Author's pov :

Seher looked at herself in the mirror, smoothing down the wrinkles in her skirt.

Today was her first day as Vivek's personal assistant, and she wanted to make a good impression.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves as she mentally prepared herself for what the day ahead might hold.

She herself was shocked how she got selected.

Aashika : Okay so readyyy??

Seher : yaar aisa lag raha hai jaise  mere fefde bahar aa jayenge , itna dhak dhak ho raha hai.

Aashika : Relax kar! Sab sahi hoga.

Seher : Mujhe to abhi bhi yakeen nahi ho raha mujhe job kaise mil gayi?

Aashika did the gesture of evil eyes off.

Aashika : thu thu thu. Khud hi khud ko nazar lagayegi kya ab.

Seher (chuckled) : chal bye , ab mai chalti hu. Karan aa raha hai lene.

As she was finishing up her preparations, the sound of a car horn pierced through the air outside.

She quickly grabbed her bag and headed to the window, looking out to see her friend Karan waiting for her in his car, the engine already running.

As she got in the passenger seat, he smiled at her."Nervous?" he asked.

"A little," Seher admitted, buckling her seatbelt. "But I'm excited, too. I've never had a job like this before."

Karan nodded, pulling out into the street. "You'll do great," he said reassuringly.

Karan : By the way tujhe ye sab karne ki need nahi hai. Apne ghar vapas chali jaa , life set ho jayegi.

Seher : Nahi jaa sakti yaar. Flow flow me ghar se nikal gayi thi ki CA clear karna hai. Aur ab aise gayi to unhe pakka yakeen ho jayega ki mai kuch nahi kar sakti apni life ke. Ab bas job me settle ho jau to studies resume kar dungi.

Karan : Sahi. Kuch bhi help chahiye ho to I am just one call away.

Seher (smiled) : I know.

Seher took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, I think so," she said. "Thanks for the ride, Karan. Wish me luck."

Karan smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "You don't need luck. You've got this. I'll see you later."

Seher got out of the car and waved to Karan as he drove away. She turned to face the office building, feeling a flutter of nerves in her stomach.

She took a deep breath and began walking towards the entrance, trying to project confidence and calmness.

As Seher entered the office building, she was struck by the sleek and modern design of the foyer.

The polished floors and minimalist furniture gave the space a professional and elegant feel.

She approached the reception desk, where a young woman sat.

"Hi," Seher said, smiling at the receptionist. "I'm Seher. I'm here for my first day as Varu...i mean Vivek sir's personal assistant."

She was taken aback as the receptionist seemed to ignore her. She waited for a moment, hoping that the receptionist would acknowledge her, but the woman continued to type on her computer, not even looking up.

Feeling awkward and unsure of what to do, Seher cleared her throat loudly.

Seher (little loudly) : Can you hear me??

The receptionist looked up at her, seeming a little annoyed. "Yes, I can hear you," she said coldly. "What do you want?"

Seher's initial surprise turned into anger as the receptionist's tone stung her.

She had hoped to start her new job on a positive note, but this rude reception had put her off.

She took a deep breath, trying to control her anger. "I'm here to see Vivek sir," she said firmly. "I'm his new personal assistant." she repeated. "Can you please tell me where his office is?"

The receptionist looked at her skeptically for a moment before finally speaking. "His office is on the third floor," she said. "Room 305. But he is yet to come."

She couldn't help but let out a sarcastic "thank you so much" in response to the receptionist's less than helpful attitude.

The receptionist heard her and shot her a glare.

"Watch your tone before speaking Miss Shekhawat." Seher and Receptionist both heard Vivek's voice and they turn to look at him who just entered in the company.

"Good morning," the receptionist said, suddenly becoming much more polite and deferential. Seeing Vivek standing there, she quickly changed her attitude, putting on a sickly sweet smile.

"Bakri kahi ki." Seher murmured to herself in annoyance.

Vivek returned the greeting calmly, but he was watching Seher out of the corner of his eye, taking note of her reaction.

He then turned to her, his expression stern

"Miss Shekhawat come to my office." He said. "We need to have a few words."

She could hear the sharpness in his tone, and she knew that she was in for a scolding. She clenched her jaw, trying to keep her emotions in check.

"Vahi to iss mahila se mai puch rahi thi." Seher said as she shot a glare at the receptionist.

"Follow me." He ordered as he started walking.

"Ek kaam kar." She whispered to Receptionist.

"What?"

"Vanish (detergent name) pile aur vanish ho jaa. " Seher roasted the receptionist , to which Receptionist gawked at her.

Seher followed Vivek towards his cabin.

As she followed him into his office.

Seher (murmured): Acha to ye hai cabin aur ise batane ke liye bhaav kha rahi thi voh Vanish.

He took his seat behind the desk and fixed his gaze on Seher. His expression was serious, his eyes dark with irritation.

She took a seat in front of him.

Vivek : Did I asked you to sit?

He asked.

Seher : Lekin bolne to vale the na , maine aapke dil ki baat sun li.

She grins.

Vivek: Stand up.

She stood up.

Vivek picked up a collection of sticky notes that were on his desk and flipped through them, his expression growing more and more annoyed as he read through them.

"These sticky notes," he said, holding them up to Seher. "These were all attached to your resume when you applied for the job."

Her eyes widened as she saw the sticky notes in his hand.

She had accidentally attached them to her resume and completely forgotten about them.

She rushed to explain, sputtering out a nervous and frantic explanation. "I-I accidentally left those attached to my resume," she said. "I didn't mean to send them with my application. I'm so sorry."

He listened to her explanation, his expression softening slightly. He could tell that she was genuinely apologetic about the mistake.

"I figured that had to have been an accident," he said, setting the sticky notes down on the desk. "But it's not a good look for a personal assistant to make such careless mistakes."

She nodded in agreement, feeling a pang of shame at her oversight. "I understand," she said quietly. "It won't happen again, I promise."

Suddenly, without warning, Vivek began rattling off a never-ending list of tasks that he expected her to complete.

She was stunned by the volume of work he wanted her to tackle.

"I need you to arrange a meeting with the marketing team, update the company's financial reports, and book a reservation at that new restaurant in town for me tonight," he said, listing all of the new assignments.

"And don't forget to follow up on that email from the legal department," he added. "They're expecting an answer from me by end of day."

Seher : Yeh thoda jyada I mean bohot jyada nahi ho gaya?

Vivek : jyada lag raha hai?

She nodded.

Vivek : These works are pending from a long time since my previous assistant left.

Seher : Usne bhi isi vajah se job chhodi hogi na?

Vivek (smirked) : So you are thinking to quit the job? On your first day only?

She quickly nodded in no.

Seher : No I am not.

Saying this she left from there.

On the other side :

Akarsh was walking through the office, visibly angry about something.

He passes by Agraja's desk, noticing that she's working diligently on her laptop. Without breaking his stride, he stops and looks down at her with a scowl.

"Are you done with that report yet?" he snaps, his tone sharp and impatient.

"Almost, just need to finish up the last few paragraphs," she replies.

Akarsh nods. "Good. I need that report on my desk as soon as it's done."

He starts to walk away, but then turns back to look at her again.

There's a moment of silence as their eyes meet, and in that moment, there's a fleeting feeling of something more than just work between them.

But as quickly as it appears, the moment passes, and Akarsh turns and walks away, his expression resuming its usual sternness.

Inside his office, Akarsh sits at his desk, poring over some important documents.

Despite his best efforts to concentrate on the work , his mind keeps wandering back to the strange moment he shared with Agraja earlier.

He tries to shake off the thought, but he can't seem to get his mind to focus on anything other than her.

Frustrated, he sighs heavily and rubs his hand over his face.

Akarsh leans back in his chair and looks up at the ceiling, feeling a bit disoriented. He can't understand why he's so preoccupied with Agraja all of a sudden.

He knows it's unprofessional, but he can't help himself.

"What the hell is going on with me?" he mutters to himself, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

Akarsh's phone starts to vibrate on his desk, breaking him out of his thoughts. He glances at the screen and sees that it's a call from his elder Brother Sparsh Randhawa.

(He is Aradhana's husband and Shravi's father and an army officer by profession.)

"Hello bhaiya." He said answering the call. "Kaise ho aap?"

Sparsh (joked) : Zinda hu filhal toh.

Akarsh (frowns) : Bhaiya...

Sparsh (chuckled) : Next week I am coming back Akarsh. I am so excited. But ya this mission is very important.

Akarsh : Come soon.

Sparsh : Yess. How is Shravi? How is Aradhana? And...

Akarsh : Sab badhiya hai. Bas aap aa jao jaldi se jaldi camp se.

Sparsh : Aur...

Akarsh : hmm?

Sparsh : Dadi se baat hui meri , about...

Akarsh (huffed) : Not again yaar please. Aise sab agar force karenge to I will start to hate her.

Sparsh : Kya confusion hai tujhe?? Life me kabhi shaadi nahi karni?

Akarsh : karni hai but I want to fall in love first.

Sparsh : Ladki kaisi hai voh bata pehle.

Akarsh : Thik hai. Professional hai kaafi.

Sparsh : Vaise nahi , by nature kaisi hai.

Akarsh : I don't know.

Sparsh : Kuch past hai ?

Akrsh : I don't know.

Sparsh : Uski life me koi hai?

Akarsh : I don't know.

Sparsh : Aisi koi habit jo tujhe acchi lagti ho?

Akarsh : I don't know.

Sparsh : Ek kaam kar.

Akarsh : hm?

Sparsh : Baju vaali diwar hogi na uspe apna sar Patak.

Akarsh : huh?

Sparsh : Ek chiz nahi pata uske baare me. Aur aise hi mana Kar raha hai shadi ke liye. Atleast pehle jaan to le.

Akarsh : But bhaiya how can I? She works under me. I have to behave professional.

Sparsh : Toh coffee ke liye puch le. Tujhe kon bol raha hai Office me chalo ishq ladaye Sanam karne ko.

Akarsh : Coffee??

Sparsh : Haan.

Akarsh : hmm! Sochta hu.

Sparsh : Good. Ladki ko chase karna hota hai. Samne se nahi aati hai koi.

Akarsh sighed. : Thik hai bye bhaiya.

Sparsh : Byee.

As soon as he ends the call, there's a knock on his office door.

He looks up to see Agraja standing in the doorway, holding the completed report in her hands.

"Come in," he says, gesturing for her to enter.

She walks into the room and places the report on his desk.

As she places the report on his desk, he scans through it quickly, nodding in approval.

"Looks good," he says, looking up at her. "You did a good job with this."

Agraja nods, feeling a small flicker of pride at his praise.

But there's also a lingering tension in the air between them, as if they both sense there's something unspoken hanging between them.

She then nods and turns to leave from there but stopped as he calls her name for the first time.

"Agraja."

She turns and looked at him. "Yes Mr. Randhawa."

Suddenly , a worker knocks on the door and enters, carrying a tray with a steaming cup of coffee.

"Excuse me, Sir," the worker says, addressing Akarsh. "I brought your coffee."

"Mm..I don't need coffee today." He denied.

"Why sir?"

"Ave hi! Tum jao."

The worker nodded and left from there.

"Coffee?" He asked , as he looked at Agraja.

"No! I don't need sir. Thankyou." She replied.

"Not that."

"Then what?"

"Coffee pe chalogi?"

As he delivered his words , pin drop silence occupied the environment.

~~~

🎶Kyon Aaj Kal neend kam Khwab zaada hai

Lagta Khuda ka koi neek iraada hai

Kal tha Fakeer aaj dil shezada hai

Lagta Khuda ka koi neek iraada hai

Kya Mujhe Pyaar hai ya

Kaisa Khumar hai ya

Kya Mujhe Pyaar hai ya

Kaisa Khumar hai ya🎶

To be continued...❤️

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