Our Secret Love : Office Romance.

11. Tara

It's currently 5 minutes past 9, which means I am 5 minutes late. I am purposefully late. Dhruv is notable for his punctuality, a trait that I would not want to match, at least not today.

I arrive in my cubicle, and nobody's there. I look around and spot Nikitha's handbag. I mean, she's always early. She must've gone to collect her coffee.

I don't know how I am going to do it, but I have to avoid Dhruv. I've thought about every possible scenario since yesterday. The almost kiss has been on my mind all day. I can't stop replaying it in my head. It felt good to be so close, but I should know better than to keep it going. I'm not only good for Dhruv's status quo, but I'd hate to ruin any relationship I have with his family. I remember how kind his mother is for helping me stand on my feet. This freedom I have today has come with many sacrifices, and I'm not going to throw them out the window for a fleeting romance with Dhruv that I sure know wouldn't work.

I keep my bag down and walk towards my desk.

I notice a peony. A single fresh peony. I take a look around it to see if there's only one, and there is in fact only one. No note, nothing.

I pick it up, and it's beautiful. I've never seen a peony in real life. I raise it to my nose and smell it. It smells rich and sweet. I love the smell.

I smile. I know who kept it here. It doesn't take a sherlock to discover the fact that Dhruv placed it here. It's his favourite flower. I remember him buying this for his mother whenever he visited India while he was abroad studying. But usually they were bouquet and not single flower.

I looked towards his office, and I could feel him watching me. I can feel the ghost of his smiling face looking at me. Although I'm not sure, he might not even be present.

I shouldn't be thinking about all of this.

"Good morning!" said Raj, one of the only people on the team who acknowledged my presence on this team. He's an introvert but a nice man, and believe me when I say he's a genius. I didn't expect him to be the one to greet me first.

"Morning, how's your week?" I asked.

"I believe normal. Nothing interesting; my girlfriend said she'd be coming this weekend but had to cancel the plans, so I was home all day."

He and his girlfriend are at a long distance. They've been going strong for 13 years.

"Aww! That's a bummer." I held the peony to him and said, "There you go; I hope this makes it better."

"That's so sweet of you, Tara. Thanks, darling!" He has a habit of saying darling to everybody he sees. "This is a nice flower, I see. I'll keep it safe; just give me a minute." He leaves for the break room with the flower in his hands. Probably to get some water for the flower.

I settle down and start my work. I see people come in and settle down.

Half a day passes, and I pay zero attention to Dhruv whenever he passes our cubicle. I get up, and my bum feels so sore from sitting for so long. I stretch my arms above my head and decide to take a walk outside to get some fresh air. I'll probably eat my lunch.

I get downstairs towards the cafeteria. I really like the way this company works. In the morning, as soon as you arrive, you can have your coffee and then settle, and they give you a 2 hour window in the afternoon for your lunch. From 11:45 to 1:45. You can eat whenever. People here love their jobs. They have a gaming arcade and squash, a pool table, a foosball court, and a gym for employees to use.

The company really values work-life balance and employee satisfaction. It's a great environment to be in every day.

I walk by the collaboration room, and I see Dhruv discussing a new project with the team. He's the boss people want. He's always hands on.

I look at him a bit longer than necessary. My brain is considering the possibility of us being together. I shake my head and continue on my way. Finding a talking rabbit leading me to Wonderland is more likely than us working out. It's simply not realistic.

I get a pesto sandwich and head back to my floor through the same route, but I no longer see Dhruv in the collaboration room, and his team is also packing up. Probably for lunch.

I take the stairs back up. I can have the sandwich and look at the blueprints while I eat.

I place the box on my desk and take a seat, and I see a new sticky note on my desk that I didn't have earlier.

Sunshine seems a little dimmer today without your smile. Can I brighten it up with dinner this evening?

I can't believe he's doing this. This is not the Dhruv I know. I sigh and throw the note into the bin next to me.

I tried not to reply. Now I know for a fact that he's been observing my reaction to his little note. He'll get the hint that I don't want it.

My phone buzzes with a new message from him. I don't even know how he got my number. He never asked for one.

"The message wasn't meant to be a secret. The full bloom reminded me of your strength and resilience. 

Yours,
Dhruv"

This is getting annoying now. He is intelligent enough to get the hint that I am not going to give him my time. I am neither interested in his sweet conversation nor in his attempts to get closer to me.

"Thanks for the flower, Dhruv. But compliments work better when they're not followed by public humiliation. 

Never Yours,
Tara"

I hit send and felt the satisfaction and appreciation.

All he had to do was make a single apology, and I don't know why he's doing all of this.

The rest of the day, I didn't get any other messages. Maybe he finally gave up. How far can he even go? He's used to getting whatever he wants on a silver platter. This time he must have seen that running after me isn't really profitable, and he must have lost interest already. He's probably moved on to his next target by now.

That's what I am to him. A target, a goal to achieve.