𝐆𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐬

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 5

I woke up feeling like I'd slept through a disaster movie. My small, cozy apartment felt like a shoebox as I scrambled to get ready. "Ugh, my hair is a complete mess," I muttered, staring at my long, tangled locks in the mirror. "Can this ever be fixed?"

I checked my files for the umpteenth time. "Aisha, you've got this. It's just a meeting," I told myself, hoping saying it out loud would make it more true. I finally dashed out of my apartment, almost forgetting my keys and tripping over my own feet in the process.

Rushing out of my apartment, I flagged down a cab with a frantic wave. "Bhaiya, jaldi! Office jana hai," I called out, my voice betraying my anxiety.

The café was my last hope for a slice of sanity before the meeting. I burst in, nearly crashing into the door. "Good morning, Sofia!" I called out, spotting her behind the counter.

Sofia looked up with a smile. "Good morning, Aisha. The usual?"

"Nope, not today!" I said, shaking my head with exaggerated drama. "I need a dark chocolate pastry that will help me forget all my problems for five minutes."

Sofia raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. "One dark chocolate pastry coming right up."

As I waited, I joked, "I wish I could just eat this pastry and skip the meeting. Working in a bakery would be so much easier!"

Sofia handed over the pastry with a grin. "Good luck with the meeting. Try not to stress too much."

"Thanks! I'll definitely try," I replied, taking the pastry with a smile that was as convincing as a bad actor's performance. I took a big bite, the rich chocolate momentarily melting away my nerves. "This is truly magical!" I murmured, savouring the sweet escape.

With my pastry in hand, I headed toward the office, feeling a bit like a chocolate-covered superhero. As I walked in, the receptionist greeted me with an overly enthusiastic smile. "Best of luck for your meeting!"

I gave her a smile that was as forced as a bad joke. "Thanks!" I said, my internal monologue adding, 'If only they knew I'm scared not just of the meeting, but of that devil!'

I first went to my cabin, checking the presentation and files one last time. Today, I was having a great deal of difficulty walking because I decided to wear heels to look more presentable—heels I clearly couldn't handle.

As I finished up with the files, I got up, only to stumble awkwardly on the heels. "Great, just what I needed," I grumbled, glaring at the offending shoes.

Determined to make it to Divyansh's cabin despite my wobbly steps, I stormed down the hallway, trying to keep a straight face. "This is going to be fine. Just don't fall... don't fall..."

I barged into Divyansh's cabin with the grace of a hurricane, but my heels had other plans. I tripped over the threshold and went crashing to the floor, landing with an unceremonious thud. My face met the floor, and I could only imagine how ridiculous I must have looked. I muttered , " Hogya Siyappa".