Kisson ki Gullak

1. Meeting him

Adira POV

This morning was the same as every other. I woke up alone with no one to ask me to have breakfast or offer me a lunch box. No one to ask me about my health or how was my day. Growing up without parents or anyone to love you, makes you create a hard wall around you to protect yourself from all the demons out there in the world. Who doesn't need someone, who doesn't need that caring hand of a mother on your head, who doesn't need a protective hug of a father around them. I feel like I am not made for love, every day I wish for just one thing - family. What is the purpose of this wealth when I don't have anyone to spend it on. What is the purpose of this life when I don't have anyone to share it with.

I reach my office, which is the most happening place in my life right now because my work is only thing that keeps me sane. I quickly ask my receptionist Muskan, a girl in her early twenties working for me part time to take care of her expenses in this extravagant city of Mumbai, if we have any candidate for the post of manager. When she told that we do have someone, I was shocked because since last 2 months, we have not been able to get one person who would be interested for the job.I could not wrap my head around the fact that when there were no vacancies, we had a pile of CVs lying with us and when we really needed a candidate, no one was ready to take up the role. I immediately tell her to call the person and to give me their file. She told that he is already waiting for me in my office. I was surprised and rushed to my cabin with his file.

As I enter my cabin and he turns from the chair, I freeze on my spot. To say I am shocked will be an understatement. Suddenly he snaps his fingers in front of my face and I come to my senses. I didn't realise when he got up from the chair and stood in front of me. I see him and he is giving me a charming smile. Smiling awkwardly I move forward but trip over my foot and am about to fall, I close my eyes instantly and my hands go up in air and I am ready to feel the pain as I hit the floor, but I don't feel anything. I am thinking about all this when I hear a husky whisper near my ear , " Open your eyes Ms. Malhotra." I shiver hearing this and open my eyes slowly only to find myself in his arms, my hands land on his bicep to stable myself and I can feel his muscles under my palm, my face is so close to his and for a second I am lost in eyes. His eyes are a complete black and suddenly I realise our position and jerk away from him to stand straight. I correct my appearance and notice all my belongings on the floor and start picking them up while saying, " I am so sorry! I don't know how I tri-" and I couldn't speak further because of his long fingers on the back of my hand while I was picking my bag. I turn my face towards him and he says, " It's not a big deal Ms. Malhotra. This can happen with anyone. Besides I am happy that I was here to protect you. I hope you didn't get hurt ?" He said all this while picking everything up and I couldn't do anything but just kept looking at him and stand up as he does. He hands me everything and I come back to my senses and head forward to my seat asking him to take a seat as well and say, " Thank you so much. No, I didn't get hurt." saying this I pass him a grateful smile.

Composing myself I open the file and ask him," Well, may I know why do I have the CEO of Ace IT Solutions visiting me for the interview of a post of manager, in a fashion house?"

He smiles and replies, " Sure Ms. Malhotra. You may." I pass him a deadpan look, to which he chuckle and continues, " Simple, I want the job of manager in your fashion house and also, I am not the CEO now. I left the job." I look at him surprised and ask, " But why! You have been in that company for about 3 years and made it one of the top IT companies in the city, so why drop all that to become a manager? That too in a fashion house?" What he said next was a shock for me. He said looking deep in my eyes, " Simple! I like you. "
Did he just say he likes me ?

I was thinking about this when he giggles seeing my shocked face while I am unable to process anything and he adds, " Relax Ms. Malhotra. Just kidding. " He raises his hands in air and I let out a sigh. He continues," See, my previous job was more or less the same each day. It was like a robotic day with the same routine and it was as if the work was on an automatic mode. I didn't have to do anything. It was a dead end with nothing new and no challenges." He then leans back on the chair and crosses his right leg over the left one and takes the cuboid paper weight kept on my table in his hand and continues," So when I got to know about this opening I thought about it and jumped on the opportunity to make my life interesting again. Anyways you need a person who can manage your whole company along with the client interactions and I am qualified enough to do the same or rather should I say I am over experienced for the part. I may not know anything about fashion trends going on or the designs you make Ms. Malhotra, but I do know how to run a business and cater to client's needs." I listen to him intently, sitting in an attentive position with both my hands on the table, without giving away anything with my expressions. He continues to play with the paper weight and says, " I know Ms. Malhotra, you badly need a person who can take care of the company while you just have to focus on designing the clothes." He stops his hand on the paper weight and sits straight looking me in the eyes saying, " I also know you haven't had any manager for the last 2 months and that you have not been able to cater to your customer's demand properly and that your company is in a chaos right now. " I look at him shocked that how does he knows all that and he smirks seeing me like this and continues, " No need to be shocked Ms. Malhotra, I may not have been in the fashion industry but I do have my sources I created throughout these years. Also this is basic information anyone could find easily. " He puts the paper weight in its place and turns to me fully while giving me a minute to think and I realise that actually, what he is saying is true. This is the basic information anyone could find easily by just talking to any employee of the company. As my expressions become neutral again, he says, " See Ms. Malhotra, I won't say that you need me the most and I don't need you. Because I need the job and you need a manager. I am bloody good at this and you know it. You are extremely talented and I know this too. You have created this huge fashion house on your own and at your terms. We both can benefit from this deal. I need a change and you need a manager. You design the clothes and I take care of everything else in the company. You focus on the product Ms. Malhotra, and leave the rest to me."

I think about what he said for a minute and agree that he will be the best person for the job. I have seen sincerity in his eyes when he was talking about his work and I know for a fact that he is best at it. I forward my hand to him saying," I think we have deal Mr. Agarwal." He shakes my hand and says ," Deal!" while passing a genuine happy smile to me and I pass him my professional smile.

After this we discuss the details about his employment like the job description, salary, benefits, and everything else. I told him that his position will be highest after me and everyone except the design department will report to him. Rest of the day went by introducing him to the staff and welcoming him to the company. I showed him his cabin which was just opposite mine and our cabins were the only ones on the third floor along with the conference room, while first floor was for the design department and studio for shoots and second floor was dedicated to the cafeteria and leisure activity area. Ground floor had the reception and other staff along with the waiting room. Fourth floor was the last one which is the terrace that is full of plants near the railings.

After giving him the full tour I went to my cabin and he went to his, but a few minutes later he just barged in my cabin without knocking and stood in front of my desk with one leg crossed around another and right hand on my table while his left was on his waist. I had just begun my work and I was shocked to see him like that and how the hell did he enter without asking. I was fuming in anger because no one dares enter my cabin like this and was glaring at him while he just didn't care and was standing there speaking nothing and looking straight at me. When I realised he will not speak, I asked, " What happened Mr. Agarwal?" He said," You will not call me Mr. Agarwal from now. Call me by my name. RUDRA. Okay?" I wondered he came to say just this. Also, is he my friend that I will call him Rudra? I reply," No. We have a professional relationship and we should abide by it. Besides you have been calling me Ms. Malhotra since the moment we met." He shakes his head and says," That was just for the initial formality. Even I will call you Adira, so you will call me Rudra. Get it?" I was not used to calling people I work with, with their first names so I was about to deny but he beats me to it and says," If you don't like me calling you Adira, then I can call you beautiful or lovely or shona also. " I was shocked to hear such names so I instantly said, " NO ! Adira is just fine Mr. Agarwal." He smirks and says," See, it wasn't so difficult to accept in one go. Besides you call me Rudra or should I call you beauti-" I instantly cut him off and say," No. I will call you Rudra only. Happy?" while passing him my fake sweet smile at the last because I know he won't budge untill I call him by his first name. He passes me a genuine smile and turn to leave saying," Happy!" I add after him," Also, do not enter my cabin without knocking Rudra." He stops in his track and turns to reply shrugging his shoulders ," No. See we both are like two pillars of this company now and we both are equally important to this organisation. We need to work with each other for life now. We can't have these barriers between us. I will enter your cabin whenever I feel like and you can also enter whenever you wish. No need to knock or ask or tell me. Just enter as you want. It will always be open for you, Adira." He says the last word with altogether a different emotion and just leaves from there without saying anything else or listening to me rather giving me anytime to react. I was left there frozen on my seat thinking about what he said and how he said it, looking directly in my eyes with his pitch black ones.

I don't know why, but I felt something different when he said that we have to work together for life now. I felt like there is someone permanent now in my life. I felt as if we have right on each other. No! This is wrong. I need to remind myself that I am not made for these friendships or relationships rather than love. Also why is he becoming so frank with me. Since morning he has been acting like we are some team and this fashion house is not mine but ours. I don't get him. Did I make a mistake by hiring him? Was I too desperate for a manager that I didn't do any background check? Yes! I will do a thorough check on him.

But what do I do with this warm feeling that I felt around him the whole day..?

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Do tell in the comments what do you think about the first chapter of Rudra and Adira's story.