Beautiful disaster (completed)

Chapter 40 - Damage control

Kiara's pov

I stepped out of the bathroom, my heart pounding in my chest. As I neared the living room, I heard voices and felt a surge of panic. I had to think fast. Smoothing my hair self-consciously, I entered the room, and there they were—Sakshi, Taniya, and the rest of the office crew, including Dev, looking at me with wide eyes.

"Kiara?" Taniya's voice echoed in the sudden hush. " We didn't know you were coming over." Her tone was friendly, but I could detect a hint of suspicion lurking beneath the surface.

I scrambled for an excuse, but my mind was blank.

I forced a smile. "Uh, actually, I wanted to, er, discuss some project details with Kabir before the Pune project  starts," I blurted out , grateful for the professional excuse that came to mind.

Kabir's eyes met mine, and I could sense his surprise at my mention of the Pune project. It was the first time I had brought it up with anyone from the team.

Sakshi jumped in before the silence became too awkward. "Oh right, I messaged her earlier to stop by and discuss some work matters. since Kabir's been out sick, I needed to sort out a few things. Didn't mean to exclude her from visiting Kabir." she explained smoothly, , shooting me a knowing glance. "Should've mentioned it to everyone - my bad."

I breathed a silent sigh of relief, grateful for Sakshi's quick thinking. The group murmured in understanding, their curious gazes softening.

Although  Taniya's skeptical look remained, but she didn't press the issue further. Kabir quickly backed up my story.

"She just got here a little while ago," Kabir said. "We were just about to go over some project specifics"

"Oh, I didn't know you were working on that project, Kiara," Taniya said, her eyebrows raised. "When did this happen?"

"Uh, yeah," I stammered, grateful for the change in topic. "It's, um, a new project. Just found out about it."

Taniya leaned forward. "You'll be away from your boyfriend, though. Won't that be hard?"

"It's only for 3 months," I said lightly, keeping my eyes averted.

 I saw Dev's curious gaze resting on me, full of unspoken questions. I averted my eyes, feeling guilty for leading him on. I knew I had to set things straight with him, but the thought of explaining my deception was daunting. 

 The conversation shifted to Kabir's health and his recovery. but I found it hard to focus. My thoughts kept drifting back to the kiss we'd shared just moments ago. Why did he kiss me back?  how could I face Dev and Maya now?

After what felt like an eternity, Sakshi announced, "Well, we should probably get going. Let Kabir rest"

As Sakshi and the others began to bid their farewells, wishing Kabir a speedy recovery, my thoughts swirled in turmoil. I knew I had to get out of there, away from Kabir and the mess of emotions that threatened to consume me.

"Thanks for checking in on me, guys," Kabir said, his voice warm as he addressed the group. "I really appreciate it."

We headed downstairs. As Taniya and Rahul exited, bickering lightheartedly over something, Sakshi touched my arm.

"We'll talk more about the handover tomorrow?" she said softly.

I swallowed. "Of course."

With a sympathetic smile, she left.  while Dev and I trailed behind.

"Wait here a second," I told Dev when we reached the lobby, my voice tight. "Forgot something upstairs."

I didn't wait for his response before dashing back up. I couldn't let the others know I'd been staying here, caring for Kabir. I refused to become office gossip topic.