© Nirvana | ✔️

Chapter 21

A few hours later, Krish came outside of the bathroom that Nisha unlocked.

"Are you okay?" asked Nisha, she grabbed his hand and examined it as well as the rest of his body to check for scratches. Nisha cupped his cheeks lovingly and looked at his face intently.

Krish slowly removed her hands. "I'm fine Nisha. I need to meet Radhika. Where is she?"

"She went home." lied Nisha.

Radhika had told Nisha that she would be in the conference room but Nisha bluffed so that Krish would hang out in the office with her.

"Okay. I'll head to her house then," he said.

Nisha looked up at him in dismay. She was appalled to learn that Krish still wanted to interact with her even after what she did.

"She locked you up in a bathroom! You still want to interact with Radhika after she did that?" asked Nisha.

"I just have an important question to ask her. And she's my friend. We play around like that all the time!"

Nisha stood in front of him, blocking him from going anywhere. "You are my best friend. Don't torture yourself by talking to her and repeatedly getting in trouble Krish. She only thinks of you as a delinquent. Nothing less! I can't watch you get hurt again."

Krish smiled and looked at Nisha. He simply nudged by her and ran out the door. Krish sat in his car and turned on the ignition and drove off.

To his boss's apartment!

•••

"Oh look! Our other sis in law has arrived."

"Shivaay I knew you were slow but I didn't think you were this slow. Only one of our brothers is married if you have forgotten Shravan's wedding," said Akaash, not looking up from his phone.

"Akaash. I knew you were absent-minded but I didn't think you always had your head in the clouds," said Shivaay, snatching the phone from Akaash's hands.

Akaash then looked up and saw Nisha entering the house. He then started to grin. Nisha had been coming to their house because they knew her since childhood. The same way they also used to go over to her house often. The joke always went around Shivaay, Akaash, and Shravan that Krish would end up getting married to Nisha because of their friendship.

"For the last time. He is not my husband or boyfriend," said Nisha sitting down next to both of them.

"Yes but you love him," said Shravan arriving in the room and high fiving Akaash.

"Why don't you confess then?" asked Shivaay who was looking at Nisha indignantly.

Nisha groaned and shoved her head in a pillow. "You sound like my mom."

Shanaya overheard the conversation between the boys and Nisha from the kitchen. She was stalling making dinner only because she wanted to pick up details about how Krish and Radhika's bonding was going at work. Shanaya liked Nisha but always maintained a distance from her because of how she always thought Krish and Radhika would look better together.

Everyone in the family thought differently than her of course because they were unaware that Krish liked Radhika.

"My new boss Radhika. Ugh! She's so strict. I mean I think underneath all those layers of taunts and scathing remarks is just a woman who is scarred. Krish and Radhika are always having squabbles. Today she locked him in the.."

Nisha's sentence was interjected as Shanaya came running out of the kitchen yelling.

"Who wants smoothies?"

Everyone cheered and got up to go outside in the garden. Nisha lightly smiled and followed them.

"I need someone to talk to! Only one person can offer advice about this situation," said Shanaya mumbling to herself.

Nivedita!

•••

Radhika pressed the bell on the elevator and the doors closed. She usually took the stairs because she hated cramped up spaces like elevators. She looked down at her phone and tapped her foot impatiently.

Radhika decided to head home because her meeting had finished up early. She had forgotten to tell Nisha that she left and everyone at the office was unaware that she had gone home. Little did she know that Krish was heading to her apartment.

I hope Nisha opened the door for Krish. Wait for a second! Why am I thinking about that tube light? Shut up Radhika. Focus on something else.

The doors of the elevator were not opening and Radhika began to tremble. She had claustrophobia and she knew that if she was in here for much longer, she would start to hyperventilate.

She grabbed the railing of the elevators and began to hyperventilate vigorously. Radhika fell to the floor and curled up in a ball rocking back and forth. Radhika closed her eyes and she began to get flashbacks.

"It is okay Radhika." said a soothing voice. "Something like an elevator can't get the best of you. You are one of the most prestigious business women this industry has ever known!" said Arjun rubbing her back.

"But I.."

"No buts! As long as I'm here, nothing can happen to you. What is a stupid thing like an elevator going to do you? There are so many ways to cope with claustrophobia." he said kissing her cheek.

Radhika threw her arms around Arjun and let out a sob as he shushed her.

•••

"Why is the elevator not working?" mumbled Krish. "Hey! Excuse me? Mister, why isn't the elevator working?" asked Krish.

"Actually sir, the power is out. We are trying to get it to start again. For now, you will have to take the stairs." said the guard.

Krish shrugged and started to walk up the stairs when he got to Radhika's floor. He suddenly heard crying from inside the elevator that was broken down.