The next morning, Aarvi walked into the office with the same careful steps she always took, but her heartbeat felt entirely different.
Last night's moment in the elevator wouldn't leave her mind.
I don't want to lose you.
He had said it softly.
Almost like a secret he wasn't ready to admit even to himself.
Aarvi tried convincing herself she had misheard…
but she hadn't.
Every part of her remembered the way his voice had trembled for the first time.
She reached her desk and inhaled slowly, trying to reset her thoughts.
But the moment she saw the glass door to his office, her heart gave the exact same reaction it always did now—tight, confused, terrified… drawn.
She looked away quickly.
But he didn't.
From inside, Riyan had already paused, watching her with an expression he didn't show anyone else—softened, conflicted, protective in a way he couldn't hide anymore.
---
A moment he didn't mean to reveal
A few minutes later, she carried a stack of files into his office.
She placed them on the desk and stepped back, keeping her distance.
"You can review them whenever—"
"You didn't sleep last night," Riyan said quietly.
Aarvi froze.
She glanced up, startled. "Sir… how would you know?"
"You came in early," he said. "Earlier than you usually do. And your eyes are… tired."
Her breath hitched.
Why did he notice such small things?
Why did it feel like he saw through her even when she tried so hard to hide?
"It's nothing serious," she whispered.
His jaw tightened.
"Don't reduce your pain just because you think it inconveniences someone."
She swallowed hard.
"Why do you keep doing this?" she asked softly, almost scared of the answer. "Why do you keep… noticing me?"
Riyan looked away for a moment as if choosing his words carefully.
When he finally spoke, his voice was lower than she had ever heard.
"Because I can't ignore you, Aarvi."
Her breath caught.
He looked back at her—eyes unguarded, walls lowered, vulnerability peeking through the cracks he never allowed anyone to see.
"It's not intentional," he continued.
"It's… reflexive now."
Her heartbeat stuttered.
Reflexive.
Instinct.
Natural.
He didn't say I care, but every word felt dangerously close to it.
---
Her emotions slip too
"Sir," she whispered, "you're making this very difficult for me."
His brows drew together. "Difficult how?"
"Because you're my boss. This is my job. I depend on it. And when you… when you look at me like that…"
Her voice broke.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do."
His expression softened even more.
"Aarvi," he said gently, "I'm not asking anything from you."
"But you're changing," she said. "You're acting differently. And that scares me."
He exhaled slowly.
"I know."
She blinked.
"You know…?"
"Yes."
He stepped closer—not too close, but enough.
"And I'm trying not to cross a line. But every time you hide your pain, or convince yourself you don't matter… I can't stay silent."
Aarvi's eyes filled before she could stop them.
She turned away, wiping quickly.
"I'm sorry—"
"Don't apologize for feeling," he said.
His voice was so gentle it made her chest ache.
---
He breaks another rule without noticing
"Sit," he said softly.
Aarvi hesitated, but he nodded again, so she sat.
Riyan walked to the side cabinet, took out a bottle of water, opened it, and placed it in front of her.
She looked up at him in surprise.
"You need to take care of yourself," he said, softer than she had ever heard him.
Her heart melted in a way she didn't understand, didn't choose, didn't know how to handle.
"Sir… why are you being so kind to me?" she asked quietly.
He didn't answer immediately.
Then, with a breath that sounded almost vulnerable—
"Because you're the first person in a long time who makes me feel human."
Aarvi's pulse stopped.
He had said too much.
More than she expected.
More than he intended.
But it was honest.
Painfully honest.
And for the first time, Riyan Malhotra let his guard down—
not because he was weak,
but because she had unknowingly earned a place he didn't give to anyone.