ADHURI KAHANI: A tale of an amnesic bond

32. JEALOUSY JEALOUSY

INAAYA'S POV

When I saw him standing by the door, just outside his office, I couldn't quite tell if he had just stepped out or was about to go in. It was still early-only 9 a.m.-and the office had barely begun to stir. I braced myself mentally, expecting the familiar twinge of hurt or discomfort. I had run through every possible scenario in my head, imagined the awkwardness or pain that might bubble up. How would I react? How would I deal with seeing him? I thought I was ready for anything.

But when our eyes met, nothing happened. Absolutely nothing.

There was no rush of emotion, no sting in my chest. My mind didn't swirl with memories or what-ifs, and my heart didn't ache the way I thought it would. Instead, there was a strange hollowness, as if my emotions had simply... shut off. I felt nothing.

In that moment, it hit me. The man standing in front of me, the one who used to be my closest friend, now felt like nothing more than my boss. He wasn't Ishaan, the boy I shared memories with. He was Ishaan, the CEO of the company I worked for, and that's all he needed to be. The familiar face was still there, but the person behind it wasn't the same. He was now the embodiment of professionalism, authority, and distance.

Whatever had once been between us had dissolved into a formal, detached relationship. Maybe that's how it was meant to be now. The realization wasn't bitter, just stark and clear. The past was over, and the boundary between us-between boss and employee-was firmly in place. And I was okay with that. I knew that distance was necessary, and maybe it was for the best.

Standing in front of the cafeteria, I pulled out my phone and dialed Tanvi's number. She's still working here, even after getting married, but once the magazine is released, she'll be moving on. Finding a new employee with the release date looming so close would be a nightmare, and Tanvi didn't want to make things harder for Ishaan, especially since he's both her and Shivyansh's friend. I recently found out from Tanvi that she, Shivyansh, and Ishaan have been close since their college days.

Tanvi picked up the call.

"Where are you?" I questioned

We were supposed to have lunch together at a nearby hotel, but with our busy schedules, we decided to stick to the office cafeteria instead.

"Inaaya, I'm so sorry. I got caught up with some work. Go ahead and have your lunch."

"It's okay. Do have your lunch later."

"Sure!" she replied.

I ended the call and stepped into the cafeteria. The line wasn't too long since lunch had just started. Grabbing a plate, I headed towards the dishes lined up neatly. I opted for simpler choices today-roti, sabzi, and two pieces of baingan fry-especially since I'd had my fill of meat the night before. I love baingan fry.

With my plate full, I scanned the room for a seat when I spotted a hand waving at me. It was Raghav, his smile wide as he motioned for me to join him. Smiling back, I made my way over and took the seat across from him.

ISHAAN'S POV

I closed my file and waited for my lunch to arrive. I usually have it delivered here. After about ten minutes with no sign of it, I was just about to call the person responsible when it hit me-I hadn't even ordered lunch today. I'd been so caught up in work that I completely forgot. I groaned in frustration. It was my fault, so there was no point in getting upset at anyone else.

Getting up from my seat, I made my way to the cafeteria. When I entered, I was greeted by a somewhat long line. I sighed internally-this was going to take a while. As I stood in line, I noticed people around me giving me surprised looks. I couldn't blame them; this was the first time I had ever come down to the cafeteria to eat.