His (Personal) Assistant

RECONCILIATION

Warning : This part contains major mature content. So please read only if you are comfortable with it.

By the time Diwali rolled around, Annika had found a new job with a married boss, who paid her twice what Shivaay had. She'd moved from her crappy, bad-area building to a much nicer, slightly larger apartment not far from downtown, and was relieved to find out her boss was happily married, with twin toddler boys. She was still at the Ministry, and still, technically, in the Minister's support staff ranks, but she worked now for the International Sporting Council to the Ministry. He was a much less demanding boss than Shivaay had been, and Annika was thoroughly happy with life.

Of course, there was still the thoroughly unquenchable desire for her former boss, who had indeed given her a glowing letter of recommendation and even a decent severance, considering what she'd done to him in the States. She wanted to hate him, wanted to feel nothing but resigned anger toward him, but it was impossible. She wanted him, and bad, and even hearing he couldn't find a decent replacement for her didn't make her feel any better. She was, simply, miserable without his cutting, sarcastic view of the world in her ear on a daily basis.

The girl found herself missing his indulgent smiles, his biting humour, his often unexpected announcement of things that were earth-shatteringly colossal as if they were of little importance. But most of all, she missed him. Those rare moments where she got a real response from him, or he smiled conspiratorially with her at some third party. The tempting smell of his cologne, the way his dark curly hair fell into his eyes when he worked at his desk, and the way he talked over the rim of his coffee cup at her were like fading memories that she clung to now.

Foolish, she told herself, but it didn't help. She'd come to the slow, inexorable conclusion she definitely felt more for him than she ever wanted to admit to. She was pretty sure she was in love with her former boss. The realization had come when she'd taken Vikram up on his offer to get together. The entire time, she'd compared him to Shivaay and found him wanting, and when he'd asked her to come round his place for a nightcap, she'd politely declined.

And just the thought of that, just thinking that four letter L-word, made Annika want to shout and punch something. When had it happened? How had he done it? She'd never been anything except strictly platonic with him until that stupid Seven Hill's gala, and even then, could a handful of kisses make her so sure of something so strong? Apparently.

She was headed home the last Friday before her holiday and was looking forward to time spent with her family, starting with drinks with Gauri that night at their usual Hangout Bar, as she got into the lift. Instead of going down, though, it went up, and she sighed.

At the top floor, someone got on and her eyes widened, breath catching as she looked across at Shivaay Singh Oberoi. He stared at her, looking furious. His cerulean blue eyes cut across to her and she stared back, trying to think of something witty and appropriate. "Annika," he said simply, then looked away. A sharp sting reverberated over her consciousness.

"Shivaay," she mumbled, then looked at her shoes.

"I hope your new boss realizes how indispensable you are," he said at last, and she glanced at him.

"He has a wife to handle the bulk of his private life," she replied, then kicked herself mentally. Why in the hell had she said that!?

"So, going home to the boyfriend to cuddle up and count down to Diwali?" he drawled.

She rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot."

She saw his lip curl, but before he could comment, she exited the lift and went to the parking lot to head home.