Anaya walked into the main kitchen. As soon as she entered the strong smell of food hit her nostrils. She passed through the counters where the chefs were working. She stopped in front of the counter where there were a coffee maker and a juice machine. She looked around and searched for green tea bags. She shifted and began searching in the rack.

'Need any help?'

A soft baritone startled her, and her palm hit the rack, it toppled, and all the packets fell on the counter. She turned her head and found Gabin standing next to her. Even in heels she barely reached till his shoulders. She looked down from his handsome face and noted he was dressed in his chef's uniform, the sleeves folded till his elbows. She eyed the sexy nerve on his forearm. She gulped.

'Ah, you are looking for a green tea-bag, right?' Gabin asked. Slowly, Anaya looked at him and nodded. He smiled and turned. Anaya watched him pick all the packets and place them back on the rack. He searched for the teabag.

'Ah-ha!' He exclaimed, and Anaya snapped from her trance. It was so funny that whenever she was in his presence, she gets transformed into a silly crushing schoolgirl. Every time she gets transported into a dreamland.

She smiled little and took the packet from him. He smiled back at her. Anaya hurriedly turned and walked away. She felt conscious feeling his gaze on her back.

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Rashid tried to focus on his work, but he couldn't. He kept thinking of Maaz and kept feeling anxious. He didn't know how to tame his rebel son. Maaz didn't even know R of responsibility and being a father, Rashid was increasingly worried about his son's future. Many times, he thought maybe he has failed as a father. The frustration just kept increasing. Rashid sighed and moved his palms from the keyboard of his laptop and rubbed his face with his palm. Just then, there was a knock at the door. He sighed again and moved his palm away, he leaned against the chair.

Placing his hands on the armrests, he replied wearily, - 'Come in.'

The door opened, and Anaya entered, a bright smile on her face. Rashid noted she was carrying a tray with a tea-cup and few biscuits. She walked towards the table and he looked away. He busied himself with his phone. Anaya placed the teacup and frowned looking at her boss.

'Sir?' – She called softly.

'Hmm.' Rashid replied not looking from his mobile. Anaya bit her lip. She wanted to ask why he was looking so worried, but she remained silent. When she doesn't speak for a while, Rashid looked up. He found Anaya's gaze darting on the table. He inhaled deeply and moved his phone down.

'Yes, Anaya?' He asked. Anaya looked at him and shook her head, she shifted resting her fingers on top of the glass table.

'Sir, your meeting with Mr. Simson is in ten minutes.' She informed him. She was glad that she thought of this before things got awkward. Rashid nodded thoughtfully. Anaya pushed the teacup towards him. He asked her to leave. Anaya nodded and turned around. After she had left, Rashid shifted and picked up his teacup.

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Anaya entered her small cubicle sized cabin and closed the door behind her. She glanced at her wristwatch and made mental note of preparing for the meeting. Her cabin was tiny with a small wooden table; a flower vase, a few files, and a laptop on it. There was a small show-rack with few books and showpieces. There were few motivational posters stuck to the walls. Rashid had many times asked her to shift to a bigger cabin, in fact, he had asked her to shift to a free cabin next to his. But Anaya refused. She liked this cabin because her cabin was on the way to the Men's room. Many times, she gets glimpses of Gabin when he passed by her cabin. And if she was lucky that day, he would look at her and smile.

Anaya smiled to herself and leaned in the chair, placing one leg over the other. She unlocked her phone and clicked on the gallery. She clicked on the camera folder and a hazy picture of Gabin popped up. She bit her smile and felt her cheek burn as she looked at him.

She had managed to click this photo when he was passing by her cabin. Her friend, Pooja had pointed out that it was stalking, and Anaya had felt guilty. But one evening she had found that her friend wasn't as innocent as she looked, she too had clicked a picture of him while he was working with her in the kitchen. Always, Anaya feels jealous of her.

Anaya kept admiring the photo until her landline rang. She fixed her expressions and straightened in her seat. She picked up the call.

'Hello... yes, sir.... Okay...' She placed the phone back and exhaled loudly. Then, she got up and picked up her leather bag and walked out. As she was locking her cabin door, she sniffed the familiar smell again. She inhaled sharply, closing her eyes.

From the corner of her eye, she noted Gabin walking towards her. He was with a few other men. His presence made her conscious again and she fumbled with the keys. She felt him stand next to her and she dropped her keys.

Damn!

'Err-' Before he could ask her something, she picked up her key and adjusted the sling of her bag. In the speed of light, she walked away from him, leaving him scratching his head.