Mitali Jain

I swing opened the glass doors of the building and smiled at the watchmen walking straight towards the lift. I noticed how most of the employees had already left and the place that Maria would always take so happily stood bare and empty.

It made me realize how different places aren't really beautified by the interiors or the famous things that we use to decorate them. The true beauty is reflected to them by the people leaving and working there.

Just the way how this office looks bare and unpleasing without its employees!

Boarding the lift I pressed the 15 number and waited for a mere minutes or seconds to finally reach the destination. As the lift went up with each of the floors, it reminded me the number of times I have already been here.

The first blazing and horrifying way I had barged into Jai's cabin. The romantic manner in which Jai had got me here for our first date, more like to know each other. I found myself laughing at it; somewhere it seems silly to bring your date on your first date at your office and show her your office.

But that was the most I liked about Jai... he knew what was important for him, and he didn't hesitate to let me know beforehand. Giving me the lead in our relationship!

As the lift came to a halt, I walked out chuckling at the small ding of the lift and turning towards the left. It seemed meeting each other on the left side had been our thing.

As I neared the cabin, I saw a few suited men standing up as Jai rubbed his forehead. I walked towards a distance such that he wouldn't really notice me yet I would get to see him and watched the way he kept on huffing again and again.

As he let out his breath once again for the uncountable time, I felt guilty for not realizing how he might as well be affected by certain things.

In our relationship of 1 month, we have grown quite close... yet I failed to miss the miseries in Jai's eyes. And as I kept on looking at the way he banged the file shouted at the two men, I realized, Jai wasn't really the person whom I had always met... he was a very different person when he was a business man.

And how easy was it for him to hide his feelings, his worries, and his thoughts from him.

It was as if the more I would try to understand him... I would always be at loss. Then what would really be good to do?

With the jumbled thoughts still alive in my brain I walked towards the small pantry that Veer had always talked about. Finding my way in it, I prepared 3 cups of coffee, pouring them in the cup and dishing them on the tray I walked back towards Jai's cabin and knocked the door.

The surprise on his face was evident as he quickly looked at me and then at the watch and let out a few curses as he saw it was already 7:30 almost an hour had passed after the decided time for our meeting.

"I am really –"

"sorry? You don't have to be, I had left the office early today" I said stopping him from apologizing for something he wasn't at any fault. He stood up quickly and walked up to me and took hold of the tray from my hand and kissed my forehead.

Though it was a complete 180 degree turn to his behavior, and surely had not just surprised me but as well as the other people.

"I thought it would be a nice coffee break?"

"you ... okay, guys let's take a small break," he looked at me as I smiled, and then I saw him taking a deep breath once again as he let out a chuckle and said, "no, let's do this tomorrow you can retire for the day."

I saw how the two let out a huge sigh of relief and picking up the files as they stood up to leave. "umm please take that coffee, I had made that specially for the three of you."

The two nodded their head, took hold of the mugs and walked out of the cabin, as I saw Jai walking towards the table and turning on the class shields to give us privacy.

"You shouldn't stress so much."I said and handed him his cup of coffee.

"You should have called me... I –"

"And miss out the chance of surprising my boyfriend and myself?" I wrapped my hands around his torso not really hugging him, just trying to be as close to him as possible.

The two of us kept on staring at each other as he once again took a deep breath and was about to let out a sigh when I stopped him and said, "make sure this is the last time that you are heaving a sigh... you don't look good at all like this, you have those worried lines on your forehead, your face is almost red... Jai you make me worried when you are like this."

"you are worried for me?" he asked, all of a sudden all the things that were going on in his mind had as if gone away and now all his attention was finally with me.

"Yes I am worried for you. Now go and wash your face and come sit with me... I have something to talk with you." walking out of that small little embrace I felt the cool air of the AC wrapping me once again, as Jai kept his cup back in the tray and walked towards the other end of the room into the washroom, as I took it upon myself to clean all the mess that was there in the room. The papers were quite scattered around with a few crumbled pages, there were many designs of wonderful dressed that were kept in a file.

Though I didn't really understood much about designing... but I knew one thing, this company was Jai's dream. To create a clothing brand that would be designed, created in India but sold all around the world including India.

That was what Naveen had told me. And it was at that time when I was picking up those torn pieces did I realized many things in our relationship we had understood through observations or things that the other people had told us about each other.

There were a very few things that we had talked about. Our relationship... our relationship lacked the conversation that we needed.

Once assured that the room was pleasant enough I walked off to my bag and took out my cell phone and ordered some diner for us. Jai adored Chinese while I would go for it as a type of comfort food.

"So what is it you want to talk about?" the sudden appearance of Jai made me jump in my skin as my phone slipped from my hand and thankfully on the sofa.

"You scared me." I scolded him and sat down, keeping the phone back in my bag and patted the place beside me.

"Sorry... I presume we will be having dinner here today?" he asked as he walked over to me and sat down on the sofa.

"Yes I informed the watchmen already." Shifting a bit closer to him I snuggled a bit into him. This was the first time I had done something like this, but it seemed natural, I don't know why I did that, but maybe it was my way of telling him that I am there... I am there to hear whatever it was that he wanted to say.

I felt him wrapping his hands around me as his chest vibrated.

"What is it?"

"You tell me, is everything okay? Jai I was worried today when I saw the way you getting hyper, agitated... frustrated, I didn't liked that. This might be happening on so many occasions right?" I let go off him and sat up facing him.

"And then you have the burden of so many people who are working under you...I am such an idiot to keep on disturbing you with my issues."

For a long moment he kept on staring at me and then busted out laughing at me. I could feel the way my eyebrows scrunched into confusion and my eyes narrowing at him.

I didn't like the way he was taking this so lightly.

"Jai... don't make fun of me, I am serious." I called out to him as he sobered up immediately and raised his hands up as if backing off.

"I know you are serious that makes it even more funny Mitali, business is something that will keep me the way I am, sometimes I will be furious, frustrated, I have to be strict with my employees till certain extent... you and they are different so you won't have to really worry about that side of me until and unless you do something that will get you into some kind of harm."

"Why would you yell at me?"

"Because I know you always have something or the other going on in that tiny brain of yours." Clicking my forehead with his forefinger, he gave that cute little smile that he rarely used.

"Jai, that's not funny, what I am trying to say is I would love to be there if you want a shoulder to lean on at the end of the day... or when you are as disturbed as you are right now."

Though my hands kept on moving in an attempt to understand him even better, it was of no use. Jai kept on staring at me as f if was trying to solve some jigsaw puzzle.

With every tick of the clock I began to realize the words that I said, it wasn't as if I had just made them up, I had meant them... I meant every single word that I had to say. And then there was that weird feeling when the other person wouldn't really acknowledge those words or feelings behind them... the regret, I felt it slowly seeping within me as I quickly shook my head and stood up from the couch.

"Let me go and fetch those plates and classes for us, you call the reception and find out if our food is here."

I didn't look at him. I couldn't dare. I was never a person to read the expressions and the words and feelings behind them and for the first time I was scared what was it that was going on with in his mind?

Did he felt it was over dramatic? That I was being a nuisance?

And as the thoughts crossed my mind, I could feel the even worsening feeling as my stomach twisted in anticipation, nervousness and giddy.

I didn't liked this... why did I had to open my mouth??? Groaning internally, I let out a sigh and walked off to the pantry once again and fetched the plates, spoons and glasses for us.

When I had returned back in the cabin... the remaining files were gone, Jai had placed the packet on the table. My eyes searched for him and soon rested on his frame that stood by the big windows which I loved as he talked on the phone.

While I waited for his call to end, when it took another 10 minutes I decided to open the package may be the smell would make him aware of my presence or the fact that I was waiting for him.

And it seemed as if it worked, he quickly ended the call and walked back to the couch. Quickly dishing out the portions I handed him his, as I ate mine.

The night was getting deep into the darkens, and the only sound I could hear at that moment was the slight honks from the passing by vehicles, our spoons clicking and the watch ticking by.

This kind of silence had never engulfed us... and as if a lightning had struck me I realized, I was mad at him; for what I didn't knew about. But I was sure, I didn't liked the indifference that he showed towards me... my words, as if it didn't mattered to him at all.

Once done with my portion, I quickly stood up and picked up the packets and walked back to the pantry to deposit the plates for the housekeeping to take care of.

With each step that I took back towards the room, I was scared; I didn't know what would I say... was I expected to stay? But then I couldn't do that, not when jai didn't have to say anything, and when I wasn't in any ability to talk of something else.

My brain had gone all of a sudden to a switch off mode.

With a deep breath I walked back to the cabin, though undecided. As I entered the door once again, I found Jai seated on the couch... his head rested on the head rest. He looked so tired... lost. For a moment I was worried for his condition, but then I could only pray for him to be well with whatever ways it would be.

"Jai, I think I should leave, you as well go home and take rest. I will call you tomorrow."

I waited once again for him to say something... atlest try and say that he would drop him off. But it never came, hence finally decided, I walked closer to where he sat and bend down to fetch my bag and turned around to go when I felt his fingers wrapping around my wrist in a tight grip.

"Mitali..." my name came out of his mouth as if a whisper, and though I was mad at him, I found myself turning around looking at him.

"Please sit here beside me for a moment?"

Nodding my head, I once again kept my bag at the place where it was earlier and sat down beside him.

And as soon as I was comfortable, I felt myself being pulled in as Jai hooked his hands with mine and rested his head on my shoulders.

"It was during my 15th birthday when my grandfather died," Jai's voice came out in a soft whisper, and with each word that he said, I felt as if a weight was being lifted off my shoulders.

"I had never seen dadi the way she had been in that one year, that was when dad started working his ass off to develop the industries that we had, everything felt as if it was falling apart...when dadi came up with the idea of Kapadia Textiles."

It was then as he rested his head on my shoulder that he shared his deepest worries with me.

It wasn't new that Dadi loved embroidery, working with needles design and wrapping people up in wonderful sweaters, clothes and what not. But not all were able to get these facilities. It was her dream to let people have the best of clothes at the most reasonable price.

She then began to design clothes for the people who worked in the house, when Jai had to take up his first project during his bachelors the idea of turning that small hobby into a fabulous business had taken place, with a lots of research, he had made those presentations, Daksh and Veer's family had invested into the business which back then was just developed in that small confines of Jai's big room.

It had taken days and years of hard work to be where he was his dadi was happy, pleased rather with what Jai had done to her small wish... but now what scared him was, what if he failed to keep it up.

What if the international market that he wanted to target... the dream that he had seen would destroy his dadi's dream that had come true?

When his tale came to an end, I was once again left dumfounded, yet my fingers wrapped themselves around his fingers which held on my other hand.

"your dadi never expected of you to do all that you did, your siblings always look up to you, your parents are so proud of you that they can't help themselves but boast about you to the society and to me," he let out a chuckle at the last words as I said, yet I continued, "your friends invested in your business not because they wanted returns... but they believed in you."

"Jai you have always done things which people never expected of you, you have always surprised them... hence no one really expects much from you other than you being just who you are. So even if you were to fail someday I am sure they all will be by your side the way they are right now."

"And you?" he asked.

"I – I might be a bit disappointed... but then what can I do, I love you so much that I am sure I would just sit here like this with this heavy head of yours on my shoulder."

The two of us fell into laughter as Jai shifted even closer to me and said, "Well you were the one who suggested this."

I let out a huge chuckle and as it dissipated, a peaceful silence engulfed us, not like the one that we had felt an hour ago, this was warmer, and something I would love to experience again and again.

We had almost got used to the feeling when I called out Jai and said , "I also like the way your heart is beating right now."

I felt the weight being lifted off my shoulders as Jai leaned in and kissed my cheeks right below my lips and looked right into my eyes as he said, "even I love this."

And just like that he went back to his original position. Though the situations weren't cliché and the roles had turned around... I realized what we said had became our thing.

Him/me loving the way our heart would beat for each other. 

A/N

Hello peeps, 

who all loved this last line? i was so in awe of it. i was just skimming through the last chapters and realized this line would be so cute. 

any ways i cant really say much, my brothers literally on my head to get off the pc for he has to sleep... science students !!! 

so have mercy on me, if you liked the chapter click the small star button at the corner, if you loved it, please tell me through comments, and if you are in love with the story, please share it with your friends. 

love you all

happy reading!!!