Rakshit had made peace with it. Or at least, that was what he kept telling himself.
The day he had gone to Appu's house with a ring hidden in his pocket felt just like yesterday. He could still remember the excitement of his family, the nervousness of himself, and the ridiculous number of times he had practiced what he wanted to say.
Then he had learned the truth: Appu was married.
Everything after that became a blur. The ring stayed in his pocket, the words stayed unsaid, and Rakshit went home with a broken heart that nobody knew about. Not even Appu. Especially not Appu.
So when she showed up at his office, he hired her. Not because it was easy, but because saying no would have been much harder.
The first few days were awkward, at least for him. Appu had no idea about the storm he had just survived. She walked into meetings clutching files to her chest, asked questions, made mistakes, and apologized way too much. She also smiled, completely unaware of how dangerous that smile was for his peace of mind.
Rakshit kept things strictly professional. Painfully professional.
"Good morning, sir."
"Good morning."
"Can I submit this report?"
"Yes."
"Do you need anything else?"
"No."
That was it. Every day, every conversation was safe, controlled, and brief.
One afternoon, the cafeteria was packed, and every table was full. Appu stood holding her food tray, looking around helplessly. Rakshit was sitting alone. Their eyes met, and before either could look away, Dubeyji cheerfully called out, "Aprajita Madam, you can sit with sir."
Half the cafeteria suddenly became very interested in their own food.
Appu sat down across from Rakshit. It was silent and awkward for exactly thirty-two seconds. Then she looked at his plate.
Two plain phulkas, a small bowl of lauki-tomato sabzi, cucumber slices, and a tiny container of curd.
Appu stared at it in disbelief. Her own lunch looked like a festival beside it. She had methi paratha, aloo capsicum, carrot pickle, and a square of homemade besan barfi her mother had forced into the box.
"That's it?" she asked.
Rakshit glanced at his lunch. "What about it?"
"It looks sad."
Rakshit stared at her. "My lunch looks sad?"
"Very."
"How exactly does food look sad?"
Appu pointed dramatically at the lauki. "Start there."
"Lauki is healthy."
"Lauki is punishment pretending to be healthy."
By the end of lunch, they were in a heated debate over how elite Bhindi is, and why Baingan deserved more respect.
The next day, the argument shifted from vegetables to music, debating whether old classics or modern beats were better for focus. The day after that, they had a full-blown debate over whether pineapple belonged on pizza. Slowly, talking became easy, natural, and comfortable.
And like that, weeks passed and the office settled into a rhythm. Lunch together became normal, morning greetings were expected, and evening conversations lasted much longer than necessary. Neither of them acknowledged it, and neither questioned it.
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The office was quiet. The evening had faded into night, and the busy sounds of the daytime were completely gone. Everyone else had already gone home.
Appu was still at her desk, rubbing her tired eyes. Her work place shined on a mountain of loose papers and a complicated spreadsheet.
Inside his cabin, Rakshit packed his laptop bag. He stepped out, ready to leave, but stopped when he saw her. She looked exhausted, her chin resting in her hand as she tried to make sense of the data.
Without saying a word, Rakshit walked over to the office pantry.
A few minutes later, Appu heard a soft clink. She looked up, blinking against the dim light. A steaming mug of hot coffee had just been placed right next to her keyboard.
She looked from the mug up to Rakshit, who was standing there with his hands in his pockets.
"What's this?" she asked, a small smile teasing the corner of her lips.
"You have been staring at that same file for an hour," Rakshit said.
Appu leaned back in her chair, looking at him with raised eyebrows. "Are you monitoring me, sir?"
"No," he replied instantly, looking away for a second.
"You totally are," she countered, her smile widening as she reached for the warm mug.
Rakshit cleared his throat, adjusting his laptop strap on his shoulder to hide his slight embarrassment. He turned to walk away, but paused just before leaving her desk.
"Finish the report asap," he said softly. "And then go home."
He walked out of the office and headed to his car. But he didn't start the engine. Instead, he waited. Ten minutes later, Appu finally stepped out of the building. Only after seeing her cab disappear down the road did Rakshit drive home.
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"I don't think that's a good idea."
It was the third time Ira had dismissed Aprajita's idea during the meeting. If this had been three months ago, Appu would have been shaking with nerves, quietly backing down. But now, she had learned to speak with confidence. She knew how to explain her ideas clearly and defend her choices without hesitation.
"With all due respect, Ma'am," Appu said calmly, looking straight at Ira, "if you allow me to finish, you'll see why this option is highly cost-effective."
The conference room went completely silent.
Rakshit looked up from his notes. Not because she had spoken, but because she hadn't been afraid to. Ira had dismissed most of Appu's ideas since the day she joined. For the last three months, he had been noticing how much she had changed. The woman standing before him wasn't the terrified girl who was scared of making mistakes. She trusted herself now. She believed in her own voice. And every time he noticed it, he felt strangely proud.
"I think we should consider it." He finally spoke in a firm voice. "Aprajita, send the draft and designs to Ira. She will make the required changes and send to me for approval. And Ira," he turned his gaze to her, "make sure these suggestions from Aprajita are in the final draft."
Ira looked at Appu with fury, gathered her things, and left the room. As everyone else filed out, Appu gathered her papers, as she was trying but failing to hide her smile.
"I knew you would handle it." Rakshit said. "Great presentation."
She looked up in surprise.
Coming from anyone else, the compliment would have been nice. Coming from Rakshit, it felt like receiving a gold medal.
"Thank you," she smiled warmly.
Rakshit smiled back, and that smile stayed with him for the rest of the day. Somewhere along the way, he had stopped thinking about the future he had lost. These days, he found himself looking forward to lunch breaks.
Walking back to her desk, Appu looked around the office. For the first time in years, she wasn't afraid of tomorrow. If it was the old Aprajita, she would have rewritten the presentation ten times before showing it to anyone. And today, she had defended it in a room full of people. She wasn't afraid of failing or making mistakes anymore. She had started finding herself again.
And she had no idea that her growth was Rakshit's favorite thing to watch.
Across the office, Rakshit looked through the glass walls of his cabin. Appu was smiling, and it felt peaceful. Without even thinking, Rakshit smiled back.
The past had been full of unsaid words, and the ring still sat in a drawer at his house. But looking at her now, Rakshit realized that beautiful things could grow from the ruins of a heartbreak.
They didn't know what the future held, but as the evening sun dipped below the city skyline, a deep sense of hope settled into the quiet space between them. The days still looked ordinary from the outside. But somewhere between shared lunches, silly arguments, and quiet smiles, something extraordinary had already begun.
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Hey Guys, I hope you liked the story :)
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