Chapter 4: The Unraveling

The next week brought chaos—and with it, closeness neither of them had anticipated.

Project Aurora had hit a snag. The client’s German division flagged Kavya’s financial projections as overly conservative. At the same time, the Asian market team needed last-minute changes to tax structuring—something she was counting on Arjun to finalize.

Instead, she walked into the office that morning to find him deep in conversation with a junior associate, coffee in hand, cracking jokes.

“Do you ever take anything seriously?” she asked, striding past them.

Arjun turned, unbothered. “Do you ever smile?”

Kavya didn’t answer. She stormed into the war room, pulled up the revised models—and froze.

He’d completed the task. Not only completed it, but improved on it. His formulas streamlined the entire structure, saving the firm millions.

And yet, she hated that she was impressed.

When he entered a moment later, she didn’t look up.

“You did a good job,” she said, voice flat.

He blinked. “Is that... a compliment?”

“It’s an observation.”

He dropped into the seat beside her. “Getting warmer.”

She gave him a side glance. “Don’t get used to it.”

---

Over the next few days, their dynamic began to shift subtly. They bickered less and collaborated more. Kavya still kept her distance, emotionally at least, but the venom in her words began to fade. Arjun, for his part, was attentive, almost... thoughtful.

One evening, they stayed late to finalize a complicated client deliverable. The office was nearly empty. The buzz of fluorescent lights filled the silence between keystrokes.

Kavya rubbed her temple, trying to fight the tension headache building behind her eyes.

“Here,” Arjun said suddenly, sliding a water bottle across the table. “And a protein bar. You skipped lunch.”

She blinked at him. “What are you? My health tracker?”

He grinned. “No, but your mood drops five notches when you’re hungry.”

Kavya reluctantly took the bar. “Fine. Thanks.”

Silence settled again, but this time it wasn’t tense. It was... charged.

Her gaze wandered to him—his sleeves rolled up, tie loosened, eyes narrowed in focus. He was... undeniably attractive. She hated noticing that.

And he noticed her noticing.

“What?” he asked, smirking.

“Nothing,” she said too quickly.

He leaned in slightly. “You sure?”

Her breath hitched.

She stood abruptly, grabbing her bag. “I’m done for the day.”

He nodded slowly. “Okay. See you tomorrow, Mehra.”

She walked out fast, heart racing.

---

The next day, they were in sync.

Emails fired off in perfect rhythm. Slides updated like magic. They read each other’s cues, anticipated responses, and—most unsettling of all—began to laugh at each other’s dry jabs.

One afternoon, as they reviewed data near the whiteboard, Arjun reached past her to grab a marker. His hand brushed her waist, just barely. She didn’t move. Neither did he. Their eyes locked.

She cleared her throat and stepped aside, but her pulse didn’t settle for a long time.

They didn’t speak of it, but it stayed with them.

---

Friday brought the elite corporate mixer, held at a rooftop bar with sweeping views of the city skyline. Kavya arrived early, dressed in a sleek black jumpsuit and stilettos. She’d told herself she was only attending to network, to represent the firm.

Arjun arrived fifteen minutes later in a tailored navy suit, hair slightly tousled, eyes scanning the crowd until they locked with hers.

He made a beeline toward her, drink in hand.

“Didn’t expect to see you out of the war room,” he teased.

She smirked. “I clean up well.”

“That’s an understatement.”

She blinked, startled by the compliment. He wasn’t usually that direct.

He stepped closer. “Look, I know I messed up. Even if I didn’t mean to. I’m trying to prove I’m not the villain in your story.”

She studied him. For the first time, his expression was sincere. Not cocky. Not smug.

“You’re... getting there,” she said softly.

He smiled. “Progress.”

They talked about everything but work. Favorite books. Their mutual love for street food. The time Arjun almost got arrested for accidentally walking into a restricted airport zone. Kavya laughed so hard she had to set her drink down.

“See? You do smile,” he said, grinning.

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t push it.”

The rooftop lights cast a golden halo around them. The city shimmered below, but neither of them noticed. They were too caught up in each other.

For a moment, she forgot the past. The mistrust. The pitch.

She was just a woman standing next to a man who looked at her like she mattered.

And it terrified her.

Later that night, as they shared a cab back, Kavya sat silently, staring out the window.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Arjun asked.

She hesitated, then said, “I don’t know what this is. But I know it’s not just banter anymore.”

Arjun looked at her. “No, it’s not.”

Their eyes met.

And for once, neither of them looked away.