Aaveg: A Sudden Desire

Prologue

° A v i r a j × T a r i n i °

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 am getting late. So I will go first." He said, his tone demanding.

"Does it look like I care if you get late? I will go." I turned myself to my right facing him, making a small gap between us.

"Why is it necessary to be stubborn about everything?" He passed 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 said firmly.

He fixed his gaze upon my face, saying, "So, what? This is my room!"

The words came out of his mouth as if it was no big deal. For him, it was not. 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 backward steps.

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."

"I didn't mean it in that way. You..." He tried to come up with something, but paused in mid. Seems like he ran out of excuses to justify himself.

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

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

I hope that day comes soon.

° A b h y u d i t × S h i r i n a °

I looked at my watch, holding the tray and slightly tapping 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 all my thoughts, I entered the cabin, keeping all my focus on the mug.

"Good Morning, sir." Wishing him in a professional tone, I finally turned my head up to the table, when my sight fell on the man sitting on the head chair.

In an instant, my mind went blank trying to connect the dots while my grip on the tray seemed to loose. The same man with whom I collided and behaved rudely on the day of my interview—in his own office. He was sitting in front of me as my boss.

I felt his gaze all over me, but his face displayed no reaction. Neither a sign of recognition nor a hint of anger or any other emotion. What is even going on between us.

"Welcome to S.I., Shirina." He took my name after a small pause, which sent shivers down my spine. Either his voice was actually cold and dominating, or my anxiety is making me imagine things over the board.

"I hope you have been told about your work and the working rules. But, I will 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 gaze from me and my mind registered his words at the fastest speed.

After keeping his coffee and file on the table, managing to give a small nod, I made my way out immediately. Stepping out, I felt my racing heartbeats like I had finished running a marathon.

Even after being out of his sight, I could his eyes on me. They held something. It seemed like either he was trying to intimidate me or he was trying to look into me. The latter option felt bizarre, so I dismissed it. But why he didn't give any reaction about that incident? Maybe he already planned to fire me. I couldn't think of any other reasonable answer.

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

° A a y a n s h × J i v i k a °

"You know, Aayansh, why I believed I had some rights over you?" A part of me was telling me to stop, 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 answered seriously, staring at me.

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

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

"Don't you dare, Jivika Awasthi." He jerked me towards himself, gripping my forearm. His gaze turned from soft to empty in a flick, warning me to not get there. Yet, nothing made a difference to me.

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 remove his grip from my arm, when 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. The entire ride was filled with only silence, contrary to previous one. I looked out of the car with my blurry vision, contemplating everything that took place between us in the past and in the present. How it started and what was the ending.

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

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