Knowing a little bit of Aadhya's life made Rishabh proud and happy while Aadhya was scared of getting attached to someone. Although she is happy seeing Aman happy but she is also worried about Aman getting attached to some stranger.

Stranger? Really?

Rishabh is not a stranger and she knows she is overthinking but she doesn't want Aman to get hurt in anyway.

Aadhya was checking some files regarding the presentation when she saw the trouble maker Sonali Dixit entering into the floor. She looked at Aadhya with attitude and walked to Rishabh's cabin ignoring Aadhya's look.

It's half an hour since she had gone to his cabin and still didn't come out. Aadhya shrugged and thought that until she doesn't bother her it's okay. Her mobile pinged making her surprise as no one has her number.

She looked at the contact number and sighed. It was Rishabh's number and she stared at his message blankly.

Save Me 🥺

After 10 minutes she completed her work and took those files to his cabin.

" Sir, these are the files you asked for the presentation." Aadhya said giving him some files.

" Don't you know not to disturb when someone is there in the boss's cabin?" Sonali asked glaring at Aadhya who royally ignored her and looked at Rishabh.

" Sir, you have meeting in 20 minutes." Aadhya said looking into her notepad and Sonali was shooting daggers at her.

" Oh! Ms. Dixit you need to go now, I have a meeting......we will talk about it some other time." Rishabh said and stood up.

" Okay Mr. Malhotra." Sonali stood up to leave.

" Is everything ready?" Rishabh asked.

" Yes Sir." Aadhya said and turned to leave.

" Aadhya....help me with the files." Rishabh said and Aadhya obeyed.

Sonali looked at both of them surprised as she never heard Rishabh calling someone informally. He always adds Miss or calls by surname. She looked at them for the last time and stormed out of the cabin.

Rishabh sighed looking at the closed door.

" Oh God finally!" He said and leaned back on the chair.

" Thanks for saving me from her." Rishabh said.

" You really have a meeting." She said flatly looking at him and he looked at her wide eyed.

" What? With whom?" He asked.

" Sir, Have you forgotten? I informed you in the morning na about the meeting with some marketing people. Now get ready you still have 40 minutes until the meeting starts." She said and went away leaving him speechless.

She sat on her desk and smiled to herself remembering his face.

She arranged everything in the conference room for the meeting and waited for everyone to start the meeting. Rishabh didn't talk much as only the marketing people were talking and she took notes throughout the meeting.

Meeting ended and everyone got back to their work.

There was a knock on his door and he looked up from his laptop to see Aadhya coming in.

" Sir, these are the meetings scheduled for tomorrow....please check and let me know if any changes are required regarding the timings." Aadhya said handing him his schedule.

" Postpone all the meetings for tomorrow." He said.

" What? Why?" She frowned.

" I am not in the mood." He said.

" Are you okay?" She asked him concerned as he never cancelled his meetings unless it can't be avoided.

He looked at her whose face is etched with concern and the first time in his life he felt like someone is there who cares for him.

" I am not feeling well." He said rubbing his forehead.

She walked near him and kept her hand on his forehead hesitantly making him close his eyes.

" Oh my God! You have fever." She said worried.

" A little bit I guess." He said.

" No, it's not. You are burning....you should go to the doctor." She said to him.

" No need. I will just take some medicines." He said getting up from his seat.

" But...." He cut her off.

" I never go to hospitals." He said gulping the tablets with water.

" Atleast go home and rest." She said.

" No, it's okay....I will be alright." He said and again started his work.

" Either you go home or I will take you to the hospital." She said seriously.

" You will take me?" He asked amused and she nodded her head in yes.

" I am fine Aadhya." He said chuckling.

" Either you go home or I will take you to the hospital." She repeated again looking at him blankly.

He looked at her for sometime who stood adamant.

" Ok I will go home." He sighed and she raised her brows looking at him and his laptop.

" Ok, ok....I will go home and rest.....no work." He said standing taking his blazer.

She smiled at him and arranged all the files scattered on his desk. Her smile always makes him stun and he always want to see her smile like that.

" I am going.....bye." He said walking outside.

" Okay.....I will cancel all the meetings for tomorrow, take care." She said and followed him outside.

After he is gone, she had cancelled all the meetings and scheduled them for some other day. Since he is gone, she doesn't have much work to do and so thought of going home early.

******

Next day, he went to the office feeling little better and thought of completing the pending work. He waited for Aadhya to come and help him but she didn't show up. It was 11 am and she is still not in the office.

He called her on the mobile, it was switched off and he frowned thinking why she didn't show up. He didn't receive any message of her asking for leave. He huffed and got back to his work.

In the afternoon, he got a call from his friend asking for lunch and he agreed. He is meeting him after many days and he thought of spending some time with him.

" So, you like this girl." His friend Anand concluded.

"No!" Rishabh exclaimed.

" Ok, ok you love her." Anand said defending himself.

" What? No!" Rishabh shouted.

" You don't like her, you don't love her then why do you even talk about her so much?" Anand asked confused and Rishabh just looked at him making him sigh loudly.

" From the time you came here, you are just talking about her and I never saw you talk about a girl before. You are describing as if you admire her, you speak about her as if you have done PHD about her, you are talking about her as if she is so important to you. What's all this then?" Anand asked raising his brows at him who looked at him stunned.

" I.I...... look at the time, I should leave now." Saying this Rishabh hurried away from the restaurant.

Anand laughed at his dumb friend and his antics.

Rishabh's heart was thumping loudly in his chest at the thought of him falling for her.

He cannot fall for her.

He doesn't know anything about her.

How can someone like or love them without knowing them?

He doesn't love or do relationships.

But Anand never lies.

He is his only friend who knows him more than anyone and he wouldn't joke about something like this.

He stopped his car in a secluded lane and tried to compose himself. He was about to start his car when he saw Aadhya and halted. She was sitting on a roadside bench with a grave look on her face and it didn't help when he saw her sitting in front of the graveyard.

It scared him looking at her like that.

She looked so broken.

He sat stunned looking at her like that.

Rishabh looked around and the whole lane was empty except for a shop and there was a man standing beside the bench looking at her with pity. That man ran to the nearby shop and came back with a water bottle.

He called her and gave her the bottle.

She took the bottle and drank some water.

" What's the time?" She asked him.

" It's 2 pm baby ji." He replied.

" How long I have been sitting here." She asked and he looked down sadly.

" We should go now baby ji, it's already late and I have to go to Aman baba to pick him up." He said and she nodded her head sighing at the thought that she has been here since 3 hours.

She looked towards the graveyard once and walked towards the car. That man opened the door of the backseat and she sat leaning her head back. He closed the door and sat in the driver's seat.

Rishabh could not hear anything but understood that man is the driver and looked at them going in their car. He sat there for a moment and only he could remember was her broken look.

He went back to the office and resumed his work but he couldn't take her face out of his mind.

Why was she at the graveyard?

His phone pinged and he looked at it to see a message from Aadhya.

Sorry Sir, I couldn't inform you earlier.....I was not feeling well and my phone was not charged - A

Are you okay now? - R

Yes Sir - A

See you tomorrow then - R

Okay Sir. - A

Today also he went home early and thought to take some rest. He sat on the dining table and drank some water.

" Baba, shall I bring some tea for you?" He looked at Shanthi who was waiting for his response.

" Yes please." He said.

" Here." She said placing the tea cup carefully on the table.

" Thank you." He smiled and she smiled back.

" Umm...Shanthi ji, how do you know Aadhya?" He asked.

" Who?" She frowned.

" That day you have talked to that girl outside the house....." He said.

" Oh! Shanu baby! I used to work for them baba." She said.

" Then why are you here?" He asked.

She became quiet.

" They.....Something has happened to them.....their house has been locked and Bade baba brought me here and gave me work." She said sadly.

" What happened?" He asked curiously and she looked at him hesitantly.

" What are you doing here?" Rishabh heard and turned to see his father standing there.

" Drinking tea." He said and Shanthi went away from there.

" Still trying to know about her?" He asked and Rishabh sighed.

" If you really want to know then you should wait for her to open up to you. If she really wants you to know then she will tell you." His father said seriously making Rishabh think deeply.

" Shouldn't you be in the office right now?" He asked his son.

" I wasn't feeling well..... I want to rest." Saying this Rishabh went to his room.

His father didn't understand why Rishabh was so interested in Aadhya's life because he never saw his son being so keen in knowing about a girl.

Does he like her or what?

He smiled at that thought and went back to his office room.

******

Aadhya came to the office next day and started her work as usually.

Rishabh also came after sometime and looked at her who was busy in her work. He was on a call and left to his cabin talking on the phone. She knocked and opened the door of his cabin.

" Sir, your coffee." She said and kept it on the table.

" So how are you?" He asked taking the coffee.

" I am fine Sir." She said blankly.

" How is Aman?" He asked.

" He is fine too Sir." She said.

" Okay, are there any meetings today?" He asked.

" Yes Sir, two.....one before lunch and one after lunch." She said.

" Okay....give me a brief about it." He said and she told him about the details.

She went to her desk and resumed her work while Rishabh was concerned looking at her red swollen eyes.

Suddenly there was hustle created in the office and everyone were tensed. Then she came to know that Mr. Shiv Malhotra has visited the office suddenly.

She resumed her work calmly and her intercom buzzed.

" What's going on outside?" Rishabh asked.

" Sir, you father Mr. Shiv Malhotra is in the office." She said and heard a loud groan from the other side.

" Sir any problem?" She asked.

" No." He said and hung up.

She shrugged and looked up to see the man himself is arriving.

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To be Continued..........

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