Aarvi barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she felt it again—
the warmth of his arms around her,
the steady beat of his heart beneath her cheek,
the quiet desperation in his whisper—
"Just for this moment."
It hadn't been a long hug.
It hadn't been deliberate.
It hadn't been something they could explain to anyone.
But it had changed everything.
She woke before her alarm, paced her small room, and kept telling herself one thing:
You have to act normal. You have to act normal.
But how?
How do you act normal around the man who held you like you meant more than you should?
---
Riyan didn't sleep either
He sat on his balcony at dawn, staring at the city with tired eyes.
He had broken every rule he created for himself.
He had touched her.
He had held her.
And worst of all—
He didn't regret it.
But he couldn't let it happen again.
Not until he understood what this feeling was doing to him.
He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply.
He needed distance.
He needed space.
But the moment he imagined her avoiding him, something inside him twisted painfully.
He wasn't ready to lose her.
Not even a little.
---
At the office, distance was impossible
Aarvi arrived earlier than usual, hoping to compose herself before he walked in.
But he was already there.
Already sitting behind his desk.
Already staring at the door the second she pushed it open.
Their eyes met for half a second.
Too long.
Too soft.
Too aware.
Aarvi's breath faltered.
She quickly looked away and walked to her desk.
Riyan looked down at his papers—not reading, not working—just trying to gather himself.
Neither spoke.
Neither moved.
But the room was full of the memory of last night's embrace.
---
He broke the silence first
"Good morning," he said, voice slightly lower than usual.
"Good morning, sir," she whispered.
His eyes softened—disappointment flickering for just a second.
Sir.
She was calling him "sir" again.
He wasn't sure why it hurt more today than every day before.
He cleared his throat.
"Did you… sleep well?"
Aarvi froze.
No boss asked that.
No CEO cared about that.
She nodded quickly. "Yes, sir."
Riyan's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
He wanted her to lie less.
He wanted her to hide less.
He wanted her to look at him the way she had last night—open, scared, close.
But she was building her walls back up.
He couldn't blame her.
He had walls too.
---
He tried acting normal
Around mid-morning, he called her in for a schedule review.
She stepped inside, careful not to stand too close.
He handed her a folder, deliberately avoiding brushing her fingers.
Neither commented on last night.
Neither dared to.
But every time their eyes met, the air shifted.
She saw the softness he tried to hide.
He saw the fear she tried to bury.
When Aarvi turned to leave his office, Riyan spoke quietly—
"Aarvi."
She paused.
His voice gentled.
"You don't have to pretend nothing happened."
Her breath caught.
She didn't turn around.
She couldn't.
"Sir… I don't know what you want me to say."
Riyan stood slowly, as if the act itself hurt.
"I don't want you to say anything," he said.
"I just don't want you to run from me."
Her fingers tightened on the folder.
"I'm not running," she whispered.
"I'm just trying to understand what's happening."
He took a step closer.
"So am I."
Silence wrapped around them—soft, warm, dangerous.
Aarvi finally turned, her voice barely audible.
"What… what does this mean, Riyan?"
He looked at her with the kind of honesty that stripped him bare.
"I don't know yet," he said.
"But I know I don't want distance. Not from you."
Her heart thudded painfully.
This wasn't a confession.
This wasn't a promise.
It was something in-between.
Something terrifying.
Something difficult.
Something real.
Aarvi nodded slowly and walked out.
But when she reached her desk, she knew one thing for certain:
The hug changed them.
The silence after it changed them even more.
And pretending nothing happened…
was no longer possible.