Chapter 16
Reyansh
Keep going, Rey! You shouldn’t care enough to stop at her cubicle just to check if she’s there!
I leave my mentor’s cabin and head toward my cubicle.
My fists curl tight, fighting the urge to halt before her workspace, but each step feels suffocating without even a glimpse of her.
My resolve of the last seven days finally slips and I rush to her cubicle only to find it empty.
Anxiety heightens as I stride to Amyra’s mentor’s cabin.
I peer through the small gap in the tilted glass door and confirm her absence.
Ms. Shanaya sits alone, eyes glued to her laptop.
A sudden suspicion spikes through me and panic flares. I take the stairs two at a time down to the sixth floor and head straight to Karan’s cubicle which is also empty. My heart hammers against my ribs. Earlier, my mentor mentioned Amyra and Karan being assigned to lead a campaign together.
Hearing that a few minutes ago only intensified the dull ache that’s been lingering all week. I can’t imagine seeing them together every single day. Are they already on it? Meeting somewhere to start working together?
Clinging to one last hope, I take the elevator to the ground floor and hurry to the canteen.
There she is! Sitting in the corner, smiling into her coffee. My gaze shifts to the man across from her, and the color drains from my face.
He’s the reason for her smile. And I hate it.
Minutes pass as they laugh over something, and my pulse spikes with sharp anger.
I hate that Karan can make her laugh like that while I’ve been busy avoiding her all week.
That should be me, the one making her smile, drawing out her laughter and caring for her.
But the ease with which Karan brightens her mood churns something deep in me.
And the worst part? She looks so comfortable with him.
My brows pull into a tight frown, my throat thick with unspoken emotions, heat rushing up my face.
I force myself to breathe, slow, deep and controlled.
My eyes drift back to Amyra, and my body jerks forward, ready to run to her as she bumps her knee against the table.
But I freeze when Karan immediately wraps an arm around her shoulders, steadying her and gently guiding her back to her seat.
My eyes sting. I look away, unable to bear the sight of her in his arms. Why does it bother me this much when she’s with another man, especially Karan, who probably still has feelings for her?
Aren’t I just a friend? Shouldn’t I support her, especially if she’s moving toward a relationship?
Then why does it feel like I’m supposed to be the only man by her side?
When Karan suddenly stands and walks away, leaving her alone, I lose the last bit of restraint. I need her just to feel like I can function again.
Her gaze meets mine, her expression shifting into something unreadable but close to surprise…
and excitement. If I hadn’t chosen to avoid her after the nightclub incident, I would’ve run straight to her and pulled her into my arms by now.
The desire to find peace in her embrace feels so real. I can already imagine it happening.
I finally reach her side and help her stand up.
She hesitates but follows, my arm looping around her shoulders as her hand instinctively grips my waist for support.
A sudden chill races down my spine at her touch, but I keep a neutral expression while guiding her out of the canteen and toward the elevator.
“Where are we going?” she whispers, but I stay silent until we reach the seventh floor. Stepping out, I find her stumbling, and my arm finds her waist automatically, her fingers clutching my shirt. We freeze, staring at each other, our breaths tangling in the space between us.
“You should be careful while you walk, Ames,” I murmur, melting into her alluring almond-shaped hazel eyes.
“Aren’t you here to take care of that for me, Rey?
” she counters softly, her gaze roaming over my face.
Her words hit like cold water, reminding me how I’ve been ignoring my best friend these past days.
My eyes turn glossy, another annoying habit I’ve developed lately, so I tear my gaze away and continue leading her to my cubicle, my arm again steady on her shoulders.
Inside, I gently settle her in my swivel chair. I take the one opposite and rummage through my desk, retrieving what I need and setting it beside me, on the counter.
“Let me check if your knee is scraped.” She nods, so I kneel down and roll up the loose fabric of her trousers, revealing a small abrasion on her right knee.
“How do you manage to be this clumsy? Hold your trousers up while I apply the ointment.” My voice turns sharper than intended, slightly commanding because seeing her hurt always rattles me.
She cooperates, folding the fabric higher, and I dip a cotton swab in antiseptic before touching the wound. She winces in pain, breaking my heart.
“Sorry, but cleaning is necessary,” I mutter, applying ointment and sealing the band-aid before adjusting her trousers back down. I return to my chair while her gaze lingers on me, and I look everywhere else before finally meeting her eyes.
“How have you been lately? Busy balancing work and relationship?” The slight sarcasm in her voice makes her complaint clear, like she’s upset that I haven’t given her attention.
A week ago, if someone said I’d distance myself from Amyra, I would’ve laughed.
But after the nightclub, I had to face an uncomfortable truth.
I’m the kind of person who gives everything to the relationship I’m in.
Emotional loyalty matters for me, and I hated myself for thinking about Amyra when I’m already dating Aditi.
Aditi deserves full devotion, honesty, and commitment, especially after she understood my perspective and settled things calmly the next morning, despite our heated argument the night before.
When I analyzed my behavior that night, I realized Amyra was right, any girlfriend would feel upset if her boyfriend prioritized another woman.
Taking care of Amyra and craving her presence has been my routine for so long that I wasn’t giving Aditi a fair chance.
So I decided to stay away from Amyra for a while, hoping distance would help me adjust to Aditi’s place in my life.
And since Amyra had already stepped back from me, it felt like I was simply matching her distance.
I made sure to speak to Aditi every night, getting to know her better. Yesterday, I even took her on a movie date. She smiled through the evening, and I was happy to see that.
“Lost in thought?” Amyra’s voice pulls me back to reality, and I shake my head a little too quickly.
“Nothing. But, why do I feel like you’ve been complaining about me not visiting you lately?
” I push out a bold statement, despite having waited hopelessly for her to show up at least once.
I’ve managed to ignore her presence and avoid conversations, but I’ve failed miserably at removing her from my thoughts.
It took everything in me not to check on her throughout the day, yet I still did.
Just cautiously. From a distance. The urge to see her gnawed at me.
Even talking to Aditi for hours felt repetitive, empty, like pretending everything was normal, but without Amyra, I felt like I was missing a piece of my heart.
I made sure Amyra was doing fine from afar and noticed she barely met Karan this past week, which relieved me, though it may be considered weird. But the news that they’ll be working together? It unsettles me more than I want to admit, and the feeling of losing her comes back.
And the biggest, stupidest question in my head is… How could I lose my best friend just because she’ll be spending more time with another guy?
“Why would I complain when I know how priorities change with time?” she murmurs, her tone dipped in sadness. I hate that she thinks I forgot her because of Aditi, when the truth is the exact opposite.
If not for my heart acting strange whenever she’s around, maybe I would’ve managed to balance both her and Aditi. But no, I chose distance to figure things out.
“Come on, Ames! You shouldn’t be the one bringing up priorities. You ignored me after joining the company. You didn’t even try to approach me last week while I was swamped with work.”
What is wrong with me?
Why am I ranting about her not stopping by my cubicle or calling me even once when I mimicked her actions too? Maybe because it feels like she slowly stopped trying, stopped caring for me.
“I didn’t know you were waiting for me to show up, Rey!
” she says, guilt flickering in her voice.
“I felt bad about that night… thought maybe things weren’t good between you and Aditi, so I gave you space.
But today, I found out you both are fine.
And I feel worse now. I’m sorry for being reckless, Rey.
I promise I’ll keep our friendship alive.
” Her voice cracks, and when I glance up, the sight stuns me.
Unshed tears glass her eyes, and something inside me shatters. Instinctively, I pull her close, her head pressing lightly into my chest as my arms wrap around her protectively.
“Let bygones be bygones, Ames. Let’s stop this ignoring game. Let’s just go back to how we were.” I close my eyes, soaking in the warmth of having her in my arms again because it feels like forever since I last held her like this.
Staying distant from her has been the most foolish decision I’ve ever made, and I can’t do it anymore.
Instead, I’ll learn to control my emotions and give both women in my life the attention they deserve.
Yes, I’ll continue focusing on my relationship with Aditi but I won’t stop caring for Amyra as my best friend.
It shouldn’t be that hard as long as I stay grounded in reality.
“You’re right, Rey.” She finally hugs me back, her arms circling my waist, and a sharp jolt of happiness rushes through my chest. My smile falters when I realize how much I missed this calm, almost magical feeling, the one I didn’t get when I held Aditi yesterday.
Being close to Aditi felt nice, but not like this. Not heart-leaping, breath-stealing joy.
Maybe time will change that. Maybe relationships grow into those feelings. I lean down to press a soft kiss to the top of her head before gently pulling away and sitting back.
“Everything is going well between me and Aditi, so don’t worry,” I reassure her.
“Now that I’ve heard it from you, I’ll be tension-free,” she replies with a small smile.
“So… you and Karan working together?” I ask, careful with my tone. She nods at me.
“Yes. Our mentors assigned us to lead the Employee Engagement Campaign for the next month.” Her calm explanation tells me how smartly both divisions were tied into a joint and meaningful purpose.
“Internal branding, I see! So, have you started on it?”
“Not yet. Maybe tomorrow or sometime this week.”
“Plan?”
“Nothing yet. We’ll start from scratch.”
“Alright. I hope you successfully complete this project, Ames. All the best.”
“You mean both Karan and me?” she asks, puzzled, and I give a firm nod even though the last thing I want is that guy hovering near her. But some things are beyond my control. And honestly, it isn’t my place to interfere and I have to work on it.
“Thank you, Rey. I actually feel like Karan and I will click well and make this work too.” Her optimism is admirable, but the words ‘click together’ send a low wave of dread through me.
I just hope their equation doesn’t turn into something I’m terrified to even imagine.