MY AVERAGE LIFE

Part 58

Sharath Pov:

The whole time I was in that meeting, I couldn't stop staring at the ring on my finger. Shivani's words kept playing over and over in my head, and I was struggling to keep a straight face. If I wasn't good at maintaining a poker face, everyone would've thought I'd lost it. They already think I'm intimidating, though—everyone was nervous, probably assuming I was in a bad mood. They wrapped up the meeting early, which was fine with me. I couldn't wait to get out of there and be with Shivani again.

As soon as the meeting ended, I left the cabin faster than usual, all eager to see her. But when I walked into my office, instead of finding Shivani alone, there was Madhav sitting there like it was his cabin. I frowned. What was he doing here?

"Uh, Madhav, what are you doing here?" I asked, walking straight toward them.

Madhav gave me one of his serious looks and said he needed to discuss something. Fine. I sat down on the sofa and pulled Shivani to sit beside me. I didn't like her standing in front of Madhav or anyone else. She should be right here next to me, where she belonged.

"So, what's the work?" I asked, feeling suspicious already.

Madhav started explaining that he needed Shivani to go back to her old office for two days to help sort out some documents. My eyebrows went up. "Why can't she do it from here?" I asked. Shivani always stayed on top of her work. There was no reason she couldn't handle it remotely.

Madhav sighed, probably expecting me to argue. "Sharath, she came here for two weeks before you made her permanent. There's still some unfinished stuff she has to deal with."

I wasn't convinced, but I said, "Fine, I'll drop her off tomorrow."

Madhav immediately tried to shut that down. "It's not necessary. You'll be tired going back and forth. I'll take care of it, and she'll stay with her manager for two days to sort everything out."

Now, my suspicion was through the roof. I glanced at Shivani, and she nodded along with Madhav. "Yeah, Sharath. You'll be tired. It's only two days. I'll be back soon."

That did not sound like her. Normally, she'd complain about the long commute and then reluctantly agree, but this time she was way too calm about it.

"What's going on here?" I asked, looking back and forth between them.

They exchanged a look, and that was all I needed to confirm something was off. Look, I trust both Shivani and Madhav. I really do. But I also know when something's being kept from me.

"Are you going to tell me what's happening, or not?" I asked again, my voice firmer this time. I saw Shivani flinch slightly, and before Madhav could say anything, she jumped in.

"Sharath, it's not Madhav's fault. I asked him for help," she said, giving me that guilty look she always does when she knows she's hiding something.

I raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. She sighed and said, "I need to go somewhere and handle something, and I promise I'll be back in two days. I'll tell you everything when I get back."

I was confused but still trusted her. "Okay, then take me with you. I won't ask any questions for two days. We'll go together."

Shivani sighed again, clearly trying to keep her patience. "Sharath, I want you to come, but you have work here. You can't just leave."

"I don't care about work," I cut her off. "You're more important to me than anything, Shivani."

She took my hand, and her touch calmed me down a bit. "I know," she said softly, "but I don't want you to deal with this. It's something I need to handle alone."

I was getting more frustrated. Why couldn't I go with her? I don't even need to know what that is. i know she will tell me But I can't live without her. Before I could say anything else, she cupped my face in her hands and looked straight at me. "Sharath, you trust me, right?"

The second she said trust, I nodded without thinking. Shivani smiled, looking relieved. "Then trust me now. I'll explain everything when I'm back. Just give me these two days."

I let out a deep breath, knowing I didn't really have a choice. I couldn't say no to her, and she knew it. I nodded again, even though I wanted to argue. Her smile lit up the room, and I couldn't help but get lost in it. She looked down shyly, pulling her hands away from my face. I was about to tease her when a loud cough interrupted us. I looked at Madhav

Madhav cleared his throat dramatically. "Thanks for finally acknowledging me," he said, smirking. "And please, save your romance for when I'm not around."

I rolled my eyes but shot him a glare. Madhav knew everything and was helping Shivani with this whole plan to keep her away from me for two days. Two. Whole. Fucking. Days. Madhav was going to pay for this later, no doubt about that.

But, as much as I wanted to be mad at Shivani, I knew I couldn't say no to her. I'd have to deal with it. Madhav, on the other hand, was definitely going to regret it.

As I sat there, still internally fuming, Shivani apologized to Madhav for dragging him into this. Madhav just waved it off like it was no big deal, got up, and left, probably sensing the daggers I was throwing his way.

Now that he was gone, all I could think about was what Shivani was hiding. But I trusted her. I just had to survive these next two days. Even if it drove me crazy