Wednesday.
9:18am.
Anika walked in.
On time.
Not early.
Not late.
Exactly on time.
Like nothing had shifted.
Like yesterday hadn't-
She placed her bag down. Logged in.
Opened her emails.
Read them.
Actually read them this time.
No distractions.
No glances toward the cabin.
No awareness.
Nothing.
And somehow-
That felt more unnatural than everything else.
---------------------------------------
9:21am.
Inside the cabin-
Vihaan didn't look at the camera.
Didn't check.
Didn't need to.
He knew she was there.
He always did.
But today-
He didn't open the feed.
Didn't reach for the intercom.
Didn't call her in.
Nothing.
Just work.
Files.
Calls.
Decisions.
Sharp. Clean. Controlled.
Exactly how it used to be.
Exactly how it should be.
--------------------------------------
9:47am.
Anika paused mid-email.
Brows pulled slightly.
No call.
No interruption.
No-
"Ms. Sharma. Cabin."
Nothing.
She leaned back slightly.
Waited.
For what?
She didn't know.
Her fingers tapped once against the desk.
Then she shook her head lightly.
Focus.
This is normal.
This is what you wanted.
Right?
11:03am.
Still nothing.
Not a single call.
Not a single unnecessary task.
Not even a glance when he walked past her desk.
Because yes-
He had.
Once.
At 10:12am.
She had felt it.
That shift in air.
Looked up-
And he had already walked past.
Didn't stop.
Didn't look.
Didn't say anything.
Like she wasn’t even there.
Like she didn’t exist in his line of sight anymore.
---------------------------------------
11:26am.
Cafe.
"Okay this is worse," Shreya said, whispering like this was a classified situation.
Anika took a sip of coffee. "What is?"
"Yeh sudden professionalism," Rohan added. "Mujhe pasand nahi aa raha."
Kabir smirked. "Tumhe kab professionalism pasand aata hai?"
"Point yeh nahi hai," Shreya snapped. "Point yeh hai ki kal tak banda har 40 minute mein bula raha tha and aaj-silence?"
Meghna's gaze shifted to Anika.
"You noticed," she said quietly.
Anika shrugged. "Kaam kar raha hai. Good."
"Good?" Rohan repeated.
"Yes."
Too quick.
Too clean.
Too-
Unconvincing.
-------------------------------------
12:14pm.
Her desk.
She was working.
Perfectly.
Efficiently.
No mistakes.
No distractions.
No thoughts.
And yet-
Her eyes flickered to the cabin door.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Closed.
Always closed.
12:32pm.
The door opened.
She looked up.
Instinct.
He stepped out.
Phone pressed to his ear.
"...send me the revised numbers before 2," he said, walking past.
Didn't look at her.
Didn't pause.
Nothing.
He walked away.
And something inside her-
Stilled.
Then shifted.
Annoyingly.
1:05pm.
Intercom buzzed.
Her hand reached for it instantly.
Too fast.
"Yes sir."
A pause.
Short.
Controlled.
"Client call in 5. Conference room."
That was it.
No extra word.
No tone shift.
Nothing.
"...Noted," she replied.
Professional.
Matching him.
Exactly.
1:11pm.
Conference Room.
She walked in.
He was already there.
Laptop open.
Screen glowing.
Eyes on the file.
Not on her.
"Slides?" he asked.
She handed the file.
Their fingers didn't touch.
Not even close.
Deliberate.
He took it.
"Sit."
She sat.
Distance maintained.
Perfect.
The call started.
Voices filled the room.
Numbers. Targets. Strategy.
Normal.
So normal it felt wrong.
1:28pm.
Call ended.
Silence returned.
He closed the laptop.
Finally looked at her.
One second.
Two.
Then-
"Good work."
Flat.
Professional.
Acknowledgment.
Nothing more.
She nodded once. "Thank you, sir."
And for a second-
Neither of them moved.
Because something about that felt-
Off.
Incomplete.
Like a sentence cut mid-way.
She stood first.
"Anything else?"
"No."
Of course not.
She turned.
Walked to the door.
Hand on the handle.
And then-
"Anika."
She froze.
Just slightly.
Turned back.
"Yes?"
A pause.
Long enough to feel deliberate.
His gaze held hers.
Steady.
Controlled.
Unreadable.
"...That's all."
And just like that-
It ended.
Again.
She nodded.
Left.
Door closed behind her.
Inside-
Vihaan exhaled slowly.
Jaw tightening.
Control.
This is control.
This is what it should be.
Then why-
Did it feel worse?
---------------------------------------
2:03pm.
Her desk.
She sat down.
Opened her laptop.
Didn't type.
Because now-
She understood.
This wasn't normal.
This wasn't professional.
This was distance.
Deliberate.
Controlled.
And worse—
effective.
And it shouldn't have affected her.
It really-
Shouldn't have.
Her fingers curled slightly.
Then relaxed.
Then curled again.
"...Fine," she muttered under her breath.
Almost like a challenge.
Almost like a decision.
---------------------------------------
4:17pm.
He stepped out again.
Walked past her desk.
Same as before.
Same distance.
Same-
Control.
And this time-
She didn't look away.
She let her gaze follow him.
Openly.
Deliberately.
He felt it.
Of course he did.
His steps slowed.
Just slightly.
Not enough for anyone else to notice.
But enough.
He stopped.
Turned.
Looked at her.
Finally.
Directly.
The air shifted.
Again.
No words.
Just-
Eye contact.
Held.
Steady.
Unbroken.
And for the first time today-
The control cracked.
Not loudly.
Not visibly.
But enough.
Because this time-
He didn’t look away first.
And that—
was new.
--------------------------------------
TO BE CONTINUE...
---------------------------------------
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