Story of Our Life

Chapter 5

It was weird.

The gaze his newly recruited junior accountant had today was unnerving, to say the least. He could feel her eyes on him since the moment he had arrived and whenever he looked up towards her seat, he caught her looking at him. She would avert her eyes but they would be back on him within five minutes

After two hours of her scrutiny, he finally had had enough and called for her. Her shocked face when the peon told her that she was called was enough to make Rishabh smile and he waited eagerly to listen to her explanation.

"Sir? You called?" She asked in a low tone and he nodded. "Yes Sir?"

"Do I have something on my face?" He asked and she blinked thrice before shaking her head.

"Am I wearing my suit inside out?" He looked straight at her and she shook her head again. "Toh aap mujhe, picchle do ghante se, ghoor ghoor kar kyu dekh rahi hain?"

"Huh?" Her eyes widened as if caught red handed and he saw her gulp. "Wo...actually...maine ek file complete karke aapki desk par rakhi thi. And I was anxious about when you'll see it and...revert. I was...waiting for you...to check it. Sir."

"Really?" He nodded, aware of her lie. "Okay then, you may leave."

He saw her visibly relax and she nearly ran out of his cabin, shutting the glass door behind her.

He almost laughed at the innocent creature.

As soon as she sat on her seat, Prerna felt as if her heart would just jump out of her chest, it was beating so fast!

How did he know she was staring at him since the second he had stepped out of that elevator? She cursed his handsomeness and her dumb hormones for going into a hyper-mode and getting her caught like that. How embarrassing? Lucky for her, she had submitted a file and used that to her excuse!

"Why is he so good looking? Is a man, who's just two years shy of being forty, supposed to look so hot? Damn it." She shook her head and sighed. "And why the hell am I so attracted to him? He's so much elder to me, possibly married and has a bunch of kids-

"Prerna?" Aditi poked her shoulder and Prerna looked up, biting her lip. "Kya hua? Kya soch rahi hai?"

"Sir ki shaadi ho gayi?" The question escaped her mind through her mouth and Aditi frowned, shaking her head.

"Nahi, he's single. Haan, girlfriend wagera ho sakti hai, but I don't know for sure." She shrugged and Prerna frowned.

"He's single? Matlab...divorce...widower-

"Pagal hai kya? Agar koi badi umar ka aadmi single hai toh zaruri thodi hai ki wo divorcee ya widower ho. And he's not that old!" Aditi chuckled. "Mr Bajaj never married. As far as I know, he's been single forever. Maine kabhi kisi ex-wife ya late wife ke baare mein nahin suna. No wife, no kids, no family whatsoever."

"Oh." Was all Prerna said and sighed.

Was that relief?

"Waise, tuje kyu itna interest aa raha hai?" Aditi smirked and chuckled as she saw her colleague's blank face. "Just kidding yaar. I know he's really good looking, koi bhi ladki sochegi."

"Nahin, main toh...aise hi." Prerna said and opened a file to start working.

"Accha sunn, jo puchne ke liye bulaya tha, wo hi bhul gayi!" Aditi scratched her head. "Tujhe next week humare saath Delhi chalna hoga, for a new deal with Tata Engines and Automobiles. Mail check kiya na?"

"Yaa. But uske liye toh aap aur Rohan jaa rahe the na?" She asked and Aditi nodded.

"Haan, par Rohan ko achanak apne hometown jana hai, his mother is unwell and having a sudden operation next week." Aditi explained. "So, you'll have to be there."