Chapitre 61: Chapter 60

Shreya walked into her office building as usual. When she was walking past Akash's office, she noticed Akash glaring at a distance fiercely as if he was trying to burn someone. Shreya frowned in confusion and followed his line of sight.

She was met with a handsome looking young man standing at the end of the corridor leaning on the wall. He had formal pants and a black shirt on which stuck to his skin like glue but somehow he managed to look lean instead of bulky.

"Why are you boring holes into a guy??" Shreya asked frowning and coming into his office.

Akash immediately looked away from the guy and looked at Shreya.

"Look who is out of her house! Who freed you??" Akash questioned her back instead of answering her.

Shreya just rolled her eyes.

"Don't think I would forget how you went behind my back and asked Charan to check up on me?" She said and smirked.

"Well, he must have done something right seeing as you are out and not passed out of starvation!!"Akash said with a smug smile.

"Well, yes. But that doesn't let you off your hook, now does it??" Shreya asked again smirking.

Akash, at last, took her seriously and sat up straight on his chair. He made a sorry face and said, "I'm sorry. It won't happen again…" He said with as much sincerity as he could muster.

"That's just a whole lot of bull and you know that I know it too! Your sorry face needs a little more work… And don't think I don't know what you are trying to do!" Shreya said looking at him pointedly before sitting on the chair in front of his table.

"What do you mean?? I did not do anything!!" Akash said innocently.

"You still haven't explained why you were trying to burn that guy over there with your eyes!!" Shreya said and looked back only to find that guy talking and chatting away with Madhu. They looked way too comfortable which kinda explained why Akash was boring holes into the guy's head.

"You know what, forget it. Don't have to explain. I am going back to my office now. And you know that project report you were supposed to submit in two days. I want it today. Next time you rat out on me, you better remember what's waiting for you!" Shreya said and got up from her place to exit the office.

But before she could take a step, Akash moved quickly and stopped her by holding her arms. Then he gently brought her into his embrace and gave her a warm hug.

He held on to her firmly and asked, "Are you okay??" His voice betrayed the concern he had for her.

Shreya leaned into the warmth and breathed in the comforting smell.

"I am getting there…" Shreya mumbled.

They stayed like that a couple of minutes more before Shreya exited the office.

Shreya turned towards her own office but then thought of something and approached Madhu who was still talking to the guy.

"Oh, hey Shreya. Can I help you with something??" Madhu asked awkwardly.

"I need these files in my office and also a brief summary of them attached along…" Shreya said and handed her a list.

Shreya did not have an assistant since she rarely needs help with things. So Madhu pitches in whenever she did need help with something.

"Okay… Give me some time I will have them to your desk." Madhu said but then she caught Shreya giving the person beside her a curious stare down.

"Sorry, Shreya. This is my cousin. He just needed my help with something. He will be out in no time. I promise."Madhu explained hurriedly.

"Hey, chill. As long as you complete the work given to you, I will have no complaint about what else you do in your spare time within reason. I will be going now. Have a nice day." Shreya and went away with a sly smile.

She then went straight to Anand's room. She stood at the entrance and took a deep breath before entering.

"Hey, uncle. Good morning." Shreya greeted with a bright smile that looked slightly too artificial.

Anand just looked up from his desk and looked at her. He actually looked at her with keen eyes. For Anand somehow more than losing his brother, his heart ached more when he saw Shreya suffer. Seeing her force a smile for his sake just made it so much worse.

He knew that smile on her face was for his sake so that he wouldn't worry. He also guessed she shutting herself up whenever she wallowed up is also for the same reason. But no matter how much he tried she never opened up for him. That on itself told him how bad she was feeling.

Seeing her like this, his own loss of losing his brother got masked and buried somewhere.

Shreya waited for a while but Anand did not really say anything. He just kept staring at her.

Shreya went near him and knelt in front of him. Then she looked at him in his eyes and said, "I am okay, uncle. I am fine."

Anand looked at her. He could see that she was lying but then he couldn't say anything either. He just kept a hand over her head and smiled at her.

"Just know we are all here for you okay?? You are not alone." He said with a small sad smile.

Shreya just nodded her head and went away.

Shreya came to her office and just sat there for a minute.

She could, of course, recognize the concern in both Akash's and Anand's eyes but she did not know what she was supposed to do!

She lost both her parents and she was not okay for obvious reasons. It takes time… a lot of time. And she had come to terms with it. But she did not know how to ease that apparent heartache the both of them are having for her sake.

She did not know how to make them understand that she can't be okay just like that and that her grieving was personal somehow. And that she was not keeping them away but it was just hard to let them in.

She thought about it all night. Why was she able to open up to Charan and Akira last night?? She might not have brawled on their shoulders but she still shared which was a lot more than she could ever do with the people around her. And the answer she actually came with was that it was possible since they did not know her for that long… they did not know the person she was when she still had her parents… they did not know her parents. They were not grieving over the same people. When she talked about her parents, she knows she was not going to see the same raw anguish in their eyes as they were in hers. Their eyes were not going to mirror hers.

Somehow it was like a breath of fresh air. And she clung on to it like a suffocated person.