find that he was sleeping on her shoulder while her head rested on his, their fingers now intertwined.
P.S. - This probably looks repetitive but I had to get this out of my head. Sorry if it did not entertain you.
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