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One

As the clock strikes 7:30, the door to a flat opens revealing Aadhavan, dressed in the corporate uniform.

Walking towards the elevator, the corridors to him felt strangely void. He stops in front of Flat 002 just to gaze at it. The door opens abruptly. He spots her through the netted doors. A glance for a mere second until an excruciating pain numbs him and his feet shuffle back in a frenzy.

"Aah!", his hand reflexes to his nose.

He often doubted the wooden work at his apartment building. At this specific moment, he didn't. 

"Oh...!", her hands fly to her mouth, "I am so sorry!"

"No, it's fi..."

"I am sorry... sorry I didn't...!" she utters anxiously.

"No, it's fine really."

She moves forward and gasps as she notices his reddened nose.

Stuttering in the process, she examines him herself, touching his red nose with agitated hands glancing at his eyes tearing up.

"You know I am not crying. It's just the...just the... ", he voices in a quiet tone almost whispering.

She chuckles nodding.

Amid the silence, their voice was audible only to them.

She runs a gentle hands over his nose and looks at his eyes looking down at her.

There was something about the silence ... something it that made her hands jump back to her side and she retrieves back slowly.

"Uh...uh...", she tucks back her hair behind her ear, "I am so sorry ..." She begins again wading off the awkward silence.

"No ", he cuts her off, " I am fine honestly !"

But, he realises from her expressions that she doesn't buy it.

'God! My nose must be too red!', he thinks to himself.

"Also ...I will keep in mind not to stand close to doors ",he jokes touching his nose.

To this, she smiles, the tension in her eyes disappearing and for a slight second, she wonders what he was doing there but her landline interrupts her.

"I'll see..."

"Yeah, of course ."

"Bye... see you around ", she turns around.

"See you", he waves.

And the door closes but, he stands there...this time maintaining distance.

***

While walking towards the phone and picking it up, she again considers the question she had asked her herself in the hall.

What was he doing outside her apartment?