Her watch striked 8:45. She took a deep sigh closing the file she was currently working upon, probably the last file of the day. She looked around the empty office with her tired eyes. Everyone had left.

“Why always me…?” she thought. For the two years she had worked here she had often been the last one to leave.

“Akshara Sir is calling you.” the old peon announced with a warm smile snapping her out of her thoughts. It was only him and her boss who left after her. She nodded returning back the smile.

So the work was still not complete.

The main work was left- to handover the file to her overly handsome boss, . All female employees in the office were crazy about him. He probably had a really big fan club within office. His alluring Greek God looks, his charming eyes, his perfectly toned body, his bossy manner, his success in such a small timespan were always the topic of discussion during the break times but she never took part in it.

She went to his cabin and knocked the door. “Come in Ms Akshara.” she heard from other side and went in.

She wished him handing over the file to him. He took it with a smile and then for next SIX DAMN…minutes his eyes were glued to the file while hers were busy admiring him. Yes she did admire him but his perfection, his hard work and his dedication to reach where he was today and not his killer looks or his charming smile or his perfectly toned body which she had never seen.

All she saw till now was his face, and shirt buttoned up to top with a blazer from the other end of the table. She had never seen him get up from his chair or roam in office. He was probably the first boss who reached office before his employees and left at end.

“Does he sit shirtless when other employees come…?” she thought to herself reasoning about how others could talk about his body which was hidden under his shirt and started imagining him without a shirt.

“Fine you may leave.” He said bringing her out of her dreamland.

She jerks away the thoughts and leaves immediately embarrassed at what she was thinking.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was dark all around with a very few people on road. Akshara was walking hastily towards bus stand to catch her bus. Suddenly she heard some footsteps from behind. Her lips curve into a smile. While her footsteps slowed down her heart started racing faster. She felt happy. She didn’t look back to see who he was but just kept walking and finally reached her destiny. Reaching her apartment she immediately rushed in to her balcony to see him but just saw his shadow disappearing in dark. This happened every day…every damn day…

Akshara’s thoughts drifted to that shadow man… “It’s been one and a half years now he has been following me. I don’t know who he is but I feel safe when he is around. He helped me the night when some men tried to misbehave with me. I was although able to fight a few of them with the karate moves I learned when I was a kid…but soon they overpowered me and that was the first time he appeared. It was too dark as the lights were gone probably an electric cut in the area so all I could see was he nodding his head when I thanked him and then he walked away. I felt it strange but after sometime I again heard some footsteps behind me and I knew it was him and from then I always hear those footsteps behind me whenever I come back home but don’t know why I never stopped him. I just feel happy when he is around…”

She soon doses off thinking about the mystery man.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sitting… in front of the mirror wearing a pink and grey Anarkali suit Akshara looks at her beautiful reflection in the mirror. Her face showed her nervousness and she starts thinking how she had come to Kolkata to spend a weekend with her family and came to know about a marriage proposal. She wanted to say a NO but then decided to meet the guy on her father’s insistence who said that the guy was nice and understanding and had no problem with her continuing her job after marriage. This was all she knew about him and maybe that was enough for her to say yes as she had full trust on her parent’s choice but she had strange feelings for her follower whom she never saw.

She was snapped out of her thoughts with a knock at the door and there entered her best friend cum sister in law...Shefali…

“Whoa, you look beautiful Akshu... I’m sure the guy gonna fall flat on floor seeing you.” Shefali complimented seeing her making her blush.

“Ohoo so my sister blushed too I never knew.” teased her elder brother Parth entering the room making her blush even more.

“Let’s go Akshu …let’s go down they have come.” Shefali informed her while she played with her dupatta.

“Nervous…?” Parth asks and she nodded in reply.

“Relax Akshu we all will be around and moreover I’ve talked to him twice he seems to be a really nice guy. Just ask him whatever you want and decide it. Okay.” Parth tries to calm his younger sister while Shefali side hugged her and wished her luck.

They went down. A couple in their mid-fifties were chatting with her parents. She just greeted them saying Namaste and bowed down her head in shyness. The couple greeted her back and soon she was sitting along them and answering their questions honestly.

After sometime the lady spoke, “Swarna… I liked your daughter a lot…but now let my son come then they both can take the decision…”

And soon the guy came from back. Listening his footsteps Akshara’s heart started pounding faster. She felt as if she had felt this feeling before too. The guy was decently dressed and taking blessings from her parents finally turned towards her. Her nervousness increased every second and finally she saw him giving her a shock…

It was none other than her handsome boss Abhimanyu Birla. He passed a smile to her, about which she was too shocked to return it back and just kept staring him. Shefali shook her seeing her staring at him blankly.

Elders decide to give them some time alone to speak and so they walked towards her room nervously.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Holding the railing of the balcony both stood surrounded by an awkward silence. Akshara was too shy and nervous to start the conversation as whenever she had spoken to him it was only about work so waited for him to speak something while Abhimanyu’s mind got so numb due to nervousness that he forgot all the questions he had prepared to ask her the day before. Both avoided looking towards each other so looked outside practically staring at nothing.

“Come on… Akshara what has happened to you now… why aren’t you speaking?? Till yesterday …mom was giving you classes on how to shy and now when it’s time to speak you aren’t able to do anything except shying. ” Akshara mumbled to herself in a low voice which brought a little smile on Abhimanyu’s face and he gets a little calm and finally taking a deep breathe both turned towards each other and spoke

“Ms Akshara”

“Sir”

Both looked at each other for a second and started laughing but after a few seconds it was only her who was laughing because he was busy staring at her and admiring her cute smile. She felt his gaze on her and looks into his eyes which were a key to his pure soul. But soon they realize what they were doing and look away abruptly. Silence surrounded them yet again.

“You knew about it…?” finally Akshara questioned breaking the silence.

“About what…?” he asked curling up his eyebrows in confusion.

“About this proposal.” she explained still looking away not wanting to loose herself in his eyes again.

“No” he lied completely…thinking about how his father teased him when he convinced him about her.

She looks towards him as if not convinced.

“Okay so tell me about yourself.” She told him.

“Humm… like what?” he asked not able to decide what to tell.

“I mean I know about your profession so something you would like to tell.” She said

“Ok you ask me whatever you want.” He told her smiling.

“Huh…” she took a deep sigh and finally finding courage spoke, “Ok tell me about your …” she hesitated and finally closing her eyes spoke, “your girlfriend or someone you liked or admired.”

He smiles and says, “Well I didn’t have any girlfriend.”

“You didn’t.” She asked shocked.

He runs his hand through his hair and grinning at her and continues, “I know I am really handsome and have a huge fan club in office but I really didn’t have any girlfriend. Yaa I liked a girl in my college and also decided to propose her but later came to know that she already had two boyfriends from before. So just decided to concentrate in my studies and after college got busy with my business so didn’t have time for all this. And now marriage....”

He looked at her waiting for a reaction. She just smiled at him. There was a silence again for a few seconds before Akshara spoke up, “Sir I love someone.”

It came as a thunder shock for Abhimanyu. His heart cried hearing this. He thinks he heard something wrong and confirms, “You mean to say you loved someone right.”

“No sir, I love someone and I want to marry just him...him only” she stated looking straight into his eyes.

He heard his heart breaking into millions of pieces. From the time she had joined his office he liked her as a person and slowly with time he started loving her. He could feel his heart bleeding knowing that his love was just one sided. He was hurt but didn’t want to show her and so averting his gaze says in a cold tone, “Then I guess we are wasting our time here lets go down.”

He turns to leave and taking long steps reached inside the room while she taking baby steps just stood at the balcony door smiling.

“Abhimanyu” she called out softly. He stopped near the bed at once listening his name for the first time from her mouth. It sounded like a melody to his ears but increased the pain in his heart because she loved someone else and couldn’t be his. He still didn’t turn back.

Taking slow steps Akshara starts covering the distance between them and says, “His name is Abhimanyu. He is a nice guy but an idiot…He follows me whenever I go home from office. He has never let me see him but hearing his footsteps my heart starts racing fast just like it started racing when he walked into my house sometime before, just like it is racing now when he is leaving. I feel happy when he is around. I want to know him more Sir and live my life with him, just being his…”

Both had smiles on their faces. She takes a step and stands beside him on his right still not looking at him.

And she continues again, “I want to marry him but with a condition that he should always hold my hand,” she paused a little and slowly entwined her left hand with his right one and looking at them happily continues, “just like this and walk BESIDE me my whole life and NOT BEHIND me.”

She finally comes in front of him and looking straight into his eyes asks smiling, “What do you think Sir will he accept my condition and marry me??”

He looks into her eyes and was overwhelmed to see unconditional love for him in them. He couldn’t say anything and pulled her into a hug while she reciprocated with a big smile plastered on her face and whisper in his ear, “I still didn’t get my answer.”

This brings a smile on his face too and he whispers back, “How can he deny you…?!” He breaks the hug and looks into her eyes. She blushes a little and hugs him again while he too reciprocated and kissed the top of her head.

They separated hearing a knock at the door. It was Shefali… and walking inside the room she asks, “Have you talked…Can we move now…?”

Both nod at her and Abhimanyu comes down while Shefali takes Akshara to her room. Downstairs elders ask Abhimanyu and he nods in a yes and in meantime Shefali too comes down with a shy Akshara and announces a yes.

All elders hug each other and finally after some days they were engaged… while Parth and Shefali who knew about their feelings for each other kept teasing them.

Finally after engagement with help of Parth…Abhimanyu takes Akshara out for some time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They both sat near the river bank enjoying the cool breeze with Akshara’s head on his shoulder and his arm around her shoulder. She was playing with his fingers and enjoying nature.

Abhimanyu asked “How did you know about it?”

Akshara asked confused, “About what?”

Abhimanyu, “That I was the guy who followed you??”

Akshara said looking into his eyes, “No, Not until I heard your footsteps when you came that day…

Abhimanyu just nodded and they again started looking at the flowing water.

Abhimanyu, “But why did you call me an Idiot??”

Akshara with a pout removes her head from his shoulder and says, “Because you came to my house with a marriage proposal, I got engaged to you, I confessed what I feel for you and not only this I even proposed you but you still didn’t confess your feelings to me…”

Abhimanyu smiles looking at her pout and placing her head on his shoulder again kisses her forehead and confesses, “I love you Akshara…from the time you joined the office I liked you and slowly I started loving you…rather I used to give you extra work to see you and also followed you to make sure you reached safely.”

Akshara, “But why you never confessed and leave that whenever I came to your office you kept your eyes glued to the file as if I was never there…”

Abhimanyu, “Well because I didn’t want you to know about my feelings…Between Akshara why didn’t you ever stop me to follow you. It isn’t safe if it would have been someone else and he would have tried to misbehave with you then??”

Akshara, “No worries, After all I’m a karate kid…” and winks at him.

He smiles and they again look towards river. Suddenly Abhimanyu shouts, “ Akshara look there is a cockroach on your shoulder…”

Akshara, all frightened, “WHATTTTTT?!!!”

She gets up immediately and tries to jerk it off screaming, “Aah…aah...” But soon realises that there was nothing and Abhimanyu was playing a prank with her.

She looked at him angrily while he smirks and says “What happened Karate kid??” and winks at her.

Akshara said with fake anger, “ YOUUU…..!!!” and she starts beating him while he keeps running and she chases. Finally they stop and break into laughter. He admires her laughing. She soon realises his gaze and looks down with shyness.

He keeps on looking at her and all of a sudden holding her waist he pulls her towards him. Before she could react anything he puts his lips onto hers expressing all the love, longing and admiration that he had for her…For Akshara everything happened in a blink of moment so it took her a few seconds to compose and finally she too kisses him back. Soon both parted due to lack of air and she puts her head on his shoulder and hugs him.

Akshara, still hugging him, “By the way Abhimanyu whom I gonna marry my handsome boss or my crazy follower??”

Abhimanyu smiles tightening the hug, “Both because I love you and you are my life…”

Akshara, “I Love you too Abhi…” and kisses him on cheek surprising him.

He was looking forward for a life full of surprises with her. So was she...