“Then what happened?”
“I’m joining my dad’s company soon. He wants me in the IT department under the department head’s guidance, and I said yes.”
“Oh my God, Sanchi!” I squeeze her shoulders. “That’s amazing! You’re already stepping into real responsibilities. You’ll lead that department one day, I know it.”
“We’ll see. For now, I’m excited for what’s coming.”
“You should be!”
“And it applies to you, too. Today marks one month since you started your internship. I’m proud of you, Amy.” She clasps my hands, eyes shining.
“Thanks, San. I just want to give my best.”
“You already are. So stop worrying.”
Just then, my phone buzzes with a faint ringtone. I quickly pull it from my pocket to check the caller ID. Rey?
Before I can ignore the call and shove the phone back into my pocket, Sanchi snatches it, eyes widening at the screen.
“Reyansh Thakur?”
“He must have noticed my absence by now,” I reply, trying to sound indifferent.
“That’s insane! He’s clearly obsessed with your presence and already missing you,” she teases with a whiny laugh, handing back my phone while my face twists into a deep frown.
“I just can’t believe how he clings to me even when I’ve been purposely ignoring him ever since we joined the company.” I think about all the ways I’ve tried to keep my distance, masking it with busyness. Yet he still shows up, twice a day at least, just to check if I’m okay. While I barely look his way, he shamelessly stands at my cubicle, forcing a conversation. I refuse his canteen invites, but he still appears daily, collecting little pieces of my life like it’s his right to know.
Sometimes I feel like I’m being too harsh, dismissing his genuine effort to keep our friendship intact. But I can’t risk my heart, not when my love for him is still fresh, so strong it hurts.
Every time he stands close or flashes that ridiculously handsome smile or even brushes against me by accident, my heart threatens to collapse under the weight of affection I’ve buried. One wrong move and I’ll fall right back into the emotional chaos I’m terrified of revisiting. And that day when I pretended to be glued to my laptop, refusing to even glance at him, his voice had sharpened, his expression tight, almost demanding my attention as if he owned a part of me.
It was the first time I’d seen that look on him. He felt new. Intense. Different. I sensed it in the way he looked at me… but no. I can’t go down that road again. Only to break apart whatever sanity I’ve been holding onto. Even now, he’s probably searched every corner of the floor, asked the in-charge about me, and finally called after panicking.
“Back to earth, Miss Amyra!” Sanchi shakes me gently, snapping me out of the spiral.
“It’s impossible to ignore him when my heart literally aches to be near him, San. It feels like torture. I thought distance at work would help… but he still makes time for me despite everything. Why won’t he let me breathe in peace?” My voice comes out strained, tired. Sanchi strokes my head softly.
“Amy, this is deeper than you think. He cares about you. Loves you as his best friend. So, of course, he’ll chase your attention. But this is delicate; you can’t hurt him while fighting your own emotions. You need balance… or you might lose him forever.” Her words send a chill down my spine. The thought of a life without him, even just as a friend, is unbearable.
She’s right.
I need to control my emotions while still valuing his efforts. He doesn’t deserve punishment for something he never did.I can’t lose him.
“Thanks for talking sense into me, San. I’ll work on it. I love you, babes.” I lean in and peck her cheek, overwhelmed. She laughs, shaking her head.
“Alright, Amy. You'd better go back before Reyansh barges out here searching for you.”
She snickers behind her hand, and I roll my eyes at her.
“Actually, why are we standing here? We can grab a coffee in the canteen—”
I take her wrist to lead her, but she gently pulls back.
“My driver’s waiting. I only came for a quick chat. See you soon.” She waves once before disappearing, and I rush back inside, anticipation fluttering wildly in my chest. I just need to be my old self again, no matter what I feel for him.
My fingers tremble when I hit the seventh-floor button. The urge to see Reyansh is driving me insane, thinking maybe… maybe I can finally restore what we lost. It’s late, but not too late.
The doors slide open, and I sprint out, turning right toward our corner cubicles.
