"Mansi, meet the new intern. He'll assist you in the ongoing project for now."
Mansi looked at the man sitting opposite to her boss. Perfectly ironed coat, a shiny blue tie, glasses, and a stern determined look. Her first impression about him - some monotonous workaholic.
Her project was already lagging. She had finalized it three times but the client kept on saying it lacked some creativity. Yes, she had personally requested the boss to lend her an extra hand. But this guy, he was the last one she wanted around her. She really wished for someone funky and off the beat.
Can't argue with the boss!
She nodded at her boss and gestured the new guy to follow her.
"Let's go through some details over a cup of coffee."
"I'd prefer tea."
He surprised her. It had five years since she was working in this office now and every intern that she had before would have just one mission - impress the boss. They had all shared that cup of coffee with her. That was the ritual. She believed coffee relaxed the mind and help reveal the thoughts. A perfect ingredient for a first meet.
He's different, her mind countered the first impression she had about him.
She just nodded again before entering the office canteen. Picking up their respective drinks, they found a table by the window. She didn't fail to notice how his eyes instantly darted outside. Watching the traffic, admiring it, searching something in that mess. That's good, she realized, he may have bound himself in a suit and tie, but his mind longed to get lost in that world outside. That's really good.
"I'm Mansi by the way," she broke his thoughts, "Your boss for at least a month."
She shook a hand with him as he gave a knowing smile. There was glint in his eyes and a warmth in his smile. Ever so slowly, the barriers of her perception were breaking.
"And you're?"
She was forced to ask. Normally people would just introduce themselves back, but this guy chose silence instead. Before that silence reached a level called awkward, she was forced to ask that stupid question.
"I will be whatever you'd like to call me."
If his silence was amusing, his reply stunned her. What does he mean by whatever I'd like to call him? Behind that tidy mask, he's just a flirt after all. And once again her mind built the invisible wall of perception.
"Sorry, what?" she asked, her pitch a little loud.
His eyes once again searched for some mystery thing in the outside traffic as his hand went on to rub the back of his neck.
"I didn't mean it like that."
His smile told her that he knew exactly what she had been thinking. It wasn't that seductive kind of smile, it was just a goofy one. His face looked like a little child who was caught stealing some chocolates. And once again she corrected her beliefs about him.
"What I meant was," he continued, "I've had so many nicknames over the years that I don't like being called by my real name now. I can always tell you my name if you want, but I'd prefer if you too just give me a nickname of your choice."
It was her turn to smile this time. This guy was definitely different, there was no doubt about that. But what was more interesting was this naming thing he was proposing. She didn't know if he really didn't like to be called by his real name or not, but she had to admit, his theory wasn't bad at all.
If the odds were right, they'd not be together more than a month. Then why know the real name and build a permanent relationship? She could just give him a nickname and forget it when he's gone. As simple as that.
And what if he stays, her heart quipped. If he stays, then I can always ask his name later.
She gave him a nickname and their partnership began in full flow. She was glad to find him much more creative than what his looks portrayed.
With him by her side, their project finished quickly. Soon he was transferred to assist someone else and a couple of months later, he moved on to a better job. He was gone, just like he had promised.
While she still sat at that table by the window talking to the new interns. And in each one of them, she searched him. Some of them displayed some intriguing qualities, the others something else. But none of them was like him. None of them was Mr. Rare.
She had believed the name would just go away with him. Forgotten with time. But for some weird unknown reason, it always stayed with her.
Mr. Rare
***
"Some people are very hard to forget."
***
Inspired from a comment by vanuSh99
