The distance between us (Impossible Love #1)✔️

chapter 35

AAKASH

It had been two days since Ananya left, but no matter how much I tried to distract myself, she was all I could think about. Her image lingered like a haunting melody in my mind-her long, jet-black hair flowing effortlessly down her back, her warm, expressive chocolate-brown eyes that seemed to see straight through me, and that smile. God, that smile. It had a way of making the world around me disappear, leaving just her, radiant and captivating.

I hadn't felt like this in years, hadn't allowed myself to. I thought I was beyond these emotions-hardened by time, by loss, by the life I had chosen. I had convinced myself I was no longer capable of feeling anything for anyone. But Ananya... she had undone all of that without even trying. She had stirred something in me, something long dormant. And yet, it didn't matter. As much as my heart had begun to beat for her, I knew we could never be together. That was an undeniable truth, a harsh reality I couldn't escape.

I was jolted back to the present by the sudden ring of my phone, pulling me from my thoughts. Samaira's name flashed across the screen. She was my COO, a trusted friend, and a voice of reason in my life. If anyone could keep me grounded, it was her.

I picked up the call. "So, are you coming back to New York, or have you decided to stay in India forever?" she teased, her tone light, but with an underlying curiosity.

"Are you missing me already?" I shot back, trying to shake off the heaviness that had settled in my chest.

"You bet, Mr. Malhotra," she replied with her usual sarcasm. I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Relax, I'll be back in a couple of days," I assured her, my tone casual.

"Good," she said, but her voice shifted into something more serious. "We need to hit the ground running with the new project next month. No distractions."

"I know," I responded, though my mind was still half with Ananya.

"Aakash, you need to take this seriously. This medical biotechnology project is massive. We're going to be competing with some of the biggest pharma companies in the world. If we succeed, we could dominate the market." She wasn't scolding me exactly, but I could sense her frustration creeping in.

"I get it, Sam," I said, but there was a weight in my voice that I couldn't hide. "I'm just... tense about the project that was stolen." The words came out before I could stop them, and the sadness that lingered in the pit of my stomach surfaced again.

She was silent for a moment, her tone softening. "Don't let your past destroy your future, Aakash. What's done is done. Focus on what's ahead."
She was right, of course. But it was easier said than done.

"Have you recruited any new doctors?" I asked, trying to shift the conversation back to work, to anything that would pull me away from my thoughts.

"Don't worry," she said, a bit of her usual confidence returning. "I've handled it. You just need to come back and make the final decisions."

I sighed, grateful for her efficiency. "Thanks a lot, Sam."

"You don't need to thank me," she replied briskly. "It's my job. Besides, have you figured out anything about getting back what was stolen-"

I cut her off quickly, not wanting her to finish that thought. "Don't worry. Prateek and I are working on it," I said firmly, before hanging up the call.

I couldn't let her know the full extent of what I was doing. Samaira was practical and level-headed, but if she knew my plan, she'd be furious. She had always advised me against mixing personal and professional matters, and this... this crossed that line.