Thursday.
9:12am.
Anika walked in.
Not rushed.
Not delayed.
Exactly on time.
Again.
But today-
There was something different.
Not visible.
Not obvious.
Just-
Missing.
She placed her bag down. Logged in. Opened her system.
No pause.
No glance toward the cabin.
Not even once.
And that-
That was new.
---------------------------------------
Inside the cabin.
9:15am.
He noticed.
Because—
nothing pulled his attention.
No instinct.
No shift.
No awareness of her presence.
And that absence—
Was loud.
His fingers paused over the keyboard.
A fraction.
Then resumed.
Emails.
Calls.
Decisions.
Controlled.
Precise.
Wrong.
His jaw tightened.
Once.
Then—
His hand moved.
Almost on its own.
Intercom.
A press.
A pause.
Cancel.
He leaned back.
Exhaled slowly.
“Unnecessary,” he muttered.
Like that settled it.
It didn’t.
A second passed.
Then—
He picked up his phone.
“Send me the client deck draft,” he said.
A beat.
“From Anika.”
There was no reason to ask her.
There were three other people on that thread.
He knew that.
He did it anyway.
And that—
Was the first crack.
--------------------------------------
9:41am.
"Good morning," Anika said, passing Meghna's desk.
Normal tone.
Light.
Unforced.
Meghna looked up, slightly surprised.
"Morning..."
A pause.
"Tum theek ho?" she asked carefully.
Anika smiled.
Not forced.
Not fake.
Just-
Contained.
"Haan. Kyun?"
Meghna didn't answer immediately.
Because the question wasn't why are you upset?
It was-
Why are you so normal?
"Nothing," she said finally.
But her eyes followed Anika for a second longer.
---------------------------------------
10:08am.
Rohan appeared.
Like clockwork.
Leaning casually against her desk.
"Madam," he grinned, "aaj mood kaafi sorted lag raha hai."
Anika didn't look up immediately.
Typed two lines.
Finished the sentence.
Then looked at him.
"Mood kab unsorted tha?" she asked calmly.
He blinked.
That wasn't the response he expected.
"Kal," he said instantly.
"Kal kya?" she tilted her head.
He opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Because-
He didn't have a clear answer.
Exactly.
"Chal coffee," he recovered.
Easy.
Familiar.
She looked at the screen.
Then back at him.
A pause.
Measured.
"Okay."
That landed.
Properly.
"Abhi?" he asked.
"Hmm," she nodded, standing up.
No hesitation.
No delay.
And that-
That was very new.
---------------------------------------
Inside the cabin.
He didn't mean to notice.
He did anyway.
Not the words.
Not clearly.
But-
Movement.
She stood.
Walked.
With him.
No pause.
No resistance.
No second thought.
His jaw tightened.
Slightly.
He looked at the screen.
Didn't register anything.
His fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Then stilled.
For a second-
He considered ignoring it.
He didn't.
Camera 2.
Cafe view.
Not for long.
Just-
Enough.
---------------------------------------
Cafe.
10:12am.
"Wow," Rohan said, handing her a cup. "Aaj bina force ke aa gayi."
Anika took it.
"Har cheez force se nahi hoti," she replied.
Light.
But pointed.
He raised a brow.
"Deep ho raha hai."
She smiled faintly.
Sipped her coffee.
Leaning back against the counter.
Relaxed.
Or at least-
Looking like it.
"Waise kal ka plan fix hai," he added. "No 'dekhenge'."
She didn't answer immediately.
Instead-
She laughed.
Soft.
Unrestricted.
And that-
That was the moment.
--------------------------------------
Inside the cabin.
He shouldn’t have looked.
He did anyway.
Not the screen first.
Her.
Frame angled just enough through the glass.
Not words.
Not sound.
But—
The way she leaned back.
Relaxed.
Unaware.
With him.
Rohan said something.
He didn’t hear it.
Didn’t need to.
Because she laughed.
Not polite.
Not measured.
Unfiltered.
And that—
That didn’t belong to the office.
His grip on the pen tightened.
Slow.
Controlled.
But deliberate.
That version of her—
He had never seen.
Or worse—
Had.
And lost access to.
And that—
didn’t sit well.
He looked away.
Back to the file.
Numbers blurred.
Meaningless.
“…irrelevant,” he said under his breath.
The word didn’t land.
Because his gaze flickered back.
Just once.
Rohan was still there.
Easy.
Comfortable.
Like he belonged in her space.
Something in Vihaan’s expression stilled.
Not anger.
Too loud for him.
This was quieter.
Sharper.
More precise.
He picked up his phone again.
“Ask Anika to send the file. Now.”
A pause.
“And tell her I need the revised sheet checked.”
There was no urgency.
No requirement.
Just—
Timing.
Deliberate.
Because if she was free enough to laugh
She was free enough to work.
And that
Wasn’t about work.
------------------------------------
11:26am.
Anika was back at her desk.
Working.
Actually working.
No distractions.
No glances.
No awareness.
Like the cabin-
Didn't exist.
And that-
That was the problem.
---------------------------------------
12:03pm.
He stepped out.
Phone in hand.
Walking past her desk.
Same as yesterday.
Same distance.
Same control.
But this time-
She didn't look up.
Not even once.
No instinct.
No reaction.
Nothing.
His steps slowed.
Not enough to stop.
Enough to notice.
Nothing.
Not even a glance.
His jaw tightened.
Then—
He kept walking.
Because stopping now—
would’ve meant admitting he expected her to look.
"...yes, send it," he said into the phone.
Voice steady.
But the rhythm-
Off.
---------------------------------------
1:18pm.
Conference Room.
"Slides?" he asked.
She handed them over.
Professional.
Clean.
Measured.
Their fingers brushed.
Light.
Accidental.
Avoidable.
But it happened.
And both stilled.
Not visibly.
Not enough for anyone else to notice.
But internally—
Sharp.
Immediate.
Her breath paused.
Just for a fraction.
His grip tightened slightly around the file.
Neither pulled back instantly.
That—
Was the mistake.
His gaze flickered.
From the file—
To her.
Just once.
Too quick to be obvious.
Too slow to be accidental.
She noticed.
Of course she did.
Her fingers moved first.
Not jerking away.
Not reacting.
Just—
Continuing.
Like it didn’t matter.
Like it didn’t affect her.
“Anything else?” she asked.
Tone neutral.
Too neutral.
He held the file.
Didn’t answer immediately.
Because for a second—
That contact hadn’t left.
Still there.
Lingering.
Annoyingly.
Uninvited.
“No,” he said finally.
A beat.
Then—
“Mail me the final version.”
Unnecessary.
She already had.
They both knew it.
But he needed—
A reason.
To keep the interaction from ending there.
---------------------------------------
2:47pm.
"Anika, yeh check kar de na," Meghna said, passing a file.
"Hmm."
She leaned closer.
Reading.
Explaining.
Clear.
Focused.
Easy.
Across the floor-
He noticed.
Again.
That ease.
That accessibility.
That-
Availability.
Something in his expression shifted.
Not anger.
Not irritation.
Something else.
Quieter.
More precise.
---------------------------------------
4:09 PM.
"Kal 6 baje?" Rohan asked, walking beside her.
"Dekhenge," she said automatically.
Then paused.
Corrected herself.
"Okay."
He grinned.
"Progress."
She shook her head slightly.
But she didn't take it back.
--------------------------------------
Inside the cabin.
He heard enough.
Not everything.
Not clearly.
But enough.
6 baje.
Okay.
That was enough.
His jaw tightened.
Again.
--------------------------------------
5:31pm.
"Anika."
She looked up.
He was standing there.
At her desk.
Again.
Same as yesterday.
But this time-
Something was different.
His gaze didn't move away immediately.
Didn't stay neutral long enough.
Just-
There.
"Client numbers," he said. "Revised version?"
She nodded. "Mail kar diya."
"Hmm."
A pause.
Neither moved.
Again.
That incomplete space.
Again.
She broke it this time.
"Anything else?" she asked.
Professional.
Clean.
Distant.
And that-
That wasn't what he expected.
For a second-
Just a second-
Something in his expression tightened.
Then smoothed.
"Nothing," he said.
A beat.
Then-
"Good."
Just that.
No "good work."
No extra word.
Nothing.
She nodded.
Didn't add anything.
Didn't wait.
The screen reflected in her eyes.
Not him.
And for a second—
that felt deliberate.
He didn't move immediately.
Didn't leave.
Just stood there.
For a second longer than required.
Then-
Turned.
Walked away.
---------------------------------------
6:11pm.
She shut her laptop.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Stood up.
Bag in hand.
Same as yesterday.
Walking past the cabin.
Same distance.
Same awareness.
Same-
Nothing.
And inside-
He knew.
Of course he did.
This time-
He looked up.
Directly.
At the door.
At the space where she would pass.
Waiting.
Not consciously.
But-
Waiting.
Her steps slowed.
Just slightly.
Just for a second.
Then-
Continued.
Didn't stop.
Didn't turn.
Didn't look.
The moment passed.
Unclaimed.
---------------------------------------
Inside the cabin.
Something shifted.
Again.
Because this time-
he felt it.
Not distance.
Not silence.
Displacement.
---------------------------------------
Outside.
Anika walked ahead.
Steps steady.
Breath controlled.
But her fingers-
Curled slightly around her bag.
Because she had felt it.
That pull.
That instinct.
To stop.
To turn.
To-
She didn't.
Because this time-
she chose not to.
And that-
Changed the game.
---------------------------------------
TO BE CONTINUE...
---------------------------------------
Hey, My lovely Cutieeesss ❤️
How are you all? I hope good.
Kesa laga chapter, do lemme know in the comment section.
Also, hit the "❤️" and show love guyssss
Milte hai next chapter mein.
Bye byeeee 👋🏻
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