Besabriyaan

Chapter 31

"More than repetitions, it's just....." Soon as my boss turned around facing me, his jaw dropped slightly. He studied me from tip to toe while water still dropped from me endlessly and I clutched the files closer to my chest fighting the urge to look at him. "I'll talk later." He disconnected the call pulling his comfortable chair to sit. All along, I bet, not for a nanosecond even his eyes stopped wandering over my wet clothes and me in them.

"What's up Ms.Murthy?" He seemed more and more amused learning that a creature like me existed in the same planet he did.

"Um hello Sir." I had to do something to cut my embarrassment which only and only escalated. I stretched my hand passing him the file and dropped few droplets of water from my elbow on his table and laptop. "Ah the list of all post-production expenses."

Manik forwarded his hand to grab the file but seeing water dropping from it too, he withdrew.

"Never mind." He looked like someone who didn't know what next to say or do. I drew my hand back instantly biting the inner walls of my cheek. He looked up at me desiring to say something but before anything else, he showed me his long slender index finger and pressed his handkerchief to his nose and sneezed. And again. And again. And again.

Flashes of him last night getting drenched under the rain and staying super stubborn for not leaving his car had got him to this stage.

"God bless you." I pressed my lips.

"I think I need that." He sneezed again and shook his head as if he wanted no more sneezes. Seeing him not notice me, I chuckled covering my lips.

He sniffed his blocked nose deeply putting hand on his chest before sneezing again.

Manik Malhotra who seemed to have control over everything on universe was struggling against a petty cold, I tittered.

"You do one thing." He blinked his eyes at me to keep them open properly. "You go home. In fact, we both should go home."

"But I can work." I whined.

"Ms.Murthy no.." and there he had to sneeze again. "argument. I'll ask one of the office cars to drop you. Just..just get out of the office." He stood up grabbing his jacket planning on leaving.

Before him, I turned to leave grabbing the knob on the door but my boss called me back.

"Yes Sir?" I asked clutching my arms tighter. All I wanted to do was run out of that chilled room.

"Oh my bad." Seeing my clutched arms and teeth which were almost at the edge of cluttering together, he got his hold on the remote and turned it off. Good riddance. Not that it was of immediate help but it still the gesture that counted.

"You know Ms.Murthy, I was saying if this rain comes to any betterment and we both stay fit and fine at mercy of the nature, do you..do you think I can take you out for a dinner?" He put forward nonchalantly.

"WHAT"

Did I just yell right at my boss?

The intensity of my shrill tone was so piercing that he took a step back assuming he said something terribly wrong.

"How about a sophisticated no?" He said being super conscious. I widened my eyes.

"N-no. I'm so sorry that it came out wrong. You said it so suddenly that I... um, we can um no I mean, you can." He creased his brows in confusion.