🎶 O More Saiyaan - Sad Version
Published on 01.10.2022
❝ zindagi nayi raahon mein hai,
yaadein teri band ankhon mein hai,
fir bhi khamoshiyon mein kyu beeti vo yaadein pukaare mujhe?
aisi khamoshiyon mein chupe dil ke nagme sunau kise? ❞
🥀
"Inaaya?" The woman who was walking ahead called out her name in a small, cautious voice.
"Sir?" Ayansh's personal assistant called out, making him turn his head around, feeling a bit unsettled.
"Yeah. Yeah." He muttered quietly and straightened up, taking a step back.
Inaaya took a shaky breath as she stood up. She hadn't looked at him but could feel his gaze on her. It was unnerving, overwhelming and threatened to make her crack and spill all her deepest secrets out.
"Sorry." The man in front of her whispered, so slowly that she was sure that nobody apart from her heard him. She curled her toes and clenched her jaw to contain the emotions unfurling within her at the mere sound of his voice addressed to her.
Someone cleared her throat and Inaaya's gaze darted towards the woman who had been escorting her, silently insisting to keep moving. She moves past Ayansh, keeping her eyes on the floor.
"Hey! Stop. Your pen." Ayansh calls out, making her halt as he bends and picks up the object.
Inaaya steadies herself. A deep sense of familiarity that was buried in a far off corner surfacing itself at those words and ler lips part as her heartbeats quicken. She forces herself to turn around and her eyes for the first time in years lock with him.
Hazel brown eyes were already staring at her, a soft glow in them as they caressed her intangibly in the gentlest way possible and she was lost in them, her resolve broken long ago. She had thought about this moment a lot of times. She often thought what it would feel if he ever came in front of her again. Maybe anger or hatred or indifference or hurt and pain or maybe all these emotions would tug at her, gnaw at her insides but as she stood in front of him, looking into the pair of eyes she once found her comfort in, every emotion that should've existed simmered down to the simple feeling of yearning.
The woman nudged Inaaya, breaking her trance. Inaaya averted her gaze and looked away, blinking away those traitorous teardrops that formed at the crease of her eyes.
"Welcome, Sir." The woman addressed Ayansh, nervousness lacing her tone but she compensated for it with a warm smile.
Ayansh gave her a curt nod, pushing every emotion behind and pulling up a blank face.
Without looking back at him, Inaaya took her pen from his hand and mouthed a thanks before turning around and taking long strides.
"Oh, holy mother of Jesus!" The woman who rushed beside Inaaya exclaimed, a mixture of disbelief and awe morphing her face. "I was so nervous. I can still hear my heart pounding in my ear. You felt the same, didn't you? I mean, can't really blame you for being speechless. I think I embarassed myself." She grimaces, oblivious to the fact that Inaaya hadn't paid any attention to a single word that came out of her mouth. "He looks even better than he does in all pictures I've come across. I can't believe- Inaaya!" She screeches, reaching out to hold her hand.
Inaaya staggers as she's brought to a stop and pulled back a little by her.
"The phone's here." She points at the counter. "Where were you going?"
Inaaya looks at the phone and then back at her and swallows. "Uhm- sorry. I'll- I'll take the call. Thanks." She breaks the eye contact and picks up the handset. "Hello." She says on the phone, her voice slightly shaky but she hopes nobody will catch upon it. She eyes the woman from the corner of her eyes who simply shrugs and goes away.
"Finally." The person on the other side breathes out. "Hello, gorgeous." He greets in an overly bright, enthusiastic voice.
"Josh." Inaaya grits. "What's wrong?"
"You weren't picking up my call and then we couldn't talk since two days. Even the Sunday plan got cancelled. I just wanted to talk to you."
"And so you decided to call at my workplace at the office number at the reception?" Anger bubbles in her veins as she asks that question.
"Yes." He says as if it was no big deal.
She fists her hands and her chest heaves as she exhales. "I was fucking busy!" She spats out in a low yet deadly voice. "You knew it! You knew I didn't have time at all. It wasn't as if I didn't respond to your messages too. I would've got back to your call when I would've been free. Don't you understand a simple thing? This- "
"Ina- "
" -I work here. You can't just randomly call and ask for me just because you wanted to talk unless and until it's something really urgent and important. Didn't you think that I could get into trouble because of such behaviour of yours?" She shakes her head incredulously and continues, "don't your ever dare to call when I'm at work!" She says aggressively and slams the handset into its place.
Inaaya could feel her whole body trembling. Was it only rage or was it something more than that, she didn't understand. She rests her elbows on the counter and presses her face in her palms, closing her eyes and focussing on her breathing to compose herself.
Life sucks but you still gotta go on with it.
Inaaya silently makes her way back to the conference room. She keeps her eyes down or anywhere but him. Felix who was standing two persons away from her quietly comes near her and waggles his brow in question. She shakes her head, dismissing his concern and curiosity and he stands beside her, asking the other female employee who was standing beside Inaaya to shift.
Inaaya had tuned herself out. She wasn't present. Her thoughts were disorganized and her mind was a battlefield. She didn't even know if she wanted to cry, her brain seemed to be still processing the reality and as if the universe wanted to make the process easier, she hears his chuckle. The light, husky sound evoking another multitude of emotions within her, making her heart beat with a new rhythm and before she knew, she was already stealing glances of him.
Ayansh looked so much same yet so different. His face still carried the same innocence, the same kindness and it felt as if someone was twisting a hot iron rod within her heart, making it clench painfully because once upon a time, she fell for the same facade. He was better built now. There wasn't much of a difference and probably not many would've noticed it but she did. Afterall, once upon a time she had felt safe in those arms, felt like home. She had held him as if he was her world, the most beautiful one and maybe he was, once upon a time. But there was something missing. Amidst everything, his warm eyes didn't have the same glow, his charming face didn't have the same cheer that he used to have whenever she was with him as if there was nothing more worthy than her. Where did it all go?
Remember when he talked about his start-up plan? He has made it. He has made it so big.
A voice whispered to her internally and a wave of nostalgia so strong hit her that she almost lost her footing, her hand flying to the wall on her right side and Felix grabbing her other arm. All heads in the room jerk at the little commotion.
"Are you alright?" Felix asks with his brows furrowed.
For a fleeting moment like an instinct her gaze drifts towards Ayansh who had already taken a step ahead, his eyes looking down at her with panic.
"Are you dizzy?"
The voice makes her turn her head. "I'm fine." She mumbles and straightens herself, freeing her arm from Felix's grip.
"Do you want to sit?"
"Felix, I'm fine." She answers sternly.
"Give her some water." Mr Stevens orders and immediately one of their fellow worker pours a glass of water and hands it over to her. Inaaya takes a few sip of the liquid. "I'm good. Really." She emphasizes and forces a smile. "Please, let's continue."
"Ayansh?" Daniel calls out softly when he finds him still looking at Inaaya's direction.
Ayansh looks at Daniel who gestures him subtly to come back.
"So where was I?" Ayansh says nervously as he resumes, some light hearted chuckles following his question.
"Leader." Mr Stevens laughs.
"Yeah." Ayansh shakes his head and let's a little chuckle while Inaaya observes how much he has changed or rather grown with time. "So, I was saying that I don't want to be a boss, never wanted to be. What I want to be is a leader to y'all, someone who'll lead from the front and when things don't work out, be the first one to take the burnt and blame. That doesn't mean that someone should mess up intentionally." He adds quickly, earning another round of chuckle at his deliberate warning tone. "I don't want to be someone who'll look on and judge and pass orders. I want to be a part of your team, I want to work beside you." He says sincerely and before he could even complete his talk, people applaud and appreciate him with the heartwarming smiles they throw at his way.
"I'm very much aware that I don't deserve this position." He continues, trying his best to not let his gaze wander off to a girl who stood at the back in a far off corner. "But I hope, with time, I can prove to be worthy of it. It's a huge responsibility and I promise to give my best to live up to the expectations. I will try my level best to be a good leader and may we all together take this company, take this venture to great heights."
He says some more and Inaaya listens to it all intently, in a daze. There was a time when he used to try to camouflage himself in the corners and today, he was in front of her, in an expensive suit, with a new personality where he's the main character and she was the one who was observing from the stands. Yet strangely, at that moment, she didn't feel any animosity or bitterness towards him. It was warmth mingled with an air of pride that took roots within her because of the humility in his speech, earnestness in his vision and respect towards his subordinates.
"If anyone has any questions, then can ask me."
Inaaya looks at Ayansh as he says that. Oh, she had questions, too many of them but this wouldn't be a good opportunity to unleash them. Someone from the middle row raises their hand.
"What does IA stand for in IA Enterprises?" The girl asks.
Ayansh's eyes rake over the group of people gathered. It happened so quick that Inaaya must have believed it was a misunderstanding if she wasn't staring and following his line of sight with hawk like eyes. The moment was transient, so brief but it was there when his eyes met hers, stopped at her, making her stupid heart take a leap and then he averted his gaze completely.
IA.
It couldn't be what she was thinking. That would be absolutely ridiculous and baffling and-
"There's a Hindi word आइए (aaiye)," he starts, "which when pronounced in English sounds like the letters IA. I thought it would be something creative and interesting." He smiles, successfully cloaking the real emotions.
"Then why the English letters? Wouldn't it be more unique if you simply let the Hindi word be in Hindi?" The girl nudges playfully and Inaaya eyes her warily, disliking the tone she used as if he wasn't their superior.
"Well," Ayansh drags, trying to play it cool. "Let's just say I wanted to keep it international-level friendly." Another round of laughter echoes in the room. "Anyone else?"
There are a few more questions that follow before Mr Stevens say that it's high time they all go back to their work.
"But before y'all leave, introduce yourself to our new head and give him a warm welcome."
Inaaya stiffens. There was no way that she would survive another episode of being close in his vicinity. She was still recovering from the earlier moment, her left hand impulsively coming over her right hand and caressing her knuckles where his feathery touch still lingered. She observed headily as one by one everyone made their way to the front, shook hand with him, said a word or two and vice versa, gave him a professional smile and left. She took a deep breath quietly. This was professional, she reminded herself. She's overreacting. She needs to collect herself.
The crowd starts to disperse slowly and when it's just a couple of people left ahead of her, she could feel her head throbbing at an unbearable level and heart thumping so loud, that she was scared, Felix beside her could hear it too. It's like time had suddenly caught pace, as if it was in a hurry because soon Felix leaves too and it was just her, Ayansh, his assistant, Mr Stevens and his son in the room.
"Breathe." Inaaya mutters to herself as she takes strides towards Ayansh who just like her visibly looked tense.
There was something in the way he looked at her. Anguish interweaved with an intense sense of longing flared in his soft appealing, coffee coloured eyes.
"Inaaya Rai." She introduced forwarding her hand, her voice slightly jittery.
He looked at her outstretched hand and then, back at her face before hesitantly stretching his hand out. He observed how her breath hitched when his fingers brushed against hers and he slowly, gently engulfed her hand in a polite handshake. "Ayansh Mehra." He whispered and she gave a nod and was quick to pull her hand away from his grasp as if it burnt her.
"Ah, Inaaya." Mr Stevens says, attracting attention. "She's a part of the project managing team." He informs Ayansh, his eyes glinting with pride and joy. "It has been a few months since she joined but I can assure you that she's a woman of callibre and great potential."
Ayansh smiles softly.
"You're just being generous." Inaaya says in a quiet voice, feeling a bit awkward.
"I suppose y'all- y'all didn't know about me." Ayansh says, interlacing his fingers and looking at Inaaya with a complicated emotion that she was unable to decipher.
She shakes her head. "No."
"I, too, didn't know about any of y'all."
She stares up at him, wondering why he felt like explaining himself when a sharp pang of hurt thrashed against her, making her fist her hands tightly. She had to get out of here. If she spent more time in his presence, she would combust. "Looking forward to work under you- "
"With me." Ayansh corrects her and she blinks in confusion. "Working with me, not under me." He elaborates and the whirlwind within her escalates.
Inaaya forces herself to give a polite smile. "Hope you've a good time, Sir." She doesn't wait for another second, making a beeline for the door.
Ayansh swallows the lump formed in his throat. The "Sir" from her mouth seemed like a taunt, an ugly reminiscence of the distance between them and his eyes helplessly watch her disappear from his sight, unable to stop her like all the other times.
-
"Mumma!" Khushi squeals and runs, abandoning her place and the game she was playing with the other kids when she sees Akira entering the room.
Akira picks her up in her arms when she hugs her and plants a long kiss on her cheek. "I missed you. Hope you didn't miss me much."
Khushi shakes her head and when Akira pretends to be offended and gasps, the little girl giggles with mirth shining in her eyes.
"I didn't think you'll be early here today." Maya says in surprise when she comes inside, her bag hanging by her shoulders.
"Oh, you're here. Great." Akira says in relief as she puts Khushi down. "I left Uni early, skipped the last lecture. You're going home? Do you think Inaaya would've been home by now? Answer me, Maya!"
Maya stares, horrified at the amount of questions thrown at her all together.
"Maya!" Akira snaps her fingers in from of her and looks in urgency.
"Let me breathe." Maya mutters. "It's five. I think she must have left and will be reaching home. Maybe she's on the way?" She blabbers.
"Well, then let's go." She turns around. "Steffi?" The woman who seemed to be interacting with the other kids looks at Akira and comes near her.
"Yeah?"
"I'll be back in probably an hour or two. Take care of Khushi till then, will you?"
She smiles warmly. "No worries. It's basically my job." She titters.
"Thank you so much." Akira sighs and then, bends down to Khushi's level. "Khush," she cups her face and gazes at her apologetically. "I'll be back in sometime. Is that fine?"
"I wanna come with you." Khushi murmurs with a gloomy face. "I wanna meet Ina didi too."
"Baby," Akira strokes her cheek. "Please? Maybe some other time. Please, try to understand."
"Is she fine?"
Akira looks at her, confounded and dejected. "She is." She quietly answers. "I promise she is."
Khushi smiles at the reassurance she got from her mother and wraps her arms around her neck. "I love you."
"I love you too." Akira kisses her head. "And I'll be back soon." She says with a smile as she pulls back.
After Maya too hugs and plants a kiss on Khushi's cheek and demands one from the kid, they leave the place.
"Woah! What's happening?" Maya asks when she notices Akira in a hurry.
"Walk faster." Akira grits.
"Oh, come-on! I was serving and doing rounds at the bakery all the ti- " She shuts up when Akira glares at her. "Fine, for two hours I did that. But before that, I was at my office, wrecking my brain. And weren't you at the University? Aren't you tired with the amount of stress it already gives you that you seem to be carrying more and most importantly you seem to be carrying it so gracefully." She says in awe, her voice coming out hushed due to the fast pacing she was being made to do. "Maybe graceful isn't the right word. I meant to say, you seem to be carrying the added stress quite enthusiastically. It's quite- "
"Do you know to whom does IA Enterprises belong to?" Akira cuts her off.
"I- oh, god." She shrieks suddenly when few drops of rain hit her. "It's raining. Where's the umbrella?"
"It's raining, not flooding." Akira remarks. "Be serious, Maya. From when did you start needing umbrella for light showers?"
"The weather forecast- "
"Damn your weather forecast!" Akira snaps. "We've something more important to deal with. Answer my freaking question."
Maya halts as she thinks about the question that was asked.
"Walk." Akira says pinching the bridge of her nose.
"No." She says immediately as she resumes walking. "I mean I don't know. How would I know?"
"Didn't you google?" Akira asks, tired of the chaos already.
"I'm too sexy to stalk others." She responds with an air of nonchalance.
"It belongs to Ayansh Mehra."
"Which era?"
Akira stops suddenly, her breath getting caught in her throat and Maya who was walking behind her closely bumps into her making her splutter a cough. Akira turns around, an unbridled look of disbelief painted over her face as she looks at Maya. "You don't know?"
"Who?" Maya asks instead, her confusion rising.
"Oh. My. God." She groans.
***
The chapter was supposed to be longer but then it would go above 6k words so ended it here itself to continue in the next. I'm surprised at how quick the recent updates have been so can y'all be kind and generous enough to vote and comment down your feelings? Hope y'all liked the chapter ♡
• Thank you for reading •