Viaan was anxious; the rapid beating of his heart was evidence of the turmoil in his heart and mind. It had been three days since he sent the email, and for the first time in their relationship, he hadn't received any reply. Her silent treatment was gnawing at him from the inside. She was never one to hide her emotions, but it seemed like the calm before the thunderstorm. A vixen in the disguise of an innocent girl, she knew how to play her cards right every time. His eyes glanced at the date on the calendar, January 24, 2023. An entire decade had passed since this girl had stormed into his calm life. The alluring innocence attached to her was the first thing that struck a chord in his heart all those years ago. It all started with that email he sent on January 24, 2013. Little did he know that he would meet someone who would knock his heart down.

His mind wandered to memories that held a special place in his heart. Her memories were still as fresh as the rosy fragrance that enveloped him every time she came close. He drowned more and more inside those places where they had spent time together; she never left his thoughts, leaving him tired and drained. He needed her like oxygen, yet his man ego was unable to accept the reality. She was the only medicine for his pain and the only cure for his restlessness.

Flashback Starts

January 24, 2013, was marked as a special day, an embarking journey for his soul. He was running late from his usual morning routine and left home in a hurry. The journey from Dwarka to Noida was tiresome, and music was the only solace to calm his frustration in traffic. His legs ached from constantly applying the clutch and shifting gears. It seemed like the entire Delhi was visiting Noida that day. By the time he reached the office at 10:30 am, beads of sweat adorned his forehead. The elevator, packed with people, brought in whispers, and a smile twinkled on his lips. He was popular among the female staff, with several fangirl moments like that before, giving a huge boost to his male ego. However, this time felt different when a floral scent hit his nostrils, drawing him towards the front of the elevator like a magnetic pull. He was getting impatient as the elevator moved upwards, wanting her to turn at least once. The scent blocked his senses, making him feel parched. To revive himself, he opened a water bottle and gulped it down, not realizing a few droplets adorned his white shirt, making his abs visible. As the elevator reached the 4th floor, the rush dispersed. He was running out of patience and wanted her to turn before her destination arrived. However, her delicate fingers were busy on the mobile keypad, and a hair flick blocked his view of her face. The sweet scent was doing something to him that he had never experienced before. His heart thumped when the elevator reached the 7th floor, his destination. Before he could react, she moved out of the elevator without giving him a chance to see her face. She entered the same floor as him, her hips swaying to a rhythm. Dumbstruck, he realized he was late for his meeting. Rushing to his desk, he was now sure she worked in Technology, and he was keen to find out more about her.

After his meeting ended at 11 am, the first thing he did was draft an email for carpooling. Loneliness in traffic was hitting him hard, and he needed a companion for the daily long drive.

Is anyone coming from Dwarka or near by and interested in Car pool. Please contact Viaan 9873456789

Thanks Viaan

After sending the email, he was engrossed in his day-to-day tasks when an idea struck his head. To cater this email to a larger audience in Technology, he forwarded the email to his close friends as well. Yashika was in Quality Engineering, and she forwarded the invite to her peers as well.

It was around noon when his phone rang for the nth time. He was reluctant to pick up the call as he was in the middle of resolving a code logic. He refused to acknowledge the call, frustrated with the number of spam calls pouring in. He raised his hand to press the decline button, brushing the thought away, and decided to pick up finally.

"Hello," he announced.

"Hi, is this Viaan?" she asked. Viaan was obstructed by the sweet voice coming from the other end.

"Yes, it's me. Tell me," he answered.

"Hi Viaan, this is Riya Kapoor. I saw the email from you stating that you might be looking for a carpool from Dwarka. I work in Quality Engineering, and Yashika forwarded me the email. I commute from Vikaspuri and was looking for a travel arrangement. Is this the right time to talk?" she politely conversed.

For a second, Viaan's thoughts were clouded by the angelic voice coming from the other end. The way his name sounded in her voice was something he had never felt before. He had enjoyed the company of females and was surrounded by them in his office; however, her voice made his name sound like a prayer, something that was touching his soul altogether.

"Are you there?" a concerned voice again came from the other end. Viaan realized he had zoned out in the middle of the call, and she was waiting for his answer.

"Hi, yes, I'm available. Apologies, I was in the middle of something, so could not reply earlier," Viaan huffed.

"That is great. May I ask what are the timings you follow in the office? I usually follow 9 am to 6 pm or 9:30 pm to 6:30 pm," she declared.

Viaan was never an early riser, and reaching Noida at 9 am meant leaving home at 7 in the morning. The very thought scared him to death. Who the hell gets up at 5 am in the morning for an office? Bloody hell, he absolutely wanted to reject the proposal but waited until the end of the conversation.

"I usually follow 11 am to 8 pm," he answered genuinely. There was no way in hell he would get up so early in the morning. He hated early mornings.

"Oh, I'm really sorry to waste your time. I was looking for someone who was following the same timings. My dad gets concerned when I reach home late. Thanks for your time. Bye," she finally answered to close the conversation.

He looked at the disconnected call and shifted his focus back to the black screen. For the next hours, he tried to concentrate on the code logic which was pending for quite a few days. He wanted to wrap that up to move to the new assignment. His manager was after his life for its completion. He was too engrossed in his thoughts when his friend Rajat hovered over his head. Damn, he did not realize 2 hours had passed since the phone call. He was indeed in a folly that in those two hours he could not achieve much in the code, and to his surprise, the whole conversation played like a recorder in his mind. Her angelic voice still played in his ears. He wanted to listen to her voice once again. There was some force that was drawing him more to that voice. His mind connected the elevator incident that morning to the call, as if the flowery scent was again filling his lungs and hitting his nostrils. He was whipped even before meeting the girl. This was something new for him, as this has never happened that his heart was craving for any female.

"Seriously, where are you lost? I am literally shouting my lungs off, and you are ignoring me, asshole," Rajat cursed.

"Nowhere, Sujith is after my life, and if I don't wrap this up today, he is gonna kick my ass," he professed.

"Seriously, dude! Do it after lunch. Come, I am starving. Do you want to kill me without even getting married? Mahima will kill you once she gets to know you have starved her finance." Viaan rolled his eyes at the outburst of his immature best friend.

"Mahima will surely thank me one day for killing an idiot like you," he chuckled. With that, he wrapped up his code and left for lunch with his starving best friend.

Lunchtime passed in the blink of an eye, and here Viaan was back at his seat. He opened his code and tried his luck to resolve the issue. His thoughts were again drifted to the same voice again, and he was hooked on that conversation. Soon after, Yashika came to his desk for a defect. She had tried to replicate the issue again on several machines and, alas, failed. Viaan chuckled at her antics. He was very fond of Yashika and treated her like an elder sister. He was perfect in his work, and that was something he was indeed very proud of. He had fixed the very same defect just before he handed the deployment to the quality engineering team. He was amazed that Yashika could even reproduce it even once. She was one smart woman, he complimented.

After all her efforts were drained of reproducing the defect, and hearing her whining for the nth time of not reproducing the defect, he decided to have a conversation with Yashika about Riya.

He then told her he had fixed the defect before handling the deployment to the quality team. She opened her mouth and closed it immediately. He was expecting a lot of curses, but to his surprise, none came his way. He realized that was the right time to talk to Yashika about Riya. He was about to open my mouth when my best friend again adored the place with his presence. What an asshole he was.

"Yashika, do you know where Riya Kapoor's desk is on the floor? I suppose she is from your team," he finally spoke, ignoring his best friend. As soon as the name Riya was flown into her ears, Rajat and Yashika both looked at him with their eyes full of mischief. Rajat smirked, while Yashika had a mischievous smile on her face. She analyzed his face more than usual. Viaan was getting restless at their behavior when he did not receive any reply from her side.

"How do you know her?" she shot a question back. Rajat was now fully into the conversation, and his smirk was getting wider.

He explained how he had received a call from Riya for carpooling, and she discussed the timings she observed in the office. The mere thought of visiting the office at 9 am cringed his mind. So it had explained why they couldn't click the offer. He answered with a smile on his face. After his answer, he observed the changing facial expressions of both of his friends. They looked at him like he has grown two horns over his head. Rajat opened his mouth when Yashika beat him to another question flown at Viaan.

"Then why are you inquiring about her. "Isn't the conversation closed, then?" Yashika smiled. On the other hand, Rajat had noticed his friend's discomfort at the mention of the closed conversation. "That's why he was so lost in thought since afternoon," Rajat chuckled, leaving Viaan vulnerable in front of both. Their constant gaze was making him very uncomfortable, and the inner turmoil he was facing after listening to her voice was something he couldn't point to. He couldn't state the obvious. He was attracted to that damn voice, which he had listened to just once. He was getting restless to see her, and his friends were clearly not helping him. Rajat cleared his throat to bring him out of his lala land.

"She sits right behind this meeting room, near Deepthi," Yashika stated with the big mischievous smile still adorning her lips. A huge sigh left his lips, which again raised his friends' suspicions more. They didn't tease him more, leaving him to his thoughts. After running a lot of thoughts, he finally stood up, and his long legs took him towards her desk. When he reached behind the meeting room, he inhaled the same fragrance from the elevator this morning. This scent was alluring and damn addictive. He followed the scent to reach her desk. The scent attached to the girl had her back facing him, and it was damn the same red top and blue jeans he had seen this morning in the elevator. It took him moments to realize she was the same girl who had fluttered his heart since this morning.

As his eyes moves downwards, her chest moved up and almost his dick twitched. They were of perfect size which could easily fit his palms. Her slender waist and her ass were an add on feather to her beauty. Her skin was flawless and his hands almost itched to touch her smooth skin. Her aura was radiating pure innocence and Viaan had controlled the grunt escaping his lips when she wetted her lips with her pinky tongue. This was the face which somehow resembled the one which always graced his dreams.

He felt a déjà vu which flashed a memory in front of his eyes.

He saw her standing under the moonlight on the terrace of her large house. Everything was dim and instinctual as his eyes adjusted to the moon's glow. As the night sky darkened, the soft and ethereal light of the moon enchanted her beauty even more. She was there in a white nightgown, resembling an angel. The moonlight kissed every part of her with its gentle glow. As she embraced the scene with her open arms, he was lost in adoration within his own world.

A thud disrupted her reverie, and she looked around, startled, discovering him gazing at her. She seemed like a sin he was ready to commit. Unconsciously, he had moved forward, enclosing her in his arms. She shivered under his touch, struggling to break free. Her beautiful red lips trembled when she felt his warm lips on hers. This was the moment he lost his heart. As he moved away from her, a sense of calm and tranquility washed over him, leaving him craving for more. She pushed him away with all her strength and rushed inside.

Yashika's voice brought him out of his trance. It was then he realized it was not the first time he had seen her.