Aman looked at his Aunt who has become his mother now, she looked so distracted and drifted. He knows how she always covers up her sadness and tears from him. They lost their family and that's their bitter reality but along with that he also had lost his aunt that unfortunate day.

She was someone who was always cheery and happy. Her presence was enough to cheer up everyone and their moods. His grand parents and his parents used love her so much and used spoil her so much by pampering her.

He understands now she cannot be like before but he worries if he can see her true self ever again. They both lost their everything and it was very horrifying moment for him to watch everything getting destroyed in front of his eyes but he also knows that they had to move on.

Their doctor always says this to him.

It took days for him to get out of that shock but after that he had learnt that nothing was going to be like before and his aunt matters him the most now. It kind of scared him when he saw the grave look on her face for many days in the start but eventually she got better and the reason was Aman himself.

She smiles only at him but again he can see pain right through her eyes which mostly she covers by that blank look of hers and fake smiles. He never truly saw her smile or laugh or react anything until his buddy came into their lives and he observed that Aadhya was different around him. She looks lively and a little happy around him.

He wants that happiness to be with her all the time and it was the only time when Rishabh is around they don't think about their past and family which was quite surprising.

Aman looked at her again who is just tossing her food in her plate but didn't eat a single bite.

" Mumma, you are not eating." He stated and she looked at him.

" I don't feel hungry beta." Saying this she got up.

" Mumma if you don't eat then I will also not drink this milk." Aman said showing his glass.

" Aman....." She tried to act stern but she knows he was stubborn just like her.

" Okay okay I will eat." She started eating and he started drinking his milk.

" Mumma you said that Buddy will be busy and I should not ask him to meet me but I miss him mumma.....I want to meet him." Aman asked and saw her face turned sad.

" Amu, we are not his family. He has his own life and family. I don't want you to get attached to him.....please understand beta it would be better for us if we stay away from him." She said sadly.

" Don't you want him to be with us?" Aman asked and she looked at him stunned.

" He can't be with us beta.....it will be always you and me only." She said and tears formed in her eyes.

Aman didn't understand the meaning in her words but he didn't probe her further as to not to make her worry anymore than already she is.

Next day was Sunday and so she took him for shopping. They both went to a mall and walked to the kids section. She took many dresses for him and he asked her to buy games for him. She bought whatever he wanted and they walked to food section.

" Mumma you didn't buy anything for yourself." Aman said.

" I don't need anything beta." She said.

She doesn't want anything for herself and it had been months since she had last shopped anything for herself.

They ate and went to the games corner where Aman played many games and it was evening when they went home. She looked at her phone which has missed calls from Rishabh but she didn't let Aman know about it.

They sat watching t.v. and Aman fell asleep on the sofa after a while. She picked him in her arms and tucked him to bed kissing his forehead. She came back to living room and sat there blankly looking at the screen.

All she could think about was Rishabh.

She wants to call him and ask for what he had called but refrained herself. She wants to stay away from him and if she calls him now, she wouldn't be able to do it. Already she is not able to take him off her head and if she talks with him now, she won't be able to stand on her words.

And she just sat there looking at her phone.

******

Next day, Rishabh didn't come to the office and she thought he might be busy with some work. But when it is afternoon and he still didn't show up, she called him on his mobile.

He didn't answer and she called him again after sometime but he didn't respond.

She is worried now as it never happened as he would atleast ping a message that he is busy.

He wasn't working also as he was offline from morning and she couldn't stay calm. She called him again and he didn't respond again.

Now she is in panic mode.

What if something had happened to him?

So she called Rishabh's father to ask about him.

" Hello beta." She heard.

" Uncle! Rishabh didn't come to the office." She said hurriedly.

" Oh, he might be busy with some work or gone out beta." He said frowning.

" No, uncle he is not even answering my calls and he was offline since morning....." She said and he smiled sensing her worry towards his son.

" Then I don't know beta. He has been been staying in his penthouse since last few days so......" She cut him off.

" Can you please tell me the address?" She asked in worry and he grinned.

" Why beta?" He asked.

" I will go and check on him uncle." She said and realised what she said.

" I...I mean....there are some files that need his signatures....." She trailed off.

" Okay....I have messaged you the address beta." He said chuckling lowly.

" Thanks Uncle." She said and hung up.

She took her bag, keys and stormed out of the office while others looked at her puzzled.

She started driving towards his house and tried calling him once but now his phone is switched off which increased her worry more.

She stopped her car in front of the building and sat staring at it. There was a big gym in the first three floors and his penthouse is on the fourth floor.

She took her bag and went inside the building. She took elevator and stopped at his floor. She rang the door bell standing in front of his door but no one opened the door.

She wondered where he must be and rang the doorbell again and again but there was no response. She is worried where he must be and various scenarios are running through her mind which scared her a lot.

She prayed to God that nothing bad should happen to him and leaned onto the wall beside the door. The thought of something happening to him itself brought tears in her eyes.

She slide down the wall and sat on her knees tiredly. She hadn't slept at all in the night and now she can't be at peace until she sees Rishabh safe. She again tried his phone but it is still switched off and all she could do was try not to cry.

She kept trying to ease her heart saying to herself that he might have gone out for some work or to meet someone and it relieved her heart a little but it would be better if she see him fine with her own eyes.

It's not a serious thing but for her based on her past bitter experience, she couldn't help but feel anxious about this whole thing.

" Aadhya?"

She heard and looked up to see Rishabh standing at his door confused looking at her.

He was shocked to see her in front of his door that she was on her knees and when she looked up he saw tears in her eyes.

She stood up staring at him and swiftly ran towards him. He stumbled back in shock when she hugged him and he wanted to know whether he was in a dream as he came out straight from the bed when he heard the door bell rang.

It took sometime for him to understand that it's not a dream and hugged her back.

" Thank God! You are safe, I thought something has happened to you." She cried hugging him tightly.

He frowned at her words.

" What? What will happen to me?" He asked confused but she didn't respond as she was too overwhelmed with emotions.

They stayed like that in each other arms for sometime.

" Sweetheart, as much as I want you to hug me like this forever but I would like to remind you that we are in the corridor." He said smiling stroking her back.

She moved back immediately which he didn't like.

" Why didn't you opened the door when I rang the bell?" She asked him.

" I was sleeping." He said and walked towards the door.

He opened the door and took her inside.

" Why were you crying?" He asked her.

She stayed silent.

" What are you doing here? Wait how do you know where I live?" He asked her confused.

She stayed silent.

" Aadhya." He called and she looked up at him.

" I am leaving." Saying this she turned to leave but was pulled back by him.

He was too close to her liking.

"What happened?" He asked.

" I called you many times but you weren't responding and then your phone was switched off." She said.

" It must be in silent mode and I forgot to charge, so it might got switched off." He said casually.

She tried to move away but he didn't let her.

" Why you called me?" He asked her.

" You didn't come to the office.... that's why." She said.

" Oh......I came late at night after partying and then in the morning I couldn't get up due to drowsiness and a bad hangover." He said rubbing his forehead.

" You didn't come to the office because you were at the party last night and drunk." She asked him seriously and he frowned at her tone.

He nodded his head slowly.

She pushed him away angrily and glared at him.

" Aadhya what happened?" He asked.

" What happened? Do you even have any idea how scared I was when you weren't answering my calls and didn't know where you were? Do you know how fastly I drove here to ensure that you are safe? Do you know how panicked I was thinking something had happened to you when you were not opening your door?" She shouted at him and he stood shocked in his place.

It was the first time he has ever saw a strong, real and live emotion in her.

" Here I was crying thinking that something had happened to you but you were drunk and partying all night." She said and tears fell from her eyes.

He moved close to her to console her but she moved away.

" Aadhya, I am sorry.....I didn't know that I worried you." He said.

" I am going to the office." She said and walked towards the door.

He held her hand and she stopped.

" Wait!" He said.

" Sir I have to go." She said blankly.

" Please stay." He whispered.

" Sir leave me." She said.

" No, I don't want to leave you." He said honestly which stirred her heart.

" Sir...."

" Atleast stay until you calm down." He said.

" I am alright....let me go." She replied.

" Never." He whispered.

" What?" She asked him stunned turning towards him swiftly.

" Nothing....are you okay?" He asked concerned.

" I am alright sir....why are you asking me like that?" She asked annoyed.

" No, you are not. Do you know how I felt when I saw you on your knees with tears in your eyes when I opened the door?" He asked and she could sense worry in his voice.

She stared at his worried face and she felt relief that he was alright although she was angry at him. She doesn't know what she would have done if something had happened to him and thanked God silently.

" I was just worried when you didn't answer my calls and you didn't even opened the door, I thought........" She stopped not to let him know about her feelings.

"Sorry, I woke up hearing the doorbell but it took sometime for me to come and open the door due to the hangover but I didn't realise the time and situation.....I am really sorry." He said.

" It's okay." She said making him frustrate.

" Please don't say now that you don't mind and you forgave me because I am your boss and you are my employee." He asked exasperated.

" But it's true sir, as a boss you don't have to say sorry.........." She said and he groaned out loudly.

" What happened sir?" She asked.

" Aadhya if you don't realise, I don't want just a boss and an employee relationship between us." He tried to say it calmly.

" What do you mean?" She asked.

" Look Aadhya, will you give me a minute? I will go, fresh up and come." He asked her.

" I need to go to office." She said in monotone.

" I am your boss and you are my PA. I am asking you to stay and you will stay." He said stubbornly.

" I don't want to stay, we can talk in the office." She said and walked again towards the door.

" Why?" He asked and she sighed.

" Sir, it's not right for me to stay here with you." She said without turning.

" Why?" He asked.

" It's not right for a girl to stay with  someone who is engaged." She said.

He stilled.

He closed the door with a thud when she was opening it and she was taken aback by the angry look on his face.

He locked the door and dragged her to the living room. He made her sit on the sofa and went upstairs to his room. She sat there with wide eyes in shock at his behaviour and didn't dared to move.

He came back after a while and saw her still sitting in the same place where he left her.

He smiled looking at her stiffness.

He went back to his angry mode as he understood that she will listen to him if he behaved like this.

She looked at him and tried to maintain her usual stone face.

" Sir!" She exclaimed trying to stand when he kneeled down before her.

He made her sit again and held her hands in his.

She looked at him wide eyed.

" I want to talk to you about many things but firstly you need to know one thing." He said looking straight into her eyes.

She looked at him with curious and nervous look on her face.

" I am not engaged."

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

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Stay Tuned............