~~~~

The building was quiet, but tension hung in the air like smoke after a fire.

Nayra sat alone in the resource room, staring at her laptop — open but untouched. Her fingers hovered above the keyboard, frozen. Her name had been mentioned in three articles already. Social media was calling her everything from “inexperienced” to “reckless.”

She’d made a mistake.

Yes.

But the way Arjun had looked at her — like she was nothing — that had cut far deeper than any public shame.

A knock snapped her out of her trance

Devika entered, silently placing a folder in front of her.

“Damage control plan,” she said softly. “You might want to start with an apology letter for the board, just in case Arjun reconsiders and lets you speak.”

Nayra nodded, numb.

Devika hesitated. “He’s angry. But… it’s not just about this. You know that, right?”

Nayra looked up. “Then what is it about?”

Devika didn’t answer.

Just gave her a knowing glance, and walked out.

---

That night, Nayra received a message from Mr. Ravi Chokshi, a senior architect on the Jaipur Urban Board.

> “Call me. I have some questions regarding the original file submission. I just want to clarify who handled the file transfer and who finalized the export.”

Nayra frowned.

She had done the final review… but she hadn’t handled the actual digital transfer. That had been sent from Sana’s team, under general admin protocol.

Her heart skipped.

She got up.

Walked briskly down the hall.

Straight into the private executive floor.

Into Arjun’s office.

---

He was there. Alone. Going through investor emails on his tablet.

He didn’t even look up.

“You’re not supposed to be here.”

“I need to ask something,” she said quietly.

“Unless it’s a miracle, I’m not interested.”

She stepped closer.

“Did you… did you double-check the export files before submission?”

That got his attention.

He slowly set the tablet down. “Excuse me?”

Nayra swallowed. “The submission — it wasn’t directly sent from my system. It went through Sana’s team. What if the mistake—”

“You think I would let anyone tamper with that without knowing?”

“I’m not saying someone tampered. I’m just— I’m trying to understand how it happened. What if someone wanted to—”

“To what?” Arjun rose from his chair, face darkening. “What exactly are you trying to say, Nayra?”

Her voice trembled. “What if someone... wanted to discredit me?”

The room went cold.

His eyes narrowed.

“You think I set you up?”

“I don’t know!” she burst out. “But nothing makes sense! I checked that file again and again. The mistake wasn’t there. It got corrupted after. And you just— you just stood there and humiliated me in front of everyone without even asking how it happened!”

Arjun slammed his palm against the desk, making her flinch.

“You think I have time to play games like that? You think I’d destroy my own project just to hurt you?”

"I don’t know what to think anymore!” she cried. “You act like I matter one minute, and then you crush me the next. You say nothing — but watch everything. What am I supposed to believe, Arjun?”

His eyes blazed now. Voice trembling not from weakness — but barely contained rage.

“You want to know what you are to me?” he said, low and brutal. “You are the mistake I let grow. The fire I didn’t kill when I had the chance. You walk around thinking you're powerful now? You’re not. You're still standing on the edges of a battlefield I own.”

She backed away slightly, but her voice didn’t soften.

“Then why haven’t you pushed me off the edge yet?”

Arjun stepped around the desk — fast, furious.

“Because I’m still figuring out whether I want to destroy you—”

He stopped, breathing hard.

“—or keep you.”

The silence after that sentence was deadly.

Nayra’s eyes widened, not in softness — but in disbelief.

"You don’t get to say that. Not after today.”

“I don’t care what you think I get to say,” he snapped. “You came here to win, right? Then win. But don’t you dare point your shaky little finger at me and suggest I betrayed you. Because you wouldn’t last a day in this world if I ever actually turned against you.”

That hit her like ice water.

She swallowed hard, chest rising with emotion she couldn’t speak.

And for once… she didn’t argue.

She just walked out.

Without another word.

Without looking back.

Leaving Arjun alone with the one thing he could never seem to silence —

Regret.

~~~~~~~

Days Passed

Since that explosive night in his cabin, Nayra hadn’t said a single word to Arjun.

She didn’t even look at him in meetings.

If he entered from one door, she quietly slipped out the other.

Emails were short, formal. No emotion. No tone.

And in the office corridors, she walked past him like he was invisible.

Arjun noticed every second of it.

And it got under his skin.

At first, he told himself it was better this way — less drama. Less distraction.

But her silence wasn't peaceful. It was punishing.

Every time her heels clicked past his cabin without pausing — he heard it.

Every time her voice echoed softly in the conference room, but never once addressed him — he felt it.

She was there.

And yet… she wasn’t.

---

One Afternoon

He saw her in the lounge — laughing at something Vidyut had said.

A small, fleeting smile that lit up her tired face.

But the second she sensed Arjun watching from the glass corridor, her smile dropped.

Her eyes turned blank.

She turned away.

Didn’t even acknowledge him.

He stood frozen for a moment, jaw tightening.

She wasn’t just avoiding him now.

She was erasing him.

---

Later That Evening

Nayra’s phone buzzed during work.

A familiar name flashed:

"Amma – Home"

Her heart skipped.

She quickly stepped away to take the call.

“Amma? Sab theek hai?”

Her mother’s voice was gentle, but urgent.

“Nayra, beta… can you come home for a few days? Your uncle is unwell, and there’s some land paperwork that needs your signature. Your father said it won’t take long, but they’d feel better if you were here.”

Nayra closed her eyes.

She hadn’t been back in months.

“Yes, Amma. I’ll come.”

---

Next Morning

Arjun opened his dashboard.

And there it was.

Leave Application: Nayra Shetty – 10 Days – Personal / Family

He stared at it for a long time.

Devika walked in a few minutes later and casually dropped a report.

“She’s going to her village. Just FYI,” she said, almost too casually. “Approved by HR already.”

Arjun didn’t respond.

Just nodded.

But fifteen minutes later — he called her.

---

Phone Call:

Nayra answered after three rings.

Her voice was calm.

“Hello?”

Arjun’s voice was low, unreadable.

“You applied for ten days leave.”

“Yes.”

“Personal reasons?”

She paused. “My uncle’s unwell. And there are some family formalities.”

He exhaled. “You didn’t think to inform me directly?”

There was a slight edge in her voice now.

“Would it have made a difference?”

He didn’t answer.

She added quietly, “I handled my work before applying. Drafts are uploaded. Queries are delegated. There’s nothing pending under my name.”

“That’s not the point,” he snapped.

“Then what is the point, Arjun?”

There was silence.

Nayra’s voice dropped, softer this time.

“You said your piece that night. Loud and clear. I just… finally heard it.”

He didn’t know how to respond to that.

She continued, “Please don’t worry. I’m not quitting. I just need to breathe where your voice doesn’t follow me.”

And before he could say another word — she ended the call.

~~~~~~~

After that call

He didn’t say anything to anyone.

No one saw the disappointment in his eyes.

No one noticed how often he scrolled past Nayra’s name on the team chat.

Or how he’d pause at her empty desk for just a beat too long.

Meetings continued.

Projects moved ahead.

Work got done.

But Arjun… wasn’t really there.

He was distracted.

Irritable.

Short-tempered.

He snapped at Sana for a minor presentation error.

Walked out of a board review halfway through.

Didn’t touch his coffee.

Didn’t reply to half his emails.

Devika noticed — but said nothing.

Until one evening, she walked into his cabin with two cups of tea and placed one in front of him.

“You know,” she said quietly, “people usually realize they’re missing someone before they turn into complete disasters.”

He didn’t even look up.

“Get out.”

Devika smiled, unbothered. “Just saying.”

---

For Nayra, the Days Flew

She stepped off the auto near her childhood home, the late monsoon breeze brushing her face.

And for the first time in months — she breathed.

No deadlines.

No boardroom politics.

No cold, unreadable eyes watching her every move.

Just the smell of wet mud, steaming chai, and the laughter of cousins pulling her into old, silly games.

She helped her mother in the kitchen, argued over mango pickles, sat on the terrace with her father at night as they looked at the stars.

She danced at her cousin’s engagement, wore bright colours again, ate without guilt, laughed without caution.

There were no glances to read.

No silences to decode.

No sharp words to wound.

Just freedom.

Peace.

And slowly… Arjun faded from her mind.

Not completely. But enough.

---

Back in the City — Arjun’s Apartment

The rain hit the glass like whispers he couldn’t silence.

His flat was clean. Quiet. Perfect.

But he hadn’t slept properly in four days.

He’d opened her last project folder twice.

Read her old notes. Her sketches. Her rough drafts.

He told himself he was checking for errors.

He wasn’t.

Every line had her in it.

Every corner of the design still held her touch.

He sat there, jaw clenched, staring at her name on the screen.

"Nayra Shetty – Urban Façade Concept Revision 2"

He hated how empty her absence felt.

He hated how little control he had over any of this.

But most of all…

He hated that she hadn’t messaged. Not once.

---

Ten Days Later

The office was buzzing again.

Staff returning from weekend, reports stacking up, clients asking for status updates.

Arjun walked in, as usual — cold, precise, unreadable.

But then he heard it.

A familiar voice.

Soft laughter.

Light footsteps.

And his eyes immediately turned toward the entrance.

She was back.

Wearing a simple kurti. Hair braided. No makeup. Sun-kissed from the village sun.

She looked...

Free.

Peaceful.

Whole.

He didn’t say anything.

Just watched from the corridor as Vidyut handed her a coffee and she smiled, catching up with the team.

She didn’t even glance in Arjun’s direction.

And that…

That burned more than he expected.

-----------------

Shhhhh! This is final, i won't drag it more.

Enough of this working zone.

Though it is friction i just wanna give it a try.

And I did

Hope you like it.

~your

mayurah