♕ Jhanvi ♕
Before it is five in the morning, I'm already awake. I don't have to go to work for three more hours. I try to go back to sleep, but my body wants to betray me. When I don't get proper sleep, I am cranky. I knew I'd have to try hard the entire day to not lash it out on others even as I get out of bed and decide to shower.
There are still things I can look into at the office. I figure I would get to work early and it'd actually be nice since no one will be there.
I get to the office close to six in the morning. Surprisingly, there are a few vehicles, cars and bikes, parked out front. I think they might be the janitorial staff before the regular office hours start. I make my way to the 28th floor and stop by the floor kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee as I walk down the hall to my cabin.
I place my purse on the desk and just as I sit, my eyes glance across to find a small glow coming from Mr. Raizada's room. It looks to be a laptop light. Curiously, I find myself walking out of my cabin and to his. I twist the door knob and find it to be unlocked.
I push the door in. The lights are off, but as I suspected the laptop light is on. I wonder how that's possible and walk further inside to turn the lights on. I hear a groan of protest behind me and twirl about to find him on the couch lifting his arm to cover his eyes.
What is he doing sleeping here?
He questions slightly irritated. "I know I told you to wake me up but do you have to turn on the lights?"
"Sorry," I answer and turn off the lights even though I doubt it helps much as it's started to get brighter outside.
He opens his eyes hearing my voice instead of whoever it was he was expecting. He turns his head sideways and eyes widen in surprise. "What are you doing here this early?"
"Jet lag." I answer politely. "Uh, you sleep here?"
He sits up pinching the bridge of his nose. "No, I have a video conference meeting. And now I seem to be nursing a hangover."
I remember his birthday yesterday and figure he must really have celebrated. I look down at the cup of coffee in my hand and offer, "Coffee?" He looks like he needs it more than I do.
He politely shakes his head, "Thank you, but I prefer lemon green tea."
"Does that even help with hangover though?"
He carelessly shrugs a shoulder. "Could you do me a favor?" When I nod he continues, "There's aspirin in the top left drawer of my desk."
I get the hint and walk over to the desk. I place my coffee mug on the coaster and get a tab of aspirin and bring in some water with it. I walk back to him to hold it out when my heel slips under the corner of the rug and I fall forward. The water spills all over him.
My heart jumps up in my ribcage at the sudden fall, but I let out a sigh as I find myself on the couch instead of on the floor in a nasty fall. Then, I freeze. It's not the couch but his lap that I am sitting on. I realize my hand is on his shoulder clutching his shirt in my fist. I let go at once and pull back. "I, am so sorry!" I profusely apologize.
He glances down at the wet shirt that is now sticking to him and then back at me with a raised brow, "Is this going to be a thing now? Am I going to have to keep an extra pair of clothes here to change into?"
"I'm really sorry. I did not..." I begin again.
A strange sound escapes him, a rumble through his chest that normal people would call a laugh. It is only strange because in the day of knowing him, he has been so professional that I fail to remember he is a person too and thus, must know how to laugh.
"Relax, I'm just teasing you." I swallow mesmerized at how his eyes crinkle up with a spark. "It's just water." He puts his arm around my back and helps me stand up.
I find myself embarrassed on realizing I was sitting on him the entire time. Getting up should have been the first step!
He stands up after me and runs a hand through his hair, the strands falling to his forehead were a bit damp. My eyes seem to follow his movement as he tucks the shirt out of his pants, and that's also when I realize he's wearing jeans instead of business dress pants that seems to be the office dress code. I find myself swooning at the casual look that still makes it seem as if he is dressed up because of his button up.
My eyes widen when I glance back up to his chest and find him reaching for his buttons. I turn on my heels and announce, "I'll go."
I can't believe he was about to take off his shirt with me standing there.
Then again, I cannot believe this entire altercation.
I pull the door shut behind me and walk straight to my office. I don't stop until I have shut my door. Briefly before I had closed his door, I am sure I heard him mumble. "That's one way to cure a hangover."
Perhaps it's the first time since I have met him that I heard such a comment coming from him. Otherwise, I think he is the kind of person who is always so professional at all other times. Always speaking to the point. Careful. Composed.
I mentally scold myself that I cannot be physically attracted to him. I'm engaged, for God's sake!
I feel the lack of a coffee mug in my hands and realize I left it there on his desk.
Good job, Jhanvi. I sass myself and with a sigh, walk over to the desk.
I sit in the chair and pull it closer to the table. I glance up again and it's like the window is there just to taunt me. It's impossible to forget that he is there and it's impossible to blink away from the sight of his naked back. Tanned skin. Toned shoulders. Lean but muscular. Not bulky. Just the perfect build.
He turns around to drop the shirt on the couch and I blink away at once, looking at everywhere on my desk trying to find something to do to look occupied. I have a dreadful feeling that he caught me looking just before I blinked away.
Even if I had not been caught, I cannot believe I just checked him out.
I give myself a minute or two before I dare to look up again. Through the open blinds, I see him pulling out his chair and taking a seat, changed into another shirt already. His eyes are glued to the laptop screen, probably unlocking it. I stand up and walk over to the window and twist the rod to close the blinds.
If he refuses to close his, I can atleast close mines so I can work with a clear head – until I can manage to not be attracted to him. Though... I don't know if it's possible. His good looks aren't going to just fade away because I wish so.
. . . ∞ . ∞ . ∞ . ∞. . .
Eva arrives just five minutes before 8 and she doesn't come empty-handed. She comes with delicious food and a large cup of coffee, as if she already knows of my addiction to coffee. She looks at me with pleading eyes, "Forgive me for yesterday?"
I couldn't be heartless and brush that away. So, I joke. "Only because you brought me coffee."
She grins and holds it out for me to take that I happily accept. She places her purse at her desk and then questions, "Why are the blinds close?" I open my mouth to object but she is already opening them. "There, much better. I hope you don't mind, but if they're closed, I will feel like we're locked up in here."
"You really think this is congested, huh?"
"Call me spoiled." She mutters under her breath and it doesn't make any sense to me but before I question it, she gets on to business. "So, here is the company issued laptop." She pulls it out of her purse and places it on the desk. There is a sticky note on it with the password and username. "You'll be able to change the password but you will be required to give it to HR in writing in case the big bosses sometimes need to override. They never have to, but it's just a precaution. When you check your mail, you'll find that there's a copy of Mr. Raizada's weekly schedule. Both of us will accompany him to the meetings and... wait, here, just open it so I can explain it to you as we go."
I do so after turning up the laptop and finding the mail app and logging in. Sure enough, the email is at the very top marking with a red exclamation to give it a high priority. From the email ID its sent from, I catch on that its his secretary that sent it.
I download the file attached and open it. Eva pulls up a chair beside me and begins explaining, For Monday to Friday, there is a time block from 8 to 6 and each block is colored in different colors and normally the title of the meetings seems self-explanatory but I have no idea what the colors mean.
"All these different colors. The green ones mean that its an internal meeting where the department heads are catching him up on the progress on all the ongoing projects. He usually has them dividing into two days – Monday and Wednesday for those two hours. Purple is traveling time, if he has meetings elsewhere. The blue ones mean he doesn't have a meeting but he'll still be in his office working on whatever it is he needs to. The blocks marked off with red are the ones when he is with his family or friends and unless the building is on fire, no one disturbs him. The yellow ones are the important client meetings where either he'll be giving presentations personally or brainstorming with the designing team. Brown ones are video conferences and he usually handles them on his own."
I follow along reading the different meetings. Some are short 30 minutes and some are long, 3-4 hours. I imagine those would be the brainstorming ones. I scroll down and notice a few blocks beyond 6 pm in the evening.
"Oh, don't worry about those. He doesn't expect us to stay after hours for those meetings. They're rare but sometimes unavoidable if it's a meeting with a client living in different time zones. And you'll always have his schedules for the coming week by Thursday of previous week and once his secretary sends it to him, no changes. He hates last minute changes. Messes up his entire week."
I comment at the end, "Wow, he really has a full day, huh?"
She sits back in the chair, "Oh yes, he is the CEO. And you'll be busy too before you know it. Hope you're ready to keep up."
"As long as you keep bringing me coffee."
She chuckles and we glance up at the door when there is a knock and then it pushes in. Aarav sticks his head in, "Ready?"
And so, the day begins.
Eva and I stand up and she advises me to grab a notepad. As we're walking out and he steps aside to let us by, she explains, "Use it to make any notes or write down any questions you have so you can ask them after the meeting."
I hope she means asking her, because I don't think I am comfortable after this morning asking Aarav if it is going to be just one-on-one. Yes, that's it. Avoid any one-on-one interactions with Aarav Raizada and my time here at AR will be a smooth sail.
We enter the conference room and Aarav walks over to the head of the table – as he rightfully should. I suppose there is breakfast in the center of the table as it's the first meeting of the day and it is only 8:12.
A lot of the people are already in the room with a plate in front of them and having their own light conversations. Pia, his secretary, walks to him and hands him a file. He takes it and puts it on the desk to open it. She leans and says something in his ear that he listens to intently before nodding and passing her a smile.
He mouths a response that I can make out, "Thank you."
It may be the first smile I have seen on him in public and sure, I haven't known him long to know his patterns, but it just seems different. He glances at his wrist watch and then clears his throat. "Let's get started people."
At once, the room silences and Pia walks over to turn on the slide projector.
As Eva had mentioned, today was Wednesday and this was the internal departmental head meeting.
He nods towards a man seated next to him on the right and he begins, "Alright everyone, the most important business – theme for this years calendar. Last week, I sent out emails to brainstorm. We have the theme decided so now comes the location. Anyone?"
"I was thinking we could pick..."
The guy was interrupted with a cell phone going off. Everyone looked around the table and it took me a few seconds to realize it was mine. I fumbled to reach for it in my back pocket and silence it, "Sorry."
I go to put in my pocket again when it starts vibrating in my hand again. I turn it around to check who is calling. Hiten. I silence it again and place it on the table.
Oh god. My phone starts vibrating again. Why did I leave it on the desk? The vibration pulls everyone's attention again and before I can apologize again, Aarav speaks in an admonishing tone, "Ms. Raichand, either turn your phone off or answer it outside if its an emergency."
"Sorry," I mumble and proceed to turn it off.
I know how Hiten can get and I'll have to hear a piece from him later for turning my phone off, but I figure it is better than being embarrassed and walking out to answer it. I imagine Mr. Raizada will be more upset and it's better to take Hiten's brunt than this man who is sending daggers my way for disturbing the meeting.
The meeting continues on without any more disturbances, but I can't find myself able to focus. The only thing on my mind is how pissed Hiten will be when I call him back.
. . . ∞ . ∞ . ∞ . ∞. . .
∞ authors note ∞
Because we reached 1K, I thought you guys should have an early update! Thank you all and keep reading :)
Haha, Jhanvi seems to think he was celebrating but the poor guy was drowning :( A little formal towards the end... but that is Jhanvi. A little unemotional and aloof. Understand this is still a strange world to her and she hasn't dealt with her feelings for being betrayed by her Aunt.
QOTC: Oh, Jhanvi's attraction. Right or wrong? Given she has a fiance and all, ya know? ;)
Add it to your library and reading lists for notifications on updates. Share it with your friends if you will! Comment your thoughts and vote please! It'll only take a second and really motivate me to keep giving you more updates :D
I hope to have decided fixed days of the week when I will update this book soon. Until next time, stay smiling :) xo