It was nearly 8 in the evening and all Ruhi wanted was to go home. But how could she when her boss along with that stranger was still at the office? Her mind wouldn't stop thinking about how Rajat stormed out of the office while she was waiting for them to finish their "talk". And although Rajat tried his best to remain calm, she could sense the underlying layer of irritation pent up in him. Before leaving he did instruct her to not to disturb that man and their boss since Dhiraj was asleep. But she couldn't help but wonder who that stranger was.
As if that man had heard her thoughts, she saw Nakul stepping out of the office.
"Hi. Umm...I know it's getting late so I think you call it off for the day." Nakul flaunted his smile purposefully in an attempt to make his whatever-little-charms-he-had work.
Ruhi was almost convinced but how could she simply leave? She didn't even see her boss ever since that man arrived. "But, Sir's still there, right? How can I-"
Nakul understood that suspicion. "Yeah. But he's still sleeping. If I knew his fatigue was this bad I would've come sooner." Nakul tried pretending as if Dhiraj wasn't feeling well so he was asleep. "You can ask Rajat about it if you want." He shamelessly tried using Rajat's name as an alibi for his claims. And although quite a few things felt suspicious about that man, the fact that Rajat knew him and her boss took so many efforts to make him feel welcomed, made it clear to Ruhi that he was someone that both Rajat and her boss knew on a personal level.
So her curiosity took over. "Yes. It's getting late for me. I'll leave. But I'm just curious. How do you and Sir know each other?"
Nakul played it cool. "I am....." He tried finding the right words. "He's a very dear friend of mine."
Ruhi had expected that. They must be close friends. She let her guard down. " Oh! Great. Must be quite close friends!" She teased Nakul and bit and that little remark made a slight blush flush across Nakul's face.
"I like to think so." He let out a light laughter. And that response vanished Ruhi's suspicions.
"Oh! That's so nice. I've never seen Sir with any other friends than Rajat sir-" She assumed Rajat and Dhiraj are friends too. "Are you and Rajat sir friends too?"
"Not....so close. It's more like Dhiraj is the reason we know each other. Plus I don't think he likes me much." Nakul shrugged his shoulders, pouting lightly as if trying to make Ruhi feel sympathetic towards him..
Hearing that Ruhi let her cheery bubbly self-take over. " Ahhh....No. Rajat sir is like that with everyone. But even though he looks strict, he's a good person. By the way, what do you do?"
Suddenly, that question made an....unsightly feeling return. He knew what it was. It was the same feeling he had when he met the actress. The feeling that he wasn't enough. The shame of being a mere highschool teacher returned. So he lied. Well, no exactly. "I'm.....a professor."
[A/N: This is something that's based on my personal observation. I don't know if it's a universal experience. But generally professors are said to be teachers at university while teachers are simply considered as...only teachers at school. What I'm trying to say is college professors are much more respected than school teachers. It's a small observation. But I'm not sure if you guys will agree to this or not.]
"Oh!! A professor! So cool! It's so nice that sir has such a caring friend like you. At times he tends to overwork himself." Ruhi had completely let down her walls. She started with her rambling. "But now I think that's going to change because of his gorgeous girlfriend." It was evident that she was super excited with that piece of info. Although that wasn't the case for Nakul. Suddenly his mood turned sour. But he kept his calm.
Her inner fangirl took over. "I am such a HUGE fan of Anaya. And at first I didn't really like their pair. Because as her fan you know...I didn't want her to be with someone like sir. Cause, Sir has.....you know...this playboy sort of image." She talked in a hush hush tone. "But they grew on me. They just look so good together. I mean.....they look like a power couple. -" She was simply so excited to talk about her favs that she completely forgot about her surroundings. And in that flow, she said the sort of things that she should only talk about with her fellow fangirls. " And just imagine...if they ever had a baby....their baby would be blessed with some amazing genes.....Ahhhh... And-!!!"
But someone else wasn't enjoying their little talk as much as her. Rather he was fuming from within. Filled with sarcastic undertones, Nakul unleashed his irritation on that poor fangirl. "Wow! I didn't know that Dhiraj's staff were so concerned about him that they're even wondering about what a baby with a woman he had just begun dating would look like."
A chill went down Ruhi's spine. Her smile immediately dropped. She realized she had stepped on a line. She was fangirling on her ship so much that she had forgotten about her surroundings. Her mind was desperately finding a reason with which she can salvage the situation. What if that man told her boss about her idle talk? And if her boss fired her because of it? But lucky Nakul made things easier for her.
He pressed a smile on his face that clearly told Ruhi to be in her limits. " I think you need some rest, Miss Ruhi. I can see how hard working you are. Thank you for waiting so late."
Ruhi understood that gesture. Packing up her things quickly she hurried out. But the sour taste left in Nakul's mouth won't go away. Their words only leave his mind. First it was Rajat and now this woman. I thought at least Rajat would be on my side, but he too is like the rest of these [people who don't want him and Nakul to be together.] He made his way towards his man. And as he sat beside Dhiraj who was still sleeping, he only had one question on his mind.
He stroked his man's soft cheeks with his thumb. They are even thinking about your babies and your future with that woman. Dhiraj.....What should I do to make you completely mine?
* * *