Kanika's POV
I went to my seat exhausted. 'I wanted to crash out so badly on that damned piece of shit and tell him that it was my work, but I didn't want to reveal myself so easily. I have always wanted people to find my work themselves and read it and like it because of what's written as the content and not because I told them that it's me writing them.'
I did a head down on my table, but remembered I had other works that needed more attention than this one. 'Let's see what can be done about this plagiarism thing after reaching home.' I proceeded to complete the report work.
_____________
It was 7:00 pm now. Almost all the people had gotten out of work. My work was almost done, too. I leaned back on my chair with a tired sigh. My eyes fell on the draft Rahul gave me. 'I don't want to pass it on to Aarav. What if he takes a look and likes it? What if he asks Rahul to sign a contract? What if my work starts to get acknowledgment by the name of that shit head? Arghhhhh let's just pass it on for now and think about what to do later.'
I stood up from my chair and went to his cabin and knocked, but didn't get any response.
"I am coming in." I took the liberty of entering his cabin.
"Sir?" I tried to get his attention from the screen. He looked up with a frown and confusion, but immediately his expression softened when he saw me.
"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Why haven't you gone home yet?" He stood up from his place, and his voice was laced with concern.
"I was just about to leave, but I forgot to give you the draft that came in today." I handed him the draft, and he set it aside to take a look later. I turned to leave, but recalled something else, too.
"The report is almost done. There are a few edits that I need to do, print them, and hand them to you before noon."
"Alright," That's all he said and sat back down. I didn't move, I stood there trying to speak, or maybe expecting him to say something.
"Anything else?" he asked in confusion.
"Are you ignoring me?" I blurted out without a single thought, I had enough of this.
"Huh?" He raised his eyebrows at me, wanting to make sure he heard right.
"Aarav, you are acting weird."
"I am normal, just busy." He went back to working on his laptop.
I strided towards his desk and closed his laptop with a thud, and he jumped from his chair.
"What is this behaviour, Kanu?" His tone was really dangerous, but he tried his best to keep his calm and not shout at me. His eyes locked with mine.
"I asked something," I said, looking up at him, maintaining eye contact. His eyes were sharp, but the emotion behind them wasn't anger or anything, even after I had slammed his laptop shut like that.
"And I told you I was busy," he replied with a tight jaw.
"You are lying. You are avoiding me. You haven't talked to me since the wedding. Why? You are surely thinking something idiotic, right?" I asked nervously.
"Can't hide anything from you. hmm…" He sighed as he confirmed my assumption.
"Why keep distance?" I insisted on knowing the reason.
"Well, I shouldn't be getting so close and comfortable with a girl who is a girlfriend of my junior who I think of as my younger brother." He said it with such a smile as if we were in a drama and he was letting me go. I face-palmed myself. 'I knew this idiot.'
"Who said I am his girlfriend?" I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"Well, are you not?" he got confused.
"Of course not. You damn idiot. Like, how the hell did you even think of that? Like the fuck bitch? Aarav tum… arghhh… kayi baar toh man karta hai jaan lelu tumhari," I hissed at him. I held his collar and pulled him down, making him sit back on the chair so that he is the one who needs to look up.
(Aarav, you… arghhh… sometimes I wish to kill you.)
"I will say it only once and get it engraved on your mind, ok?" he just nodded wide-eyed.
"First off, I am no one's girlfriend and especially not Anant's. Second, if I do become a girlfriend someday, you will be the first to know. I will tell you myself." I bent closer to him and continued, "Third, don't. Make. Assumptions. On. Your. Own. UNDERSTOOD?" I poked my finger in his chest, giving emphasis to every word. He just nodded in response. I went to sit on the sofa that was near the shelf in his cabin.
"I am sorry," he apologised and handed me water to drink so that I could calm down a bit.
"You should be." I acknowledged sarcastically, chugging down the glass of water.
"But he also told me that day that you had asked him to come and meet you. It was Sunday, yes." He inquired, still doubtful of what was true, and added, "he was smiling and laughing to himself the whole day after coming home. I thought he had gone mad or something," he stated in horror as he recalled that day.
"He really doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut right" I rubbed my forehead with my fingers trying to calm the head ache but just then my phone pinged with a notification I checked it was from Anant.
'Speak of the devil.' He had been trying his best to talk to me and text me since that day. Maybe I was too lenient with him.
"Will you be going to that all-friends party Zubair is hosting this Saturday?"
"I was thinking if we could go together," came another message.
"Dekhungi. Sochungi. Aur agar jaungi toh tere saath toh nahi jaungi." I typed back and kept my phone aside, not giving attention to the notifications that followed later.
(Let's see. I will think about it. And if I go, I won't go with you.)
"Who is it?" Aarav asked, annoyed by the pings, and put my phone on silent.
"Your so-called younger brother is asking me to go to the party with him," I told him in a dreamy tone, the same way he told me he considers Anant as his younger brother, just to make him annoyed and successful.
"Block him." It almost comes out as an order from him.
"Oh, I wish." I rolled my eyes in annoyance, and again, there it was, his confused expression as to why I can not block him.
"Long story, for now just keep in mind that he is nothing to me and I don't care about whatever happens to him. Right now I should go home. It's late now." I suggested as I looked at the time and stood up.
"Let me drop you." He offered, but I refused. I wanted to go by myself, clear my head and think through some stuff, and leave the building to go home.
Author's POV
Aarav looks down from his office window, watching Kanika leave and checking the surroundings just to make sure nothing is out of the ordinary, and leans back in his chair, taking a deep breath, and stares at the draft that Kanika handed him to take a look at. He takes the draft and turns through the pages after a few pages, he takes out his phone and dials a number.
"Get the documents for copyright and plagiarism ready; we will need them."