Index
Chapter I - page 1
Chapter II - page 7
Chapter III - page 13
Chapter IV - page 22
Chapter V - page 27
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Chapter I
The all too familiar gates opened, yet this time it was with apprehension, not anticipation that Anokhi viewed the campus. Her alma mater looked just as it had before. Just as bright, lively, and breathtaking. As she watched clusters of students walking to and from class, others lounging on the green, and she was brought back to her first day. The day when she walked in with a dream. This institute was going to give her the wings to fly. She just didn’t know then that it would also become her tether, drawing her back forcefully, no matter how much distance she tried to put between herself and it.
Her car stopped and Anokhi took a moment to compose herself. It was a big day, and it was still a wonder to her that she showed up at all. The day she left this institute, it was with the intention of never returning. Which was why she had almost thrown the letter that held SIAC’s insignia out. In the last minute, Anokhi had grown weak and responded instead. Three weeks later, she now sat within the safety of her vehicle, the only place where she could pep herself up for this moment.
“I’ll be back shortly. You can park there,” she directed her driver before taking another deep breath and opening the door. As soon as her heels touched the pavement, Anokhi’s mask was up. Her stature was poised and graceful. She was a woman who had achieved a great deal more than anyone had thought she could. She faced the world with the pride that came with knowing she achieved what most told her she wouldn’t. Confident strides took her through the halls of the institute that had been a rung in the ladder towards her success.
“Anokhi madam?” A voice called out to her and she turned, instantly breaking into a smile at the familiar face.
“Ravi, how are you?” She approached the man who had helped her from her first day, whether by opening the library doors for her to sleep when she was shelter less or by bringing her shoes when her’s had broken.
“First class, madam. I got married. And…I’m going to be a father.” He shared with bashful excitement and Anokhi couldn’t hold back her joy to hear the news, immediately congratulating him and exchanging a few more pleasantries.
“But madam, what are you doing here?” He asked after they exhausted conversation about him. It was clear that her arrival was not announced to anyone, even those who might know her. She expected no fanfare, but somehow the fact that for her it was such a difficult choice to come but here, everything seemed normal stung. A fact that she kept to herself, hidden behind an unfaltering smile.
“I came to see Shaan sir. He wanted to talk to me about something. In fact, I’m probably running late for that meeting. But congrats again.” She gave him a quick smile and continued down the familiar path, stopping outside the conference room doors. She questioned herself one last time about whether she wanted to go through with this. In her response, she promised nothing but a meeting. She would hear Shaan sir out because of how much she respected him, but she also knew what stepping through these doors could mean. Was she ready to come back to SIAC? With a final push, she let herself in. If she had come this far, she might as well see it to the end. The room was empty, giving Anokhi another moment to contemplate how she would politely turn Shaan sir down.
“Ms. Anokhi Bhalla.” A shiver ran down her spine as she was brought out of her thoughts by another voice. Many people had said her name, yet it always hit differently coming from him. At one point it was spoken with contempt which slowly changed to admiration. Sometimes the loving version still rung in her ears. But today was different. It was neither contemptuous nor admiring nor loving. It was acidic, burning through the protective layers she built around herself before stepping foot on this campus.
It felt like a century between when he called for her and when she turned, but it was only a few seconds. Her expression was controlled while his was bemused. He looked the same. The same powerful demeanor, the same self-assured charisma, the same dignified stature. His features were still just as striking and had she not sternly prepared herself, her heartrate might have quickened at his mere presence.
She looked different to him though. She was no longer the young woman that had come into the college in bright suits and loud jewelry. Instead, she donned a pastel sari with modest accessories. Her eyes were devoid of the adoration he received for so long. Now, she looked at him with indifference, a respectful distance. The only thing that he could recognize in her was the long hair that flowed down her back. Everything else about this woman before him was foreign.
“What a pleasant surprise,” he drawled, entering the room that she thought would be her refuge for a few more minutes. His studied her for a second longer, gaze subtly stopping on her ring finger, her neck, her forehead. Not that it should have made a difference to him, but seeing each bare calmed an otherwise dangerous storm that her return caused.
“Pleasant,” she parroted quietly, tasting the venom-laced formality of the word and choosing to throw it back to him. “Likewise.” She looked at him directly, refusing to avert her gaze and let him know how he impacted her like she might have before.
“What are you doing here?” Shaurya questioned nonchalantly, moving to make himself a cup of coffee. Her presence had caught him off guard. Luck had taken pity on the man and put Ravi on his path towards the conference room. Had he not informed Shaurya of Anokhi’s return to campus, he would have walked into this situation blind. He was already reeling from the shock of her sudden appearance.
“I’m here to meet Shaan sir.” His grip on the mug tightened when she took his father’s name. He should have known that was what would bring her back to campus. What other reason would she have to come back? Her response was effortless. While he struggled to get even a single word out, she spoke with such ease that he could only applaud her for her ability to detach.
“I see,” he began, turning to face her with his air of indifference up. “Well, welcome back Ms. Bhalla. SIAC is glad to see you.” She recognized the coldness in the statement and the fact that he spoke not for himself but for the college. The man before her was the director of SIAC. He was not the man she had gotten to know, nor the one she loved in a different life.
“Glad to be back.” She responded with the same level of sincerity with which he had welcomed her. He nodded with a feigned smile while sauntering the other side of table from where she stood.
“I must say,” he continued, unable to keep himself from releasing some of the bitterness that was flowing through him in the moment. “I almost didn’t recognize you. Not only because I wasn’t expecting to see you of all people here,” she watched him quietly as he took a sip from his mug, waiting for him to finish his thought. “But you’ve changed quite a bit.”
“Thank you,” she began, feeling her own blood boil at the judgment and silent accusations undercutting his false praise. “And I must say,” she crossed her arms, now standing directly opposite him. “You haven’t changed at all,” Anokhi waited a beat before uttering the name she spent so long erasing from her mind. “Shaurya.”
Hearing his name from her lips caught him off guard. It wasn’t often that she used it but the woman before him barely resembled the woman from his past. This woman was some stranger whose features merely resembled the Anokhi Bhalla he knew. This woman was cocky and unapologetic.
The tension between them was palpable and suffocating, filled with all the words that had gone too far and all the words that remained unsaid.It was Shaan that finally broke the ice. He had purposefully come late, intending to give the two a chance to speak without his interference. But he should have known that putting them in the same room would only start a war.
“Anokhi,” he greeted warmly. Both pairs of eyes flashed to the older man and Anokhi broke into a genuine smile while Shaurya looked away to hide his irritation. His father had known that she was coming and hadn’t bothered to tell him? Why should he be surprised? She had always been his parents’ favorite.
“Shaan sir,” she gave him a quick hug which Shaurya watched with feigned indifference. “How are you?” No matter what her feelings were towards this institute, she was truly happy to see Shaan. From the day she stepped foot in Chandigarh, he had always been her biggest supporter.
“I’m very well, Anokhi. I was thrilled to hear back from you and I’m so glad you decided to come.” Shaurya’s attention piqued when his father said back. Did he reach out to her first? Was he the one that called Anokhi to campus? Why? Shaurya felt like the only one who wasn’t in on a secret the two shared and he couldn’t help but frown at the all too familiar feeling. She always had a way of making him feel like an outsider.
“Of course, sir. How could I not?” She responded graciously and Shaurya had to suppress a scoff at the fake sweetness. Where was that sweetness a moment ago? Why was she hiding the haughtiness now? Shaan led her back to the table, inviting her to take a seat. He walked around to his chair, motioning for Shaurya to do the same. When the latter resisted, Shaan placed his hand on his son’s shoulder, half as a greeting, half as an apology. Shaan knew that this surprise was probably difficult enough for Shaurya as it were. A proper apology would be in order after the meeting. They both took their seats and Shaan began.
“Anokhi, you know why I asked you to come from my letter. Have you given any thought to what I said?” Anokhi nodded, looking down at her fingers as the gaze of the man sitting across from her bore into her. He had no idea what the two were talking about and these secrets were really testing his patience.
“Dad, this seems like a conversation between the two of you. So, I’ll go. You finish talking. I have important work.” Before Shaurya could rise, Shaan put his hand on his shoulder again to keep him from leaving. Closing his eyes briefly to tell Shaurya to stay, he directed his attention back to Anokhi, awaiting her answer.
“Shaan sir, I’m really flattered that you thought of me. And you know after everything you’ve done for me, I’d never say no to anything you asked. But,” she hesitated to say no because she felt guilty for rejecting his offer. It was a wonderful opportunity, but it was one of many. She could provide detailed reasons why it wasn’t the right move for her at this moment. But she was self-aware enough to know that her reasons would be more personal if she chose to say no.
Shaurya diverted his gaze from Anokhi to Shaan. What the hell were these two talking about? Sensing his son’s frustration at the situation and Anokhi’s reluctance, Shaan decided to give her a second more to gather her thoughts, hoping maybe she'd decide this was the right choice for her.
“Shaurya, you know that we’ve been planning on launching the Women's Advancement and Leadership Initiative and were looking for a new Program Director.” Shaurya nodded, his brain not quick enough to make the connection between the program and the woman sitting before him. He had proposed the program a while back, meant to bring underresourced female students who showed great promise to SIAC to give them a chance to learn skills needed for advacement in their careers.
“We’re thinking of offering that position to Anokhi.” Shaurya looked his father with shock. He could not believe that Shaan was thinking of hiring Anokhi and hadn’t even thought to run it by him. As though he didn’t know the reasons why Shaurya would be opposed to the idea.
“Are you kidding me?” He hissed, dangerously angry. Anokhi looked up, realizing that Shaurya really had no idea why she was here. She thought that he had been feigning ignorance earlier, but he really had no idea. Somehow that hurt more, because it meant he was so apathetic towards her that he didn’t even know that she might very well be joining the staff.
“This girl?” His tone was condescending and Anokhi’s brow furrowed at his implication. He shot her a dissmissive look and scoffed, as though she were not even worth his time. “Dad, we have so many qualified applicants. What are you thinking, offering it to her?” Her temper flared at his tone. She hadn’t walked into this room begging him or SIAC to give her a job. She had been solicited for the position without even knowing her name was under consideration.
“For your kind information,” she began coldly, ready to put this arrogant jerk in his place. But Shaan cut her off, silently begging her to let him handle it with his eyes. She let out a hot stream of air and looked away, trying her best not to let this infuriating man break her composure. Under the table, she curled and uncurled her hands into fists. This was not who she was anymore. She was detached and disinterested. He wasn’t going to affect her.
“Shaurya, we did a blind review of applicants. You yourself read her record with educational programming for women. She was the candidate that was highest ranked among our faculty and directors. Anokhi has created immensely successful programs in many other institutions that have been well recognized. She would be an asset to SIAC, Shaurya. And she will make this program thrive.” She looked across the table at Shaurya who wore no expression. There was a surge of pride at hearing his father recite all of her achievements to him. The vindictive part of her wanted him to know that she wasn’t some unqualified nobody who needed this university anymore. The part of her that had sworn to never return to SIAC needed the reason she left to know that she didn’t come back with her tail between her legs. She came back with her head held high as an accomplished equal.
Shaurya on the other hand could not believe that this was the only person who could run this program. He knew of her all her feats. Despite his best intentions, he had kept tabs on her. Seen how she grew to be a successful innovator in the field of education, speaking of her own humble roots as her motivation. He just couldn’t imagine her at SIAC again. There had to someone else who was equally fit for the job. But he also knew they had gone through the formal hiring process set in their bylaws. If the faculty and directors decided, he couldn't unilaterally change their decision. So now the ball was in her court. Only if she declined would he be rid of her. A smirk played on her lips ever so slightly when she realized he knew that she had the upper hand. This time around, there was nothing he could do to keep her from entering SIAC if she wished. How the tables had turned.
“Anokhi, I know you have many offers from other institutions as well,” Anokhi’s gaze softened as she redirected her attention to Shaan. “Maybe this is cheating, but I’m hoping you have a soft corner for your alma mater and will choose to join us. We really would be thrilled to have you on staff.” She nodded, hiding that if anything, SIAC was a sore spot. “If you’re worried about compensation, then I’m happy to discuss your benefits package and,” she cut him off with a shake of her head.
“Sir, it’s nothing like that.” The hesitation was gone when she looked back at Shaurya who was silently fuming at the possibility of her returning to this university. His university. And though she promised herself that she would only listen and politely decline the offer, his disrespect wounded her ego. And if he could make decisions to prove a point, why couldn’t she?
“Shaan sir,” she began, eyes shining with triumph as she met Shaurya’s gaze without wavering. She leaned back in her chair, mirroring the arrogance she learned from him. “I accept.”
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A/N: I'm back with another story because I just can't keep myself away from ShaKhi. I tend to ramble so I apologize in advance if the chapters get long 😂 This one is going to be a bit of a rollercoaster but I hope you enjoyed the first installment! Do let me know what you think ❤️❤️
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