The conference in Bangalore was boring to me, because it had a lot to do with team activities and similar nonsense, and when you're simply sucking up to your life, fun doesn't feel fun anymore.

I hadn't seen Taira anywhere since the time I had landed in Bangalore, probably because she wasn't a part of the company. I hadn't seen him too. We were lodged in Conrad Bengaluru, with team activities and similar pastimes happening within the hotel itself. I had landed in the afternoon and headed straight to the hall room where the conference was being held.

I pretended to look over the decorations of the hall room to locate a particular brown head, but my eyes couldn't find him. After two months, I was desperate to meet him. I hated him, I really did, but for the life of me, I couldn't get over the anxiety of seeing him again.

My heart had betrayed me just like he had. I turned to look at the empty seat on our table where we were seated in groups to find his name plate at our table. I glanced sideways towards the paper label reading 'Abeer Sen' across from where I was sitting on the table.

We worked together. It was obvious we were to be seated on the same table. My heart raced at the thought as I pried my eyes away from the nameplate and focused my attention on the chit chat on the table. He had to be here. And I would see him.

The day one of the conference started, and ended, but Abeer Sen's chair remained decidedly empty. It was seven in the evening when we made our way towards our hotel rooms that we were sharing for three in one. I had muted out the chatter around me for the best part of the day, but my ears perked at the name of a particular someone.

"...didn't see Abeer sir today. Where was he?" One of the colleagues I was sure was our department spoke out loud.

"Don't know. I tried calling him, but he didn't pick up my calls," another one spoke. "He did come, right?"

I silently thanked the girl who had asked the question. I slowed my pace down, keeping my eyes firmly trained on my phone screen while straining to hear the words.

"Oh, of course he did. He's in my room, just the two of us," a male employee spoke up, and I resisted the urge to look up and see his face. I wasn't sure who he was, it had been two months since I had met up with my colleagues from the Delhi office.

But against my heart's wishes, I forced my legs to walk forward, my heart pounding in my chest.

He was here. In the same city...in the same building.

I walked faster towards my room.

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The stand up comedy show began at 8 PM, before which Taira pulled me from the middle row to the higher panel of seats to sit alongside her. It was where her father, and the other important members, the stakeholders and their families were seated. I hesitated and looked at Taira imploringly, to which she shook her head sadly and left my hand which she had been pulling.

"Papa is adamant to have me sit with them. I insisted on sitting with you guys, but he refused. I'll be bored out of my mind up there," she said sadly.

If it had been anyone else, I would have thought they were simply playacting. But it was Taira, I knew she hated being in the 'rich circle'. And her father hated the fact that she would not claim what was rightfully hers. I squeezed her hand and started climbing the stairs with her.

I didn't mind being in the spotlight, but history had shown that I messed up terrible when I was the sole focus of their attention. I could feel the judgement in the eyes of the 'high seating' members of the company and their families, and I trained my eyes on the ground, until someone whispered from the right side.

"Doesn't she have better clothes?" My blood boiling, I looked up and straight into the eyes of the female who had spoken, flashing her a taunting smile as I took my seat beside Taira.

I was busy staring ahead at the stage with the red curtains on, trying to control my erratic heartbeat, when I heard a deep male voice from beside me.

It wasn't addressing me, but I whipped my head to look at the person sitting beside me. It would have been better if the earth could have split open in that moment and engulfed me whole. Because all of a sudden, I was face to face with the founder of Kapoor and Co., where I was nothing but one of the thousand workers that worked for him.

And if the timing couldn't have been worse, Mr. Kapoor chose the very moment to turn my side and look me straight in the eye. I gulped and looked at Taira sitting at my right, to find her already looking at me, a teasing smile on her face.

"Excited much, weren't you?" She whispered giggling, to which I only glared at her. If I had only known whom I was sitting beside to...

"Who is she?" Mr. Kapoor's booming voice spoke from my left, addressing Taira, irritatingly so. He could have simply asked me.

"She's my best friend, dad, Aashi," Taira explained, shooting an apologetic smile towards me.

"Oh! What business does she run?" Mr. Kapoor questioned, again failing to understand that the topic of discussion was sitting directly beside him. Taira closed her eyes, irritation written on her face.

"She is a CS in the Delhi Branch. Works under Mr. Chaudhary, AND my best friend," Taira reiterated, her voice exasperated. I saw a muscle twitch in Mr. Kapoor's face as he took in what Taira had said. His face was enough proof of what he thought of me.

A nobody. I was a nobody for him. And his daughter was associating herself with nobody. Calling her best friend.

I inwardly chuckled at Mr. Kapoor's supposed dilemma. He had failed to make his only heir take over his business right after she had left college. He knew he wouldn't be able to make her dissociate herself from me. He pursed his lips and turned his head to focus on the empty stage. He shifted in his chair, possibly away from me.

I turned to look at Taira who was bearing a guilty, embarrassed expression on her face. I simply smiled and winked at her. Mr. Kapoor was my boss. Technically, my boss's boss's boss. But if he couldn't respect the people who made his company what it was, then he was a true failure.

I straightened myself and focused on the stage where the red curtains had lifted and the stand up comic had taken his place in the centre of the stage.

The night wore off in peals of laughter and giggles. I had completely forgotten the presence of my obnoxiously rude employer, also the father of my best friend. Apparently Taira had too, because she laughed without abandons and held onto me the entire time, whispering inside jokes that we both laughed aloud at more.

The show was closing to an end. We had had the time of our lives.

"And now...we have a surprise awaiting us," the stand up comic said in his dramatic, hilarious baritone. "Well, we don't really know if it's pleasant or not, so let's have it." The entire crowd laughed. It hadn't been a joke, but the entire crowd was so amused till now that it didn't matter if they had cracked a joke or not. The crowd would laugh, regardless.

The wide smile I had been wearing wiped off the moment I realised who had stepped up from the wings onto the stage. Beside me, I felt Taira stiffen. Oblivious to our inner turmoil, the entire crowd burst out in excited chatter. He looked drained. Handsome, well dressed as always. But his persona which always radiated charm had gone slack, a certain sadness enveloping him. My heart thudded in my chest at the sight of him. I saw his eyes swim through the large before they landed on me. And paused.

"Aashi," his deep masculine voice reached the audience through the loudspeakers, making the whispers die down. I inhaled, my body frozen on the leather seat. Some people who knew me twisted their necks to glance at me, but I couldn't care less about the entire world right now. I stared back at Abeer Sen, my face blank. My brain was screaming at me to get up and leave, but my body was glued to the seat. I felt Taira's hand slip into me, squeezing it lightly.

"Will you listen to me, please?" He spoke, his voice low, a desperation in his tone. He could be thrown out any moment. This was not the time for estranged lovers to declare their love and make amends for their fallacies. But something in his voice had people listening to him in rapt attention.

He had my attention too. Did I want to listen to him reason out his undefinable actions? I had no idea. But I had no wish to let go of this moment. It felt too precious to me. Perhaps because this might be the last time I would hear him speak. See him.

And then he talked. He talked a lot, I had never heard him talk so much.

He went on explaining the harassment his mother faced, the evil deeds of Taira's father and his plan to take revenge. Everyone had stilled, digesting the news. I heard Mr. Kapoor from beside me bellow to the crowd to get him away from the stage. Drag him away and call the police.

Nobody moved a muscle.

Abeer had everyone's attention, his tale keeping the entire audience enthralled. Taira started crying hysterically, not really able to believe it. I should have consoled her, but I didn't. Abeer could be accused for defamation, but perhaps even Taira was sure that he would have thought of it. No one in their sane mind would come forward, in a gathering hosted by Mr. Kapoor, defame him and expect to go unscathed. The crowd knew that too apparently, because no one moved to stop him.

"I know all this is shocking to you all," he said, his voice pleading. "Perhaps lies, even. A business rivalry being exacted through me. I wouldn't blame y'all. Hearing about such a successful businessman do such things sounds unbelievable. But it is true. I can't prove it as I have no proof. My family had tried to get him punished for his actions, but things aren't easy when you're against a rich, influential businessman. Taira..." he paused here, tears in his eyes as he tried to get the words out.

"I am really sorry to ever plan on breaking your heart and making you suffer when you had no hand in all this. I publicly issue my resignation from this company. I have been waiting for this conference so that I could get you all to listen to this. Especially Aashi, for she is the love of my life." I could hear the gasps in the crowd and whispers circulated. I kept looking at Abeer.

"The night when we played twenty questions on the terrace, I realized that I was whipped in love. I couldn't take my eyes of you and I don't want to ever again. The night you read Rohit's text, I had come there to tell you the truth. I don't expect you to forgive me instantly but I wanted you to know the whole story. I love you, Aashi!" he completed and looked at me for a moment with eyes filled with contrite.

He was finished, but this night hadn't ended. Mr. Kapoor stood up from his seat, furious. "What is this bullshit? Nothing but a business rival planning to defame me! Take this nuisance, and..."

"Dad," I heard Taira speak from beside me, her voice small, filled with pain. Mr. Kapoor stopped and turned to look at her, his eyes wild. In that moment, I knew the truth.

"Is this true?" she asked, her voice breaking. It was a private moment, one everyone in the auditorium was invading. It wasn't a time to console her.

"Of course not, the guy is a sham! Taira..." Mr. Kapoor screamed, but Taira didn't bat an eyelid.

"He doesn't have any motive to come here and say all that he did."

"Of course he does, he's from the our rival company! I had heard whispers about a scheme. He's lived and spent his life here in Delhi and works for our rival, and now they've trained..."

"Dad, I know him" Taira said, fresh tears pooling in her eyes at her father's lies. My heart broke at the sight of her. But I couldn't do anything. "I know where he's from. I have friends who are friends with him. Dad, tell me the truth. Please, don't make me seem a fool," Taira muttered, her voice pleading. "Swear on me, dad. Swear on me that you haven't done anything wrong. That you haven't wronged Abeer's mother. That you haven't broken a family," a sob escaped her, but she kept her ground, her eyes locked in her father's.

Mr. Kapoor didn't look like the high and mighty power he posed at now. He looked broken, conflicted, pained. For a moment, I almost felt bad for the man. He had been his daughter's hero, and now, he suddenly wasn't. But the pity went away just as quickly as it had come.

"Taira..." Mr. Kapoor spoke, but didn't say anything else. For all that he was, I realised he truly loved his daughter. He couldn't swear on her. Not for a lie. A deception. A crime. It was enough answer for Taira. A loud sob escaped her and she stormed out of the auditorium, leaving a litter of whispers in her wake. The lack of confidence of his own daughter was enough proof for the crowd. There were angry mutters from the crowd, but Mr. Kapoor had eyes only for the door. The door from where his beloved daughter had left, taking his strength with her.

I hadn't realised tears had flown down my cheeks. And that people were moving towards where our little party was, now consisting of only Mr. Kapoor and myself. I stood up and started walking the way Taira had left. Soon I was running and I stopped only when I reached my room. I hid my face in the pillow, letting out a scream and crying for all that was worth it.

So many things were running through my mind. I couldn't comprehend anything. For hours I stayed like that and cried myself to sleep. The next morning I woke up and took the first flight back to Delhi.

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