Our Secret Love : Office Romance

6. Tara

The first-day jitters were a swarm of angry bees in my stomach. Here I was, in a cubicle that looked like a paper avalanche, with a baby and a forgotten lunch break. My perfectly curated Instagram feed of dream pasta dishes (seriously, have you seen the black truffle fettuccine with shaved parmesan? Divine) wasn't exactly calming the chaos within.

This was it. The official intern initiation. They'd assigned me to the team working on the same project Dhruv shoved at me during my, ahem, "unconventional" interview. Apparently, it was a big cheese kind of deal, and Dhruv, Mr. Control Freak himself, wanted his eyes glued to every detail. This meant sharing a cubicle with the company's holy trinity—the elite, the chosen ones.

The door creaked open, revealing a vision of corporate chic. Long, sleek hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her cat-eye glasses seemed to glint with judgement. "Nikitha," she announced, her voice as cool as the air conditioning blasting straight at my neck. "I presume you're Tara?"

I offered a handshake that felt about as firm as overcooked spaghetti. "Yep, that's me."

She scanned me with an intensity that could rival a laser beam. My rumpled clothes and the rogue strand of hair escaping my braid probably weren't winning me any fashion awards in her eyes. "Surprised, honestly," she smirked. "Didn't think they handed out internships like party favors."

Okay, this chick was definitely channeling her inner Regina George. Before I could unleash my witty retort (because hello, I do have one, thank you very much), another woman entered the cubicle. This one was the complete opposite: petite, with kind eyes framed by thick glasses that seemed to hold a hidden smile.

"Hi, I'm Akshita," she offered shyly, her voice a welcome contrast to Nikitha's ice queen routine.

I managed to get a small smile back. "Nice to meet you, Akshita."

The air crackled with tension as the two women settled in, their hushed whispers punctuated by the rhythmic clacking of keyboards. I felt like a fly on the wall at a secret society meeting.

"So, Tara? Do you know what project we are working on?" Nikitha said, turning her chair towards me.

"I'm familiar with the details," I replied, keeping my voice pleasant despite the urge to roll my eyes. "But I was hoping to get a rundown of my specific role today."

"Right," Nikitha said, a hint of condescension in her voice. "Well, I consistently topped the dean's list in my M.Arch program, so if you ever need anything explained, feel free to ask."

Wow, subtle much? I resisted the urge to point out that bragging about past academic achievements wasn't exactly endearing. "I appreciate the offer," I said, flashing a tight smile. "I'll definitely keep that in mind."

Nikitha seemed to take this as an invitation to continue her monologue. "Now, being part of this team comes with a lot of expectations," she declared, her voice dripping with self-importance. "Think of me as your on-site mentor. It's practically a calling, you know. Even if I don't particularly want to babysit you interns, it falls on me somehow."

"Right," I muttered under my breath, "because clearly, the world needs saving from the likes of me."

Nikitha continued, oblivious to my internal snark. "Oh, and you haven't met Dhruv yet, have you? There is big cheese around here. Works like a dog, expects the same from everyone else. We're basically here to make his life easier. You report to me, I report to him, and let me tell you, answering Dhruv is not a picnic. He has zero tolerance for incompetence. So, keep the chit-chat to a minimum, and for the love of all things productive, stay out of his way. He hates distractions."

I fought back a sigh. Nikitha's bossy routine was already grating on my nerves. "Noted," I said dryly. "Efficiency and invisibility. Got it."

Just then, the door to the cubicle swung open with a bang, revealing Dhruv himself. He scanned the room, his gaze landing on me for a fleeting moment before settling on Nikitha.

"Nikitha," Dhruv said, his voice clipped. "Status report on the Henderson project."

Nikitha straightened in her chair, all traces of her domineering demeanor melting away. "We're just finalising the initial sketches, Dhruv. Tara here is getting up to speed."

Dhruv's gaze flickered back to me, a hint of something unreadable crossing his features. "Good," he said curtly.

Wow, so much for Mr. I'll-be-micro-analysing-you. Cannot even maintain proper eye contact.