Seeing my excitement and restlessness to meet Ankita, Rehan had officially put a ban on me entering his office without any genuine work.
Yes, a ban.
Like I was some suspicious visitor, not his best friend.
When it came to his principles, Rehan was very strict. I knew that. But still, he should have understood my feelings. After all, I had found my sunshine after so many years.
Sometimes, I seriously doubted my friend.
In the evening, I left my office exactly on time. Actually, I left too on time. So on time that my employees looked at me like they had seen a ghost who had returned from the afterlife only to maintain office discipline.
One employee even blinked twice, as if checking whether I was real.
I ignored them.
Full day I had not seen Ankita, and according to me, that was highly unfair.
After two days of quietly following her, I had learned her daily routine. But Saturday and Sunday were the worst. I spent almost four hours near her house and still did not get even one glimpse of her.
Not even in the balcony.
Not even by the window.
Not even by mistake.
By Sunday evening, both my patience and my mood had died a painful death.
Rehan noticed my foul mood and asked, “What happened?”
I kept quiet.
There was no use telling him anything. He would only give me another lecture on patience, maturity, boundaries, and other boring topics.
But sensing the reason himself, he said, “Abhi, patience is the key.”
That was it.
I broke.
“What patience?” I snapped. “I am not even able to see her!”
Without waiting for his reply, I walked into my room and slammed the door.
Very mature, I know.
But heartbreak does not come with manners.
The next morning, I had already made my plan.
As soon as I reached office around 8:30 a.m.—of course, after seeing my sunshine from a distance—I called my lawyer.
I asked him to prepare the contract papers and deliver them the same day. He understood the urgency in my voice, and within an hour, the papers were delivered to my office.
In the evening, I left early again and saw Ankita. I followed her till she reached home safely. Her innocent and beautiful face brought peace to my restless heart. It was strange how just seeing her from afar could calm the storm inside me.
That night, Rehan asked me about the contract papers.
I told a small white lie.
“They will be delivered in a few days.”
He believed me. Or maybe he pretended to believe me.
We discussed some contract-related matters before going to sleep.
By now, I had become a certified stalker. Not proud of it. Just stating facts.
But today, I was going to execute my plan.
The next afternoon, I reached Rehan’s office around 2:00 p.m. The first thing I spotted in the parking area was Ankita’s scooty.
Poor thing.
One look at it through my mechanical eyes, and I knew it needed serious repairing work. Its condition was like a tired soldier returning from war—still standing, but only because of self-respect.
I was about to walk past it when something struck my mind.
I moved a little closer and inspected it carefully.
A small smile came to my face.
Then I straightened, fixed a professional expression on my face, and entered the office.
As always, my eyes went to her first.
Ankita was sitting at her desk, completely engrossed in work. She did not even lift her eyes.
I cursed silently.
Then my plan came back to my mind, and I smiled again.
Brilliant, Abhi. Very brilliant.
I mentally patted myself.
Then I barged into Rehan’s cabin.
He looked up and gave me a strange look.
Before he could say anything, I raised the folder and said, “I am not interested in coming to your office. The papers have come, and I need you to go through them before signatures.”
Rehan raised one eyebrow.
That eyebrow was dangerous.
It always appeared when he sensed mischief.
He knew me too well, but thankfully, he did not say anything. I handed him the papers and asked him to check them.
While his eyes were on the papers, mine were roaming outside through the glass.
Professional work was happening on one side.
Personal madness on the other.
We discussed the contract papers for around ten minutes. Finally, Rehan nodded.
“Yes, everything is okay. You can finalize the papers for signature.”
I kept everything carefully in my folder while keeping one eye outside.
It was almost 5:30 when I saw Ankita leaving.
As pretty as ever.
My heart immediately became overactive.
I decided to wait for five or ten minutes and then go behind her. She would need my help.
I started strolling inside Rehan’s cabin, tapping my foot again.
Mr. Perfect noticed.
He stared at me.
I glared back.
“What?” I asked. “I am just strolling. Can’t I even do this? Do I need your permission for walking also?”
“Okay, yaar,” he said, raising his hands. “Why are you getting irritated? I just want you to have a little patience. Your sunshine is not—”
Before he could finish his sentence, I grabbed my bag.
“I have to go now. I’ll bring the papers tomorrow evening for signature. Inform Aggarwal Sir about it.”
“Where are you rushing?” he asked. “Wait for some time. We’ll go together.”
I ignored him, waved carelessly, and rushed out.
I started my car and drove toward Ankita’s route.
As per my calculation, her scooty would work for exactly seven minutes.
Enough for her to reach the main road.
And as expected, the scooty stopped.
My mechanic instinct deserved an award.
Ankita looked at it with complete displeasure. I waited inside my car for five minutes, watching her trying to start it.
She made a small annoyed face and kicked the starter again.
Nothing.
Again.
Still nothing.
She looked so cute while fighting with that poor machine that I almost forgot this was my plan.
Then she looked sideways for help, and suddenly her expression changed. Discomfort crossed her face. She became conscious and stiff.
I followed her gaze.
A group of men were standing on the road, staring at her and commenting something.
My jaw tightened.
This was not the plan.
Not at all.
I parked my car immediately and went near her.
She did not notice me at first.
I cleared my throat softly.
“Hi,” I said, pretending to sound casual. “Is there any problem? Need help?”
The group of men had already moved away after receiving one killing glare from me.
Sometimes, eyes are more useful than words.
Ankita looked at me, and for a second, I saw relief on her face.
That one second was enough to make my entire day.
“Sir, my scooty is creating a problem. It has some starting issue.”
“Oh, let me see.”
I bent down and pretended to inspect it properly. Of course, I already knew the condition of the scooty better than it knew itself.
After a moment, I said, “The fuel pipe seems damaged. It won’t start. It needs a mechanic desperately.”
A frown appeared on her face.
“Don’t worry,” I added quickly. “I will drop you home and call someone to take the scooty to the garage.”
“Thank you, sir, but I will manage,” she said immediately. “It’s just a half-hour walk to my place. There is one garage on the other side of the road on my way. I will ask them to send someone. I don’t want to bother you, sir.”
My heart was beating at the highest speed.
She was standing so close to me.
No makeup. No extra effort. Still, her face had a soft glow. Her eyes—those beautiful eyes—were enough to make me forget every sensible thought.
I was so busy admiring her that I did not hear a single word after “thank you.”
After two minutes, I realized she was waiting for my reply.
Now what?
I had no idea what she had said.
So I did what any intelligent man would do.
I repeated myself.
“Don’t worry. I will drop you.”
She looked at me, probably preparing another refusal.
Before she could speak, I continued, “That means you don’t trust me, it seems. We are going to team up for the new project. You can have some faith in me, Ms. Ankita.”
She looked unsure.
“And anyway, I take this road to my place. It won’t be a bother.”
That was a lie.
A confident one.
“Plus, the garage here doesn’t have very good mechanics. I’ll send someone from my contact. It’s my responsibility.”
She thought for some time.
Then, with hesitation, she nodded.
My happiness knew no bounds.
I pulled the scooty to one corner of the road and opened the passenger door of my car for her.
My sunshine was going to sit next to me.
This was my first success.
For years, I had dreamt of this—Ankita sitting in my car with me. I just hoped my face did not reveal the fireworks going on inside my heart.
I asked for her address because I did not want to make it obvious that I already knew it.
The rest of the ride was quiet.
She glanced at me once with a small smile, and our eyes met.
To make her comfortable, I gave her a friendly smile.
But inside, I was struggling badly.
How was I supposed to work with her every day and hide my feelings?
In around ten minutes, we reached her house.
Before getting out, she said, “Thank you, sir.”
“It’s my pleasure, Ankita,” I replied. “And please don’t call me sir. You can call me Abhi.”
I smiled gently.
“And don’t worry about the scooty. I’ll take care of it.”
Again, she thanked me and went inside.
I waited until she entered the house safely. Then I called one of my men and asked him to drop the scooty at my garage.
When I reached home, the scooty was already there.
I changed quickly and came down.
Now came the best part.
Mechanic work.
I loved this work to the core. Engines, wires, pipes, brakes—everything about machines fascinated me. But today, this was not just any vehicle.
This was my sunshine’s scooty.
So naturally, my passion tripled.
After half an hour, Rehan called.
Without thinking much, I picked up and said, “In the garage.”
Five minutes later, he was standing near me with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at me.
Of course, he recognized the scooty immediately.
After a moment, he asked, “Will you care to explain this?”
I wiped my hand with a cloth and tried to look innocent.
“See, this time it’s not my fault. Her scooty got stuck with some starting problem, so I dropped her home. You know I am possessive about my things.”
Rehan’s eyes narrowed.
“Your things?”
I quickly corrected myself. “I mean… vehicles. Mechanical things.”
He did not look convinced.
“Ha,” he said. “If the damage is done by you, then the repair will also be done by you only.”
I froze.
This man should have been in CID.
He winked.
“You are really smitten by her. Carry on, mechanic. Nothing can be done. You are totally mad.”
Then he added, “I hope Ankita doesn’t come to know about this.”
“No way she will come to know unless you tell her,” I said and winked back.
The scooty was in very bad condition. Even if it had not stopped that day, it would have definitely broken down some other day. So technically, I had only helped destiny a little.
Very little.
I worked on it for nearly four hours. After checking everything twice and feeling satisfied, I finally went to sleep peacefully.
The next morning, I woke up at 6:30. Rehan had just returned from his workout.
He looked at me and said, “Wow. Just one night and you repaired it. Ankita is going to be impressed.”
“Who said I am going to hand over the scooty today?” I replied.
He looked confused.
“If I return it today, she will definitely know I repaired it myself.”
Then I pointed a warning finger at him.
“And dare you open your mouth. If you do, think about the consequences, buddy. I know Mia’s college.”
He glared at me.
“You are deranged. Seriously.”
I smiled and went to get ready.
I needed to pick my sunshine. She had no vehicle, so how would she go to office?
Such a genuine concern.
I reached her house before 7:30. Just in case she thought of leaving early, I did not want to take any risk.
At 7:45, she walked out of the house.
I was standing a little away and waved at her.
She looked surprised but walked toward me.
“Hi. Good morning,” I said.
“Good morning, sir,” she replied.
She immediately seemed to understand why I was there.
“Sir, I will take an auto. Please don’t take the trouble.”
I smiled. “It’s not trouble. I can take this route too for my office. I know you don’t have your vehicle, so I thought I would drop you.”
She smiled softly in acknowledgment.
What a beautiful smile.
I opened the front door for her before taking my seat.
On the way, to start a conversation, I said, “Your vehicle will take two more days. It needs a lot of repairing work.”
She did not look surprised.
“Yes, sir. The scooty had been creating problems for some days. I had to struggle to start it. I should have repaired it long back.”
She was blaming herself.
Then she looked at me and said, “Thank you, sir. And sorry for the trouble.”
“It’s not trouble,” I said lightly. “Anyway, I am not doing the repair work.”
A sweet smile appeared on her face.
Mission successful.
Then I added, “And I repeat, don’t call me sir. Please call me Abhi. We are almost of the same age.”
After that, no words were spoken in the car.
But silence with her did not feel empty.
It felt soft.
Like the first page of a story waiting to be written.
When we reached her office, she got out of the car, turned around, and said, “Thank you, Mr. Abhinav.”
I smiled professionally.
Very professionally.
Because inside, I was dancing.
From “sir” to “Mr. Abhinav.”
Progress.
This “Mr.” would also disappear one day. I was sure.
I waited until she went inside. But when I turned to get into my car, I saw Aggarwal Sir standing there, looking at me with narrowed eyes.
Shit.
This was the last thing that should have happened.
I scolded myself silently.
Rehan bhai, I need your help.
I stepped out of the car.
“Good morning, Uncle.”
“Good morning,” he replied sternly. “What are you doing here? And what is all this?”
“Sir, actually Ankita’s scooty broke down yesterday. I just happened to be there, so I helped her by giving her a lift to office, since I was taking the same road.”
I said it smoothly, without mumbling.
If I mumbled, he would catch me immediately.
“And why were you taking that road?” he asked. “That is not your route.”
Oh God.
Rehan and his uncle both should have opened a detective agency.
“Sir,” I said sincerely, “please have faith in me. I won’t bring disgrace to you, and I won’t harm Ankita at any cost. I only helped her.”
Aggarwal Sir gave me a stern look.
Then, in a very polite yet warning tone, he said, “Please take care, beta.”
And he went inside.
I released the breath I had been holding and drove back to my office.
Abhi beta, now you should hand over the scooty, I told myself. Aggarwal Uncle’s eyes will be on you from now on.
I finished my work in the afternoon itself and went home.
I took Ankita’s scooty, purchased a new helmet for her, and drove it to her office. I parked it in its usual place.
I also carried the contract papers for signature.
Who knew when Aggarwal Uncle might change his mind? I could not take any chances.
When Rehan saw me with the papers, he looked surprised.
“The papers are ready? How come so early? You were saying it would take more time.”
“Why?” I shot back. “Do you have any problem with getting them early?”
“Okay, cool down, Mr. Abhinav Kapoor. I don’t have any problem.”
We sat down and signed all the papers.
Then, for Aggarwal Uncle’s signatures, Rehan stood up and said, “Come, we’ll go to his cabin.”
Before going, I messaged Ankita.
I had saved her number from her personal file.
I knew.
Not very decent.
But love had already damaged my common sense.
Hi,
Abhi here.
Your scooty is ready and parked outside your office.
A new helmet is there because the one you were using was of no use.
Tell me if you face any problem with the scooty.
I kept my phone on silent, and then we went to Aggarwal Uncle’s cabin.
All the papers were signed.
I shook hands with Rehan and Aggarwal Uncle for the collaboration and thanked them. I assured them we would give our best.
Aggarwal Uncle kept glancing at me in between.
I knew exactly why.
But I was content.
From next Monday, Ankita would be working with me until the project was completed.
The meeting and project-related discussions continued for almost an hour. When we finally came out, I checked my mobile.
A smile crept onto my face.
There was a message from my sunshine.
Thank you, Mr. Abhinav.
And sorry for troubling you so much.
Please let me know the cost.
I replied immediately.
A cup of coffee would say thanks.
After sending the message, I turned toward her desk.
She was reading it.
She did not reply.
But slowly, her face turned toward where I was standing.
Our eyes met for a moment.
Just one moment.
Then she lowered her gaze.
And in that small silence, I felt something beautiful begin.
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