Listening to my Project Manager rant about the defects of our work is enough to remind me, why I hate team meetings so much; his voice alone gives me a head ache. I don't know how few people do this all their lives.

The only person who is paying attention in the whole conference room is Karthik; my best friend and boyfriend, sort of.

Karthik belongs to those kind of men who are redundant in the present world. Meaning, you might find a person like him a century ago but nowadays, no chance. He can be considered as a rare species and added to the encyclopedia; just kidding.

Being from a different city and being the only girl from my college to be selected for Infosys, I was very confused on my first day. Hyderabad had been a huge transition for me from Visakhapatnam, the place I was born and brought up.

If it weren't for my good looks, I wouldn't have survived my first day here. Men were more than willing to help me with their usual flirty looks and smiles.

The only person who didn't pay me any attention when I joined my new team was Karthik which was what impressed me the most about him. He is that kind of a man who works more and talks less. Needless to say, I never met anyone like him.

In spite of being a senior systems engineer and superior to freshers like me, he never stopped himself from helping us. He would talk just as much as needed; not a single word unnecessary. Seeing a guy like him was a breath of fresh air and I was infatuated with him.

He could've been called a perfect man if he wasn't a loner and interacted more with people. The only friend he has, was Ravi, who was his friend since college.

As we worked together, I tried to open him up and though it took a long time, we developed a sort of friendship; something that I wanted ever since the day I joined the company.

He might not be vocal about his opinions but he is a very good listener which every girl wants in her partner and I am no exception to that. Few weeks into our friendship and I proposed to him. Not my greatest move, but I couldn't keep my feelings clogged up inside me for a long time.

After a week, he accepted that he liked me and wanted to give our relationship, a chance. He also said that he talked to his parents about us and that they were positive. That minute, I knew I did the right thing by choosing him.

You can always find men who want to take you to cinema, restaurants or parks but you'll never find a guy who wants you to meet his family. That showed his level of commitment to me which is so rare to find in guys these days and I loved him more for that.

In the months we were together, I met his parents once and loved them; I wished to be a part of that wonderful family, one day.

Karthik wanted me to talk to my parents about him every time I visit them but I never had the guts to confess. They are what you call 'old fashioned' and knowing that they'll never agree to an alliance with a guy from another caste, I never brought it up.

Finally, our PM summarized the meeting and all of us walked out of the conference room. I breathed a sigh of relief for having successfully endured a whole hour of torture.

"Let's have Tea. I am tired" I informed Karthik, pulling his hand.

"Fine, but leave my hand" he whispered quietly, looking around to check if anyone's seen us, making me roll my eyes and leave his hand.

Yes. Did I tell that he is very shy? He's always in his limits when he is with me. Sometimes, I wonder if that's a good thing or bad.

"Did you tell Ravi about us?" I asked him, heading towards the Food court.

"I didn't" he replied casually.

"For the love of God, please tell him. He is your best friend"

"I told you it's personal" he replied the routine answer.

This is something I never understood. Who doesn't tell their best friend about being in a relationship? And when I pointed it out, he simply replied 'He never asked me'

Ridiculous? I know.

I wonder how they became friends after all; with the two of them being polar opposites.

"I guess he figured it out already" I said casually.

He shrugged and told me to sit at an empty table while he left to join the line at the tea booth.

Yes. He is a perfect gentleman. Not just that, he also supported me in everything I did which is a bonus. Seeing an article in a local newspaper about lack of funds in an orphanage, I told him that we should do something about it and he agreed immediately.

We posted this in Infosys BB forum where lots of people were enthusiastic to help and managed to raise the funds required. Ever since that, we collected funds on salary day, every month and donated it without fail.

Giving back is something I always believed in, and Karthik didn't just support my endeavors but also felt proud of me.

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Thank you for reading. Please Vote, Comment and Share

This is the first time I wrote a chap and updated it immediately. I can't promise faster updates since I am also working with 'He is in love with his ex' and I updated it, only a few hours back.

I know this is Tulasi's story but I want you to know how Karthik was, before he married Sindhu. He will be there in next chap too... :)

- JANAKI S