Rekindled | ✓

Chapter 5. Handshake

🎶 O More Saiyaan - Sad Version

Published on 01.10.2022

❝ zindagi nayi raahon mein hai,
yaadein teri band ankhon mein hai,
fir bhi khamoshiyon mein kyu beeti vo yaadein pukaare mujhe?
aisi khamoshiyon mein chupe dil ke nagme sunau kise? ❞

🥀

"Inaaya?" The woman who was walking ahead called out her name in a small, cautious voice.

"Sir?" Ayansh's personal assistant called out, making him turn his head around, feeling a bit unsettled.

"Yeah. Yeah." He muttered quietly and straightened up, taking a step back.

Inaaya took a shaky breath as she stood up. She hadn't looked at him but could feel his gaze on her. It was unnerving, overwhelming and threatened to make her crack and spill all her deepest secrets out.

"Sorry." The man in front of her whispered, so slowly that she was sure that nobody apart from her heard him. She curled her toes and clenched her jaw to contain the emotions unfurling within her at the mere sound of his voice addressed to her.

Someone cleared her throat and Inaaya's gaze darted towards the woman who had been escorting her, silently insisting to keep moving. She moves past Ayansh, keeping her eyes on the floor.

"Hey! Stop. Your pen." Ayansh calls out, making her halt as he bends and picks up the object.

Inaaya steadies herself. A deep sense of familiarity that was buried in a far off corner surfacing itself at those words and ler lips part as her heartbeats quicken. She forces herself to turn around and her eyes for the first time in years lock with him.

Hazel brown eyes were already staring at her, a soft glow in them as they caressed her intangibly in the gentlest way possible and she was lost in them, her resolve broken long ago. She had thought about this moment a lot of times. She often thought what it would feel if he ever came in front of her again. Maybe anger or hatred or indifference or hurt and pain or maybe all these emotions would tug at her, gnaw at her insides but as she stood in front of him, looking into the pair of eyes she once found her comfort in, every emotion that should've existed simmered down to the simple feeling of yearning.

The woman nudged Inaaya, breaking her trance. Inaaya averted her gaze and looked away, blinking away those traitorous teardrops that formed at the crease of her eyes.

"Welcome, Sir." The woman addressed Ayansh, nervousness lacing her tone but she compensated for it with a warm smile.

Ayansh gave her a curt nod, pushing every emotion behind and pulling up a blank face.

Without looking back at him, Inaaya took her pen from his hand and mouthed a thanks before turning around and taking long strides.

"Oh, holy mother of Jesus!" The woman who rushed beside Inaaya exclaimed, a mixture of disbelief and awe morphing her face. "I was so nervous. I can still hear my heart pounding in my ear. You felt the same, didn't you? I mean, can't really blame you for being speechless. I think I embarassed myself." She grimaces, oblivious to the fact that Inaaya hadn't paid any attention to a single word that came out of her mouth. "He looks even better than he does in all pictures I've come across. I can't believe- Inaaya!" She screeches, reaching out to hold her hand.

Inaaya staggers as she's brought to a stop and pulled back a little by her.

"The phone's here." She points at the counter. "Where were you going?"

Inaaya looks at the phone and then back at her and swallows. "Uhm- sorry. I'll- I'll take the call. Thanks." She breaks the eye contact and picks up the handset. "Hello." She says on the phone, her voice slightly shaky but she hopes nobody will catch upon it. She eyes the woman from the corner of her eyes who simply shrugs and goes away.