I'll Hold On

CHAPTER 34

'Yeah, Mishra. I'll get you the file soon, but make sure it reaches the marketing team before the end of the day. Just because of a small mishap, I don't want to lose a big deal. Yeah, I'll have my driver send it over to the company. Give me....' Aahil was speaking on his mobile to his secretary when he opened his study room. And the words that came out of his mouth were not pleasant.

'...WHAT THE HECK!'

Aahil stared wide eyed at his messed up study. He cautiously entered the study and looked around to find scartch marks all over his lounge couch, the bussiness magazines that were placed before the couch on the teapoy were torn into shreads and half on the floor. His files rack didn't have half of his files and the ones on the floor, let's say the papers were not clipped in the files properly. He looked at his desk to see papers and pens all scattered over, the ink bottle laid open with ink pouring out on the papers. He moved a little further to look at his chair and closed his eyes as he gritted his teeth.

Aahil was holding the mobile in his hand so tight, that his knuckles turned white, 'What happened here?' He heard a gasping voice of Rayna ask. He popped his eyes open and slowly turned around to Rayna and said in a seething voice, 'Your cat, happened.' Pointing towards his chair. Rayna cautiously walked in, and let me tell you, she wasn't being cautious of her surroundings, but of someone whose vein was visibly popping near the forehead.

Rayna stood a little too further away from Aahil looked at the direction his finger was pointed to see Snowflake, sleeping peacefully on the chair. Rayna let out an audible sigh of relief as she held her heart, 'Thank God, she is safe and fine.' 'You are worried about your cat. Look what she has done to my study.' Aahil's voice boomed in the house and Salma bi and Fazil chacha, refrained themselves from climbing up the stares to face the demon.

Aahil had never been this mad in a long time. Rayna stood there paralysed, 'This is why I hate pets. They always cause some problem, now look what has happened. I have to send a file to the office as soon as possible or I'll lose a huge client and here, God knows where the file is or if it is even a file anymore.' Aahil was furious, 'Sorry, I'll take Snowflake away from here.' Rayna said and moved to pick up Snowflake. But as soon as Rayna touched her, she woke up and sprang away, 'Snowflake!' Rayna called out.

Aahil looked at the cat as it ran around in his study, over his files and papers. Rayna ran after her but Snowflake was fast and tiny, 'Aahil please close the door, or she might run away again.' Aahil stood there for a while before he moved his feet and closed the door, 'Aahil, she is coming at you.' Aahil heard Rayna say and as he turned around, he saw Snowflake clash with his leg. She later started scratching Aahil's limited edition, leather shoes, 'Snowflake, don't.' Rayna bent down and picked Snowflake in her arms and immediately hissed. Snowflake had scratched Rayna, but Rayna soon held her in such away that she wouldn't.

'Could you please open the door?' Rayna requests Aahil in a low and soft voice. Aahil, whose hand was still on the door knob, opened the door wide and Rayna walked out. He closed the door with a bang and looked around his study, 'What a mess!' He threw his case on the cat handled couch and went over to the files rack to clean up and search for his file. While he was just collecting the papers, he noticed to more pair of hands start collecting the papers. He looked up to find Rayna doing so. He noticed the scratch mark and frowned.

What is she doing here? She should be tending to that before it get's septic.

'What are you doing?' He asks her, still stern. Rayna looked up at him and spoke, 'Helping you clean.' 'It's not necessary, I can do it.' Aahil told her, 'It's Snowflakes fault, so I must help.' Rayna said and continued picking up the papers. Aahil was about to speak but gave up.

She isn't going to listen. Stubborn girl.

After 45 minutes, the files in tact were kept in the rack, while the papers that were scattered were on Aahil's desk, in a huge pile. The files on the rack were not the one Aahil was looking for. He looked at the pile and sighed, he has to find the papers to the deal and file them fast or the deal is done for, 'What are these colour dots on each paper?' Aahil heard Rayna ask him. He looked at what she was referring to when he realized something, 'Each company and clients file is marked with a colour at the top of every page and file, so that we don't get confused with files.' Aahil said and Rayna nodded in understanding but infact, Aahil was speaking to himself, 'Rayna, could you help me seperate the pages with blue marks at the top?' Aahil asked her and Rayna nodded as they digged into the pile seperating.

'Take this to the company and hand it over to Mishra.' Aahil handed a file to his driver after 45 minutes of aligning, and he exited the study. Aahil let a sigh of relief and turend around to see Rayna on the floor, still seperating papers, 'I got what I wanted. You can stop seperating now.' Aahil informed her. Rayna didn't stop and replied, 'I know, but you are going to do this later anyway, so I'll just help you do it now.' Rayna finally looked up and smiled at him. Aahil took a deep breath and nodded before looking away. He heard Rayna hiss and his head immediately looked at her, to see her blowing on her scratch mark.

'It's going to burn, so hang in there.' Aahil told Rayna as they were seated on the cat handled couch. Aahil held Rayna's wounded hand in his one hand and a cotton dabbed in disinfectant in another, 'Tell me if it burns too much, okay?' Aahil said and Rayna nodded with a bored expression. The cotton in Aahil's hand has been hovering over Rayna's scratch wound for the past 5 minutes, but he ain't cleaning it, 'It will burn, you might want to pull your hand back, but trust me, it won't last for long.' Aahil keeps repeating the same sentences again and again, his face held more worried lines than Rayna's.

'I am going to dab on it now.' Aahil said, but the cotton was still hovering over the wound. Giving up, Rayna held Aahil's hand and pressed the cotton on the wound which led to a scream of pain, from Aahil. Aahil had closed his eyes in pain, so he slowly opened one and peaked at the cotton pressed on Rayna's wound. He opened both his eyes and pulled back his hand and started blowing on it, 'I told you it would burn, must be painful.' Aahil said, 'More than me, I think you are in pain.' Rayna said with amusement in her voice. Aahil looked up at her and stuttered, 'Non...Nonsense. You are hurt, not me.' Aahil dabbed on her wound painstakingly, 'Exactly.' Aahil heard Rayna say.

'I am hurt and it's like you are in pain.'

Aahil's hand stopped in mid air as he looked up at Rayna who was staring back at him. Rayna smiled and took the cotton from Aahil and stood up, 'And please don't be upset at Snowflake, she is still a kitten.' Rayna said and walked out of the study but Aahil was thinking about something else.

She is right.
Why am I in pain?