[FEATURED IN WATTPAD INDIA PROFILE]
❝Pioneering the art of constructing love, my Kanmani.❞
Xavier teased her skin, slowly caressing her cheeks and her lips trembled.
❝You don't dare!❞
And he kissed her.
------
When he had compromised his dreams and...
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"Krithika?" Rathna looked up from the documents he was reading, surprised to see her step into his cabin.
"Yeah, you wanted to talk about something?" she asked, her voice steady but her internal monologue panicking. Please, not dating. Anything but dating. By now, she was acutely aware that she wanted no one else... It was always Xavier; only him.
Every moment with him felt magical—the way he smiled, the way he adored her, the way he cared. It was all real, and she knew there was no turning back. All of Sunday had been a montage of daydreams starring him. Oddly enough, none of those scenarios had them tangled in bedsheets, but rather walking hand in hand, laughing over something trivial, or just being silently comfortable in each other's presence.
It was intoxicating, this new feeling—a sweetness she could almost taste. But it was overwhelming too, like standing too close to a fire. She had cried, not from sadness, but from frustration at her inability to leash her heart.
"Oh, yes, I almost forgot," Rathna chuckled. "I had asked you to give me a call, Chakudi." He pushed back his chair, stood, and rummaged through a desk drawer. After a moment, he retrieved a piece of paper and slid it across the desk toward her. "Here. Read this."
She picked up the handwritten note and read aloud, "I admire you, my dear Gem."
A grin tugged at her lips. "Gem? Seriously? Someone dared to pun your name? Iconic."
He rolled his eyes. "Iconic or idiotic? We have cameras here, you know. Who'd be foolish enough to leave this and a rose on my desk?" He reached back into the drawer and produced the aforementioned rose, placing it dramatically on the desk like it was evidence in a court case. "This is a full-on cringe-fest."
"Planning to investigate this?" Krithika asked, folding the note and setting it back on the desk. Is it Rashi?
"Yeah," he sighed. "I was ready to take it to HR... until this morning." He pulled another note from his pocket and handed it to her.
Hope it's not Rashi. She unfolded the note, her eyes scanning the hastily scrawled apology: Gem, sorry for creeping you out. I realize it was wrong. Please forgive me for being a nuisance.
Her brow shot up. "This one sounds... desperate. Almost like a plea bargain."
"Exactly!" he exclaimed. "The first one felt like a prank—my friends laughed it off—but this? This makes it feel real. And it's handwritten. That makes it worse."
"Worse? Or better?" she countered with a sly smile.
"Don't mess with me," he groaned, running a hand through his hair like he was trying to scrub the anxiety out of his scalp. "I don't know if this is a joke or a genuine confession. If it's the latter, I feel bad for whoever can't be upfront about their feelings. But it's creepy, right?"
Really! You're worried about some stranger? What are you made of?
"It's not about you being unapproachable," she offered, trying to soothe him. "Maybe the person's just shy. Not everyone has your flair for dramatic entrances and exits."
He chuckled, though the tension in his shoulders didn't ease.
"You're overthinking this," she said. "If you get another note, just take it to HR. Problem solved."
Please, universe, let it not be Rashi.
"Yeah, you're right. I just hope it's not some secret admirer watching me like a hawk. That's nightmare fuel."
She giggled. "True." She gave him a pat on the back. "That's all?"
"Actually, yes." His eyes glinted with mischief. "I know you've made it crystal clear that dating me is off the table..." He smirked. "...but could you set me up with one of your friends? I'm ready to mingle, you know." He winked, bursting into laughter when she swatted his arm.
"You're impossible," she muttered. "I'm pretty sure your lovey-dovey department is overflowing. You don't need me playing Cupid."
As she walked toward the door, his chuckle made her pause. "Chakudi, what's her name... Ms. Rashi, right? I've seen her blushing every time I walk past. Does she like me?"
Find out yourself—I have a promise to keep.
"A lot of women blush at your flirtatiousness, Mr. Rathna Raj."
"Not you."
"Not me."
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Do tell me what you feel about this and the upcoming chapters, always open to positive criticism.
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