Estranged lovers

Chapter 33

ANNIKA

Annika stared at the message from Shivani, her fingers hovering over the phone. She knew her best friend meant well, but the last thing she could focus on right now was talking through her feelings.

She wasn't even sure where to start. How could she explain the storm raging inside her, let alone how she felt about Siddharth? The fear, the guilt, the confusion, it all felt too overwhelming to put into words.

But Shivani's message was a reminder that she didn't have to go through it alone.

You're not alone, it said. Maybe, just maybe, Shivani was right. Maybe it was time to stop pretending everything was fine when it wasn't.

Annika put her phone down with a sigh, her gaze drifting to the office door. It was barely past 9 AM, but the hum of the office felt distant, like it was happening in another world. The world outside her head.

She couldn't help but remember last night, the way Siddharth had kissed her. The hunger in his touch, the intensity in his eyes, the way it had felt both terrifying and intoxicating. She'd pulled away, but her body had betrayed her. She had wanted to give in. To just feel something real, something that didn't feel so suffocating.

Her fingers gripped the edge of the desk as she closed her eyes, trying to push the thought of Siddharth out of her mind.

She wasn't ready for that kind of closeness. Not now. Not ever, maybe.

Just then, her thoughts were interrupted by the soft chime of an incoming email.

She opened it absentmindedly, her eyes scanning the subject line: Meeting with the Project Team – Theme Park Development.

A wave of relief washed over her. The project she'd been working on for the past few months was her escape, her distraction from everything else. The team needed her focus, and maybe she needed that too.

But as she began to scroll through the details, her phone buzzed again, this time with a text that made her stomach drop.

From Siddharth.

"Meet me in my office. Now."

Annika's heart skipped a beat. She had hoped that maybe, just maybe, he would give her the space she needed today. But it seemed like Siddharth wasn't done with their conversation. The thought made her stomach twist uncomfortably.

She sat frozen for a moment, staring at the text, unsure of what to do. She had spent the night processing the distance between them.

But what could she say? She wasn't sure what she wanted from him, or even what he wanted from her. The thought of facing him, in person, after everything, felt impossible.

But there was no way out. She had to face him sooner or later.

Annika took a deep breath and stood up, smoothing down the front of her blouse. She was about to step into the lion's den.

SIDDHARTH'S POV

Siddharth sat behind his desk, his fingers drumming absently against the surface. His eyes were fixed on the screen of his screen, but his mind was elsewhere, on Annika, on what had happened between them last night. He'd been trying to make sense of it, but the more he replayed the kiss in his head, the more confused he became.

Why had she pulled away? What had changed in an instant?

He had given her space, hadn't he? But something about her distance, the way she kept shutting him out, left a tight knot in his chest.