But… I Don’t Believe in Love – Chapter 6 – by Awestruck

I saw her walking while being completely occupied in the file she was reading and as usual, she was about to bump into someone. I watched her apologize for the millionth time, yet continue to do the same thing again. Letting out a loud sigh I muttered, “She could learn from her mistakes and look up while she’s walking but no! Miss. Anika will never change.”

Instantly, I tried stopping my lips from curving into a smile but yet once again, all in vain. One would have expected me to get used her and not blush at the slightest mention of her name but nope; even though 2 months had passed after she had joined, I still continued being the same.

I hadn’t been wrong when I had presumed her to be very hard-working and dedicated. Within just a month, she had helped our stocks rise and had delivered strikingly perfect presentations which had led to all our deals getting finalized. Seeing her remarkable efforts, Bade papa had started treating her like a daughter and had even made her my personal assistant as he found our duo perfect for prospering in business. I had mentally given Bade papa lots of hugs for his decision.

I covered my face with a file and slowly peeped out to get a better look at her without getting caught. She had her eyes glued to the file while she gently hit her head with her pencil trying to get an idea out. I had tried the same technique a couple of times but it had never worked for me. Her weird theories, like this one of hitting your head with a pencil to get an idea to transpire, only worked on herself.

Just then, I saw her face light up, probably because she had finally got an idea, and couldn’t help but admire her perpetual beauty.

“Bhaiya could you please help me, Anika will kill me if I don’t complete this project.” Rudra whispered bringing me out of my dreamland while making his all-time favorite crying face. Anika not only worked hard, but also made my poor little brother sweat a bit too as she didn’t want him to be left behind. Bade Papa would always praise Anika unlimitedly for this act of hers as his son had finally started doing some work in business due to her persistent convincing.

“Fine. But this is the last time!” I said emphasizing on the word last. Rudra pulled me in a bone crashing hug while saying, “I love you Bhaiya! You are the best!” Taking a step back, I reminded him, “Rudra we are not at home, we are in the office – one arm distance remember?” “Come on Bhaiya, you aren’t *paraya mard*. I can hug you anywhere.” justified Rudra before leaving. I nodded my head and was about to admire Anika again but sadly, she was gone too. The beam I had on my face faded away and I headed back to work with a gloomy face.

After a long and hefty day at work, I was about to head home when I saw her rush towards me. Surprised I asked her, “You didn’t leave yet Anika?”

“No Shivaay, I needed to finalize some points for tomorrow’s presentation. Could I have a word with you?”

I quickly turned to the opposite side and assured myself, “Come on Shivaay, you won’t get a chance like this again. You can do this. It’s as easy as cracking a deal. You just have to say a simple sentence.”
Feeling a bit of confidence rise in me, I mustered up all the courage I had and asked with the best straightforward face I could put on, “Well Anika, today was quite a long day and I’m a bit tired. Would you mind if we talk in a more relaxing place like the restaurant right by the corner. We could have dinner there too.”

It felt like a dream. I was sitting at an open roof restaurant with cold, relaxing breezes and Anika right in front of me. Just having her right in front of me was plentiful and I wished I had the power to stop time. She had been continuously chattering for the past 20 minutes while I had been looking into her eyes and admiring her while trying my best to a keep track of what she was saying. Without thinking, I said the words that had been in my mind, “You look really beautiful today Anika.”

She looked just as shocked as I was after hearing my words. I couldn’t believe myself. Making a mental note on not listening to the broadcast of ‘Love Angel’ with Rudra, which had possibly been the reason behind my action, I tried to look as normal as possible and said, “Anyways, you were saying?”

To my amazement, she smiled and replied in a sweet tone, “Thankyou Shivaay, you are looking equally charming.” And after that, she continued her normal chatter.

As soon as my head hit the pillow, I knew that I was going to have a hard time going to sleep. Anika’s endearing smile and her words kept replaying in my mind. In a trance, I got up, took a paper and wrote today’s date and the word *charming* next to it. This time, I didn’t make any efforts to hide my smile and carefully placed the paper under my clothes in the cupboard and headed back to escape into my dreams of her again.

Author’s Note:
Well so Anika and Shivaay have started working together. I took a little leap as I didn’t want too drag much. Today was step one: ‘the first compliment’! Let’s see where this goes 🙂
Thankyou once again for the enlightening response! 🙂 You guys are amazing. 😉