#1 TaaRey FF - Vivah - a journey from engagement to marriage...Moved#2 - Page 39

[Banner: - C: Rey; L-R: Kiya, Naveen, Sharon, Armaan, Taani, Swayam, Mansi, Arjun, Purvi.]

Taani rang the bell to Rey's house and waited for the door to open. She had called him a couple of times but he wasn't answering any of her calls. His voice was still ringing in her ears. She had to apologize to him as in hindsight it was her presence that had led Sharon on to take a jab at Rey. Her mind kept telling her that it wasn't entirely her fault but her heart ached on remembering his choked-up voice and she had to know whether he was fine. Until now, she had seen him as a strong man. But, seeing this side of him, made her want to comfort him in any way that she possibly could.

"Taani, tum yahan?" Rannvijay opened the door instead of Rey.

"Uncle app kab aaye?" Taani was not expecting him.

"Mein aaj subah hi aagaya tha. Tum bahar kyun khadi ho andar aao." Rannvijay invited her in.

"Taani, tum?" Juhi was surprised to see her.

"Hello aunty." She greeted her.

"Kaisi ho?" Juhi asked her.

"Mein bilkul theek. Aap kaise ho?"

"Mein bhi theek hi hoon. Tum Rey se milne aayi ho?" Juhi enquired when she found her searching for him.

"Haan. Mera matlab nahi. Voh actually mein.." Taani tried to think of something to cover up her real reason for the visit.

"Isme itni sharmaane wali kya baat hai?" Juhi smiled at her.

"Aisa kuch nahi hai. Voh actually, Rey ko unka credit card return karna tha, toh mein dene aayi thi." Taani smiled back.

"Credit card?" Rannvijay was puzzled.

"Haan voh Sharon ke paas tha and she gave it to me, before leaving for Delhi." Taani explained.

"Voh kahan se mil gayi tumhe?" Juhi asked amazed.

"Office mein. Actually, meine internship ke liye SRS mein apply kiya tha aur uska interview tha aaj. So, office mein milna hua humara."

"Company mein apply kiya aur bataya bhi nahi? Hmn?" Rannvijay asked.

"Voh meine socha ki clear hone par hi bataungi sabko." Taani smartly dodged the question.

"Matlab interview clear kar liya?" Juhi asked her.

"Haan aunty."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"Rey ko bataya?"

"Haan, unhe pata hai. Voh ghar pe nahi hai?" Taani asked.

"Aaj uski koi meeting thi. Abhi tak aa jana chahiye tha usse." Rannvijay wondered.

"Please don't say that this deal meant a lot to you too. I won't be able to bear this guilt." Taani prayed.

"Kya hua? Kahan kho gayi?" Juhi shook her a little.

"Mujhe call karke aana chahiye tha. I'm so sorry for disturbing you two." Taani apologized.

"Kaisi baatein kar rahi ho. You are always welcome here." Juhi hushed her.

The door opened and Rey walked in with Swayam. They looked tousled and exhausted. Rey saw his parents and Taani looking at him and broke into a smile.

"Kahan gaye the tum dono? Halath dekho apni." Juhi scolded them.

Rey came forward and hugged her tightly. She hugged him back and ran her hand over his head.

"You okay?" She asked parting away.

"I'll freshen up and come." Rey excused himself.

"Isse kya hua hai?" Juhi asked Swayam, once Rey left.

"Kuch nahi aunty, bas thodi satak gayi thi uski. Now he's fine." Swayam informed her and left after bidding goodbye to everyone.

|| An Hour Ago ||

Rey closed his eyes shut on reflex as the splash of water hit his face.

"Dude!" He shouted.

"Sorry, but you weren't listening." Swayam closed the bottle cap and tossed it into his car.

They had stopped at their usual hangout place, the garden, while returning home from the meeting. They both needed fresh air to cool themselves down. Rey was still pissed off because of the failure of the deal and was in no mood to listen to Swayam. He was constantly gazing at his phone, expecting a call.

"It wasn't her fault and you know it." Swayam said after a long trail of silence.

"Will you stop that. She hasn't called yet and now I'm starting to get worried. Meine kuch jyada toh nahi bol diya usse?" Rey glanced at his phone again.

"I'm not meddling in this. But, you need to calm down. She's probably not yet landed. Just get yourself together so that I can take you home."

"Mein theek hoon." Rey retorted.

"Dikh raha hai kitna theek hai." Swayam rolled his eyes at him and got in the car.

Once inside the car, Rey was still fixated on his phone. He was dead silent.

"With this traffic ahead of us, we still have about an hour till we reach home. Why don't you take a nap? It'll help you." Swayam suggested.

Rey nodded silently and closed his eyes resting his head on the headrest. Swayam took his phone and tossed it in the dashboard allowing Rey to rest peacefully, without any disturbance. His exhaustion silenced the noise outside, allowing him to sleep.

"Maa, aap dono itni jaldi kaise aagaye?" Rey asked once he joined the others downstairs.

Juhi and Rannvijay were sitting on one end of the living room couch. Taani sat opposite to them. Rey unconsciously went and sat near her.

"Apparently, your sister was pissed off as you didn't go with us to meet her. So, she kicked us out." Rannvijay joked.

"It's the season of being pissed off." Rey muttered under his breath but Taani caught on to it.

Her chest became heavy and she could not handle any more guilt.

"You okay?" Rey looked at the worry lines on her face.

"I needed to talk to you. Alone." Her voice was weak and it alarmed him.

"We'll be in the backyard." Rey announced and got up followed by Taani.

...

"What's the matter? You look worried." Rey asked once they were outside.

"I am."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Rey, I'm sorry."

Rey gave her a puzzled look which turned to concern on seeing her eyes water.

"Hey, ro kyun rahi ho? Aur kis cheez ke liye sorry bol rahi ho? Hua kya hai?"

"It was my fault that you didn't get the deal." Tears were flowing down her face by now.

"Deal? Kya? Ek second, tumhe iss sab ke baare mein kaise pata chala?" He was baffled.

"Jab tumne Sharon ko call kiya tha, I was the one who had answered that call." She said between sobs.

"No!" His eyes widened in shock. "Iska matlab.." He looked at Taani and she just nodded. "Why didn't you stop me from rambling? I'm so sorry that you had to hear that rant." He pulled her into a hug.

"I'm really sorry, Rey. Isme Sharon ki koi galati nahi hai." She murmured against his chest.

"I know. In fact, kisiki bhi koi galati nahi hai. Please stop crying." He comforted her.

"Please don't be mad at her." She kept mumbling.

"I am not mad at anyone. Aur tum pehle rona band karo yaar." He pulled her apart and wiped away her tears.

"I'm sorry." She leaned on to his hands on her cheeks.

He sat her down beside him and wrapped his arm around her. She was still sniffing. He let her. When he felt her calm down completely, he looked at her and saw guilt and pain in her eyes.

"Why do you think that this was your fault?" He asked her calmly.

"You were so angry on the phone. And you did mention ki humare uss lunch endeavor ki wajah se your deal was called off." She diverted her gaze off him.

"About that. First, you shouldn't answer calls for someone. And if you do, speak before the other person does!" He chuckled and she smiled weakly. "Roka kyun nahi mujhe?"

"You kept going on and then you mentioned why your deal was cancelled and how Sharon was at fault. But, the truth is that meri vajah se she took a jab at you. Agar mein nahi hoti toh yeh sab nahi hota." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Regardless of you two going for lunch and looting me, if I may add, this deal was never going to happen." He gave her a side eye on the looting part.

"Actually, four." She bit her lower lip to stop herself from smiling.

"Oh, I see. Don't you think I should have been the first one to meet them? Considering we are going to be betrothed, aren't we?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Yes." She smiled answering the last part of his question.

"Thanks for genuinely smiling." He smiled back.

"You said that the deal was not meant to be. Toh Sharon ko phone pe itna sab kyun sunaya?" She asked recollecting his earlier statement.

"Erm, it's a.. it's kind of our thing." He ruffled his hair feeling embarrassed.

"What?" She asked enjoying his actions.

"Hum dono short tempered hai aur kuch level tak impulsive bhi. Because of which we end up doing things that we shouldn't. So, as a solution to it, we've made a pact to yell at each other and vent out our anger. Hum jab bhi aise situations mein hote hai, ek dusre pe gussa nikalte hai. Phir jab gussa thanda ho jata hai, saamne wala call karke dus gaaliyan bakta hai." He chuckled and continued. "Pichle ek ghanta se I was getting worked up ki Sharon ne call kyun nahi kiya. Now I know why."

"She has no idea of this mess." She completed for him.

"Unless, she has touched down and has called Swayam. Anyways, I'm really sorry for yelling at you." He apologized.

"You were yelling at Sharon." She reminded him.

"You answered the call."

"So, am I supposed to say that I accept your apology?"

"To accept or not is entirely your choice. But, I am genuinely sorry."

"Rey. Taani." They heard Juhi call out for them.

Taani tried to turn around on instinct but her movements were obstructed due to Rey's arm around her. It was then that she realized their sitting position and jerked back as an impulse. Rey felt her trying to create distance between them and so he let go. She stood up and started moving indoors.

"Taani." He called and she stopped. "Listen, I didn't intend to make you feel uncomfortable, but this is how I am. I am quite physical, in the sense, this hugging and stuffs comes naturally to me. I hope you get it."

"I understand. And I didn't want to pull back, it was just a reflex. I mean, all this is still new for me." She trailed off.

"Don't worry, I'll try to keep my hands to myself the next time." He joked and turned to head in. "Chale?"

"Rey." She stopped him.

"Hmn?"

"I accept your apology."

"So, how are things going on with Taani?" Sharon smirked.

Rey and Sharon were on a Skype call. Sharon had learnt about the happenings of the day when she had called Swayam. Rey's call to her was recorded in her phone which meant that someone had answered the call and since Taani was the only one near her phone at that time, Sharon had concluded as to what might have had happened.

"Too soon?" She asked when he didn't answer.

"Phone apne paas rakhne takleef hoti hai?" He sneered.

"Oh hello, you are in no position to give me such looks. Kya kahan tha? Meri wajah se deal cancel huyi? Abhi mein wahan hoti toh tujhe do thappad laga chuki hoti." She scolded.

"Sorry." He muttered.

"Taani se baat huyi? Poor thing had to bear your wrath." She asked and he chuckled. "Kya hua?"

"Taani yahan aayi thi." He answered.

"To break up with you?" Sharon interrupted.

"Well, that would have made more sense. But, she was here to apologize."

"For?"

"Usse lagta hai ki uski wajah se tune mujhe loota."

"I cannot completely disagree with that. I might have used her as my shield." Sharon confessed.

"Might have?" He mocked. "Yes, you did! But, that wasn't the problem. She felt she was the one to be blamed for the deal."

"Pagal hai kya voh?" Sharon said as an instinct. "You did talk to her, right?"

Rey remembered their talk earlier and how it felt to sit next to her with her in his arms. His lips curved into a smile and he went into a trance.

"Earth calling Rey." Sharon giggled as she managed to get his attention. "I guess you two did more than just talking." She winked.

"Shut up!" He tried acting annoyed but he liked the leg-pulling.

"Not bad. You're enjoying the tease. Are we going to hear the wedding bells soon?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"You wish!" He rolled her eyes at her.

"Tune kabhi bataya nahi what you feel for her."

"Mujhe khud nahi pata yaar. But, one thing is for sure, uss din ke baad I definitely do feel something for her."

"Kis din?"

"That rainy night."

"Did I not always tell you, rain brings out the romance. Par tu meri sunta kaha hai."

"Okay meri maa. Now I agree. Happy?" He pleaded with joined hands.

"Now that you seem normal, care to explain what went wrong?"

"Forget about it. Abh soch ki aage kya karna chahiye."

"Well, I sort of have an idea. Par AB ki opinion leni hogi. He knows the best."

"Yeah he does. Chal see you on Monday then."

"Hi. I'm Kiya. Mansi ma'am's assistant and your guide for the day." Kiya grinned at Taani, Arjun and Purvi.

"Hello gorgeous, I'm Arjun." He forwarded his hand.

"Toh tum Arjun ho. I would have never been able to guess that, between the of you three." Kiya said innocently making Taani and Purvi laugh.

"Sorry Kiya. He sometimes forgets that he has a girlfriend." Purvi sneered at him.

"You three seem fun. I was dreading ki koi boring interns aane wale hai." Kiya smiled at them. "Abh chale? Ma'am has asked you'll to wait in her cabin. Late huye, toh meri band bajegi."

They walked to the cabin and on their way, Kiya showed them the various departments where they will be working in their internship term. She barged the door open and heard a loud curse from the other side.

"Kiya!" Rey stood glaring in front of her.

"Sorry. Lagi kya?"

"Nahi. Mujhe aise faltu ka chillana pasand hai!" She flinched at his tone. "Of course lagi hai, you idiot." He straightened his fingers which were jammed after the impact from the door.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know that you were inside." She apologized.

"It's the second time this has happened, Kiya. You've got to stop barging in." He said massaging his fingers.

"At least it's the other hand. Abh balance out ho gaya." She said innocently and looked down to hide her smile.

Rey looked past her and saw Taani, Purvi and Arjun struggling to maintain a straight face. He then snapped his fingers in front of Kiya and gained her attention.

"Manas ko yeh file dena and tell her it's urgent." He handed her the file.

"With best compliments, Rey." Kiya giggled on reading the sticky note attached to it.

Rey turned on his heel to head out of the cabin. He paused in front of Taani for a brief second, smiled at her and stepped out.

"Rey sir!" Kiya called out for him.

"Hmn?" He stopped at the door and turned around.

"Good morning." She chirped.

He opened his mouth to say something but stopped and left rolling his eyes at her. Kiya closed the cabin door behind him.

"You almost broke his hand and he seemed okay with it?" Arjun asked astonished.

"Oh, he's pretty chill that way. Doesn't get angry at such trivial things." She answered.

"So, are you like friends with him?" Taani asked. She was curious about him.

"No. And trust me, don't even try. It takes a huge ass deal to impress him and he doesn't easily get impressed. Been there, done that!" Kiya scoffed.

"Wait a second, you tried to impress your boss?" Purvi was dazzled.

"Not in any romantic way!" She said horrified. "But yeah, I've tried to impress him. He's jovial and all, but doesn't easily make friends."

"And why do you presume that I want to befriend him?" Taani asked cautiously.

"Well, I saw you with Sharon ma'am the other day and you seem to be mesmerized by him. So, I just put two and two together."

"It's nothing like that." Taani diverted her gaze.

"Jhoot bolna atchi baat nahi hai." Arjun whispered playfully.

Taani elbowed him and stopped him from saying anything further. Just then the door opened and Mansi stepped in. They put on a serious face and greeted her. She wished back and sat on her chair.

"Yeh Rey sir ne diya hai." Kiya handed her the file.

Mansi scoffed on reading the sticky note and tossed it in the bin. She placed the file down and then turned to her new interns.

"Kiya ne tum teeno ko office ki tour de di hogi, so I'll appoint you your work." They nodded at her. She continued. "This entire week you'll be working under my subordinates, jo alag alag projects handle kar rahe hai. Two days with each of them. Then accordingly, you'll be appointed in the right team. Kiya, take them to Naveen. I've spoken to him."

...

"Kaunse college se ho?" Naveen asked Taani.

Naveen had appointed them their guides and Taani was working under him. He had explained her what work would be expected from her and now they were randomly chatting.

"INIFD." Taani answered.

"Andheri wala?"

"Haan."

"Which year?"

"Abhi final year mein hoon. Last sem."

"Aage padhne wali ho ya job?"

"Agar atchi job mili toh job karungi. Masters ka abhi socha nahi hai."

They got back to working again. Naveen explained her the software which is used in the company while doing his work. She was getting bored just sitting and listening, and practically jumped up when he freed her for lunch.

"Taani!" She heard someone yell her name in the corridor and stopped.

"Sharon?" Taani wasn't expecting her.

"Thank god tum mil gayi."

"Kya hua?"

"Uss din ke mix up ke baare mein pata chala. You alright na? Rey bhi na, poora pagal hai."

"Sharon!" Taani stopped her from blabbering. "Everything is fine. You don't have to feel guilty."

"Thanks."

"Tum lunch karne nahi ja rahi?" Taani asked Sharon when she turned back to go to her cabin.

"Aaj humara cabin mein hi hone wala hai. Too much work." Sharon said referring to Rey, Swayam and herself.

Bidding good bye, they left. Taani to the canteen and Sharon back to her cabin.

...

"Bore ho raha hai?" Naveen asked Taani when he saw her yawning.

"Nahi voh actually kuch karne ko nahi hai." Taani was embarrassed.

"Aaj first day hai. Aage jaake yeh free time miss karogi." He chuckled making her laugh as well.

"Already impressed the new intern, not bad Naveen." Kiya lauded him.

"Abh kya kaam hai?" He instantly groaned on seeing her.

"Topic mat change kar. Waise, jyada kuch kaam nahi hai. Mansi ma'am ne isme kuch corrections kiye hai. Cross check karke Rey sir ko bhej dena file." Kiya informed him.

"Meine koi topic nahi change kiya. Aur tumhare ma'am aur sir ko jaake bol ki saath baith ke kaam kar le. Mera kaam aasaan hojayega aur dono ko saath mein time spend karne bhi milega." He scoffed.

"Mujhe meri job khone ka shauk nahi hai. Just check this thing and send it to him." Kiya left.

"I should have expected this." Naveen said looking at the file.

"Kya hua?" Taani was confused.

"Extra work for me, thanks to our beloved Rey sir." Naveen got to reading the file.

"But he's an architect, right?" Taani was confused as this wasn't Rey's department.

"Haan toh exterior voh design karega, interior ke liye urgent chipkake yahan kaam badhayega. Nothing new."

He got engrossed in reading the file. Taani wanted to learn more about Rey but she let that go and got back to her work of doing nothing and observing.

"And score!" Swayam did a victory dance.

Taani stood at the door and watched aghast at the condition of the cabin. There were paper balls puddled at the base of the dustbin, which was overflowing with them. Rey, Swayam and Sharon stood at the desk with paper balls in both their hands.

"Taani? Tum, yahan?" Rey asked.

She was still staring at his hands which were raised in mid-throw. He quickly straightened himself.

"Hey Taani." Sharon and Swayam too placed the paper balls that they were holding on the desk.

"Hi." Taani managed to utter.

"Swayam, you mind joining me outside?" Sharon said eyeing Rey and Taani. Swayam understood and they both left.

"Idiots!" Rey shook his head at them and asked Taani in.

"Yeh file Naveen ne bheji hai." Taani handed him the file.

"Thank you. So, how is your first day at work going?" Rey asked her.

"Going good so far. Aaj jyada kuch kaam tha nahi."

"Yeh grace week hai. Next week se Manas will make you hate her." He chuckled.

"Matlab jitni horror tales unke baare mein suni hai voh sab sach hai?"

"Sab ka toh pata nahi, but 99% toh sach hogi hi." He agreed.

"Thanks for the tip." She smiled biting her lower lip.

"Tumne yahan apply kab kiya?"

"Humare roke ke kuch din baad." The word roka brought a smile on both their faces.

"Kabhi bataya nahi?"

Taani wanted to give him the real reason and not dodge the question, but wavered.

"Taani, you don't have to hesitate while talking to me." He reminded her.

"I know. But, I don't know how to explain this to you."

"Yahan baitho and just speak your heart out." He made her sit on the chair and stood leaning against the desk.

"Purvi, Arjun aur mein kaafi time se internship ke liye places shortlist kar rahe the aur teeno ki list mein Mansi Roy ka naam top pe tha. I knew that it was difficult to get in, but we wanted to give it a try. Issi beech, mein tumse mili aur humara roka hua. And trust me, I wanted to tell you about me applying here. Mujhe kai mauke bhi mile, but I just couldn't."

"Kyun? Agar bata deti toh kya ho jata?"

"I don't know. But, I knew that I didn't want your interference in this matter."

She looked up at him and he was standing with crossed arms, raised eyebrows and wide eyes, comprehending what she said.

"You're getting me wrong." She said hurriedly.

"I don't want to. So, please explain."

"Due to your post in the company, you could easily put in a word for me. And, I didn't want that advantage. I wanted to get it on my ability." She explained and it got a weird sense of joy mixed with satisfaction to him.

"Meine tumhe kabhi bataya hai ki meine iss rishte ke liye haan kyun ki thi?" His question threw her off guard.

She shook her head in negation.

"Hum dono roke ke pehle kuch chaar baar mile honge?" She nodded and he continued. "Unn chaar meetings mein you came out as a smart, strong willed, independent person. Be it asking me to drop you to, I assume, Arjun's house and not disclose your address or telling me upfront that listen I don't think we two should be a thing. That quality of yours made me want to give you a chance in my life. Aur roke ke baad se jitna tumhe jaana hai, I know for sure that you want to mould your life with minimalistic help. And I genuinely respect that." He looked intensely at her.

"I think I should get going." She stood up abruptly. She wasn't ready for such revelations. Heat had creeped up her face making her blush and she was sure that he could see her turn pink.

"Aren't you curious why I told you all this?" He made her sit again. She shivered at his touch. "Sorry." He took his hands off her shoulders.

She giggled remembering their earlier conversation where he had told her that he would try to keep his hands to himself.

"To be honest, I didn't like that you kept this away from me." He himself answered. "But now, I'm happy that you did. I would have ended up doing a favor. Aur voh fair nahi hota."

"Why do I dread talking to you?" She worded her thoughts and bit her tongue the second realization hit her.

"It's not your problem luv, I have this effect on people." He winked flirtingly. She smiled heartily at him.

"On a serious note, why do you dread talking to me?" He questioned her.

"Fear of being judged, I guess." She answered, relaxing into the chair.

"I'm no saint to judge."

"I don't know then." She raised her shoulders carelessly. She was learning to get comfortable around his presence.

"What the hell are you two doing for so long?" Sharon barged in. "Wahan Naveen bechaara tumhe dhundh raha hai. Usse lag raha hai ki tum Rey ka cabin dhundte dhundte ghum gayi ho. Usse kya pata ki tum toh cabin mein hi ghum ho gayi ho." Sharon teased her.

Taani stood up embarrassingly. She was flushed due to Sharon's comments. Rey just shook his head at her antics. He knew Sharon was a lost cause. There was no way to stop her from teasing either one of them. It was as if she was repaying all the teasing that he had enjoyed when she had told him about her feelings for Swayam. He had no option but to bear it without any complaints.

"Good morning." Taani greeted Naveen who was buried in a huge pile of files.

"Morning. Purvi aaj tum bhi mere saath hi kaam karogi." Naveen stopped Purvi from going to her guide.

"Naveen, yeh sab kya hai?" Taani pointed at the files.

"Tumhe kal kaam chahiye tha. Well congratulations, you've got it." He said sarcastically.

"Itna bhi nahi maanga tha." Taani muttered.

Letting out a breath, Naveen spoke, "Purvi, you work with me on the files and Taani, since you grasped the software pretty quickly, please continue my work from yesterday."

"Are you sure?" Taani was baffled.

"Yes. Keep updating me throughout."

"She is bloody good at understanding such things." Purvi praised her.

"Yeah, I came to know that yesterday." Naveen joined in on the praise.

They all got down to work. By lunch time, Naveen and Purvi were done. Taani was still working on Naveen's project and consulting him every hour. Naveen dismissed them for lunch.

...

"Uh-oh!"

"Kya hua?" Purvi asked Taani.

"Exactly? Naveen ne mujhe bhi kyu bulaya hai?" Arjun asked.

"Kiya yahan pe hai." Taani simply stated.

"Toh?" Arjun asked.

"According to Naveen, jab bhi Kiya aati hai, kaam leke aati hai. Isiliye shayad tujhe bhi bulaya hai." Taani explained.

"There you are!" Naveen spotted them. "Taani, get back to the same work. Arjun and Purvi, we've got loads of new work."

"Interns aren't supposed to work directly on any projects." Kiya reminded him.

"Mansi has played a smart calculated move." Naveen told Kiya. Mansi had sent her to help Naveen.

"Matlab?" Kiya asked.

"Tujhe nahi pata?"

"Kya?"

"Let me explain. Arjun, tum teeno ki internship term kitne mahine ki hai?" Naveen inquired.

"Six months. Why?" Arjun questioned back. Taani was silently listening to their conversation.

"And what's the stipend?" Naveen asked further.

"No stipend. But why are you asking this?" Arjun was suspicious now.

"Are you serious?" Kiya exclaimed when she understood what Naveen meant.

"Part time hai. Toh working days three months aayenge. Which means no stipend! Bola na, calculated smart move."

"I don't believe it!" Kiya was still shocked.

"What are you guys talking about?" Purvi asked.

"Company policy states that any internship above three months must receive stipend." Kiya explained. "No wonder she recruited freshers. Unko experience milega aur yahan extra hands to get the work done."

"Win win for all!" Naveen chuckled.

"Toh tumhare kehne ka matlab hai ki we should be receiving stipend?" Purvi asked gathering from the conversation.

"Technically, yes." Kiya agreed. "But, how did this? I mean, end mein toh Rannvijay sir ki sign lagti hai. How did he not see this?" She turned to Naveen.

"You think that's difficult? I guess you're forgetting the important link." He gave a knowing look.

"Rey sir!"

"Exactly! He had to get the papers signed."

"Tujhe kaise pata?"

"Papers meine hi banaye the and I know the drill."

"So, he knew about us joining the company." Arjun mumbled.

"That's unfair, right?" Purvi was uncertain as to what to take in from all this.

"That's nepotism! Which is why I've made my resignation letter. Usme sirf date nahi daali hai. Rey CEO bante hi I'm out of here!" Naveen scoffed.

Arjun, Purvi and even Taani, who wasn't even participating in the conversation, gawked at Naveen.

"Don't you think that's a bit harsh?" Taani spoke for the first time.

"Okay, here goes nothing. You didn't hear it from me, par iss company mein bohot kuch hota hai jo nahi hona chahiye. And sadly, you can't do anything about it as the main culprit per se is the CEO's son." Naveen had a repulsed look on his face.

"You can't blame Rey sir entirely. It's Mansi ma'am and him together that are creating a havoc but in their diabolical way it's benefiting the company." Kiya defended Rey.

"Yeah, I know, they aren't doing anything repulsive, but this isn't fair." Naveen said dejected.

"Why? You want to stand for elections?" Arjun joked.

"No. It's Naveen, the disciple, who is speaking. Isn't it?" Kiya gave Naveen a knowing look.

"Oh, come on, even you know that he should be here and not in Melbourne." Naveen reciprocated.

"Armaan?" Taani took a wild guess.

"You know him?" Naveen squinted at her.

"Heard of him." She quickly covered up her slip of tongue.

Taani didn't want her relationship with Rey to be disclosed, especially not when she was getting various insights about him. She exchanged glances with Arjun and Purvi, and they too decided that it was better to just hear everything out.

"Yes, I'm talking about Armaan Mallik. Not because he was my mentor but he should be the one who becomes the CEO after sir retires. Rey, Swayam and Sharon may be good but they stand nowhere when compared to him." Naveen had pride in his voice when he mentioned about his mentor, Armaan.

"He used to work here?" Taani asked.

"Yes. Three years ago, he permanently left the Mumbai office and shifted to Melbourne. His work ethics are earnest which is why I still look up to him."

"How long have you been working here?" Purvi asked amazed.

"Six and a half years." Naveen answered.

"You mentioned about Rey.. sir.. not being fit for the post. Why do you think so? Kuch toh reason hoga hi na." Taani probed about Rey.

"Kaam ke beech mazak masti karna is fine, but these deceptive games, are just too much. Moreover, sir has no idea about it."

"But still, you're judging him. And that's not fair." Taani argued.

"And you're defending him. Chup ho ja." Arjun whispered to her.

"I'm not judging him. Can never do that! It's his working style that I loathe. Also, you won't understand where I'm coming from. You have to work under Armaan sir to comprehend it."

"Naveen here is smitten by Armaan sir." Kiya giggled.

"Say what you like, but even you know that he would make a better CEO."

"How can you be sure that he won't become the CEO? After all, he is the elder brother." Taani wanted to know more.

"Uh-uh. He is the elder cousin who was sent away to create a vacant spot for the CEO's son." Naveen said shrewdly.

"What about his other two partners? Don't they have a chance?" Taani kept going.

"They own 25% equity each, and Singhania's 50. It's not a tough math."

"Why are we discussing all this when we have so much work left to do?" Arjun interrupted before Taani blurted out something that she shouldn't.

"Not you, us. Naveen and I have work to do. Look at the time. You guys should leave. Rules kitne bhi bend karlo, par interns ko overtime karna allowed nahi hai and Mansi ma'am has made sure I keep a check on that." Kiya instructed them and they left.

"When did you start hating Rey sir so much?" Kiya asked Naveen.

"I can never get myself to hate him and you know the reason behind it!"

||Three Years Ago ||

Naveen slumped on the chair in Rey's cabin after ending the call. Rey looked worried at him. He wasn't moving and was just staring into the oblivion. He shook him and Naveen teared up.

"Who was on the call? What happened?" Rey gave him a glass of water.

"Mere bhai ka phone tha. His daughter met with an accident."

"Is she..?" Rey didn't even want to think of the worst outcome.

"Blood loss bohot hua hai. Aur utna blood available nahi hai." Naveen held his head and sobbed.

"Chalo." Rey pulled him up to his feet.

"Kahan?"

"Hospital."

Rey drove to the hospital. Naveen's brother and his wife were standing outside the operation theatre and crying. Naveen ran to them and comforted them.

"We've checked all the close by blood banks. Last week ek bus accident hua tha aur O negative ka major stock use hogaya tha due to emergency. Because of which uski sufficient quantity nahi arrange ho pa rahi hai. She needs more blood." The doctor informed them.

"I'm O negative!" Rey came forward.

"That's great!" The doctor looked relieved.

"You don't have to." Naveen tried to argue.

"Naveen, this is the reason I came with you. Tumne kaha usse khoon ki jarurat hai. Now, let's not waste time." He followed the doctor.

...

"You didn't even think twice before coming here and helping." Naveen and Rey were outside the I.C.U. where his niece was kept.

"I didn't have to. Universal donor hone ka kya fayda agar jarurat mein kaam na aaye?" Rey chuckled to lighten the atmosphere.

"You know, I never thought good of you since Armaan sir left. I'm sorry." Naveen apologized.

"I can never take his place but, I'm not as bad as you're thinking of me."

"You're the purest soul I've ever come across!"

"Taani tu theek hai?" Purvi asked Taani. They were sitting in the canteen.

"I don't know. I'm just overwhelmed."

"I'm sure he has his reasons to not like Rey. Par iska matlab yeh nahi hota ki Rey is.."

"I know Rey isn't anything like that." Taani interrupted her. "Par ek cheez mujhe ajeeb lagi. Why was Naveen was hinting at Rey and Mansi?"

"He wasn't the only one hinting at that." Arjun stated.

"Kya matlab?" Purvi asked.

"Kal bhi meine unn dono ka naam link up hote suna. But, I don't think that's true. I mean if there was something going on, he wouldn't have said yes to Taani. Right?" Arjun tried to rule that suspicion out.

"Aur Armaan bhai? I mean Rey told me they both are very close to each other. How will he react if he comes to know what people here think of him?" Worry lines formed on her forehead.

"Taani?" Purvi shook her. "It's their matter, let them handle."

"I've agreed to marry him Purvi. It's not just their matter."

"I understand. Par tere tension lene se sab solve hojayega? Nahi na. So please let them handle." Purvi explained.

"Taani, are you really sure about Rey?" Arjun questioned which clearly angered Taani.

"Why are you asking that?"

"Rey knew about us applying here. Yet, he played along with the plan and so well that he even acted surprised on seeing us."

"No, he didn't know about it." Taani stated matter-of-factly.

"You sure?"

"Yes, I am!"

"I'm just asking kyunki after what Naveen said, it's a little hard to believe that Rey was unaware of all this." Arjun explained himself.

"He was definitely unaware. He wasn't acting. Not a bit." Taani walked off.

"Iss Reyansh Singhania se toh abh milna hi hoga!" Arjun said and Purvi nodded.

Hello everyone😃
I've never experienced so may requests for an update😲
Man! I didn't know you guys were so indulged in the story.
I'm sorry for taking long, but I'm busy. Can't really do anything about it.
Also, chances are that the next update will take a month. I'm not getting enough time to write.

Now, to the question of the update. I don't know if you guys read it, but it's my duty to ask.
How well did you get to know him?😉

Please hit Like and Comment down below😳