Blooming Hearts

09|What are you doing here?

Awik's POV

I pulled my car into the parking area and made my way toward the building's lift. Today is the first day of my new job and I am already late by an hour. It's not like I am careless towards the job or anything, I just got lost.

I know it doesn't really seems logical, especially coming out from a twenty-seven year old but these freaking Google maps I tell you all.

The app directed me to take a right, which I obviously did, and later had to take a U-turn since the road ahead was blocked because of some construction work.

Even that U-turn was two kilometres ahead!

The user interface didn't help me either and because of that, I missed one flyover and three turns in a row. That was the last string of my patience for me as I shut off the phone and adopted the most conventional and reliable method - People.

After asking for directions from more than ten people, finally, here I am waiting for the lift.

This is a corporate building of more than twenty-five floors, home to more than ten companies. The crowd of people waiting for the lift with me makes it evident that this building is surely a commercial hub.

I was tapping my foot impatiently when the lift arrives. Those near me darted off in a hurry to get to the elevator just as I was ready to take a step. Before I could process what was going on around me, I found myself in the elevator with about ten more people.

I swear, the game of pushing and pulling by the people surrounding me did all the work-I didn't even need to take a single step toward the lift!

The lift right now is so packed that it can even put the Mumbai local to shame. Everyone is literally squeezed into each other, barely giving the room to breathe.

"Shabash! Mu me hi ghus ja mere, idiot." I murmured in frustration, as the man standing beside me was pounding all of his body weight on me.

"Said something?" Did I say that loud?

"Um, I was saying the color of your shirt is great. It's unique, haven't really seen a shade like this." Moving my eyes downwards towards his shirt and indicating it to him, I replied.

"It's literally a plain red." He deadpanned. Yes, even I noticed it just now!

"No, it's a shade close to a tomato red and not Christmas red." I tried to reason whatever I could think of at that moment.

"Christmas Red? Is that even a color?" I myself don't know. Google it maybe?

"Some other day, it's my floor." The lift stopped at my office floor and I waved at him and hurried out before he could shoot questions at me, the answers of which I am myself not aware of.

I move in the direction of the reception counter after spotting it in the floor's right corner. A girl was sitting at the front desk, her head deep in her paperwork.

"Hey, excuse me?" I rested my hands on the counter and said to get her attention.

"Hi, Good morning. Sorry, I was distracted by some urgent work." She instantly looked up and greeted me with an awkward smile "My name is Rashi. Please let me know how I can help."

"Good morning Rashi. This is Awik. I am a new joiner, It's my first day here in the marketing and advertising department" I replied to her with a smile.

"Oh, just give me a second." She said and surfed something on her desktop "Mr. Awik Chauhan right?" Raising her eyes from the screen, she looked at me for confirmation.