Chapter Ninety Seven.

Chapter Ninety Seven.
Veda kept replaying the moment in Varun’s office over and over in her head. The way his presence lingered long after she’d left, she couldn’t shake it off.

By the time she stepped onto the interns’ floor, her nerves were already frayed.

She walked quickly toward her desk, pretending not to notice the curious stares from the other interns.

Dropping into her chair, she let out a soft sigh.

“Are you okay, Veda?”

Her eyes widened at the sudden voice. She turned and saw Kabir watching her from his desk, concern written all over his face.

“Yes, I am..” she said too quickly, releasing a shaky breath.

She tapped her keyboard, bringing her laptop screen back to life as if it could shield her.

“Are you sure? You seem—”

“I said I’m okay..” she cut him off, her voice tight. “I…I need to focus now, please.”

Kabir hesitated, swallowing hard as his eyes lingered on her troubled face before reluctantly turning back to his own work.

But no matter how hard she tried, Veda couldn’t focus.

Varun’s presence shadowed her thoughts, leaving her restless and uneasy.

♤♤♤

The day slipped by faster than she realized.

When the elevator doors opened, she stepped into the company lobby, eager to escape, heading toward the glass exit doors when a familiar voice called out.

“Veda!”

She turned and saw Shanaya hurrying over, Kabir walking at her side.

“Babe, why are you walking so fast?” Shanaya asked, brows raised.

Veda blinked, confused.

Was i? She thought..

She hadn’t even noticed.

“R…really?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah. Are you okay?” Kabir’s voice carried the same concern from earlier.

“It was like you were running away from a ghost..” Shanaya teased lightly, though Veda’s heart skipped at the words.

“I…I’m fine. Sorry..” Veda managed, forcing a smile. “I just wanted to get home early and relax.” The lie slipped from her lips too easily.

Shanaya seemed convinced and smiled.

“Alright, fair enough. By the way…why did the Chairman call you today? Everyone’s been buzzing about it.”

Veda froze for half a second, her fingers tightening around the strap of her tote bag.

“O-oh…it was nothing..” she mumbled, lowering her gaze to the floor. “Just…a small talk. He asked me for a few things.”

Shanaya’s lips curved into a knowing smirk. Kabir held the door open for them, and they stepped out together into the evening air.

“Small talks? That’s it? Are you sure?” Shanaya pressed, her smirk deepening.

“Yes. Just talk..” Veda insisted quickly, her tone almost defensive.

Shanaya shrugged, though the grin never left her lips.

“He’s very handsome, isn’t he?” She wiggled her brows playfully.

Veda frowned, “I…I don’t know. He looks like a normal person to me.”

“What?” Shanaya gasped dramatically, clutching her chest. “Just normal? Girl, he looks like a walking god.”

“Veda is right..” Kabir cut in dryly, rolling his eyes. “He’s just a normal guy.”

Shanaya turned and shot him a glare before swinging her amused gaze back at Veda.

Then, suddenly, she stepped ahead of them, spinning on her heel to block their path.

Both Veda and Kabir halted, confusion flickering across their faces as Shanaya’s grin widened mischievously.

"I understand that Kabir might be jealous of him.." Shanaya said slyly, her voice carrying that teasing tone she always used when she wanted to stir trouble.

Kabir immediately frowned. "What? I'm not—"

But before he could finish, Shanaya waved her hand dramatically, cutting him off. "But come on, Veda.." she pressed, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "You know he’s hot, every girl knows that. And not just regular hot… the kind of hot that isn’t even normal." She crossed her arms, as if her point was irrefutable.

Veda’s brows lifted in disbelief. She turned her head slightly, meeting Kabir’s gaze. He too raised a brow, mirroring her expression, and together they both looked back at Shanaya like she had lost her mind.

"Can he breathe like us?" Veda asked dryly.

Shanaya rolled her eyes. "Well, duh."

"Can he walk? Get sick? Eat like us?" Veda continued, clearly not buying into the exaggeration.

"Yeah…?" Shanaya frowned, not sure where this was going.

"Then he’s just a normal person." Veda said simply.

Kabir burst out laughing, shaking his head at her logic, while Shanaya gawked at both of them like they were aliens.

"You two are unbelievable!" Shanaya groaned, exasperated.

Then she leaned forward, eyes narrowing playfully at Veda.

"Tell me honestly… would you say no to him if he asked you out? Hm?"

The question hit like a stone dropped in still water.

Veda stiffened ever so slightly, her lashes fluttering as she tried to control her expression. She swallowed hard before answering.

"Um… n-no. He’s not my type.." she said quickly, and before either of them could respond, she started walking ahead, almost as if the conversation itself made her uncomfortable.

Which it did.

Kabir’s head whipped toward her, surprise flickering across his face.

He had caught that tiny hesitation, the way her voice had faltered before she forced the words out.

"Ugh, gosh, are you serious right now?" Shanaya exclaimed, jogging a little to catch up with Veda. "You are such a hard nut to crack, you know that?"

Veda glanced over her shoulder and gave a small smile.

It wasn’t bright or playful like usual, it carried a quiet sadness, yet not quite sadness either, something in-between that was hard to read.

Kabir’s chest tightened. He gulped, nerves suddenly twisting inside him.

She really was a hard nut. If even someone like Varun..tall, striking, magnetic..couldn’t catch her attention, then what chance did he ever have? The thought lingered bitterly at the edge of his mind, but he quickly shoved it away before it could sting more than it already did.

Just then, Shanaya shifted the subject, her tone softening. "Anyways… Veda, why didn’t you get a supervisor today? Every intern got theirs assigned." She looked genuinely concerned now.

Veda froze for the briefest second, then forced a tight smile. "Um… I’ll get mine tomorrow." she lied smoothly.

Shanaya studied her for a moment, brows furrowing, but she eventually nodded, letting it slide.

They finally reached the bus stop, the chatter of traffic filling the pause between them. Veda smiled faintly at the two.

"See you guys tomorrow.." she said as she raised her hand to flag down a taxi.

Kabir hesitated, his throat dry. The words left his lips before he could stop them. "Wait… V-veda, are you attending the party?"

Veda’s hand froze in mid-air. Slowly, she turned to him. Then she shook her head. "I won’t be."

Shanaya gasped dramatically, clutching her chest. "Hey! You promised!"

Veda had already stopped a cab. She gave a soft laugh, shaking her head. "I never did, Shanaya." And with that, she slipped inside the car, leaving behind only the faint trace of her scent.

Shanaya pouted, watching the taxi pull away with disappointment.

But Kabir… Kabir couldn’t tear his gaze away. His eyes followed the cab until it vanished from sight.

"You really need to learn how to keep your emotions in check." Shanaya’s voice broke through, pulling him back to reality.

He frowned at her. "What?"