Started writing on 14th September 2020.
Completed on 17th September 2020.
Word count : 3180 words
_________________________
- A Y A A N -
"I like you!" I said and kissed on her neck, just below her ear.
When I looked at her, her expression were as if I've confessed that I'm pregnant! A man is pregnant! Her eyes were coming out of sockets, and lips parted, just the perfect shocked expression.
"What!" She mumbled and looked at me.
"Did you really believe it?" I laughed loudly and reverted my confession as the situation was too shocking for her to handle.
"What? No... Why would I believe you?" She said and turned towards the slab to cook. "My pancake's burnt, just because of you. Make your own breakfast. I won't share my food."
"Alright." I said and pushed her aside to cook pancakes for both of us.
"What?" She was irritated.
"I'll make it, you can sit there." I offered.
"No thanks. I have hands. I can cook on my own." She being adamant came once again to cook, for herself. The was no use in fighting with her. I picked her up, seeing her legs kicking in air to get free and threw her on the sofa.
"Stay here! Statue!" I said and went back to kitchen to cook. I'm a great chef by the way.
×× ××
- D I V Y A -
"We could make a step forward. Don't you think it's good?" What step?
"What step?" I turned facing him.
"I'll let you know." He said in a husky voice pacing towards me. What is he going to do? He rubbed his cheeks with mine making me shocked to hell, and blew his warm breath below my ears causing me to shiver.
Why wasn't I able to move?
"I like you!" He said and kissed my neck. What? What?? What???
Why does he like me?
"What!" I mumbled and looked at him.
"Did you really believe it?" He started laughing.
I knew it. He likes Janine. There is something going on between them. Why am I bothering so much?
"What? No... Why would I believe you?" I said and turned towards the slab to cook. How can this man joke on a topic like this? "My pancake's burnt, just because of you. Make your own breakfast. I won't share my food."
"Alright." He said and pushed me. How dare he?
"What?" I asked him.
"I'll make it, you can sit there." He said.
"No thanks. I have hands. I can cook on my own." I said. Suddenly he picked me up and carried me to the living room. To free myself I tried to offer him kicks but in vain. He threw me on the sofa.
"Stay here! Statue!" He said and went to the kitchen.
Statue?
Are we three year olds, playing the statue game?
"Here we have our breakfast." Sighed Ayaan and went towards the dining table. We had our respective breakfasts, I ate the ones made by me while he ate the ones he made. "Mine is too tasty." He moaned.
"These are pancakes, why are you acting as if you've eaten something out of this world?" I asked. He was acting too strange.
Then we both retired to work.
Wait! When did Ayaan and I became we?
××
"These papers need your signature." Diya said.
"Hmm. How's it going?"
"What?" She raised her face up.
"Your relationship. How long will you stand? Sit down."
"We're alright."
"Just alright? Isn't it going great?" I asked. After a lot of questions she explained about the problem of Shrey's grandma with her. "Is there anyway I could help?" She denied.
"Here! Take this." I signed the papers and gave them back to her.
"Thank you." She said and left while I emerged in my work. There was a long day ahead, working and working, for the new project with the parks. Hope everything is going alright.
I stood up and went out to get some fresh air as well to see the progress of our work. "How's it going?" I asked Aman.
"Great! Just some designs are left which would be completed in a week or so." He said and I nodded. We both were walking and seeing the progress at the same time.
"What about you both?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You two had a fight, right?"
"How do you know?" He stopped on his tracks.
"I have my ways." I said and he nodded.
"It's alright, just on the cliff." He was sad while explaining about his relationship. One thing I want to ask is— Why do people have to get in a romantic relationship? Is it the only thing to do in whole life? Is staying single bad?
Who knows?
"Is it done?" He asked Srishti.
"Can't you see it's already messed up. And here instead of helping you're troubling me more." She shouted. There's nothing new as she's always like this.
"Alright. I won't ask if I could offer any help as I'm not interested in your profession." Aman justified.
"What? You insulted my profession." Srishti shouted.
"When did I?" Aman asked.
"You just did." She said.
"How are you my sweetest sweetheart?" Karan came and said all of a sudden.
"Alright guys. It's workplace." I said.
"You just shut up." She moved her head in irritation. What did she say to me? Shut up!
"What did you say?"
"I didn't say it to you. It was for him." She directed towards Karan. "And you! Just stay in your limits or I'll kill you." She warned Karan. Okay! I understood the situation. Everyone knows that Karan is a big flirt. He would be flirting with her too. And as per what I know, she keeps her relationship seperate from her work. That's the reason she's irritated by him and threatening to kill him.
"Why are you being so tough? Everyone knows that you love handsome men, then why are you running away from me?" Karan asked her.
"Cause this is work time." She replied.
"Then let's meet at night." I and Aman were standing there too. But they were flirting as if they were alone.
"Sure!" She replied him. Oh God! Where's this conversation heading to? I don't want my ears to listen rubbish.
"I'll leave." I said and ran away before my ears would bleed.
"Boss is calling you." Adarsh said coming out of my room. He must have been there to call me.
"Why?" I asked but he shrugged his shoulders. I knocked the gate on which was written - 'C.E.O.' , in dark bold letters. What a world I'm living in? The last bencher is now my boss!
"Come in."
"Why did you call me?" I asked. He threw a red file on the floor. What's with him now? Why is he acting out of the blue? Is he gone mad? "Why are you throwing the file? Have you gone mad?"
"I'm mad? What did you do?" He stood up from his chair.
"What did I do?"
"As if you don't know!" He snapped angrily and clicked a button.
"Stop talking in circles." I said.
"You mean I'm wrong? When you are the one who cheated!" He shouted.
"What?" I was shocked. What did I do? He directed me towards the file lying on the floor. I picked the file and opened it. "What to do with it?"
"Don't you remember what you did with it?" I looked at the him and then at the file.
"It's contains our project plans with Park's." I said.
"Oh really! You finally remember it. Then how can you cheat on our company by selling the confidential documents?" He shouted the last line.
Is he really in the mood to fight with a menstruating woman? Especially me who can't control her mood swings.
"What? Why... would I do it?" What is he saying? Why would I sell documents I myself have worked hard for it? And how can he point me out in my profession? Never have I done something wrong. No one has ever blamed me in my profession.
Tears started forming in my eyes but I tried to control it. I don't want to break in front of this man.
"Then how can the content in this file be the project plan of other company?"
"What? How can other company copy our plan?"
"I'm asking you for the last time. Did you do it?"
"Why would I? Do you have any proof?"
"Proof? Madam! You are the only one who has the access to my study room. Who else do you think can enter there?"
"So you're stating that it's me who sold the documents?" He nodded angrily, "But why would I? I have enough money to support myself as well as thirty others. Even if I'm deprived of money, I can ask it from my parents or yours." I shouted in the same tone as his.
"If you're not the one then it could be any of the worker in your department. All of them will be fired."
"What? How can you blame anyone like this?" What is he thinking? I've never seen him becoming this angry. As per what I knew he is a cool minded man.
"What if someone came to our house with you and copied the documents?"
"Really? I never bring any of my colleagues to my living place." I justified. Isn't he being too irrational by pointing me and my team out? It could be anyone from his side too.
"As if I would believe."
"What are you trying to say now?"
"It could be Maya! It could be Diya! It could be your sweet man Aman!" He said.
"Wait! Why are dragging Aman into this? He's the one who made the plan with his team." And the thought struck my mind, "Really? How cheap can you go when you yourself is busy with some other woman?" I shouted.
"What?"
"As if you don't know?" He's busy with Janine and blaming me. "And please stop blaming others when you are cause of what has happened. Things like this never happened when your dad was on the seat. But now?..... Just accept that you can't do it!" I snapped.
"You're crossing your limits." He shouted.
"As if you weren't." I shouted with the same loudness. The last time we fought like this was in class tenth. "This is the last time is saying, I am not involved in it."
"Then tell me who did it?"
"How would I know? Don't you have cameras in your office? Check out from there."
"It wasn't stolen from my room." He said turning to the other side. Should I beat this man up? Does he have any sense or what? Blaming me without knowing the truth.
"So am I God, how would I find it out?"
"I don't know." He said and sat on his seat. Even women in their menopause have less mood changes than him!
"So why did you call me here?" I shouted and hit the table, he flinched on his chair. Stubborn bitch! He called me here just to blow his ingrown anger!
"Nothing. You can go."
"No way I'm gonna stay here." I turned my back towards him, "Five days! I'll find out who the culprit is. Else you can fire whom you want." I said and went out.
I'm losing my mind. How would I find the culprit now?
How would I find him? It could be she too. Both the genders, thousands of workers. How will I find the real culprit? I said it in impulse but now the job of all my team members is at risk.
Control Divya, control! I can do it.
It's an easy thing for me. I was the one who caught the person who cheated in exams in class third. But it's been a long time. What if I've lost my skills? No! I never lose anything in my life.
I can do it. I'm Divya.
×× ××
- A Y A A N -
"Sir, you should see this." Adarsh snapped me out of my thoughts. I took the tab from him and looked on the screen. It was our plan but under other company's name. Though it's not launched by them, I can get it out through my sources and hackers.
But who the hell tried to sell this information? It's confidential, not many have access to it.
Who could it be?
I'm not angry about the displaying of our plan as other company's, but because someone in my company is a traitor. How can someone cheat so easily?
I checked the CCTV but nothing to be found. What to do now?
Then I got the idea of something that could really take the truth out. Dodging the blame on someone else would calm the culprit's mind, making him or her believe that he or she is safe. I know it's the lamest plan. But whom will I put the blame on?
Adarsh? No.
Divya? Yes! She would be mad but it's nothing I couldn't handle.
I came out and went to see Divya but she wasn't in her cabin. Where is she? Walking out I saw her talking with A man. I mean Aman. Isn't he having something better to do than following my wife.
Cool down Ayaan! Cool down!
But I couldn't cool now. It's been such a long time. I've always seen her smiling with everyone but me. What sin have I performed?
So I ordered Adarsh to call her in my room. I was angry but it's needed to be lowered down for now. After some time I heard a knock on my door. Good luck Ayaan! I have to act angry and make everyone believe that I'm angry and Divya is the culprit. Sorry Divya.
"Come in."
"Why did you call me?" She asked. I threw the red file on the floor. "Why are you throwing the file? Have you gone mad?"
"I'm mad? What did you do?" I stood up from his chair.
"What did I do?"
"As if you don't know!" I said angrily, loud enough for everyone to hear. In a few seconds a mass crowd appeared outside my cabin's windows, all of them sticking their ears to it as it's only one way window. I switched the button on to make it visible through both the sides. Let te culprit see it too.
"Stop talking in circles."
"You mean I'm wrong? When you are the one who cheated!" I shouted. It's so hard to act angry.
"What?" I directed her towards the file lying on the floor. She picked the file and opened it. "What to do with it?"
"Don't you remember what you did with it?" She looked at the me in shock and then at the file.
"It's contains our project plans with Park's." She murmured.
"Oh really! You finally remember it. Then how can you cheat on our company by selling the confidential documents?" I shouted the last line, loud enough for everyone out to hear it.
"What? Why... would I do it?"
"Then how can the content in this file be the project plan of other company?"
"What? How can other company copy our plan?"
"I'm asking you for the last time. Did you do it?" I know she didn't do it but still, to convince everyone and the culprit I had to shout.
"Why would I? Do you have any proof?"
"Proof? Madam! You are the only one who has the access to my study room. Who else do you think can enter there?" I'm sorry for blaming her.
"So you're stating that it's me who sold the documents?" I nodded angrily, "But why would I? I have enough money to support myself as well as twenty others. Even if I'm deprived of money, I can ask it from my parents or yours." She shouted. That's why I love her. She doesn't depend on someone else for her livelihood.
"If you're not the one then it could be any of the worker in your department. All of them will be fired." I said.
"What? How can you blame anyone like this?"
"What if someone came to our house with you and copied the documents?" Oh God what am I saying? But it's possible right?
"Really? I never bring any of my colleagues to my living place." She said.
"As if I would believe."
"What are you trying to say now?"
"It could be Maya! It could be Diya! It could be your sweet man Aman!" I said. Okay, this was my personal grudge. But am I not right? He's the one always sticking with her whenever I saw her.
"Wait! Why are dragging Aman into this? He's the one who made the plan with his team....Really? How cheap can you go when you yourself is busy with some other woman?" She shouted.
"What?" What did she say? Everyone is hearing us out.
"As if you don't know?" She murmured. "And please stop blaming others when you are cause of what has happened. Things like this never happened when your dad was on the seat. But now?..... Just accept that you can't do it!" She said.
"You're crossing your limits." I shouted.
"As if you weren't." She shouted, "This is the last time is saying, I am not involved in it."
"Then tell me who did it?"
"How would I know? Don't you have cameras in your office? Check out from there."
"It wasn't stolen from my room." I said the truth turning to my left.
"So am I God, how would I find it out?"
"I don't know." I said quietly and sat on my seat.
"So why did you call me here?" She shouted and hit the table, making me flinch on my chair.
"Nothing. You can go."
"No way I'm gonna stay here." She turned her back towards me, "Five days! I'll find out who the culprit is. Else you can fire whom you want." She said and I looked at everyone outside angrily, clenching my jaw and in a second, all of them disappeared from the sight, before Divya could go out and see them. I don't want Divya to see them.
Did I say a bit too much?
She pledged to catch the culprit. Let's see how she does it.
×× ××
- D I V Y A -
Four days later~
It's been four days I'm running around to find the culprit like a maniac.
What did I thought before betting about my colleagues' job?
Let's recall what's the progress till now. First day- Found nothing.
Second day- Came to know that my team members are not involved in it.
Third day- My colleagues are not involved in it too.
Fourth day- It's not someone from our company too.
My phone rang all of a sudden trailing me out from my headache. Maybe this last thing would help me, "Hello."
"It's what you thought. You were right!" Thank God! I'm saved.
*****
TIED TOGETHER BY LOVE 💍
Who do you think could it (culprit) be?
Thanks.
(✷‿✷)