Kaya SS || Figuring It Out || AU Last Part UP! *19/06* - Page 3

After sleeping on the knowledge of the rumours going round the office, Kabir was more bothered about them today than he was yesterday. He was sure he'd feel much better after a talk with Ananya but he hadn't been able to get round to that as yet cause she had been busy the entire morning with a debate and now was out investigating a lead. Maybe he needed to do some investigation of his own. He picked up his phone and dialed Flora Dale.

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After two hours a bouquet of lavenders and cala lilies, which had travelled around the whole office, was sitting on his desk, with a fake card signed Shreya attached to it. Now that should get the rumour mill running, Kabir thought.

He decided to take discreet rounds of the cubicles and cafeteria to hear what was being exchanged between the employees. It did make him feel a little stupid wasting time like this, and it probably meant that Shreya was partly right about people here being lax about work. But this was important and hopefully it won't take long.

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Half an hour later Kabir had found out nothing. There was no discreet way of spying on journalists. People were too aware of their bosses passing them by and too careful to not slip anything about them to them.

He reached for his phone and dialed Ananya's extension. She answered on the third ring.

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"Hey! Where have you been?" Kabir asked sounding a little relieved as he entered my cabin.

"You know exactly where I've been." I replied as I arranged my notes on my desk.

"You didn't return any of my calls." He continued as he leaned on my desk.

"I've been busy." I said still focusing on the task at hand.

"Ananya, look alert! I need to discuss something with you." He cried out a little exasperated, probably because I wasn't meeting his eye. He hates that.

"What, Kabir?" I asked as I looked up at him entwining my fingers, after taking a deep breath. If he wanted to discuss how wonderful his date was and what assortment of flowers he was sent by his date this afternoon, I was going to need a lot of patience.

"There are rumours going around about us dating." Kabir said bracingly.

I blinked at him, taken aback.

"Okay?" I said not sure what I might add to it.

"You aren't surprised." Kabir observed, astute as he is at reading me.

"Well my best friend thinks we've been dating for a while." I replied calmly. In truth I was feeling bloody pissed that he was so clueless.

"What, why?" He asked a little astounded.

Before I could answer there was a knock on my door. A flower delivery boy entered with a bouquet of roses. I signed for the delivery and then looked into the card attached with it.

"I thought a bouquet of your own might cheer you up. Dinner tonight? - Manav"

"What the hell!" Kabir cried agitated. "Why is this buffoon sending you flowers?" he asked me. I took a deep breath to calm myself down cause I was seeing red. So this was the reason why people have been sending me sympathetic looks since morning, cause they thought I was dumped by Kabir Sharma, and here I thought hearing about bouquets was the last thing that would upset me today.

"Thanks Manav. But I'm not up for dinner today. Rain check?" I texted him without answering Kabir's query. He is going to be mad; he hates being ignored. But well I'm madder.

"You're not actually thinking of going out with him, are you?" Kabir asked as I kept my cell down.

"Why do you ask?" I countered collecting the TTN contracts papers I had picked up for review before he laid eyes on them.

"You can't go out with him Ananya!" Kabir exclaimed keeping a hand on the said papers so I'd look at him.

"I can't go out with him?" I asked him scornfully as I snatched the papers from under his palm. Some gall he has. "Who're you to tell me that?"

"He... I..." Kabir floundered for words cause he had no idea what he wanted to say. But then he spotted TTN's logo on the manila envelope containing the papers.

"What's this?" he asked me, now grabbing the papers from my hand. "You're leaving KKN?"

"Yes." I said stiffly.

"Why?" Kabir asked flabbergasted

"Because I get to be Co-editor at TTN." I replied simply.

"You can be Co-Editor here," he said.

"Kabir you especially got your contract to stipulate that there won't be a position for co-editor while you are at KKN." I said reeling at the turns this conversation was taking. Just why was he so oblivious!

"We can work something out..." he started saying.

"There isn't any need to work anything out especially when a simple solution is available. And anyway, why would you bring your career down to give me a leg up?!" I asked him. Please bhagwan iss bande ko thodi akal de do.

"Ananya you're not leaving here! I won't let you!" he said high-handedly. Oh he was pushing all the wrong buttons today!

"Why the hell?" I exclaimed truly exasperated now.

"I don't know all right!" he shouted frustrated.

"This is just swell! Seriously the great Kabir Sharma drawing up blanks! For an intelligent person you can be so clueless sometimes Kabir! Do you know yourself at all? Before going all high and mighty with me, do you have any idea what you want?

"You have nothing figured out! You are so oblivious. If only you'd open your eyes a little you'd see what's staring you right in the face! Then you wouldn't be surprised as to why people think we're dating. You wouldn't have to come to me asking questions!

"Because you'd know then it was probably because we've been out on lunch together more times than is viable for colleagues. That we spend an awful lot of time together, that we are too involved and that you take liberties with me that you don't with other people. That we've pretty much been exclusive to each other for a long time until you started seeing Shreya Shrivastava and inspite of your involvement with her you're upset if someone shows a little interest in me!

"You tell me I can't go out with Manav! But you've got no answer why. You're ready to pull your career down for me and again no answer why! And I have had enough of this! I don't have to deal with this! But you need to get your act together!" I completed my rant and left him staring at my back as I exited the room.