Wednesday.
8:41am.
Anika was early.
Not accidentally.
Not unusually.
Just... earlier than necessary.
She placed her bag on the desk. Logged in. Opened her emails.
Didn't look at the cabin.
Didn't-
Her eyes flickered.
Door. Closed.
Good.
She exhaled.
Sat straighter.
Opened the first mail.
Didn't read a word.
8:43am.
Inside the cabin-
He knew.
He hadn't checked the camera yet.
Didn't need to.
The shift in routine was enough.
She was early.
Which meant-
He opened the feed anyway.
Camera 2.
There she was.
Already seated. Already working.
Beige replaced with soft white today. Hair tied this time.
He watched.
Five seconds.
Too long.
He shut the screen.
Leaned back.
A slow inhale.
"This is getting predictable," he murmured.
The problem was-
He wasn't sure if he meant her.
Or himself.
---------------------------------------
9:02am.
Intercom.
"Yes sir."
A pause.
Half a second longer than needed.
"Coffee," he said.
Flat.
Neutral.
She blinked.
"...Sir?"
"Black. No sugar."
Silence.
Then-
"Noted."
The line disconnected.
Anika stared at the receiver.
Then at the cabin door.
"Main assistant hoon... ya barista?" she muttered.
Still-
She got up.
---------------------------------------
9:06am.
She knocked.
Walked in.
Placed the coffee on his desk.
"Anything else, sir?"
He looked at the cup.
Then at her.
Then back at the screen.
"No."
She waited.
One second.
Two.
Nothing.
She turned.
"Ms. Sharma."
She stopped.
Turned back.
"Next time," he said calmly, "coffee spill mat karna."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"That was your fault."
His gaze lifted.
"Was it?"
"Yes."
Silence.
A beat.
Then-
"Noted."
Same word.
Same tone.
Different meaning.
She held his gaze.
Then gave a small nod.
Turned.
Walked out.
Door closed.
Inside-
Vihaan leaned back.
That corner smile again.
"Consistent," he murmured.
Almost impressed.
---------------------------------------
11:14am.
Work flowed.
Or at least-
It pretended to.
Because every forty minutes-
"Ms. Sharma. Cabin."
Small tasks.
Already completed tasks.
Unnecessary clarifications.
Nothing urgent.
Nothing critical.
Everything deliberate.
---------------------------------------
12:32pm.
Cafeteria.
"Yeh tujhe unnecessarily bula raha hai," Meghna said, arms crossed.
Anika took a sip of coffee.
"Kaam hai."
"Kaam bana raha hai," Rohan corrected.
Kabir just raised an eyebrow.
Shreya leaned forward.
"Tu notice kar rahi hai na?"
Anika didn't answer immediately.
Because-
She was.
Every call.
Every tone shift.
Every unnecessary pause.
Every time he stood slightly too close.
"Yes," she said finally.
Four faces lit up.
"AND?" Shreya demanded.
"Nothing," Anika said calmly. "Main bhi dekh rahi hoon."
Rohan grinned.
"Ab toh maza aane wala hai."
---------------------------------------
2:18pm.
"Ms. Sharma."
She didn't even sigh this time.
Walked in.
"Yes sir?"
"Sit."
She sat.
Laptop open in front of him.
"Presentation."
"Already sent."
"Open it."
She did.
He stood.
Not behind his desk.
Beside her.
Close.
Too close.
Again.
She didn't move.
Didn't look at him.
Just at the screen.
"Slide 6," he said.
She clicked.
He leaned in.
Closer.
Their shoulders brushed.
Not accidental.
This time, deliberate.
Her breath hitched-barely noticeable, but not to him.
"Alignment off hai," he murmured.
"It's aligned."
"Zoom karo."
She did.
It was aligned.
She didn't say anything.
He didn't move back.
"Sir," she said, controlled, "agar aapko koi specific issue-"
"Tum uncomfortable ho?"
Direct.
Unexpected.
She stilled.
Then slowly turned her head.
Looked at him.
"No," she said.
Just that.
No hesitation.
No softness.
Just-
No.
Something shifted in his expression.
Not victory.
Not satisfaction.
Something... sharper.
"Good," he said quietly.
But he still didn't move.
The silence stretched.
The kind that wasn't empty.
The kind that pressed.
Sat between them.
Breathing.
Alive.
Her fingers hovered over the trackpad.
Didn't move.
Because his hand-
Was right there.
Close enough to touch.
Not touching.
Yet.
"Continue," he said.
Low.
She didn't.
Instead-
She turned slightly in her chair.
Now facing him more than the screen.
"If this is about the presentation," she said, voice steady, "you can say it from there also."
A challenge.
Clear.
Clean.
He looked at her.
Really looked this time.
Close enough to notice-
The way her breath had changed.
The way her fingers curled slightly.
The way she hadn't moved back.
"Main keh sakta hoon ki mujhe yahan nahi hona chahiye...," he said softly.
A pause.
"Par main yahan se hat nahi raha."
Not a question.
Not an explanation.
A statement.
Something dropped in her stomach.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
Something far more dangerous.
Awareness.
"Fine," she said.
Turned back.
Clicked the next slide.
Her shoulder brushed his again.
This time-
She didn't pull away.
Neither did he.
Aur phir-
That same moment.
Again.
But deeper.
Slower.
His fingers moved.
Not fully.
Just enough.
Brushing the back of her hand.
Light.
Testing.
She felt it.
Every nerve registering it.
She could-
Move.
Pull away.
Say something.
Do something.
She didn't.
One second.
Two.
Three.
This wasn't accidental anymore.
He noticed.
Of course he did.
His gaze dropped.
To their hands.
Still-
Barely touching.
But enough.
He didn't move.
Didn't break it.
Didn't pretend.
Her heartbeat was loud now.
Annoyingly loud.
"Yeh..." she started.
Stopped.
Because her voice didn't come out steady.
She cleared her throat.
"This slide..."
He looked up.
At her face.
Not the screen.
Too close.
"Perfect hai," he said quietly.
"Jaise hai... waise hi theek hai."
She blinked.
Then-
Slowly.
Carefully.
Pulled her hand back.
The space between them returned.
But not really.
"Anything else, sir?" she asked.
Professional.
Again.
He watched her.
For a second longer than necessary.
Then stepped back.
Finally.
Distance.
Returned.
Almost.
"No," he said.
She stood.
Closed the laptop.
Walked out.
Door shut.
Inside-
Vihaan didn't move for a moment.
Then-
A slow exhale.
Hand running through his hair.
Jaw tight.
"That... wasn't necessary,"he muttered quietly.
But he didn't sound convinced.
---------------------------------------
6:03pm.
She sat at her desk.
Not working.
Not thinking.
Just-
Existing.
Trying to replay the moment.
Trying to understand it.
Trying to label it.
Failed.
"Yeh kya tha," she whispered.
No answer.
---------------------------------------
11:28pm.
Phone.
Screen glowing.
Contact open.
Mr. Expensive Shirt.
She typed.
Deleted.
Typed again.
Deleted.
Then-
Locked the phone.
Threw it aside.
"Idiot," she muttered.
Didn't specify who.
Across the city-
Vihaan sat in the dark.
Phone in hand.
Screen open.
Her name.
No message.
He stared at it.
For a long moment.
Then-
Locked the phone.
Placed it face down.
"Control," he said again.
Quieter this time.
Less certain.
Silence.
And somewhere between that silence-
Something had shifted.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
But enough.
Because this time-
It hadn't been accidental.
And next time-
neither of them would pretend it was.
---------------------------------------
TO BE CONTINUED...
---------------------------------------
Hey, My Cute Little Butterflies 🦋❤️
Did you liked this chapter?
I hope you did. ☺️
Stay tuned... Aaage Boht kuch hai tumlogo k liye 😁
But slow burn u know 😉
Seee you in next chapter....
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