Chapter 5

Keep Distance

Riya’s POV

I dashed into the office, my attention drawn to the ticking biometric clock, and thank God, it spared me from being late for work.

My office had been open since 9:00 a.m., which allowed me to exhale a sigh of relief.

At 8:59 a.m., I punched my finger with my other hand.

This time, I ignored the irritating buzzing sound emanating from my phone’s alarm clock.

I was pleased with myself for my minor accomplishment.

I had a distinct impression that I had accomplished something significant. After all, I was a mature and responsible young lady.

I preferred to be present only when it was absolutely necessary rather than before or after the event.

Walking to my cabin after entering the office area and watching all the cabins collapse along the way was a surreal experience.

Because most of the people had not yet arrived, they deserted the cabins when I arrived.

My first step when I arrived at my cabin was to place my laptop bag on the table, grab the rest of my belongings, and visit the bathroom to freshen up.

I took a comb out of my handbag and secured it with a black rubber band to comb my long hair into a high ponytail for the occasion.

Even though I only have one moisturizer, which is a makeup kit that I also use on my face, my long, thick brown hair suffices to make me appear attractive (as said by Harsh).

As everyone else entered the office, I wanted to check the time on my wristwatch.

I smiled and murmured, “I forgot to wear my wristwatch.”

‘At 10:30 a.m., the entire staff gathered in the conference room.’ My phone rang with a message.

I looked at my phone and saw that it was 9:30 a.m., which meant that I only had one hour left to complete the task.

When I got back to my cabin, I sat down to rest.

I dialed Harsh’s phone number to see if he had arrived at his place of employment.

I exhaled a sigh of relief when I realized that Harsh had arrived at work on time.

I opened my laptop to check my email, but the sound of loud shouting diverted my attention away from it.

It’s Rachit’s voice, to be sure, but who exactly is Rachit shouting at with such zeal?

He always maintains a friendly demeanor with everyone.

“Do you know what happened so suddenly?” That was a question I posed to myself.

Curious about Rachit’s cabin, I got up out of my seat and peered out the window a few times.

My curiosity about Ashish stemmed from the fact that I wasn’t sure whose wrath Rachit was wreaking on his team members. Ashish responded in the affirmative.

“Thank God I’m not a member of his team. According to Ashish, I had also made it out alive.” I responded in the affirmative.

We both smiled as we walked back to our respective cabins.

The source of Rachit’s rage today, as well as the reason for his outburst, remains a mystery.

Although Rachit does not hold me in such high regard, he loses his cool solely because of my presence and my ignorance.

Today I must save myself from his gaze.

Perhaps he should put blacklisting the number on his ego and cause a complication in my official employment, or else he will not do it, at least not according to what I know about him.

I’ve only had one kiss, so what caused me to feel so out of the ordinary?

He’s probably feeling a little strange in front of me, too.

A knock drew my attention to the cabin door.

“It was 10:30 a.m., so let’s go to the meeting,” Ashish said, and I stood from my seat and agreed with a nod.

Rachit will be present at the meeting; what will my strategy be for dealing with him?

I reasoned I wasn’t sure how he’d react if he saw me coming in.

Rachit was nowhere to be found when the rest of the office staff gathered in the conference room for their weekly meeting.

Rachit had not yet appeared, although everyone had taken their seats.

It didn’t take long for my relief at his absence to wear off, as I became increasingly restless because of his absence.

The meeting had begun, but no one had revealed why he had been absent from the start. It was a mystery.

Upon arriving late, Rachit apologized and explained that he had received an urgent phone call from the company’s corporate headquarters.

When he spoke, it diverted away my attention from the PowerPoint presentation.

Until he could find a chair, he asked that the presentation continue.

He walked in and sat in the empty chair in front of me, and the sight of him made my eyes gleam as if the withered flower had bloomed once more in my presence.

I tried everything I could to ignore him and concentrate on the PowerPoint presentation in front of me, but it was impossible.

I couldn’t help but smile when I saw him dressed so well in sky-blue denim and a white t-shirt, although he was rude.

I couldn’t figure out what it was about him that caused me to lose control.

That he was looking at me showed he knew fully that I was ignoring him. However, he felt compelled to inquire about me and the reason for my sudden change in attitude.

Mr. Shinde of the Human Resource Department then announced the company’s annual holiday tour, saying, “I am very pleased to inform all of you that, as we do every year, the company is sending its employees on vacation, and this year Shimla is planning to go on tour.”

The excitement on the staff’s faces was palpable, “and you will receive an email with the date of the tour and other important information.”

The conference had concluded, and everyone was making their way back to their respective areas one by one when Rachit interrupted, sternly saying, “Riya, I need to speak with you about something important.”

Oh no, that’s exactly what I was afraid would happen, I softly whispered as I sat back in my chair.

But after a while, he looked at me and said, “There’s nothing significant here,” and that was the end of that.

“We’ll have a discussion about it later.”

When I finished listening to him, I was relieved and grateful to God for rescuing me from my mental anguish.

I cried out in gratitude to God.

He stood there, watching me leave the meeting hall and then return to his cabin as I walked out the door.