Short story.
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"Yes, Anika?"
Shivaay looked at her expectantly. His heart started to thud loudly the moment she appeared. Well, it always did.
She looked down. She didn't speak for a long time. Then she did. And it broke Shivaay's already bruised heart.
"I just wanted to ask if I need to submit anything before leaving."
A wave of unexplained sadness washed over him. His body clammed up. His wildly beating heart felt like it had suddenly stopped. He stood up from his chair and walked over to the spot where she was standing. He wanted to shake her but inserted his hands in his pockets.
"Leaving? You are leaving?" He almost sighed.
She did too; her shoulders dropping. She didn't or rather couldn't meet his eyes. Anika reasoned, "Yeah. I mean the marriage is not happening and I am...well, I was the wedding planner. I will have to go. My job is finished."
The remaining fight left Shivaay's body. She was right. His marriage with Tia was not happening. There was no reason for Anika to stay back now. Sure the mere idea of her leaving and this probably being the last time of seeing her in flesh made him want to fall at her feet and stop her. He couldn't. He knew it. He had no right. She obviously didn't like him at all. And no one cared about his feelings anyway.
Still, it felt like he was drowning. He didn't even feel like that when his marriage with Tia was called off by the family elders.
Swallowing hard, he waved his hand. "Nah, it's fine. You don't need to submit anything."
She nodded. "Okay."
"But I will still give you a recommendation letter. I will type it out in a day and my assistant will hand deliver it to you. I have your address. I...I just have to thank you for everything. You have been a real trooper."
Anika finally looked up. As expected, her skin started to burn. Her first impression of him was correct. He was the sun. But over a couple of months she had worked for him, she had found herself transforming into a moth. She longed for his light.
She always knew that her stay with him was going to be short-lived. But she was depending on the idea of seeing him getting married to someone else. That image would have been enough to shake her out of her dreamland, right? She wouldn't then craved his words, his concern and his lovely gaze, right? She wouldn't wake up in the night thinking of him, right? Her soul wouldn't cry for him, right? What now? He wasn't married. It was a sin but she could think of him, right?
She shook her head; partly to get rid of the wild thoughts and partly to refute him. She had honestly just done her job. He didn't need to thank her.
"It's my job..." she trailed off.
He remained mute. His eyes however, remained on her. Greedy and begging. She had to turn her face away.
"Bye..." she turned. "I will go."
And she dashed out of the Oberoi Mansion and out of Shivaay Singh Oberoi's life.
