TADAP

Chapter 6 - Is it love yet?

Sidharth's POV

We both were standing in that lift alone and having to be in a closed box with her for the first time felt weird. A good kind of weird. Shehnaaz had invited me to visit her office as her way of extending gratitude for the help I did for her company event. I couldn't deny her, so here I was with her in her office lift.

I gave awkward smiles at her occasionally, perhaps not knowing what to talk or was I just paranoid, I couldn't understand myself. She was unusually silent. I wanted to break the silence and make a small talk but then the lift reached the floor and door opened with a ding sound that startled me for a second.

The escalation to her office suite that was on the 27th floor took rather less time or so I thought because I felt like spending more and more time with her.
We walked out of the lift that connected straight to the waiting lounge in front of her suite. I hadn't entered this floor though I had visited the same building earlier due to work, strangely I felt glad that my first time in this floor was with Shehnaaz.

The lounge itself was so classy as if it was a First class business lounge at an European airport. My eyes roamed around as I observed the interiors keenly, it looked spic & span as if cleaned and dusted every few minutes. The neat carpet, leather couches, a reception counter at the corner, a huge LED Tv that displayed Pioneer Corp Ltd. and its logo gave such an elite look.
As i walked behind her, noticing the ambience around a voice grabbed my attention.

"Good noon Ma'am, should I send in almond milk for you?" Rosy, the receptionist asked politely as i walked forward.

"No Rosy, I'm good. Thank you. Just don't send anyone in for next 15 minutes" Shehnaaz said platonically and walked off as the girl nodded in response while I wondered what could she possibly talk to me, that too alone.

Rosy nodded and agreed to what Shehnaaz said with a meek smile.

We entered to another spectacular space that was Shehnaaz's office suite. It was very spacious, walls painted in subtle peach colour, a designer table that had an Apple desktop and a high end MacBook, a high raise chair and two chairs opposite to the table was situated on one side of the room while a sofa set with a glass teapoy was placed to the other side of the room giving ample space in between the two. Shehnaaz walked swiftly towards her high chair and sat gesturing me to take my seat in front of her and I did so like an automated robot.

"Drink some water Sidharth, you'll need it" Shehnaaz said casually but that sounded cryptic to me. I felt her demeanor completely changed to what I had seen in past few weeks. She seemed rather quiet,stoic & very businesswoman like.

"No, Thanks, I'm fine..." I mumbled.

"Hmm... Sidharth let me get straight to the point kyunki zyada time nai hai mere paas & I'm sure apke paas bhi. Aapke mann mei sawal bohat honge na? Meine apko kyu bulaya voh bhi office mei phir aise kyu behave kar rhi hu jaise mei apko janti nahi phir meine bola kissi ko andar na bheje and all those questions. But usse pehle aap suniye mei yeh bolna chahti hu ki I want us to date" Shehnaaz said as nonchalantly as possible while she flipped open the MacBook infront of her as if what she just uttered was an everyday thing for her.

I couldn't decipher if I heard her right or if i was hallucinating so I just took the glass of water infront of me and took a sip to buy time. Shehnaaz gave a soft smile seeing me do that and said "See, I told you already that you'll need to drink some water"