Hiding Behind Smiles

6| Friends?

Ridhhant's POV

I suddenly felt a presence behind me and I turned to find Naina with her worry filled eyes.

"Are you okay sir?"

"Yeah. Nice poem..who did you write it for?" I ask looking straight into her eyes. "I-i didn't write it for any-anyone." She says looking anywhere but me. Okay.

"Wanna go on a walk with me?" The word leave my mouth before my mind understands what the hell am I speaking.

"Wha-how? A party is going on sir."

"Screw the party, come on." I stretch my hands on hers and she hesitantly hold it. Her hands feel like warmth of sunlight on my skin parched in coldness.

I like her touch. Not of desire but of warmth, a loving warmth. I take her hand and walk inside, through the maze of people where I catch Atharva's eyes and the fucker smirks, we walk outside into the road.

"Sir you can let go off my hands now." And that's when I realised I'm still holding her hands. I hesitantly and very slowly let it go. I feel hollow, like I always was, again.

"Call me Ridhhant?" Mouth dear shut up or I will evaporate.

She looks at me with furrowed brows, "Huh?"

"Don't call me sir, call me Ridhhant." I said gently with a smile grazing my lips as the subtle breezes hitting my face.

"Oh-ohkay Ridhhant." She says and my smile grows wider. My name on her lips sound silky.

"Mind saying it again please?"

"What?"

"My name." I answer in a duh tone like I am not giving myself heart atyacks.

"Ridhhant..." She said with a nervous smile.

I smile hearing my name on her lips. "We are friends aren't we?" I ask looking into the thin air.

"Not my place to say much."

"Why?"

"I'm your employee, Ridhhant." I smile again.

"Employees come to houses to live? Okay. Thanks for the information."

She signs. "We are friends. You don't know me, I don't know you, we don't talk, we are friends. Okay good. Wow! Whoa! Amazing! Cool-"

"And you..scare me."

"I do?" She asks with a hurt expression and a lot of confusion.

"We were on sarcasm spree Naina." I deadpan.

"So you feel good with me? I mean you aren't scared of me?"

This time it's me who signs..I sign a lot these days. "No I'm not, I don't feel like..faking myself too."

"I knew it. I've always heard you were the chill pill dude as you always act but at home you were so...real."

Home. She said home.

"Home?"

"Uh-i mean house...your home yeah your home." I smirk..which I don't do usually.

"So we are friends." I say.

"Yes we are, maybe" She says the last part quietly and I smile. One day the maybe will go too.

-

Naina's POV

Ridhhant.

What are you? Who are you? I can't believe how can someone be so fake, like how does he hide himself from the world but he acts normal before me and I like that. He isn't the cheerful person with me but I don't complain I like the fact he doesn't pretend.

My cheeks heat up of embarrassment and a bit of anger when Amaya, as she told me to call her, said that if I'm Ridhhant's fuck buddy. Ewwww..I had a horrified face and angry too.

Ridhhant's face was priceless too. I even bursted like a volcano at him and he said sorry. Again, I feel serene seeing his Normal side. The way he said sorry was genuine. It both aches and irritates every part of me when he acts so childish...I see a thundering past behind his cheerful grins.

At the party the moment he put his hands on my back, it felt like the missing pillar I needed to stand still was given to me. I felt strangely confident and....complete.

He is such a nice guy, I could see the anger in his eyes when that Vikram was shaking hands with me. I felt weird, a bad weird but he held my hand a bit tightly and pulling my hand away before everyone would look bad. I'm glad Ridhhant interfered.

The smile he gave me after that was real. Not being forced to stretch to curves but a  unique warmth in it. His smile felt like a drop of rain on my dried land.

Though they told me to recite a poem about the person I wish to live with, I did, yet it was about Ridhhant.

I looked at him while reciting the poem and he was lost in his own thoughts hearing the poem deeply.

The moment I finished he left the room, I was afraid if he was mad at me. I came here as his assistant so I tried to talk to the businessmen and their wives regarding all the business partnerships but then after a long time he didn't return.

"Excuse me Mr. Rai I'll go and check on Ridhhant sir." I said and he nodded giving a short 'sure' in reply.

I went in the direction where he went and I saw him sitting on a bench. As if sensing my presence he turned around, "Are you okay sir?" I asked. "Yeah..who did you write the poem for?" You.

"I-i didn't write it for any-anyone sir." I said stammering and looking anywhere but him.

He asked me for going to a park out of the blue butI agreed, he held my small hands with his large hands. It was so warm and a mixture of soft and hard..god knows how it was. Secure and safe.

I reminded him to let go off my hands and he did it but very slowly and looking conflicted.

"Call me Ridhhant?" He asked and my eyes widened. Wow.

"Oh-ohkay Ridhhant." I said and he said me to repeat it. The intense look he was giving me was too much to handle.

"So we are friends." He said after the kind of argument slash discussion.

"Yes we are," I said, "maybe."