Chapter 31

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I know I just…
And i am sorry for so delay updates. I really am.
And this chapter gonna little boring but i promise agle chapters mast honge… And I’ll try to complete this as soon as possible,

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Total words-1499

It was close to midnight when I decided to go out for a run.
Not because I wanted to – but because sitting in that silent room was driving me insane.

Subh’s bak-bak is also quiet today.

The city was quieter at night. The kind of quiet that made you hear your own thoughts louder.

I jogged along the side of the building, the air thick, clouds heavy above. The kind of weather that smelled like rain even before it came.

And then it came.

A few drops first. Then a sudden, wild downpour.

I ran towards the building but I stopped when I saw a familiar figure.

Vani.

In the front ground of the building

She was standing there, completely still, arms hugging her sides, eyes closed, letting the rain drench her.

Her hair stuck to her cheeks. Her kurta clung to her like she didn’t care.
She didn’t even flinch.

Just… standing there like the rain was washing something off her. Like she was letting it.

For a second, it didn’t even feel like her – not the sharp-tongued Vani who beat me at every argument, who rolled her eyes at everything I said.

This was different.
she was…Quiet.

And something in my chest tightened in a way I didn’t expect.

I could’ve called out to her.
Could’ve gone there and told her she’d fall sick.

But I didn’t.

I just stood there, watching her in the rain, until she finally opened her eyes and walked back inside, her shoulders a little straighter again.

Like nothing happened.

My thoughts collided, but I didn’t reach her.

✧

Next day:-

The room was quiet except for the sound of pages flipping and pens scratching against paper.

Vani sat across from me, her head slightly bent over her notes, as she spoke to Ayanshi about numbers.
Subh was scrolling through slides, his face unusually serious.

And me?
I was leaning back in my chair, arms crossed, watching the budgets, the performance, and the PPTs

A little sneeze sound broke my focus, I looked at vani, like obviously, she was the one in the rain.

I kept looking but she didn’t sneeze again, so I started to do my work again.

A few minutes later, I caught it again

Vani turned slightly away and sneezed softly into the crook of her elbow.
Then kept writing, as if nothing happened.

But I noticed

Her cheeks were a little flushed now.
It may be a little fever.

I slightly shook my head and didn’t say anything.

Just pulled out my phone and texted my assistant:

→Send up lunch for four. And medicine for the cold. Now.

Exactly five minutes later, the door opened quietly, and my assistant placed a tray of steaming food on the table, along with a small strip of medicines.

No one looked up – too engrossed in their papers.

I reached forward, poured a glass of water and tore the foil off the medicine.

Then slid it in front of her.

She froze mid-sentence, eyes narrowing slightly as she glanced up at me.
“What is this?”

“dawai kehte hai ise.” I said, meeting her eyes.

She rolled her eyes

” voh pata hai mujhe. Par mujhe kyu de rahe ho?” she said

” are chipkaliyo ki dawai hai, test kr raha hu tumpe, socha tumhari prajaati ki tum par asar kregi ya nahi?”

Anger flash through her eyes

” was that supposed to be funny?” she glared at me.

” miss rathore You’re burning up. Take it.” my hand still holding the medicines.

“I’m fine,” she muttered, already turning back to her notes.

I pushed the glass closer.

” bacho ki tarah zabardasti se du, ya ese le lo gi?” I said being irritated, how irrational she is?

She glare at me and take a deep breath, to give her more logical reason

“I don’t want you using being sick as an excuse if anything goes wrong, miss rathore. This galla is important.”

Her eyes flashed, but she took the pill without another word.

I leaned back again, watching her swallow it, a faint smirk tugging at my lips when she shot me one last glare.

When the plates were unwrapped, I finally spoke up, my voice cutting through their focus.

“Subh. Ayanshi. Take a lunch break. You too, Miss Rathore. Eat something. We’ll resume in thirty.”

Subh nodded quietly, Ayanshi didn’t said anything
And miss Rathore?

She just kept her head down, spooning rice onto her plate without a word.

Good.
Let her hate me if she wants – at least she’s eating.

I leaned back, watching the three of them fall into silence again, and for a moment…
the room felt heavier.

But somehow, watching her finally take a bite –
I let myself exhale, and started eating too.

“Subh. Ayanshi. Take a lunch break. You too, Miss Rathore. Eat. We’ll resume in thirty.”

I didn’t even answer him – just served myself some rice, kept my head down.

But with every bite, I could feel his eyes on me from across the table.

And it was infuriating.

After a few minutes, I finally snapped, just under my breath: “Stop looking at me like that.”

His chair creaked as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

“Like what?” he asked, that insufferable smirk still there.

“Like you’re waiting for me to collapse just so you can say ‘I told you so,” I shot back, glaring at him.

His lips quirked into something that wasn’t quite a smile.

“Don’t tempt me. You already look halfway there.”

” karela!” i said in full irritation

” chipkallii” he said with fake sweetness and stretching ‘chipkali’

” don’t look at me like that Mr brar, or i might think you are falling for me.” I said trying to get the upper hand. I wanna make him speechless

” what if i am?” he said slowly. Purposely, looking in my eyes.

I widened my eyes, and glared at him, i am sure my face showed anger.

He snickered, and covered his laugh with a finger on his mouth, but again burst out.

” shakal dekhi hai apni? Kam kro chup chak khana kha ke.”

I rolled my eyes and focused on my food, refusing to give him the comeback.

The fact that never going to change is
I.
HATE.
MR.
BRARRRRRR.

✧

I leaned back in my chair, fingers tapping the table absentmindedly as I worked but when i lift my head and watched them,

Subh’s eyes would flick up to ayanshi every now and then. And every single time, she kept her gaze firmly on her paper, not even acknowledging him.
He acts as If he doesn’t care but he does.

Her jaw was tight.

His was tighter.

Neither of them said a word.

I don’t know what happened between them. Was it all because of me?

My eyes drifted back to Vani. She was scribbling notes, her cheeks still faintly red, her movements just a little slower than usual -though she tried to make it look effortless.

She glanced up at me then, catching me watching her. Her brow arched slightly. “What?” she asked, voice low, clipped.

“Nothing,” I said with a faint smirk, leaning back further. “Just waiting for you to sneeze again so I can call the doctor this time.”

Her eyes narrowed but she didn’t reply. Instead she muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like ‘arrogant idiot’, which only made me smile wider.

I straightened finally, pulling the laptop toward me. “Alright. Let’s finish this before anyone here dies of awkwardness,” I said, glancing pointedly at Subh and Ayanshi.

Subh ducked his head, flipping a page.

Ayanshi kept her eyes on the screen.

Vani, of course, didn’t miss the chance to comment. “Well, at least you’re self-aware enough to notice your presence kills the mood,” she murmured without looking at me.

Why does she take everything on her?

I chuckled under my breath and shook my head.

“And yet here you are, still working next to me,” I shot back.

Her pen froze for just a second before she went back to writing, refusing to give me the satisfaction of another glance.

Good.

Let her be irritated.

And before she could answer, Subh’s chair scraped back suddenly. “I need to… check something,” he mumbled and walked out of the room.

Ayanshi’s grip on her pen tightened, but she didn’t look up.

I watched them both,

Miss rathore’s eyes also flicked towards them,

” I’ll be back” ayanshi said and left next, her heels clicking against the floor
Miss rathore stare at ayanshi then gets back to her laptop.
______________________________________

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