Aaveg: A Sudden Desire

Prologue

[Aviraj × Tarini]

I felt his presence close to myself, while my sight remained on his hand above mine on the door knob. My back was slightly brushing against him as he was standing exactly behind me.

"I'm getting late. So I'll go first," he said, his tone demanding.

"Does it look like I care if you get late? I'll go." I turned sideways to my right, facing him and creating a small gap between us.

"Why is it necessary to be stubborn about everything?" He raked his fingers through his hair once again, and I think he should seriously stop doing that.

What? Avoid distractions, silly girl!

"Because you leave me with no other option," I replied, standing adamantly in my place. "Let me go in, and I'll be back in fifteen minutes."

"Don't waste my time, Tarini." He glared at me, trying to walk ahead, when I turned my back to the door, blocking his way. I have a lot of time to waste.

"I came first," I argued persistently.

He fixed his gaze upon my face, and said, "So what? This is my room," the words working their way out of his mouth as if it wasn't a big deal.

For him, it wasn't.

I was living with his family, in his house, and yes, this was his room only. I have nothing and no one to call as mine. It was all a harsh reality that he rubbed in my face.

"Of course, I know that." I left the knob, and his expression changed from confusion to surprise.

"You were adamant to stand here. What got into you now?" he asked in a plain tone, noticing my retreating step.

On one side, he makes sure to tell me where I belong, and on the other, he pretends to be clueless.

"Thank you for reminding me of my place, Aviraj."

A realization flashed across his face, and he tried to come up with something. "I didn't mean it in that way. You..." However, he paused in mid, seemingly running out of excuses to justify himself.

"Don't worry, it doesn't make any difference to me. Aren't you getting late?"

He walked into the bathroom without saying anything further. I shook my head once again reminding myself to not get affected by his words or actions. All of this was going to end someday.

I hope that day comes soon.

✦✦✦

[Abhyudit × Shirina]

I glanced down at my watch, holding the tray, and slightly tapped my foot on the floor, standing outside his cabin. It was exactly ten o'clock.

Straightening the crease on my shirt with my free hand, I released a deep breath before knocking the door.

"Come in."

Ignoring my conflicting thoughts, I walked into the cabin, keeping all my focus on the mug.

"Good Morning, sir," I spoke in a professional tone and finally looked up at the table, where my gaze fell on the man sitting in the head chair.

In an instant, my mind went blank, and I tried to connect the dots, feeling my grip on the tray begin to slip.

He was the same man with whom I collided and behaved rudely on the day of my interview — in his office. Now, he was sitting right in front of me as my boss.

I felt his gaze roam over me, but his expression remained inscrutable, giving away nothing. There was neither a sign of recognition nor a hint of anger or any other emotion.

What was even going on between us?

"Welcome to S.I.," he paused briefly before adding, "Shirina."

A shiver ran down my spine on hearing my name from him. I wondered if his voice was actually cold and dominating, or my anxiety was making me imagine things over the board.

"I hope you have been told about your work and the working rules of the company. But I'll again remind you that any mistakes or unprofessional behavior won't be tolerated. At all. You can keep these here and leave. I'll call you after some time," he continued, without tearing his eyes from me, and my mind registered his words at the fastest speed.

After placing his coffee and the file containing his schedule on the table, I managed to give a small nod and made my way out immediately.

Once I stepped out of his cabin, I felt my heartbeats racing like I had just finished running a marathon.

Despite being out of his sight, I could still sense his gaze on me. His eyes held something—a piercing intensity that suggested he was either trying to intimidate me or see right through me. The latter option felt bizarre, so I dismissed it.

But why didn't he mention our first encounter? Why didn't he react to that?

The questions swirled in my mind, and the only reasonable answer I could think of was... maybe he had already planned to fire me.

Here you go, Shirina, with the desired chapter of your life!

✦✦✦

[Aayansh × Jivika]

"You know, Aayansh, why I used to believe that I had some rights over you?" A part of me was telling me to stop already as I questioned him. But not caring about anything else in that moment, I took a step closer to him.

"Because I gave those to you," he replied in a tone filled with nothing but certainty, his unwavering gaze never leaving mine.

"Yes, exactly. Then, why did you snatch them from me? Why did you give her something that belonged to me?" I raised my voice at him, hurt with all those feelings returning to me at once.

The feeling of being left behind, the feeling of being abandoned, and the feeling of betrayal.

The next second, he jerked me towards himself, grasping my arm in a firm grip, and spat, "Don't you dare, Jivika Awasthi."

His gaze turned from soft to empty in a flick, warning me not to go there. Yet, it was of no use.

I countered, "Kyu? Jawab nahi hai tumhare paas ya jawab dena nahi hai?"

(Why? Don't you have an answer, or you are not willing to give one?)

I tried to shrug off his grip from my arm, as he dragged me with him towards the car—unaffected and unbothered by my words. Or so he showed.

Making me sit on the backseat, he went to take the driver's seat, and this time, the ride was filled with only silence, contrary to previous one.

I looked out of the window with my blurry vision, contemplating everything that took place between us in the past and in the present. How it had started and where it had ended.

Why are some things so beautiful and compelling, when they are not meant to last?

✦✦✦

[Just a heads up: Only Aviraj and Tarini are married couple.]