Unravelling You l ✓

Chapter 8 - Annoying People

"What's wrong with you?" I enquired.

"It's n-nothing."

"I'm sitting right in front of you and not on the floor below you. Look at me when I'm talking to you." I've been observing since last three days that something was off with her. She wasn't behaving like her normal self.

She looked up and I noticed that her eyes were welled up with unshed tears. Why is she crying? I didn't even shout on her. Great! Another person to get on my fucking nerves!

"What's your problem?" I tried my best to keep my voice under control when on inside I was fuming.

"Everything is fine-"

"Cut the crap Meera!" I slammed my palms on the table making her cringe."Just tell me what's the issue!" I demanded.

"You're, you're getting m-married." Her voice broke while speaking.

"So?" I narrowed my eyes in confusion.

"I l-love y-you." She whispered, her voice trembling and the tears flowed down her cheeks.

I blinked. I blinked again. And then I was filled with an unmeasurable amount of rage. "Have you lost your mind? Do you even know what you're even talking?" I screamed.

"I couldn't. I...I didn't know. I really." She couldn't complete her sentence as she started wailing uncontrollably.

"Stop it okay. Just stop it. Stop crying." I propped my elbows and rested my forehead against my palms in befuddlement. This was too much to take.

I knew she liked me, was attracted to me but then there were many women who were attracted to me so it wasn't something that I needed to take seriously. But love? This was a whole new level of foolishness and delusion! I was her boss and if not that I never had any such feelings towards her even remotely. Then what was she high on?

"Sir." I looked up to meet her eyes. She took a sharp intake of breath before continuing. "I'm sorry."

"Go on, I'm listening."

"It's my fault. I kept on hoping that maybe one day maybe....m-maybe," She trailed off but I understood the unspoken words.

"I get it. Continue." I said calmly.

"I promise you won't face any problem due to me. Just forget that I ever s-said anything l-like that." Her voice trembled slightly but she was quick to regain her composure. "You're my boss and I'm your secretary and I respect that. I will never cross my boundaries. Please forgive me. Don't f-fire me." She said softly, her voice carrying the sincerity behind her words.

I thought deeply. "Meera, I won't fire you because you've been dedicated and responsible towards your job since start. Get over me. It's not worth to hope for the impossible. Focus on your work and I expect that nothing of this sort will happen hereafter. You may leave."

"Thank you Sir."

Life is simple. It's filled with moments of happiness and sadness, it makes us face trials and tribulations, it rewards us for the good we do and punishes us for the mistakes we commit; maybe not instantly but it surely does someday. I believe that. But we, human beings are complicated. We try to avoid the inevitable, chase the impossible and forget to appreciate what we are truly blessed with.

It was baffling to think about what happened just now. Were her feelings really that deep or did she just mistaken infatuation with love? It was my engagement in the evening and here I am trying to process the unexpected and shocking revelation. There was a havoc inside me and with time, instead of ceasing it kept on increasing. Equation with my parents, Aarohi, the loss and now this. Life was more than peaceful before the marriage thing propped up and now peace was nowhere to be seen or found. It was like my monotonous, least interesting yet comfortable routine was hit by a truck and now I've no power over anything.