SHE WAS NEVER MINE

3.

"Ahem Ahem," Anushka lightly tapped on the door of Avi's cabin, her mischievous grin giving away her intentions.

Avi looked up from his laptop, his face brightening upon seeing her. "I hope I'm not disturbing you, Mr. Sajdeh," she smirked, playfully teasing as she entered.

"Not at all," Avi replied with a smile, happy to have the distraction from work.

"Done with work??" he inquired, as Anushka settled into a chair across from him. She nodded in response.

"You can go home if you want," Avi offered generously, trying to be considerate.

"You know me, Avi. I don't leave the office before you," Anushka said with a playful wink, making herself comfortable in the chair.

"Agar main teri jagah hota toh chala jata," he chuckled, imagining how different their work ethics might be.

"That's the difference between you and me, Mr. Boyfriend," Anushka smirked.

"And what if I say I love that about us??" Anushka asked, her tone softening with affection.

Avi's eyes sparkled as he leaned closer to the table. "And what if I say I love you?" he said, causing Anushka's heart to skip a beat.

"You rarely say that," she almost whispered, taken by surprise. Avi took a step closer to her, and she could feel his warm breath on her cheeks.

"I mostly feel it," he replied, looking deeply into her eyes. Anushka got lost in the intensity of his gaze, her heart fluttering with joy. He gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and leaned in to kiss her cheek.

Just as the moment seemed to become even more magical, Anushka's phone suddenly rang, breaking the enchantment. Avi frowned, and Anushka gave him an apologetic smile.

"Tera bhai hamesha beech mein aa jata hai," Avi playfully rolled his eyes but couldn't help chuckling.

"Always!" Anushka laughed with him, taking the call. "I will take this call, and until then, you finish your work. I'll be waiting for you in the parking lot," she said.

"I'm almost done with this," Avi assured her, pointing to his laptop.

"Guess what??" Anushka exclaimed with sheer excitement as Avi got into the car. He smiled, enjoying her enthusiasm.

"What?" He asked softly, curious about the news she was about to share.

"We got that workshop approval!" Anushka couldn't contain her joy.

"Which one??" Avi inquired, keeping his focus on the road as he drove.

"The Germany one!" Anushka replied, hoping he would remember their shared dream of working as interns with German newspapers.

"Ah, right," Avi recalled, "I remember now."

"OMG, I am so excited!" Anushka chuckled, thrilled at the prospect of the opportunity.

"Anushka, don't get me wrong, but I'm not sure about this workshop thing..." Avi hesitated, surprising her as he had been enthusiastic about it just two months ago.

Anushka was taken aback, her excitement momentarily dampened. "Avi, you always wanted to do this. What happened? Why don't you want to do it now?" she asked, hoping to understand his sudden change of heart.

"I don't know, I just don't feel like doing it, to be honest," Avi admitted, feeling a bit conflicted. "But you can go if you want," he suggested.

Anushka's heart sank a little; she had always envisioned experiencing this workshop together. "Well, I wanted to do it with you," she said, trying not to let her disappointment show too much. She wanted to do it, but she wanted to do it with him.