Beautiful disaster (completed)

Chapter 29 - Confession and Complications

Kiara's pov

"Hey, Kiara. The team is heading to the cafeteria for Kabir's birthday celebration. You're coming, right?" Sakshi asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

I sighed. I knew I couldn't avoid this forever, but the thought of facing Kabir after everything that had happened made my heart race. It didn't help that today was his birthday.

"Oh, um..." I stammered, searching for an excuse. I glanced around, hoping to spot a stack of papers or an urgent email that would justify my absence. "I actually have a lot of work to finish. Maybe I'll join later?"

Sakshi's smile faded slightly, and she gave me a look of gentle encouragement. She was one of the few people in the office who genuinely cared about team bonding. "Come on, Kiara. It's just cake and some casual chit-chat. You can't miss that!"

I bit my lip, torn between my desire to avoid social situations and not wanting to let Sakshi down. She had been nothing but kind to me since I started working here. "Okay, fine. Let me just wrap up this code, and I'll be there."

Sakshi's face lit up again. "Great! See you in a few minutes!" She turned to leave, her enthusiasm returning as she bounced over to another colleague.

"Kiara!" Taniya called out from across the room. Her voice had a hint of impatience as she tapped her foot, waiting for my response. "Aren't you going to come over for the cake cutting?"

I smiled weakly and shook my head. "I'm right in the middle of something. I'll be there in a bit."

Taniya rolled her eyes. "You're always in the middle of something. It's a cake, Kiara, not a complex coding bug. Come on, Kabir's our team lead. It would be rude not to show up."

I sighed inwardly. She had a point.

I felt a nudge to my shoulder and turned to see Sakshi giving me an encouraging nod. With a silent groan, I pushed back my chair and stood up. I couldn't afford to make waves, especially since Kabir was my team lead. "All right, I'm coming."

Reluctantly, I joined the team for Kabir's birthday celebration in the cafeteria. I wanted to keep a low profile, so I stood towards the back of the group, quietly observing the festivities. The atmosphere was lively, with laughter and birthday wishes filling the air.

Kabir stood at the center, surrounded by his teammates, a forced smile on his face. I noticed his eyes scanning the crowd, perhaps searching for someone.

Was he looking for me? The thought made my heart flutter.

As the celebration continued, I found myself lost in memories of our school days. I remembered Kabir telling me that his actual birth date was November 11th, but due to a clerical error, his official documents listed it as November 14th. He had laughed about it, saying he got to celebrate twice a year - once with his close friends and family on the 11th, and again with everyone else on the 14th.

After the cake was cut and everyone had sung 'Happy Birthday,' I quietly slipped away, returning to my desk while the rest of the team continued to enjoy the cake and conversation.

As I packed my bag that evening, my mind kept drifting back to Kabir's unexpected invitation. "I'll be waiting..." he had said.

But waiting for what? My heart pounded at the thought of confronting him, unsure if I could handle any more confusion or mixed signals. Not when my feelings for him were still so raw.

"You're still here?" Dev's voice startled me, and I turned to see him packing up his bag. "Let's leave together."

I smiled at him, grateful for the distraction. "Sure, just give me a minute."