Crack The Job

25- Not another Yellow File

Payal

I could finally breathe a sigh of relief when the cops arrived and took that jerk in for creating disturbance in public and trying to hurt an employee. For Akshara's benefit, it was good that she told the cops everything about the incident.

"Thank you everyone. You all really helped me out there." She turned to Siddharth's brother Gourabh and thanked him. She turned to us and said, "I am also sorry for the trouble."

"It's okay if you are okay." I patted her shoulders.

"You should go home and take some rest. You can take a leave if you want." Gourabh looks at her and then turns to Siddharth, laying his arms around him. "You did great. Let's talk inside."

My heart was beating fast as I noticed the manager and other staff were now taking turns to look at me and then Siddharth. I really wanted to go towards him when he was looking at me but my feet were stuck, refusing to advance even a little bit.

"But why did you... come here?" Siddharth asked, his teeth mostly aligning in a straight line, barely showing a smile.

"Hey, I am your brother." He smiles, patting the back of his head.

I noticed Abhiraj uncomfortably tugging at his tie and suit as he smiled at the manager so awkwardly that it almost felt that one might end up dying, seeing their nervous smiles merging into a laughter riot in a minute.

I sighed as I saw the two brothers going inside. Feeling all the eyes on me, I took a swift turn towards the coffee machine. Shit. Am I in trouble now?

As the clocks were ticking, my brain stopped doing its only job and started to get frantic. "Should I look for flight tickets? I really don't want to go back there." I heard Abhiraj whispering while biting his nails.

"We will be okay," I stood there, nervously gaping at nothing in particular.

"I don't know. This is insane." He sounded like he was going to throw a tantrum but was holding himself back.

"What are you both doing here?" Mrs. Agasthi looked at us while Abhiraj blurted, without batting an eye. "I just wanted to ask her something. Anyway, I will leave now." He smiled in respect as he walked away, not glancing behind him for once.

Feeling the sudden pressure of her piercing stare, I managed to calm my nerves down as I exited the area, keeping on a quiet demeanor unlike my mind. I just wanted to plop on my bed and just stay at home.

"Payal, customers are here and what are you doing over here?" Anvish asked and before I could answer him, he turned to Mrs. Agasthi and handed her a yellow file and asked, "Can you give this file to the manager?" She took the files as I followed Anvish out of the only staff's area.

★★★

Siddharth

"Why would you come here?" I asked as I got anxious with every passing second. The close doors and Gourabh sitting right in front of me were just an addition to all my rising blood pressure.

"I am your brother. You really lost your manners for that girl?"

I sighed, restlessly wanted to shoo him off but before I could speak, my words got stuck in my throat and then I was staring at him like a coma patient.

He was smiling now, even dramatically clapping as if he is about to praise himself any moment now. "I knew it, " he announced, smirking in self -appreciation, blowing up his chest. "So it was that girl you were in love with, right?"

I didn't know how to react to that. If I am being honest, I even forgot to act like a normal human being because all I was doing was staring at him with my jaws dropped to the floor.