Friday.
7:14pm.
The cabin door closed.
Soft.
But the sound-
Landed heavier than it should have.
Silence.
Not empty.
Not awkward.
Just-
Charged.
Anika stood near the table.
Didn't sit.
Didn't move further in.
Didn't pretend comfort.
Five minutes.
That's all this was supposed to be.
Vihaan didn't walk to his chair.
Didn't pick up a file.
Didn't create distance.
That-
Was the first shift.
"Explain the summary," he said.
Professional.
On the surface.
She nodded once.
Opened the file.
Placed it on the table between them.
Distance.
Intentional.
"Client growth projections-"
Her voice steady.
Controlled.
Perfect.
Too perfect.
He wasn't looking at the file.
"Continue."
She did.
Numbers.
Data.
Structure.
Everything aligned.
Everything correct.
And yet-
The room felt like it was holding something else entirely.
Something unsaid.
Something-
Pressing.
She stopped.
Because explaining something to someone who wasn't listening-
Was pointless.
"Is there something specific you want me to focus on?" she asked.
Calm.
But this time-
Direct.
His gaze lifted.
Met hers.
Fully.
"Yes."
A beat.
Then-
"No."
That-
That was not an answer.
Her brows pulled slightly.
Not confused.
Just-
Done pretending.
"Then I'll leave," she said.
Simple.
Clean.
She turned.
One step.
"Why did you stay back?"
That stopped her.
Mid-step.
Not work.
Not file.
Not professional.
That.
She didn't turn immediately.
Because she knew-
If she did-
This would stop being controlled.
"...work," she said finally.
Without looking at him.
"Don't," he said.
Low.
Sharp.
Now she turned.
"Don't reduce it to that."
There it was.
Her expression didn't change.
But something behind it-
Shifted.
"You called me in for a file," she said.
Measured.
"Stick to that."
A pause.
Tight.
"And you stayed back for work?" he asked.
"Is there a problem with that?"
"Yes."
That-
Came too fast.
Too honest.
Silence.
Immediate.
Because now-
They were not circling it.
They were in it.
His jaw tightened.
But he didn't step back.
"You had somewhere to be," he said.
Her gaze sharpened.
"Not anymore."
That landed.
Something flickered in his expression.
Not satisfaction.
Not relief.
Something darker.
More complicated.
"Rescheduled," he repeated.
"Yes."
Another silence.
Heavier this time.
"Because of the meeting," she added.
"Because I scheduled it," he corrected.
There.
Acknowledgment.
Her eyes held his.
Longer now.
"So this is about control," she said quietly.
"No."
A beat.
Then-
"Yes."
Honesty.
Raw.
Unfiltered.
Dangerous.
"And you're okay with that?" she asked.
He stepped closer.
Not enough to invade.
Enough to shift the air.
"I'm not okay with-"
He stopped.
Because finishing that sentence-
Would expose too much.
Her breath slowed.
Waiting.
Not urging.
Just-
Waiting.
"With what?" she asked.
Soft.
His gaze dropped.
Just for a second.
Then returned.
"With things changing... without my say."
That was safe.
But not enough.
"And where exactly should they be?" she asked.
Closer now.
Not physically.
But-
Something had moved.
He didn't answer.
Because there was no answer-
That wouldn't cross the line.
And then-
A knock.
Sharp.
Untimely.
Perfect.
Neither moved.
For a second.
Then-
The door opened
Rohan.
He stepped in-
Stopped.
Immediately.
Something in his expression stilled.
Not confusion.
Recognition.
Because whatever he expected-
This wasn't it.
The distance between them.
Too little.
The silence.
Too thick.
The air-
Wrong.
"Sorry," he said automatically.
But he didn't leave.
His gaze moved.
From Anika-
To Vihaan-
And back.
A question.
Unasked.
But loud.
Anika stepped back first.
Distance restored.
Instantly.
"I was just leaving," she said.
That line-
Was for Rohan.
Not him.
Vihaan noticed.
Of course he did.
"Were you?" he asked.
Not loud.
Not aggressive.
But-
Not letting it go either.
Rohan's gaze sharpened slightly.
Anika didn't respond to him.
Didn't engage.
Instead-
She picked up her file.
Turned toward the door.
"Done?" Rohan asked.
Soft.
But not casual.
She nodded.
"Yeah."
And just like that-
She walked out.
With him.
Together.
The door stayed open this time.
And Vihaan-
Didn't move.
Didn't stop them.
Didn't call her back.
Because now-
Stopping her-
Would mean admitting something
He still wasn't ready to name.
Outside-
Rohan didn't speak immediately.
Didn't ask.
Didn't push.
They walked.
Side by side.
Then-
"Five minutes?" he said lightly.
She let out a breath.
Not quite a laugh.
Not quite anything.
"Yeah," she replied.
A pause.
Then-
"Lamba tha."
He glanced at her.
Studying.
"Everything okay?"
That question again.
She nodded.
Once.
"Yeah."
Same answer.
Different weight.
And inside the cabin-
Vihaan finally moved.
One step.
Then another.
Stopped near the door.
Looked out.
They were gone.
And for the first time-
The silence didn't feel controlled.
It felt-
unfamiliar.
And that was worse.
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TO BE CONTINUE...
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Hey, My lovely Kuchi Pieeees ❤️
I hope you liked it.
Stay tuned for more.
Seee you guys in next chapter.
Thanks for reading 🫶🏻
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