The last day of Aakrati's internship arrived quietly, yet it carried a strange weight she hadn't expected.
For weeks she had been excited about this moment. She had counted the days, imagining how it would feel to finally step into her real job—the one she had worked so hard to get.
But as she walked into the office that morning, something felt different.
Familiar.
Almost nostalgic.
Her desk looked the same as always—slightly messy with files, sticky notes, and her half-empty coffee cup sitting beside the laptop. The office buzzed with its usual rhythm: keyboards clicking, printers humming, people discussing projects across cubicles.
Yet today, for Aakrati, everything felt a little slower.
Because today she was leaving.
She sat down and opened her laptop, pretending to check emails even though she had already finished most of her work the previous day.
Just then someone leaned over the cubicle divider.
"Look who came early on her last day."
Aakrati looked up.
It was Mehul, one of her teammates.
"Of course," she said dramatically. "I wanted to leave a good final impression."
Mehul crossed his arms.
"You're abandoning us."
"I prefer the word graduating."
"Same thing."
A few desks away, Pooja turned her chair toward them.
"Don't listen to him," she said. "He's jealous you got a better job."
Aakrati smirked proudly.
"Obviously."
Another colleague, Nikhil, joined the conversation.
"So when you become a big project manager, remember us small people."
"I'm already important," Aakrati replied.
They laughed.
Despite the jokes, there was a warm feeling in the air.
She had spent months working with these people.
Learning.
Arguing.
Messing up.
Improving.
It had become comfortable.
Around lunchtime, the team suddenly gathered near her desk.
Aakrati looked up in confusion.
"What are you guys doing?"
Pooja placed a small cake on the table.
"Celebration."
"For what?"
"For surviving you."
Everyone laughed again.
"Very funny," Aakrati said.
Nikhil handed her a small gift bag.
"You guys didn't have to do this."
"We know," Mehul replied. "But we did."
Just then her boss walked toward them.
The room grew a little quieter.
He stopped beside her desk and looked at her seriously.
"Aakrati."
"Yes, sir?"
"You were chaotic."
The entire team burst out laughing.
Aakrati widened her eyes.
"Excuse me?"
"But," he continued calmly, "your work was always good."
She smiled softly.
"Thank you."
He handed her another small gift.
"Good luck in your new job."
For a moment she simply stood there, looking around the office.
The place where she had learned how things actually worked.
The place where she had stayed late fixing mistakes.
The place where she had slowly gained confidence.
Mehul nudged her shoulder.
"Don't forget us when you become famous."
"I'm already famous," she replied.
Pooja hugged her.
"Visit sometimes."
"I will."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Finally she picked up her bag and walked toward the exit.
Just before leaving she turned around dramatically.
"Bye everyone!"
"Bye Aakrati!"
"Good luck!"
"Don't mess up your new job!"
She laughed and waved before stepping outside the building.
The sunlight felt warmer than usual.
She took a deep breath.
A new chapter of her life was starting.
The next morning she woke up earlier than usual.
Today was her first day at the new office.
Her new position.
Project Manager.
Just thinking about it made her grin.
She stood in front of the mirror fixing her hair.
"Okay," she muttered to herself. "Act professional."
From the doorway, Shrisha watched her with amusement.
"You're talking to yourself again."
Aakrati didn't turn.
"I'm motivating myself."
"You're nervous."
"I am not."
"You absolutely are."
Aakrati grabbed her bag dramatically.
"I'm leaving now to attend my important corporate job."
Shrisha laughed.
"Don't get fired on the first day!"
The new office building looked much more polished than her previous workplace.
Tall glass walls.
Modern interiors.
A bright reception area decorated with elegant furniture displays.
The moment she stepped inside, the receptionist smiled warmly.
"You must be Ms. Aakrati."
She blinked.
"Yes."
"Welcome. We've been expecting you."
Aakrati tried to stay calm even though inside she was bouncing with excitement.
Soon she was guided upstairs to meet her team.
Five people.
Her project management team.
The team, greeted her.
"Welcome to the team."
"Thank you."
Everyone began introducing themselves.
Ananya waved cheerfully.
"Hi!"
"I am Ananya. I handle client communication."
Kabir smiled.
"I am Kabir. I work on technical drawings."
Raghav smiled casually.
"I am Raghav. I manage materials and execution."
"Nice to meet you."
Tanya gave her a friendly smile.
"I work on concept design and Aditya is our senior architect."
Aditya simply nodded calmly.
Aakrati looked around the room.
Everyone seemed welcoming.
The tension she had been carrying slowly faded.
Within a few hours she was already getting comfortable.
The workspace itself was beautiful.
Large windows filled the room with sunlight.
Design boards covered the walls.
Material samples and miniature interior models were displayed everywhere.
Aakrati walked around excitedly looking at everything.
"This place is amazing."
Samar smiled.
"You'll get used to it."
Two days later the team gathered in the conference room.
Samar placed a thick file on the table.
"We have a new client."
Everyone leaned forward.
"This is an important project."
He opened the file.
"A hotel interior design project."
Aakrati immediately felt excited.
Hotels were large projects.
Complex but exciting.
She opened the file to check the details.
Then suddenly paused.
The client name made her blink twice.
Krish Malhotra.
Her brain processed the information slowly.
Wait…
Before she could react, the conference room door opened.
Someone walked in.
Aakrati looked up.
And froze.
Krish stood there casually, wearing his usual confident smile.
"Good morning everyone."
The team greeted him.
"Good morning, Mr. Malhotra."
Aakrati stared at him.
"You!"
Krish looked at her innocently.
"Yes. Me."
"You're the client?"
"Yes."
"You gave this project to my company?"
Krish shrugged.
"You once said you'd like to manage one of my projects."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You planned this."
"Maybe."
Across the table Ananya whispered to Kabir,
"They know each other?"
Kabir whispered back,
"This meeting just became entertaining."
The project started smoothly.
Very smoothly.
Aakrati took her role seriously.
She organized timelines.
Scheduled meetings.
Managed communication between the design team and the client.
Krish attended many discussions.
And despite their playful arguments, their teamwork was surprisingly good.
"You're a difficult client," Aakrati complained one day.
Krish leaned back in his chair.
"You're a dramatic project manager."
"Clients are supposed to cooperate."
"Managers are supposed to stay calm."
"You are testing my patience."
"I'm improving your skills."
Their conversations often made the team laugh.
But everyone noticed something.
They worked well together.
Very well.
Krish understood the design process quickly.
Aakrati understood the client's expectations easily.
The project moved faster than expected.
Days began passing quickly.
Meetings.
Design reviews.
Planning sessions.
Aakrati started enjoying her work more and more.
It had been a week since she joined the company.
One evening after work she leaned back in her chair, tired but satisfied.
Ananya glanced over.
"Tired?"
"A little."
"But happy?" Kabir asked.
Aakrati smiled.
"Yes."
Her career was finally moving forward.
She was earning.
Learning.
Growing.
Everything seemed perfect.
Yet when she reached home that night, something small still lingered in her mind.
She unlocked her phone.
No new messages.
No missed calls.
Her thumb hovered over one particular chat for a moment.
Arsh.
She locked the phone again.
"Stop thinking about it," she whispered to herself.
But deep down…
She still missed him.
Far away, Arsh closed his laptop after another long day of work.
The past weeks had been exhausting.
Meetings.
Travel.
Business planning.
But finally things were stabilizing.
Siddharth looked up from across the room.
"What?"
Arsh leaned back in his chair.
"I should go back."
Siddharth raised an eyebrow.
"Back where?"
Arsh answered without hesitation.
"To Aakrati."
And somewhere in the same city…
Someone else had already been spending time with her.
Unaware that Arsh was finally coming back.