Taking a step back, Neil neatly pulled himself up. “Come in.” He straightened and turned around, seamlessly transforming into the CEO of the company.
Tanya went out in a daze, hardly realizing what was happening around her. She couldn’t believe she’d almost kissed Neil.Isn’t he my friend? Isn’t he supposed to help me find love?Her thoughts overlapping, Tanya hardly felt the hours slip by. She worked on autopilot the entire day, not realizing it was almost time to leave.
Right at six, Ritwik enter her floor. “Hey, TinTin. Ready?”
Tanya swallowed. She felt even more miserable after seeing Ritwik. After declaring her feelings to her best friend, she had almost kissed another man.
“Tanya, are you feeling okay?” Ritwik was by her side in an instant.
She nodded. “One moment, let me freshen up and then we can leave.” By the time Tanya returned from the ladies’ room, she saw Ritwik and Neil discussing the revenue for that quarter. Unconsciously, she stiffened as she neared the two men. Her face flushed with embarrassment when she looked at Neil. She quickly looked away, concentrating on packing her bag instead.
“Alright. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow morning, Neil. I wanted to talk to you about a couple of things.” Ritwik waved and pulled Tanya by his side, his hands automatically going around her shoulder.
Tanya belatedly noticed Neil’s lips tightening, yet he didn’t say anything.
“See you tomorrow.” Tanya’s soft words seemed to harden his face more. He nodded, before turning around and getting into his office. As the elevator doors closed, Tanya and Ritwik heard the sound of glass crashing in Neil’s room. Ritwik raised a brow at her. Tanya shrugged and looked away, guilt and an unknown yearning gnawing her heart.
Throughout the show, which lasted for an hour, she remained relatively subdued. Normally, she would laugh to her heart’s content. With her mind racing about Neil, she hardly noticed what was happening around her. Soon enough, the show came to an end.
Tanya and Ritwik walked to a nearby restaurant, discussing the show. She didn’t even realize they’d moved to dessert.Where did the time go?She absently got into Ritwik’s car. Ritwik handled the traffic as he spoke to her, “So, did you enjoy the evening?”
“What? Yes! Yes, of course.” Finally, she gave him a heartfelt smile.
“I am glad. When you did you, you know, start having feelings for me?” Ritwik almost blushed, despite his ease with other women.
“A few years now.” Tanya’s voice was soft, but it sounded deathly in the silence that followed.
“What?” Ritwik stopped the car in front of her house and looked at her. “Are you serious? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”How did I miss it, was the question that he asked himself.
Tanya didn’t know how to answer that. She got out of the car, quickly followed by Ritwik. She knew he was waiting for her to say something. Finally, gathering some courage, she replied, “Guess I didn’t want to spoil our friendship.” Not knowing what his reaction was likely to be, she chickened out and refused to look up at him.
Ritwik caught her chin and looked into her eyes. “No matter what happens, you will always be my best friend. Got it?”
Feeling her throat choke against the emotions, she nodded and went into his arms. This was her best friend; nothing was going to change that. The relief that went through her was immense.
Ritwik noticed her shiver and pulled her close. They were standing by her door, in the darkness. Against his judgment, he caught her chin and moved closer. Almost immediately, Tanya stiffened. Before he could come even closer, she panicked and got out of his arms, muttering an apology. “So..sorry. It’s just…”
“It’s okay.” Ritwik smiled, looking at her with a strange expression. “We’ve been friends for way too long, and this might take time getting used to.” He gently touched her cheek once. “Well, let me get going. You get in safe and lock the door.”
“Thank you.” Tanya’s luminous eyes thanked him for understanding. She squeezed his arm once before getting into her house.
Chapter 10
Tanya noticed the date on her calendar. Last three months she’d been dating Ritwik, if one can call it that. They went out for dinners, movies, treks, and enjoyed each other’s company. Yet, she couldn’t move forward with the relationship. Considering how long she’d been “in love” with him, she felt panicked and guilty whenever she thought about taking their relationship to the next level. Strangely, Ritwik did not seem to mind. At all! She wanted to spend time with him, cared about him; a lot! Yet, she couldn’t take the next step towards intimacy. Is something wrong with me as a person? Am I frigid? Tanya couldn’t help worrying about it day in and day out.
She desperately wished she had some prior experience with men to know what was going on with her. Unexpectedly, her mind wandered to a set of dark eyes. Right on cue, his email landed in her inbox. Ever since the takeover went public, and the initial formalities and legalities were over, Tanya was swamped with a lot of work. Sigma, now Neo systems, was galloping at a very fast rate with more employees and even more projects coming in.
She thought about the day she’d gone out with Ritwik. That was the last day she’d seen Neil in person. When she’d come back to work the next day, she had received an email stating that he would be working from Mumbai. Tanya didn’t know whether she felt shocked or relieved. It pained her to see his emails, always formal, the calls and meetings even more so. Where was the sweet man who’d rooted for her? Over the three months, her pain had numbed to a dull heartache.
Despite her turbulent feelings about Neil, she was amazed at the changes that he had got in. He was truly a pioneer and a good human being who cared about his employees and did the right thing no matter what. Even without her realizing, her respect for Neil grew. She caught herself thinking about the dinners, their conversations, and their shared views on so many things.Why had he left so abruptly? Was it really business as he’d stated?
Swallowing against the sudden lump in her throat, Tanya replied to the latest email, attaching the new hire list as requested. She minimized the mailbox and started working again, when suddenly she felt as though she was being watched. Shaking her head against such fanciful thoughts, she continued to type. Absently, she pushed her glasses against her nose.
“Not wearing contact lens these days?”
Tanya raised shocked eyes to the door. HE was back. Neil Grover was back in Bangalore. When did this happen? How did this happen? It was barely eight in the morning! How on earth did he come in so early? She knew he worked nearly non-stop. Yet this was too much, even for him. “Neil! I mean, Mr. Grover.” Tanya stood up.
Neil smirked at her shocked exclamation. She hadn’t changed. Not one bit! All that she felt was evident on her face.
