Mehendi & Moonlight || Ana

Chapter 36:: Actions & Consequences

"Nisha?" A confused voice reached her ears as she turned around. 

There stood a Kabir with a confused look. Somewhere, there was relief in those eyes mixed with a glint of tiredness and gloom. 
A dull gaze she couldn't interpret. 

He had been unreachable for the past three days and seeing him right now, he looked so different. Did something happen meanwhile? She had no idea.

"Kabir." The words rolled down her lips as she inched forward, taking a closer look at his face. 
He had dark circles and worry surfaced on his face. 
It was obvious he was going through a hard time.

His office, where they were at right now, was living proof.

Messed up files around, a dirty sofa and an old coffee mug resting on the side table. This wasn't how she had usually seen his office. 
"How are you?" She asked, acknowledging the answer through her observation. 
"Yeah, I'm fine. You're here for?" 

"You don't sound well. Are you sure?" 

He took a good look at her face and nodded, "Just busy with work. It's not stable... some client complained and stuff" 
She nodded and said, "Did I bother?" 

He shook his head, stepping near his desk. He was busy eyeing the mess while she awkwardly nibbled on her lower lip. She didn't know what to say. 

"Have you eaten? Your calls weren't reachable recently so I was quite worried and thought of checking up." 

He listened to her, nodding.
"Yeah. Um, work's going very downhill... that's all." He sighed.
"Kabir. You can tell me what's wrong." 

"I'm just... I don't—" He was interrupted by his ringing phone. Picking it up, he moved aside for a few moments. 
She could hear his frustrated replies and frowned. 

'Yeah, uncle. I know.'
'What should I do about that though? It's not my fault.' 
'It's better to not involve my parents in this.'
'Of course, Baba does know!' 

"Is it a family matter?" She whisper-asked, shaking her head. She didn't wish to be nosy but the urge to know about his worries was sickening. She had been noticing it for too long to let it slide now.

Once he returned, she pressed her lips. 
"Are you okay?" 
He swallowed, nodding. 
"You don't seem okay, though. You can tell me."
"It's nothing." He shook his head.

She looked down, nodding. 
"But if there is something, then—"
"I told you, it's nothing, Nisha. You don't have to worry." His voice was soft, yet she felt a little dejected at his tone.
"I don't mean it that way. Like, if... just in case, then, you can tell me." 

He nodded, moving a few files on his desk. His face depicted how he was lost in thoughts. She stood there, staring at his figure. 

He seemed tired and most importantly, he seemed to be avoiding her. And she had no fucking idea of the reason.

He worked to organize the files in eerie silence but she noticed how he wasn't focused.

An awkward air surrounded them. This was the first time she felt so alarmed around Kabir. Usually, the sense of alarm she felt was a soft gentle one, it felt positive and exciting. But this one was gut-wrenching. 

Only then did she realise he was the one keeping the atmosphere alive around them. She was just playing along, he was the initiator of everything. And that was the main reason they got along well. 
She wasn't good at starting things. He was a master at that. 

Now when he was the one simply standing there, it was her turn to initiate the movement. Her legs stayed rooted to her place, anxiety building up within her. 
Was she irritating him? She doubted.