Part 1- The Lovers

Their First Meeting

Heavy rains poured on the rooftops at midnight. The sound of their fall was soothing but loud at the same time. Parking the car, Karan walked towards his home. He was an entrepreneur, a caretaker of thousands of his employees.

When Karan entered the living room, water dripped from his hair and beard. He looked around for his phone in his pockets, checked messages and emails, and stepped towards the bathroom.
After a shower, he checked his fridge and found the dinner kept by his maid Saru. Saru had served Karan for 8 years and cooked for him religiously.
Thanking her in mind, he finished his food.

Karan was on his balcony, surfing through the phone.

There was a restless breeze

touching his manly, bearded face, he gazed deep into the cloudy, dark sky. The rains reduced their force gradually. A thought crossed his mind. Am I missing someone at this very moment? What is making me restless today in this huge house? Answers seemed nowhere near his mind. Unable to sleep, he moved from the balcony towards his bedroom. He lay down on his huge, king-size bed, trying to sleep. With the new restlessness enveloping his otherwise calm mind, Karan finally slept.

Early morning sun rays

kissed Karan’s beard. Rubbing his eyes, he looked for his better half, his mobile phone and went through the missed calls, emails and messages.
After the shower, he probed through his wardrobe. Suit? Tuxedo? His mood was to slip into some formal today.
He came down to the basement and eyed his cars. He found his transport for today—his favourite—a Duster.
Swiftly, Karan walked towards it and drove his love into the city’s busy roads.

Signals were sometimes testing times of one’s patience.
“What is it?” He questioned his thumping heart.
“It’s just a signal. Calm down, my dear. Just a few moments and we shall be out of this traffic.”
Unaware of destiny and its miracles, he crossed the next signal.
Driving was his passion, so he loved to control the steering himself. He put on some light music; he was an ardent Bollywood music lover. And all of a sudden, he applied the brakes. “Damn.”

He saw someone

almost dangled from his Duster. He was used to one-handed driving. Grabbing the steering with both his hands, he halted the car.
He peeped out to figure out who the person was. As he did not spot anyone, he stepped out and saw a girl straightening her dress and brushing off the bits of mud from her dress.
She turned and looked at him.
Instantly, he was drowned, deep into her beautiful, kajal-filled eyes. He couldn’t take his eyes off her beautiful, innocent gaze.
The reason for his thumping heart was found.
An accidental meeting with someone special.

“Are you fine?”

Karan asked in his deep, dusky voice.
” Yes, I am. Don’t worry,” she replied with a faint smile. Brushing off the mud from her dress, she started to move away.
“I can leave you to your destiny”.

“That’s fine. I will take a cab and go. The venue of my interview is not very far from here. I will manage. Thank you so much.”

She walked away, but Karan kept looking at her until she disappeared. He felt he should have persuaded her to get into his car. He held himself responsible for wasting her time. Several thoughts flooded his mind, and he drove ahead. Looking at his watch, he geared up for his office. Karan parked his car and got out.

‘Good morning, Sir, ‘ echoed his ears as he entered his office building and moved towards his cabin.

“What happened?”

His friend and manager, Aarun, asked Karan.
“What? I mean, why this question?” Karan questioned him back…
Aarun said, “Hmm. Something is different today. My dear, we are lined up with interviews, and you are in your formals.”
Looking at Karan from top to bottom, Aarun said.
Smiling, Karan replied, “So! What difference does it make? I am still the owner of the KV Group of Industries. Appearances can be deceptive, my dear. Relax. Get ready for the selection of my personal secretary. However, I am expecting someone as responsible and trusted as Samantha. I wish she continued. Come on, let’s get ready.”

It was 10 a.m. Karan’s office walls were made of one-way glass. He used it to check on what was happening around him. Aarun was seated in the chair next to him and arranging files and papers. Karan took a walk along his office glass wall to see which candidates had come to take Samantha’s place. Samantha was Karan’s PS and one of his most trusted employees. She had resigned for some personal reasons.

Wait, who is there? His eyes stopped at the face that had made his heart race this morning—the one he had almost dashed his Duster against. Karan spoke to himself. Oh yes, it was her.

She got up,

glancing at the office decor, wondering whether she would get this job.
She had heard a lot about this group of industries and was keen on giving her best to get this golden opportunity.
As she moved towards the one-way glass window panes, his eyes saw a close-up glimpse of this angel.

Yes, she must be an angel. The calm on her face and her charming, positive aura had already caught his attention that morning.

And now, she was standing next to him, with just the one-way window panes between them. His eyes never left her. He walked along with her as she moved along the glass panes. Gazing at her, he was lost in her angelic existence.
He touched her face with his firm, long fingers but couldn’t feel her as this glass wall was in between them. ‘So delicate, so naive‘, he thought.
“Karan.”
“Karan.”

A tap on his shoulder

broke her spell on him.
He turned around to find Aarun staring at him.
“Like since 2 minutes, I am calling out your name dude, where are you lost?”
Karan smiled and replied. “Sorry. Tell me, what’s the position? I mean, how many candidates are up for this interview?
“Hmm. Are we still going to conduct this interview? Or is your PS choice already final?
“Karan’s unusual behaviour had already caught Aarun’s attention.
“Of course, the scheduled interviews will happen, bro. Guess we can start right in 5 minutes.”
Turning away from her, he walked towards his chair.
“Come on. After all, we need a perfect replacement for Sam.” He meant Samantha.

And the interviews started.
Aarun was his manager from the time Karan’s business was amateur until it reached golden skies. They tasted success together and were each other’s confidantes.
Girls came and left the cabin one after the other, but Karan’s eyes were unknowingly searching and waiting for her.
Outside his cabin, she was lost in her thoughts and doubted whether she would seize this opportunity.
“Please help me, dear Universe.”

Closing her eyes,

She silently prayed to the universe. She believed that one had to ask a wish honestly from the mighty universe, and the wish would be granted. An ardent believer in the universe she was.
As the only daughter, she had the responsibility of looking after her mother and earning money for her house after her father’s demise. After graduating, she was qualified to become a Secretary, a PS in particular. Here was her first interview with the KV group of industries.
“Next.”
She heard the receptionist calling her name, and she got up. Dreaming of this opportunity, she knocked on the door and entered . . his life.
Good morning, Sir. I am Ms. Samiksha Samuel.

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