Aarvi left his office with her heart pounding so loudly it felt like it echoed in the hallway.
There was never a line to begin with.
I can't pretend this is just professional.
How was she supposed to breathe normally after hearing that?
How was she supposed to sit at her desk and type emails when her entire world felt tilted?
She reached her chair, sat down slowly, and pressed her trembling hands into her lap.
Riyan's confession wasn't loud.
It wasn't dramatic.
It wasn't even complete.
But it was enough.
Enough to shake her.
Enough to unravel her.
Enough to terrify her.
Because she felt something too.
Something she didn't want.
Something she wasn't allowed to feel.
---
Inside his office
Riyan stood at the window, jaw tight, breathing uneven despite how calm he looked.
For years, he controlled everything — emotions included.
But today, something had broken open, and he couldn't put it back.
He replayed the moment in his mind:
Aarvi's wide eyes, her shock, her fear… and the emotion she tried to hide.
Emotion that wasn't one-sided.
He knew it.
He saw it.
And that scared him more than anything.
He didn't want to hurt her.
He didn't want to become a complication in her life.
He didn't want to drag her into his emotional mess.
But wanting and feeling were two different things.
And for the first time, he felt something he couldn't suppress.
---
Hours passed, but neither of them truly worked
Aarvi checked the time.
9:04 p.m.
Everyone had left.
The office was silent.
The night outside was dark, soft, quiet — too quiet.
She was still gathering her things when the lights in Riyan's office went off.
He stepped out, coat in hand, but paused when he saw her still there.
"You're late," he said.
She gave a weak smile. "I was finishing the quarterly reports."
His eyes softened. The anger he used to show so easily was nowhere in sight.
"You should've gone home earlier."
"I'm alright," she murmured.
He didn't say anything.
But his expression said enough:
Stop lying to me.
---
The elevator moment
They walked to the elevator together — an unusual thing in itself.
The soft hum of the floor lights felt louder than their breaths.
Inside the elevator, the silence changed.
It wasn't empty.
It was charged.
Aarvi stood on the left, hands clasped.
Riyan stood on the right, shoulders tense, jaw tight.
The doors closed.
The world felt too small.
Riyan's gaze drifted to her hands — trembling again.
Without thinking, he reached out, gently taking the folder from her grip.
"You're exhausted," he said quietly.
"I'm fine," she whispered.
Riyan's eyes met hers.
"Aarvi… stop saying that."
The elevator hummed softly as it descended, but the moment stretched, heavy and intimate.
Something had shifted.
Irreversibly.
---
The world outside changed, but they didn't move
When the elevator reached the ground floor, neither stepped out immediately.
They stood facing each other, silence thick between them.
Finally, Aarvi spoke, her voice barely audible.
"Sir… what happens now?"
Riyan exhaled slowly, the control slipping from his expression just enough for her to see the truth he fought so hard to contain.
"I don't know," he admitted. "But whatever it is… it won't be something I ignore anymore."
Her heart stumbled.
He stepped slightly closer — not enough to cross a line, but enough to feel the shift.
"I don't want to lose you," he said quietly.
Aarvi's breath caught.
She wasn't ready for this.
She wasn't ready for him.
But neither could deny what was growing between them.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
Beautifully.
The elevator doors started to close again behind them.
And for the first time, neither moved.