I WAS ALWAYS YOURS

SEVEN

Six days ago, I found myself in a particularly intense moment with Mr. Malhotra at his office. Emotions were running high, and the encounter ended with a hug and a kiss on my hair. After that brief, charged embrace, there was silence between us. Neither of us said anything; the air was thick with unspoken words.

Following the encounter, I quietly returned to my own area, feeling a mix of confusion and tension. Since then, there has been a noticeable silence. Dhruv hasn't reached out to me, and I haven't made any effort to initiate a conversation either. 

Navya has been relentlessly calling me over the past few days, but I haven't had the energy or inclination to pick up her calls. Today, she decided to take matters into her own hands and showed up unannounced at my house. She practically stormed in, her determination evident in her actions, and insisted that I join her for the weekend. Her sudden appearance and forceful approach made it clear that she wasn't going to take no for an answer. 

I haven't shared any specifics about my job at her father's office with her. I've managed to keep that detail under wraps, though I am aware that she knows I'm employed somewhere. The truth of my work situation is hard to conceal entirely, but I've kept the details vague to avoid complications.

Navya, true to her unpredictable nature, decided to take a quick shower as soon as we arrived at her place. However, her "quick" shower stretched into over half an hour, leaving me alone in her bedroom. Feeling a bit hungry, I decided to head downstairs to find something to eat.

As I descended from the third floor to the second, I heard a series of moaning sounds—clearly the moans of a woman. My initial instinct was to turn around and leave, but a nagging worry that they might be in distress stopped me. What if someone was in pain or needed help?

Driven by concern, I approached the source of the sound and pushed open the door to the library room. What I saw was not what I had anticipated. Mr. Malhotra was standing behind a table, and Mrs. Malhotra was leaning on it, their actions clearly intimate and unmistakable. The scene before me was shocking and unexpected, leaving me feeling like a complete fool for having barged in.

The shock of what I'd just seen hit me hard. The situation was much more complicated than I had expected, and I was left to deal with the unsettling scene and its impact on my already strained state of mind. 

Seeing Mrs. Malhotra, breathless and staring intently at Mr. Malhotra, who had frozen in his tracks with his eyes wide and locked on me, was like a punch to the gut. The sight of their intimate moment abruptly interrupted, coupled with the shock on their faces, made my heart feel as though it was being torn apart, piece by piece.

I forced myself to move, though my legs felt like they were made of lead. My mind raced as I fled from the library room, desperate to escape the unbearable tension and confusion. I stumbled down the hall and into the kitchen, where I finally came to a halt, colliding with the kitchen counter. The sudden impact jolted me back to reality, and I stood there, leaning against the cool surface, struggling to steady my breath and clear the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside me. I tried to collect my thoughts, but the shock of what I had just witnessed left me feeling dazed and unsettled.

I had just gone through my first breakup, and now this. It feels like both Mr. Malhotra and Dhruv, in their own ways, are causing me pain. It's as if the hurt from one situation seamlessly transitioned into the next, leaving me emotionally raw. Their actions have left me feeling betrayed and deeply wounded, amplifying the sting of my recent breakup and making it all the more difficult to process and move on.

I felt a hand gently touch my face, and I noticed someone collecting a few droplets of water on their fingers. The voice asked softly, "Are you crying?" I turned to look at the person, my mind racing in confusion. When had they arrived? Their sudden appearance and concern only made me more confused as I tried to understand everything that had just happened.