"From the beginning, you knew I was crazy, loud, silly, imperfect, yet you chose to be my friend."

Aahana felt way better as she drove to the office building the next day. Her mind was clear despite the doubts. She realized she couldn't keep quiet and replay everything in her head. She had to have a conversation with Atharva, and she decided to do it once he returned from Bangalore, no matter the circumstances.

This was exactly the reason she was blessed to have someone like Jay in her life. If he wasn't there, she would be in a puddle of tears, questioning her life.

Her time with Jay had not gone to waste. It was a day well spent with him being his usual self, cracking lame jokes and commenting about hot guys. It had made her smile for the rest of the day, something only he could do. After all, ten years was no joke, and their friendship was bound with trust and faith. Indestructible.

Undoubtedly, they'd instantly become friends when they'd met in high school. But the occurrence of an incident at the end of the final year had changed things and since then, they were inseparable and best friends.

She still remembered the awful day. The memory was fresh in her mind, however, anything but memorable.

Jay had always been aware of his sexuality. When his parents learned about him, they were totally understanding and accepting. A few relatives were upset and disappointed who he blatantly ignored. Aahana had no problem but the fear of rejection, discrimination, and prejudices had him keep it a secret from others. He couldn't pluck the courage to tell the world he was gay.

But for how long? 

Their final exam was around the corner, so Jay had decided to come out before bidding them goodbye, for he thought they'd accept him.

But they didn't.

On the day of the farewell, nobody took it well. His friends looked down on him. They stopped talking to him. And if they did, it was teasing and bullying, continuous nagging about his sexual identity.

They had made his fears come true.

Aahana was his only friend throughout the last week, not letting him alone anywhere. She had tried to convince her school-mates but her words fell on deaf ears. 

Not a single goodbye he had received on the last day.

It was like he had committed a crime.

Sexual orientation was a taboo subject and homosexuality was a sin in society. It didn't take much to be labeled as an outcast. Many had these stereotypical thoughts with judgment in their eyes and disrespect in their heart. If a person wasn't straight, they were viewed with a frown.

Seriously?

Why couldn't it be comprehended that there was nothing wrong with them? A person's sexuality didn't define them; it was not what they chose and definitely not a phase that will pass after a while of therapy.

Jay was smart and had an amazing sense of humor. But what pulled everyone toward him was his natural charisma and handsomeness. He was no less than a man candy with his chiseled face, hazel eyes, and curly black hair that looked golden brown under the sunlight.

One could tell he inherited those traits from his parents who were renowned Indian chefs. He was next in line, genuinely wanting to pursue it as his career. Being in the kitchen, surrounded by the aroma of spices and food, he found chief solace. 

She smiled at the thought of him. He loved to experiment and create new recipes, and he always called her to taste them. She had become a great cook in the interim, all thanks to Jay. 

Needless to say, she did make a lot of friends over the years in university while pursuing her business degree but none could replace Jay. Although they were apart for a few years, as he went abroad to study hotel management, their friendship did not wither away. 

When he returned, he was the same Jay for Aahana. 

Parking the car, she locked it and walked inside. After greeting Maria and exchanging a few words about the job interview, she headed to Atharva's cabin, now her cabin as well.

Her eyes wandered to his empty chair, and she felt a pinch in her chest. God, she missed him. She did, though she didn't know why. He was something else...steely but beautiful. It was so hard to avoid his existence. Even now, when he was absent, he was invading her mind, leaving her yearning for more.

Sitting on his chair, she rested her face over his desk and looked at his nameplate. Atharva Saxena, The Chief Executive Officer. Her fingers traced the letters, and she couldn't stop the smile that spilled on her lips. She had never known his scent, but she could smell him around her. The hint of coffee, spicy cinnamon, and sandalwood lingered in the air, faintly there but enough to blur her senses. 

Aahana sighed in contentment and closed her eyes. It was like he didn't want her to forget him. And now, she couldn't wait for him to come back.

She knew it was silly. After all, she hardly knew him, or she could say she didn't know him at all. The latter seemed more likely as they had only exchanged a brief conversation and few meaningless glances here and there.

Her momentary peaceful slumber was cut short when all of a sudden the telephone blared, startling her. She begrudgingly left Atharva's chair with a groan and walked to her desk.

"Hello?"

"Aahana dear, the applicants are here. Should I send them up?"

"Of course! Thank you, Maria." 

Aahana flipped her laptop open while waiting for the candidates to show up. She could already imagine Atharva's face when he'd see the female employees in his office. It made her giggle. 

"Come in," she said, hearing the hesitant knock.

She wanted female employees around Atharva, but she didn't want to be the one to interview them. She hated to sit for hours and ask questions. Besides, on the spot hiring was dreary, especially if they didn't meet the company's requirements. She couldn't just say, "Sorry, you are rejected." That would make her heartless. She had the option to ask Maria to email the hired ones later with the contract, but there were chances Atharva would know and cancel the process. 

A girl in a blue dress walked inside with tentative steps. Her long hair was braided into a fishtail and her face was makeup-free, excluding the pink lipgloss and eyeliner.

Aahana kept her expression blank as she gestured for the girl to sit. Maybe it was a gut feeling, but she knew the girl was going to get the job. 

Taking a seat, she gave a small smile and handed her résumé. "Good morning."

Aahana nodded and scanned her qualification which was pretty much what she needed for her assistant. She looked up at Kritika and began firing questions.

"Why do you want to work for Saxena Enterprises?" 

"You need the job because you are interested or circumstances forced you?" 

"What can you do for us that other candidates can't?" 

"Have you worked anywhere else?"

"Why did you leave that company?" 

"If you were an animal, what would you be?"

Kritika gave all the answers unwaveringly, and Aahana could hear the genuineness in her words and see the determination in her eyes. 

"Alright, you're hired! Make sure to sign the contract, and if you have any queries, ask Maria." 

She nodded and thanked Aahana before walking out with a happy smile. 

The hours mostly went on with the question-answer session, and at the end of the day, she had managed to hire only 16 out of the 45 candidates she had interviewed. Many of them cared less about getting the job, busy fixing their hair and dress that looked too tiny and tight. At one moment, Aahana was afraid it would rip from their body.

They seemed to be more interested in the empty chair rather than in answering her questions. She realized they were here to impress Atharva with their beauty. Few girls even had the audacity to ask his whereabouts. 

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. They had behaved as if he were an old-school sweetheart. How they did not feel ashamed was beyond her. She had dismissed all of their concerns related to her husband. They couldn't be more irrelevant. 

With exhaustion crawling through her, she wrapped up and informed Maria to schedule the rest for tomorrow. As soon as she reached home, she hit the hay, not bothering to change her clothes. Her mind already dreaded another day of the interview. God only knew for how many days it would continue.

All she wanted was for it to be over before Atharva got hold of her plan, otherwise, she would be in deep trouble. He wouldn't even blink before going all berserk on her. 

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