BEYOND THE CLOUDS (Completed)

Chapter 25

Their squabble left aside, she knew just one look at him will shake her to her soul.

And she was so right.

Her throat dried up, as she entered in his large office, one side of which was covered with glass walls and had the most spectacular view of the Arabian Sea.

She was a painter and an ardent admirer of the natures beauty, but even this killer view couldn’t hold her interest for more than a few seconds.

Her eyes landed on Sidharth, who was dressed impeccably as usual in a slate grey suit.

And just like she had thought her breath hitched and every speck inside of her clenched. 

His smoldering eyes which were now fixed on her, spoke volumes about the angry storm rumbling inside of him making her even more nervous than she already was.

Sidharth on the other side of the desk was a bundle of nerves himself.

The moment she entered his office, he wanted to be the god of anger and scream and shout at her.

Shake her up and ask her the reason for her lies but when he saw her red face, all he could do was stare back helplessly. Their gazes were locked intensely, neither of them backing down.

“Crying seems to be your favorite pastime” the sarcasm spilling out of him, snapped her out of the daze she seemed to be in.

“Sidharth, I am sorry I lied to you, but I had my reasons” her voice quaked in the end.

“You just shut me out, not even giving me a chance to explain” she walked closer but halted soon as he gestured her to be seated across him.

“Sit there” the fact was he couldn’t trust himself to hold back his emotions if she came closer.

“Am I not allowed to come near you now?” she gave him a baffled look.

“This is my workplace and I don’t entertain liars in here” he had mimicked her words in the airplane, but the sharp edge to them cut through her heart again.

“If you are going to be so curt, its ok. I will talk later, when you are in the mood to hear me out without constantly throwing my guilt on my face” resigned, she started to move.

But he  stopped her “I never said we cant talk, just stay away and do the talking. Because as much as I want to, I cant have you perched in my lap. This is my office and as the boss I have a code of conduct to follow” he stated and urged her to sit again.

Her body language told him, she was in need of comfort as much as him, but he wanted to hurt her, like she had hurt him, no matter how juvenile it may appear.

“Speak” he said again when he saw her struggling for words as she opened and shut her mouth several times.

She drew a deep breath and lowered her head “Sidharth.. I..” she had barely managed a syllable apart from his name when he stopped her again.

He rose this time and came to the chair beside her, holding her captive by placing his hands on her chairs arm rests.

“Before you start I need to ask you something Shehnaaz” he spoke, narrowing his gaze on her. She looked at him puzzled.

“Are you willingly a part of this relationship?” his defeated tone, tugged at her heart

“Sidharth why would you say that?” her expression was equally pained, and her eyes welled up with tears instantly.

He mutely wiped her tears, but felt his anger boiling up again

“Because I fucking tore open my heart out in front of you but you couldn’t. When the time came, you lied to me and I want to know why?” he shouted, clutching harder on the armrests, making his annoyance evident.