My Last First Love

~12~

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A few days later, it was time for the project meeting and to introduce the new project manager. Arunoday watched from outside the meeting room as Sangeeta and the other employees filed in. He felt a small rush of excitement, wondering how she’d react when she finally realized he was her new manager.

Arunoday had taken on this project partially because he wanted to understand why Sangeeta kept showing up in his thoughts. She was there, as if occupying some corner of his mind without his permission, and he was determined to find out why. As he walked into the meeting room, the team greeted him respectfully, though his eyes were fixed on Sangeeta. She was about to look his way, so he quickly looked away, pretending he hadn’t noticed her.

When Sangeeta’s eyes widened in surprise at seeing him, Arunoday had to fight the urge to grin. It was oddly satisfying to see that she remembered him so well. Composing himself, he began explaining the project details, occasionally glancing her way to gauge her reactions. He noticed her getting lost in thought, and he couldn’t help but wonder what was going on in her mind. Suddenly, she jolted up and apologized to him, thanks to her friend Megha’s not-so-subtle pinch.

Arunoday was momentarily at a loss for words, but he cleared his throat and, maintaining his professional tone, simply said, “Alright, now sit down and pay attention.” Yet as he turned back to the presentation, he couldn’t completely suppress a smile. Inwardly, he found it hilarious, and maybe even charming, that she’d been so distracted.

Once the meeting wrapped up, Arunoday watched Sangeeta drag Megha out of the room, likely to scold her for the scene she made. Chuckling softly, he headed back to his office.

Now, the flashback of three years was over, and it was back to Sangeeta’s point of view.

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Sangeeta returned to her desk after the meeting, still processing everything. So, the man she’d been searching for—the one who’d lent her his umbrella—turned out to be her new project manager. She glanced over at the blue umbrella on her desk, her thoughts swirling.

“Why hasn’t he contacted me?” she wondered. “I even left a note with the shopkeeper for him. Could he not want his umbrella back?”

Sighing, she thought, “Maybe he hasn’t visited the bookstore again, or… maybe he doesn’t care enough to come looking. After all, he’s rich, probably didn’t think twice about lending an umbrella to a stranger like me.” With a heavy heart, she tried to get back to work.

But by the end of the day, she couldn’t shake off her curiosity. So, she rushed to the bookstore after work and, as soon as the shopkeeper greeted her, she asked eagerly, “Bhaiya, did you give my note to him?”

The shopkeeper scratched his head, remembering the day Arunoday had visited. “Yes, yes,” he assured her. “I gave it to him. But… I don’t think he remembered you.”

Sangeeta’s heart sank. “He doesn’t remember me,” she thought sadly as she left the shop. “Why would he? I was just some stranger he helped out in the rain.”

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The next day, the office buzzed with activity. Workers were busy setting up a new chamber, and employees were curiously peeking around, whispering to each other.

When Sangeeta arrived, she noticed the commotion. She turned to her colleague, Sima, and asked, “What’s going on here?”

Sima looked excited. “Don’t you know? They’re setting up a new chamber for our project manager. He’s shifting his office right here, in the design department!”

Sangeeta blinked. “Oh… I didn’t know that.”

Internally, she felt a pang of anxiety. “Why would he move his office here?” she thought. “This will be so awkward, seeing him every day! And if I try to return his umbrella, he’ll probably think I’m just making excuses to talk to him… he’ll think I’m a pushover.”

As the setup continued, Arunoday entered the design department. Employees quickly straightened up and greeted him with a synchronized, "Good Morning Sir!"

Sangeeta stood up, her heart hammering, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything. She just stared as he walked past, hoping he wouldn’t notice her flustered expression. To her surprise, he did glance her way, then quickly looked away as if she didn’t exist. It left her feeling strangely uneasy.

She sank back into her chair, feeling her face flush. Her desk was directly in front of his new chamber, meaning she’d be practically under his watch all the time. How would she manage?

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Over in Arunoday’s mind, he wasn’t exactly thrilled either. He had asked his friend Vivek to arrange an office near the design department, but this positioning—right across from Sangeeta’s desk—was a little too close for comfort.

“That brat Vivek must be laughing to himself ," he thought with a groan. “He definitely did this on purpose.” Still, he couldn’t deny that there was an advantage: he’d get to observe her more closely, understand why she occupied so much of his thoughts. He felt an annoying grin tugging at his lips just thinking about it.

From Sangeeta’s desk, she could feel his gaze on her, and it made her even more anxious. Each time she dared to look his way, though, he was quick to turn his attention to something else. Not knowing what to make of it, she finally gave up and, in a desperate attempt to hide, she lowered her head onto her desk, hiding behind her computer monitor.

As for Arunoday, he noticed her little hiding attempt and felt an odd mix of amusement and tenderness. He didn’t even know why he cared so much, why she seemed so different from everyone else he encountered. But for now, he had an excuse to be near her, and that was all he needed.

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