Imperfectly Perfect

Chapter 8 - I was just trying to help

Bangalore's weather that never disappoints cozies me as I sit on the staircase – the familiar place to shake off my exhaustion in office. I feel a massive slumber attack and close my eyes after leaning my head against the wall behind. I'm so relaxed right now that I don't even have the energy to plug in the earplugs and turn on the music.

I watch many employees go out of office for taking short breaks, and only wonder when Steven will come out. I plug in the earplugs finally and unlike other days hook onto Taylor Swift.

After sometime when I open my eyes I notice Steven standing before me, hands in his pockets and a smile spreading across his lips. I watch his lips move and know that he's saying something to me, thus; I quickly unplug the earplugs and look into his eyes – his ever dazzling pair of brown eyes.

"Did you say something?" I ask, trying to smile.

"Yeah, how are you? I haven't talked to you for like ages," he asks.

I'm on the verge of widening my eyes. What is wrong with him? I've been texting him like a crazy maniac all these days and he's the one who didn't give a damn to check my messages. And now he asks me "how am I?"

The thoughts consume my mind so much that I keep glaring at me, hopelessly. On not getting an answer, he walk down the stairs.

I tuck my hairs behind my ears. "How are you? I mean you've this handkerchief around your neck?" I ask. I know it's totally irrelevant, but somehow I find it relevant enough to ask.

"I'm fine," he nods and smiles, obediently.

"You look sick," I say, noticing his eyes a tad red.

"I'm okay," he smiles from ear to ear. "I'll talk to you later. I'm going for lunch," he informs and turns around, walking down the stairs and disappearing from my sight.

I think about our short exchange and realize that he's totally messing up my head. He talks to me when he wants and avoids me when he doesn't, and I just go with him like magnets, like I don't have any self-respect.

I pull up the internet of my phone to text about this to Sirin when I receive three messages on messenger. And to my utmost shock, they're from Steven. I open them to read.

"See these messages in office," the first one reads. "Damn, I didn't even come online to check your messages," the second one reads. "I'm such a stupid guy. I should've come online," the third one reads.

I cover my mouth with my hand and simply laugh like a mad woman. I understand that he checked all the messages that I sent to him all these days, today in the morning. However, the fact that he sat in the counter just behind me and texted me fascinates me for some reason. I find it very romantic and cute.

"You're weird, like totally mad," I type and send.

This circumstance totally lifts my mood and I feel happy again. I go back to office and engage myself in work, focusing the most in these weeks since I came in this office.

End hours roll in and I arrange my things in my bag. Venkatesh has already left, leaving only Deepak and I in our company's counter. The employees from the other IT Company have all left, however, Kiran and all are still present, working on their laptops. I come out of the washroom and walk up to Steven, standing right next to him.

"Hi," I say.

"Hi," he replies, not looking up from his laptop. His voice sounds very deep.

"What are you doing?" I ask, placing a hand on his left arm.

"Working," he still doesn't look up at me.

"You seem to have got cold, did you take medicine?"

He only points a bottle of cough syrup beside his laptop.