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Anika PoV:

I got ready in simple T-shirt and black jeans. I wore my shrug and went down. Riya was already waiting for me. She wants to spend time with me as I was away from her for a couple of days.

'How are you doing in academics, Riya? Heard that you got second place this time' I said switching on the music player and started to drive to my favorite restaurant.

'Yeah, my first place was stolen by Rahul. I missed it by 1%' she said giving me a disappointing look.

'Don't worry. You just work hard and this time you will get your first place back. By the way, who is Rahul? I didn't hear this name from you before' I said looking straight on the road.

'He is a transfer student, Ani. He is too good in sports as well as in academics. I envy him. I'm gonna work hard and increase my performance' she said and I smiled. She is just in her fifth class and wanted to improve her performance. She will become a nerd for sure.

'Riya, let's go inside' I said parking my car. We both made our ways to the reserved table and sat there.

'What do you want to eat today?' I asked looking into the menu.

She started looking into the menu. Soon, we ordered her favorite cuisines and started enjoying the food. I'm really happy seeing Riya smiling. She is my everything now and I will make sure she always smiles like this.

'What are you thinking? Eat, it's so yummy' she said licking her cute lips.

'Ani didi, do you know how to enjoy the food? You need to say yum-yum-yum while digging into the food' she said and I started laughing looking at her face. She is so adorable.

'Okay, click a picture of us' she said. I took a selfie of all smiling wholeheartedly. I don't know why but I felt like I'm being watched. I slightly glanced around, trying to identify the source. And then, I saw him again.

He was looking at me intently, his gaze unwavering. It sent a shiver down my spine, making me suddenly self-conscious.As I felt his gaze upon me, a flutter of excitement mingled with nervousness stirring within me.

His eyes held mine for a moment, and in that brief connection, it felt like the entire world fell away, leaving just the two of us suspended in that charged moment.But then, almost as quickly as it began, he averted his gaze, turning his head to look in another direction.

'Ani, take one more picture' Riya's voice shook me off. God!! What am I thinking? Why am I bumping into him again and again? This is so annoying.

'Do we know each other?' his words are still echoing in my head. Yeah, I have to act like I don't know him before. I decided to shrug off my thoughts and concentrate on my Riya. As she insisted, I took few more selfies of us making sure that I smile. She took the phone from my hand and started looking into them. I don't know why but I want to run away from here. He looked at me just once but I'm still uncomfortable.

'Riya, let's go. I got some important work' I said. And to my luck, Riya also agreed. I got up from my place and walked towards the elevator along with Riya. We went to the car and I told Riya to get in.

'Didi, I think I forgot your phone in the restaurant' she said while I checked my pockets. She is right. Damn!! my phone! It's on the table.

'Ah Riya, you should have been more careful. Get in the car and stay put. I will go and get my phone' I said and she nodded.

As I realized my phone was on the table next to his, a wave of discomfort washed over me. I knew I had to cross his table to retrieve it, and the thought made my heart race with nervous anticipation.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to steady my nerves as I walked towards my seat. I could feel his eyes on me again, watching my every move with a intensity that sent a shiver down my spine. I searched the table for my phone, my anxiety mounting with each passing second. Where did she left it? God!! this is so frustrating.

'Excuse me, are you looking for this?' I heard a voice. I looked up to see a manly guy approaching me, holding out my phone with a friendly smile.

'Is this yours?' he asked and I nodded in yes.

'Thank you so much!' I managed to say, my voice slightly shaky with relief.

'We're about to leave and I heard your phone ringing, you got few missed calls. Please check' he said giving my phone back to me. I unlocked my phone and saw few missed calls from Tara. Why is she calling me now?

'Viraj, are you done? I'm getting late for a meeting" these words jolted me out of my reverie. It was him, Mr. Bumper. His eyes were on his friend, waiting for a reply.

'Hey, do you remember us? We met in the airport yesterday. My best friend bumped into you' Viraj said with some excitement in his eyes. Of course, why would I forget it? Your friend has gifted with captivating features. I glanced over at him, I couldn't help but feel drawn in by his features. There was an undeniable magnetism about him, something that made it impossible to look away.

'Sorry, I don't remember any of it. I don't even know your so called friend and I wish I don't bump into him again' I said getting back into my senses. Damn!! his words, I can still hear them in my head. His so called friend was looking at me in amaze. It was as if his eyes held a question, waiting for me to reply.

'Oh, sorry about that. My friend kind of sucks when talking to girls. Please forgive us' I heard Viraj saying while his friend gave a mean look with a stern face.

'That's okay, I don't really care about your friend. He's not someone I want to be around anyway, he is unpleasant and mean' I said this time straightly looking into Mr. Bumper eyes.

'And thanks for the help you did earlier. You seem to be a nice person, hope we will meet again. I need rush now, Riya will be waiting for me' saying this I turned towards the exit.

The encounter left me feeling shaken, the memory of perfectly shaped face fluttered my heart.

Later, I dropped Riya at home as I have a meeting in the NGO. I saw Tara already waiting for me at the administrative office.

'What happened to your phone? I called you many times' she said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

'Forgive me, I was busy driving Riya back home' I lied as I don't want to create another drama. If Tara gets to know that I saw him again. She will start talking about fate, new beginnings and all.

'That's okay, let's go inside. Meeting will start in few more minutes' she said. We made our ways to the meeting room and I saw a new face.

'Hello Mam, we're waiting for you both' Deepa said as we both took our respective seats.

'What's the matter, Deepa? Why you called for a sudden meeting?' I asked.

'Yeah, Mam please meet Mr. Sandeep Mehra, owner of Shakti Textiles and co' she said looking at the Elderly man. I heard about him and his philanthropy works. He owns many non- profit trusts and old age homes.

'He is willing to work with us and serve the NGO' Deepa said.

'Hello sir, nice to meet you. I'm really grateful that I met you today. You really inspire me in many ways. I admire you a lot and thanks for opportunity. Currently the NGO is running out of money. Though, I sorted out the problem with the art exhibition money. I really need someone like you to be a backbone' I said looking straight into his eyes. He just gave me a smile.

'You're totally different from your father' he said shocking me a little. Father? It's been ages since I heard about him. I tried to mask all my emotions and gave him a smile. I'm really not interested to find how he knows about my father. I don't even dare to ask him.

'Here is the check of 5 million rupees, take it. And I promise you that I will be your back bone. If you need any help, just give me a call' he said giving me his card. I gave the check to Deepa, she looked so happy.

'And I request you guys not to address as sir. Everyone in the office treats me like a boss but you guys don't need to treat me like that. You can call me uncle' he said and Tara laughed.

'That's so kind of you, uncle. We're so happy today' Tara said with so much excitement in her voice.

'Why don't you guys show me around? I would like to see the NGO' Mr. Sandeep said.

'Anika will guide you, uncle. Deepa and I will be finishing the other formalities' Tara said and I nodded.

'Let's go, uncle. I'll show you the children rooms' I said and took him to the first floor.

'So Anika, you're an artist right?' he asked and I nodded in yes.

'I never saw someone who is willing to serve the people at a very young age. You're an inspiration. Not to mention, you so talented' he said. Talented? Did he saw my works?

'Beta, I saw your works earlier. I mean not in person but in internet. You're exceptional. I hope one day, I will get a chance to see your arts in real' he said smiling placing his hand on my head. He is so kind to me, I wish he is my real father.

'I will definitely send an invite next time. I would love to have you, uncle' I said.

'Anika, I have something to ask you beta. Hope you will help me' he said and I nodded.

'Tell me, uncle. Anything for you' I said smiling.

'So my son is the CEO of a gaming company and he is looking for a good artist, who can design the characters of his new game. I want you to work for him' Uncle said shocking me. Why would I do that?

'Sorry uncle, you're mistaken. I'm a freelancer and I never worked for anyone before. Drawing, painting and graffiti are passion to me. To be honest, I don't think I can do it' I snapped. What is he up-to?

'Beta, I understand you. And it's not a long-term project once you are done with the designs you can do whatever you want. Apart from all this, you will get a good pay' he said trying to convince me.

'Don't stress out, Anika. Think about it once and let me know' he said.

Arya PoV:

'Sorry, I don't remember any of it. I don't even know your so called friend and I wish I don't bump into him again' Damn!! Those words are sharp.

She acted like she don't know me. It's frustrating, to say the least. I was in Viraj's car travelling to my penthouse.

'You deserve it, Arya' Viraj voice shook me off. Startled a little, I gave him a questioning look.

'She is right when she said that you're mean' he stated looking straight into my eyes. Mean? I'm more than that.

'Finally, I saw a girl who's so brave to talk like that. Impressive' he said but I ignored his words.

Soon, I was in my penthouse alone. I prepared a coffee for myself to relax but her words never left my mind. What's happening in my life? In the span of 3 days, I bumped into her thrice. Why am I seeing her again and again?

I closed my eyes, leaning on the wall thinking about those captivating eyes. They were intense, like they could see right through me. There was something about them that made me stop and take notice, despite feeling annoyed with her. It's confusing, honestly, but I can't deny that I'm captivated in her spell.

'Gear up, Arya. Be ready to see her again. Be ready to get smitten by her beauty again' I told myself sipping the delicious coffee.

How is the chapter? Please do vote and comment

***unedited***

Ramzz