Meeting Him

The alarm buzzed, disturbing Avika from her slumber. She tried to slap the snooze button on the alarm clock but realized that the alarm was set on her mobile. She woke up and stretched her hands, throwing away the blanket. She grabbed her mobile and tried to switch off the alarm. She was unable to and tried instead to switch off the mobile itself. But it wasn't that easy to turn off this alarm as this alarm was designed for those sleepy heads who are busy sleeping in the morning while other successful people are busy succeeding. She remembered installing the new alarm app last night to banish her laziness and join the ranks of the early risers. She solved a mathematical task, a memory task, a matching colors task, etc. to switch off the alarm. Finally, she was awake, and she got out of the bed.

She looked at the glass of the window through which the rays of the sun were entering the room. She opened it and embraced the warmth of the sun.

"Good morning, Avika!" she greeted herself, as she knew she had no one in her life. She took a shower and dressed in a simple white salwar kameez. She preferred to wear white for important occasions. She locked the door to her room and reached the bus stop.

She waited for one hour at the bus stop, but there was no sign of any bus.

'Today is my first day in the office, and I'm going to be late! The bus hasn't come yet. How will I make it to the office on time? I guess I have no choice but to ask someone for a lift,' she thought to herself.

She saw a red car coming her way. She waved her hand to stop the car and ask for a lift. The car pulled up to where she was standing. The window of the car had been rolled down. A man wearing a cream-colored suit with black sunglasses and curly hair looked at her. He was damn handsome with that smile. His eyes passed over her face, nose, and lips, making her uncomfortable.

"Where do you want me to drop you?" he asked.

"That's alright, you can leave," Avika replied.

'He's a young man, and he has a wandering gaze. I can't trust him. It's better if I just let him go,' her mind advised.

"What? Why did you stop my car then? It's no big deal. Get in and tell me your destination," he said, opening the door of the car.

"It's my first day at the office. I'm going to be late. I need to get to Samar Industries," Avika said.

"Samar Industries? Okay, get in. I will drop you there," he said with a smile.

Avika sat in the car on the seat next to him. He started the car and played some music. He enjoyed the music as he drove, humming the tune.

"By the way, what is your name?" he asked.

"It's none of your business," Avika replied.

"Is it my business to drop you at your office?" he countered.

"Look, I just asked for help, and you stopped the car. If not you, someone else would have helped me. Anyways, I hate unnecessary conversations with strangers. Please, stop," Avika said, showing her irritation.

He stopped the car. There was no one on the road as they were on the outskirts of town. Avika was scared of this stranger. She started to panic and looked at him, predicting the worst.

"Why did you stop the car?" she asked, wiping sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief.

"I stopped the car because you told me to stop," he said, shocking her.

"No! I asked you to stop talking."

He smiled and started the car. He dropped her at Samar Industries, and she got out and turned to him.

"Thank you!" she said.

"You're welcome. Any time. By the way, you look fantastic in that white dress," he said. She fumed.

But he just winked and drove off, leaving her in shock. She scolded and cursed him in her mind.

She went into the building. She waited in the reception area, and after some time, MD called her to his office. She knocked on the door.

"Yes, come in!" MD said.

Avika went inside, and MD turned away so his face was invisible to her.

"Good morning, sir! I am Avika, the new hire. This is my posting information," Avika said.

MD turned towards her, and she was shocked when she recognized him as the person who dropped her at the office.

"Nice name, Ms. Avika," he said.

He took the posting information and then gave it back to her.

"Are you Mr. Samar?" Avika asked.

"I think that's none of your business," he said seriously.

"I'm sorry, sir," she said, responding to his seriousness.

'What can I do? I'm stuck. I need this job, but I don't think it's safe for me to work here. Just my luck. Whenever I'm happy, something always happens to take away my happiness,' she thought to herself, cursing her stupid fate.

"For what?" Samar asked.

"For not minding my business, sir!" she said.

"Good. Now you can go to your desk."

Samar called the office boy and asked him to show her to her desk.

"Ms. Avika, just a minute. Take this mobile," he said.

She looked at him in confusion.

"Avika, you are my secretary. You'll manage my schedule, my appointments, and my meetings. If I need anything, I will call you. You can also call me if you have any questions about my schedule or meetings. So, as per company policy, we provide a laptop and a mobile to all personal secretaries. We provide the mobile immediately, and you'll get your laptop in a month, after reviewing your work performance, of course," Samar said.

"Okay, sir!" she said, taking the mobile.

'I'm sure he's angry with me. He's going to get revenge for my rudeness during our drive. But I didn't do anything wrong. I hope this will not become a big issue. This job is important to me. God, please help me,' Avika thought.

'You are beautiful and smart. I love you. I've been searching for you for a long time. And, finally, I've found you. From today on, you are mine, Avika. My love is all for you,' Samar said to himself.

After one hour Samar called Avika to his office.

"Take a seat," Samar said.

Avika sat down on the chair in front of him. He was busy working on something and didn't say anything more to her. Ten minutes went by, and she tried to ask him why he had called for her. But she didn't want to disturb him.

Avika was fed up with waiting and being idle after an hour.

"Sir, may I know why you called for me?" Avika said.

"You're my personal secretary. You have to do whatever I say. Don't question me. Got it?" Samar said rudely, still busy with his work.

"What a stupid and proud man. I think his wealth has gone to his head. I don't know how long I can work for such a person."

"I can hear you," Samar said.

Avika was shocked. 'Did I say that out? Avika, what have you done?' she said to herself and looked at him.

"I'm not stupid. Yes, I'm proud, but not because of my wealth. I'm proud because I've earned this money. I'm proud of myself and my skills," he said, showing his pride in his words.

"I'm sorry, sir," she said.

"Don't worry. I called you in so I could give you a few printouts. That's what I've been checking on my laptop. Patience is necessary for anyone to succeed in life. Don't be in such a hurry all the time. Now grab those printouts from the printer and prepare the price quote for the products I mentioned in those papers. We are going to submit a new proposal. Complete the work by this evening. Now, you can leave," Samar said.

"Okay, sir!" Avika said and went to her desk. She completed her work and went to a cafe to have a coffee. Samar showed up and sat in the chair in front of her.

"Hello, my name is Samar," he said, smiling at her in a departure from the serious attitude he maintained in his office.

"Sir!" Avika said.

"Call me Samar, not Sir, because we are not in the office," Samar said.

"Why are you following me?" she asked, confused and frustrated.

"Avika, I don't know how to act. Let me be frank. I love you. I don't know anything about you. So, truthfully, I am in love with your beauty right now. But, if you like me, we can slowly get to know each other, and if we end up loving each other, we can get married. I'm not forcing you. I'm just expressing my feelings for you. That's it," Samar said.

Avika was scared by his words. A few scenes and voices replayed in her mind. She remembered her past, which she had been trying hard to forget. She felt as if her head was spinning. Her heartbeat increased, and she struggled to breathe. She fainted, and Samar caught her in his arms. He didn't understand her tension and fear. He rushed her to a hospital, and the doctor checked on her.

"Is she undergoing any psychiatric treatment?" the doctor asked Samar.

"I don't know, doctor," Samar replied, staring at Avika lying unconscious on the hospital bed.

"How are you related to her?" the doctor asked him.

"She is my employee. Doctor, is anything wrong with her?"

"She is experiencing severe mental stress. She also seems to have suicidal tendencies. If she is receiving psychiatric treatment, she should be fine. If not, please consult a psychiatrist immediately. Otherwise, I'm afraid she could commit suicide," the doctor said.

He was shocked by the doctor's statement. He didn't understand. He had been so happy to find her after so long. But everything was different now that he knew of her psychological condition.

"Okay, doctor, thank you," he said.

Samar sat beside Avika, waiting for her to wake up. She opened her eyes and looked around.

"Where am I?" she asked Samar.

"In space. This is the planet Mars. NASA has succeeded in sending a person to Mars. Congratulations, you are the first!" he said sarcastically.

"What?"

"Can't you figure out where you are with all the patients and doctors around?"

"Am I in the hospital? But why, and who admitted me?" Avika asked.

"You fainted in the cafe, and I brought you to the hospital. How are you feeling now?"

"I'm okay. Thank you and sorry about all the trouble," Avika said.

"It's okay. By the way, are you receiving any psychiatric treatment?" Samar asked, remembering the doctor's words.

"Sorry, what?" she said.

"The doctor who treated you told me to ask you this," Samar said.

"Yes, I'm receiving psychiatric treatment," she said.

"Okay, come with me. I will drop you off at your home,"

"No need. I can go by myself," she said seriously, assuming this was a trick to learn her address.

"Don't be foolish, Avika. You're unwell. How can you go alone? Let me drop you," Samar said.

She finally agreed, and they soon reached an orphanage.

"This is your home?" he asked.

"Yes, I live here."

"Don't you have any family? Or are you an orphan?"

Avika got out of the car.

"Look, Mr. Samar, you are my boss, and I respect your orders in the office. The only relationship between us is that of an employee and her employer. Nothing more than that. You told me that you love me, but I don't love you. I can't love anyone. I even hate the word love. So don't waste your time on me. Thank you for your help today. I hope you will find another lovely girl soon," Avika said.

She was leaving, but Samar held her hand. She was too close to him. She felt his breath on her face and became scared.

"Before, I loved your beauty. Now I love your courage too, Ms. Avika. You'll fall in love with me, and until then I will be waiting for you," Samar said smirking.

He blew her a kiss. Then he held her wrist and helped her cross the road.

"If you faint again while crossing the road, it will be a problem for me. So I'm helping you cross the road safely. See you tomorrow. Bye, I love you!" he said.

Avika freed her hand from his grip and gave him a serious look. Samar smiled and went off in his car, thinking about the doctor's words. He remembered her murmuring the name Jashwesh when she was unconscious.

'I know that you had a past love. Maybe that's why you hate love and are scared when you hear the word love. It's okay. I'm not bothered by your past. If you're depressed because of a failed love, I will heal your pain. My love will become medicine for your depression. The thing that you don't know is I already know you. However, you don't know me. I know you well, and I will bring back the Avika of the past. But in order to do that, I have to know exactly what happened to change you this much,' Samar thought, determined to win her love at any cost.