"Do you ever wish you had a second chance to meet someone again the first time?"

~Unknown~

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Shaurya Pratap Rathore was a man perturbed and intrigued.

He was perturbed by the fact that Dr Aabha Sanyal treated him with absolute undisguised coldness and openly avoided him; a couple of times, she had actually walked out of the room as soon as he entered. Her unusual treatment of him was quite noticeable and was creating unnecessary whispers. She was friendly and courteous to his staff members and colleagues, his father and uncle adored her and he was a little envious of the warm camaraderie that she appeared to share with Reyansh. Her expertise in her professional field was evident and her passion for her work was commendable. 

Shaurya knew that she was Ishaani's sister and hence her ease and familiarity with Reyansh and his family were understandable, though the difference in their surnames was another puzzle for him. But that would mean that she knew him or at least knew of him, so why was she was so cold to him? He was sure he had not wronged or harmed her, his father and uncle would have never allowed her in his presence in that case and he was also sure that even if he had forgotten about it, they would have told him off if he had done wrong by her.

He was intrigued because Dr Sanyal, as she insisted he address her, constantly occupied his thoughts, notwithstanding the rudeness with which she treated him, rather, her very attempts to push him away only served to allure him further. She had an understated beauty, partly because she seemed to be absolutely unaware of her charm and partly on account of the goodness she radiated. Her skin was pale coppery and she had dark ebony hair, he suspected it would be long and silky despite the tight bun she had wound her tresses into. Further, though she was always immaculately dressed in slightly loose-fitting clothes, he knew that she would be perfectly curved with a very tiny waist and he was a little shocked as to how his mind had reached that conclusion. 

And on the occasions that she smiled, Shaurya felt the warmth of it in the very fibre of his being.

He sighed, he had not faced such emotion turmoil even in the days he had recovered from the surgery and had learnt that he had simply forgotten a couple of years of his existence. And the fact that she was seated in one of the glass cabins, across the one he occupied, did not help him at all; every time he looked up, he could see her, with her head buried in the notebook or carrying out animated discussions with his staff. He was fascinated by the glow that emanated from her face while she worked; something that was replaced by ice-cold acrimony when he managed to catch her eye.

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Aabha was not as unaffected as she made out to be. 

It took a tremendous effort on her part to maintain that façade of cool reserve when in Shaurya's presence and she would have been horrified if she knew that she came across as frigid and aloof. She had tried to maintain that anger she had first felt at Shaurya's apparent dismissal of her but then her heart gave up the futile attempt in a couple of days. She knew that she would always need his approval whether he remembered her or not. Being in his presence but not with him was also taking an emotional toll on her and she ceased fighting with her heart for every little thing.

She would deliberate a little longer on the choice of the dresses she should wear, hoping Shaurya would approve and conceded another small battle when she started to apply eyeliner; she never liked to apply makeup but then Shaurya had always loved her eyes and would be fascinated by her kohl-rimmed eyes and he had often hummed:

'Inn me mere aane wale zamane ki tasveer hai,
chaahat ke kaajal se likhi hui meri taqdeer hai,
ye uthe subah chale,
ye jukhe shaam dhale,
mera jeena, mera marna, inhi palkon ke tale,
teri aankhon ke siva duniya mein rakha kya hai.

And each time she applied the eyeliner, she would wonder if she was being foolish but then let it pass, it was a very small gesture and her mother and Ishaani also agreed that she looked much more attractive when she used the kohl. She could convince herself that she was applying the eyeliner because they liked it but she was firm about tying her hair into a tight bun. Apart from the fact that her long hair would be troublesome to manage, they brought back too many memories of him and his adoration for her hair. It had been so painful that, in the early days, she had almost contemplated chopping off her locks. And though she always flashed an icy glare at him when she sensed his eyes on her, she felt that familiar tingle of heat within her.

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Shaurya was not one to keep mulling things over, hoping that everything would fall in place, he was aware that the friction between them could affect the work, further he knew that his irritation at being unable to fathom a reasonable basis for her coldness was threatening to spill over and into the professional relationship and was unsure if he could tolerate her proximity during the wedding ceremonies, which if his Badi Maa had her way, would last a week. A suitable compromise had to be found and he did. Having made up his mind, he stepped across the hall and entered her cabin, hoping to catch Aabha unaware.

He would have been surprised to learn that she registered his presence as soon as he stood outside the door. And even if she did not, the cologne he sported would have alerted her, the woodsy and spicy notes tinged with his specific masculine aura could, even to this day, make her lightheaded. But she was alarmed and her heart did start beating in an erratic rhythm leaving her looking a little animated.

When Shaurya noted that her mask of animosity had slipped for a fraction of a second, he took heart, despite being unable to exactly identify the raw emotion in her eyes. He strode in and even as Aabha stood, he started off, "look, I apologise if I am disturbing you but I have had enough of it, this unpleasantness between us. I am not too sure of the reason but all I know is that something is off. If there has been any inappropriate behaviour from my side, I apologise for the same and if you let me know what exactly it is, I will make the requisite amends. In case is there no reason; is there a way in which we can work together without you openly avoiding my presence? Or in the event you are not comfortable working with me, please let me know so that I will have Reyansh coordinate with you from this point onward. I am sure you can notice that the friction between the two of us is affecting all the teams."

Aabha had been a little worried about what Shaurya would say and when she heard him out, it was her petulant heart that almost tempted her to say yes to working to with Reyansh, but the next instant she realised that Shaurya was right, both in his observations and his conclusions, and that it would be quite unprofessional of her to insist on not working with him. Moreover, he was actually being quite polite about his stance; she had not known that her aloofness could be construed as cold and rude behaviour.

Shaurya watched Aabha, 'she really is an open book,' he thought, he could almost make out every emotion that flitted across that lovely face of hers, chagrin, temptation, deliberation, reluctance and finally resignation and he knew what her reply would be. He gave the dazzling smile that Aabha knew so well, held out his hand and said, "Good,  I will be in your company only when it is absolutely necessary and you will at least pretend to be friendly with me. That way we would find it easier to work our way through this assignment and maybe we could become friends, which I am sure would be nice, especially in light of the fact that our siblings would be getting married in a couple of months' time. After that, I am sure our paths might never cross, so our forced company would not extend beyond that time frame. Shall we make a deal?"

Aabha closed her eyes; she could not deny the logical reasoning of what Shaurya had said. Silencing her heart, she thought about it, she could manage to be friendly around him, it was a small thing and she had been feeling quite guilty at learning that she had appeared rude to him. Moreover, as he had rightly pointed out, their siblings were going to get married and her continued standoffishness would only invite unwarranted attention and unwanted questions.

She opened her eyes, gave a wan smile and nodded, not too sure if she should take the proffered hand, apprehensive at how she would react at his touch. Aware that he was still waiting for an answer, she resignedly shook his hand and said, "Deal".

This time, both were startled; Aabha, as she did not feel anything and Shaurya who felt an electrical tingle course through his entire being.

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The next few weeks flew by as a blur for Aabha as she slowly let her barriers down; Shaurya's presence was a familiar and comforting one, even if he did not remember her. When she agreed to be friendly around his presence she decided that she might as well enjoy the time she had with him. It still hurt, being forgotten by him, but apparently, she had also forgotten how magnetic he could be, it did not take much effort from him for her to start losing herself to him again.

Aabha loved every minute of her assignment and found that working with him was a sheer joy, his team was as dedicated and hard-working as him, all being handpicked and groomed by him and his associate. She enjoyed both the intelligent discussions and the witty conversations, which made light work of the long hours and the tight timelines. There was only one person who left her a little troubled, Shaurya's associate, Tanushri.

Tanushri was tall, around five feet six inches, with a willowy figure, a golden wheatish complexion and a face that belonged to fashion magazines rather than one that would be found among balance sheets. Everything she did was with remarkable grace, whether it was gliding on her three-inch heels, or dealing with the insufferable auditors or even a mundane thing such as sipping coffee, she was effortless fluidity in elegant motion. Her beauty combined with an intelligent mind, determination to work as many hours as needed to complete any project assigned to her and her visible compassion for the people who worked with her, made her a much-admired person, as borne out by her team members' near worship of her.

Aabha could make out the affectionate friendship between Shaurya and Tanushri, they were very close and Shaurya seemed to adore her. When Aabha learnt that both of them were friends for a long time, she could not help but wonder why Shaurya had never ever mentioned her and why Tanushri had never even been around when Shaurya had his surgery, 'that is what friends do, right,' she thought 'be with you when you needed them the most.' She did recall a couple of his other friends who had been there but never Tanushri.

Each passing day only seemed to increase her uneasiness and there were moments when she was quite mystified as to how Shaurya could have fallen in love with her when he had someone like Tanushri around him. A feeling that was aggravated, when at times, she caught Tanushri watching her with a pensive, speculative look in her eyes. But then, all that was needed was a glance from Shaurya or a minute of conversation with him and Aabha would forget everything her mind would whisper, she simply buried all her misgivings under the happiness she found being in his company.

And here is the new start, familiar and unfamiliar, as both struggle with their feelings. The next chapter would continue on this conflict even as they surrender to their rising attraction. Till them could you let me know your views on this update, remember, all feedback good or bad, is welcome.

love,
Nyna

The rough translation of the song is as follows:

I see images of my future in these eyes,
lined as they are with kohl of desire,
When you open them, my day does rise
And it is night when you close your eyes
I can live my life lost in these eyes
Your eyes are the light of my life..

Not an exact one, hopefully you get the meaning...