Forgotten Fires

Chapter 10

Aarini

He said he liked me, but I never saw him that way. I didn’t know how to respond, so I stayed quiet on the way. He was quiet too. I wasn’t sure what to say, but the one thing I was certain of was that I could never feel the same way—at least not for him, or anyone. I didn’t have the words to explain. When we reached the company, he dropped me off and went back without saying a thing.

When I reached my desk, I noticed Reyan sitting at his desk in his cabin. From the angle of my desk, I could clearly see him through the large mirror in front of me. He looked focused, deeply immersed in something on his computer screen, paying no attention to the world around him.

Standing in front of him was Kavya, laughing and talking. Her smile was bright, her voice light and carefree, but Reyan seemed lost in his own thoughts. He wasn’t really engaging with her; his attention was elsewhere. Then, out of nowhere, he nodded at something she said or did, acknowledging her without saying a word.

I watched as Kavya, still smiling, turned around to leave the cabin. My eyes followed her movement, but something made me glance back at Reyan. The moment my gaze shifted to him, I realized he was already looking at me. Our eyes met, and I felt an unexpected jolt of panic rush through me.

Without thinking, I quickly dropped my gaze and hurriedly sat down at my desk, hoping he hadn't noticed my stare. My heart was racing, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted in that brief moment.

Maybe he was looking for something else, but instead, he caught me looking at him, and our eyes met.

I told myself I should stop looking at him. But as I did, I realized I didn’t have any work to do. Looking around, my gaze landed on Shivani, so I walked over to her.

'Hello, Shivani. What work can I do?' I asked.

'Oh, yes, Miss Aarni, I’m so sorry I forgot to assign you a task,' she replied with a professional tone, though her smile softened her words. 'Here are some files you need to work on.'

Taking the files from her, I returned to my desk and began working, trying to focus on the task at hand.

After finishing the day, I started heading downstairs, but then I realized I hadn’t brought my car. I opened my purse to grab my phone, planning to book an Uber. Just as I was about to, a car pulled up in front of me. I looked up and, to my surprise, it was Reyan’s car.

The window on the driver’s side rolled down, and Reyan’s face appeared.

"Get in, I'll give you a ride," he said.

"No, thanks. I’ll just book an Uber," I replied politely.

He didn’t let it go. "I’m telling you, sit. I’ll ride you home. It’ll be too late for Uber to come."

He had a point—it was already late, and waiting for an Uber wouldn’t be the safest option. After a brief pause, I didn’t argue further. Without saying anything else, I nodded.

I was about to sit in the back seat, but Reyan stopped me. "Come and sit in the front. I’m not your driver," he said, his voice steady but firm.

It wasn’t that I had a problem sitting in the front seat, but I couldn’t help wondering if Kavya was already sitting there. I hesitated for a moment, but when I reached the front door, I decided to sit down. As soon as I entered the car, I was hit by a familiar fragrance—coffee and lavender. It was the same scent I had noticed in his office cabin. I realized then that he must wear a perfume with a lavender base and drink coffee a lot, because it was the exact same smell that lingered in the air around him.