The exterior of the building was lined with smoked glass the colour of a dull grey sky that stood as a prewarning that rain was on the way. Pressed against the glass were bold letters painted a pale white with gold rims. "Basu Industrials". The words though seemingly bright in contrast to the remainder of the building seemed somewhat daunting to someone who had seen it for the first time.
Upon entering the first thing that stood out was a dark blue carpet that covered the floor, leading towards the elevators that were so shiny you could see your own reflection. Too busy looking at her surroundings the woman didn't hear a voice calling out to her until she felt a firm hand on her shoulder. "Excuse me, you can't just walk in there"
"Oh" she giggled her pin straight hair looked auburn beneath the natural lighting "My name is Prerna Sharma, i'm here for the second part of my interview" she gripped the folder in her hands tightly waiting for the woman to allow her to go she edged towards the lift and pressed the button to open it
The elevator had white marble walls and a golden handrail just below the buttons, the carpet was the same as outside the doors, taking a quick glance of her watch Prerna hastily slammed her hand across the button of the top floor and closed her honey coloured eyes
A hand slammed between the doors making her jump as a man entered quickly brushing his coffee coloured hair back in a distressed motion he turned to Prerna eyeing her slowly "Top floor" he rasped out
"Have you got an interview too, i've heard the guy can be a little strict but appreciates hard work so I guess i'll be fine, it's nice to meet someone else i'll be working with"
"Confident aren't you" he teased "What if you don't get it"
She gasped loudly "Don't say bad things or bad things happen, watch I will get the job and so will you" she turned to face him "This lift takes a really long time don't you think, you would think for a high class business man that he would atleast try and get a faster lift"
The man smirked, the corner of his lips rose "I'm sure the boss will be very happy to hear your thoughts on his elevator machinery"
"Well I wouldn't tell him that" Prerna rolled her eyes "It's just a woah" her body flung to the side bashing into the man's shoulder when the lift came to a grinding halt, breathless she looked up at him, catching her reflection in his chocolate coloured eyes she inhaled sharply "Yeah, he definitely needs to fix his elevators, i'm going to be late, we both are, oh wait look there's a camera up there, hello" she began to jump continuously and wave her hands "Help us, we're trapped" the heel of her shoe slammed into his foot making him yell.
"Ouch, is it your intention to injure and abuse your future colleagues all in one day" he shook his foot then rubbed his shoulder
"Well actually it's not my fault, it's Anurag Basu's fault for having a rubbish lift, listen Bhai Saab, can I call you Bhai Saab" not awaiting a response she continued "He stated the correct dresswear and these were the only black shoes I have and he owns the building so take your issues up with him, meanwhile i'm going to have some lunch" Prerna dropped to the floor and opened her bag to pull out a tiffin that had seen better days "Ooh my faviourate, want some" she flung the tiffin up making the dahl waste over his trousers "Well uh that one might have been my fault" she bit into her lip then smiled pouring some on her own leg "Now we're all fair and circle"
"What" he looked down at her astounded "Don't you mean fair and square"
Prerna's brows furrowed "No that doesn't even make sense, anyway this is really good, you're really missing out, i'm just saying" she continued to eat "You know it's rude to stare"
"It's rude to stand on someone's foot and waste food on them" he pointed out, tone brisk and scathing
"Maybe it's like good luck, I once heard that if a bird does it's business on you it's good luck and the food on your trousers could easily be misconstrued for that so really you should be thanking me" Prerna stood up to face him "No problem"
There was a mechanical whirring sound before the lift began to move again, eventually reaching the top floor the doors opened slowly showing a lavish area. "I didn't quite catch your name"+
"Prerna, yours"
"Anurag Basu, but you can call me Sir" he winked "I'll get the elevators sorted, thanks for the suggestion"1
Prerna's jaw dropped and she froze as the lifts shut again
Writer: QuerenciaHaven
Part One
Prerna groaned before pulling her shoes off and running towards the office Anurag had just walked into, short of breath she slammed her file and bag onto the desk "Look I know the obvious thing to do here is to send me away but I think you should atleast give me a chance, I could brighten your workplace, i'm hillarious, I have that, what's it called" she clicked her fingers fast "Funny bones"
"You have elbows" Anurag crossed his muscular arms over his chest making his shirt strain against his arms "Everyone has elbows"
"No yaar, I mean Sir, funny bones you know and not everyone has elbows, I think that's very stereotypical and possibly insulting to those who don't have elbows so if you give me this job we can just leave this matter here and never speak of it again" she leant over the desk, hair covering her face as she took deep breaths in and out
"Are you threatening me Miss Sharma" Anurag raised a brow
"Um if it's going to get me the job then yes and if not then absolutely not I would never do such a thing" she bit into her nails anxiously deciding the floor was the best place to look "Oh my god someone stole my shoes, where are my shoes, I don't have any shoes and if I don't get this job I won't have money to buy new shoes" she began to sob
"Isn't that your shoes in your hand" he stood up "I don't mean to be rude but are you on some kind of medication that maybe you forgot to take today" he spoke slowly ensuring to keep his distance
"Aree ha, yes my allergy ones, see you're so smart" she nudged his shoulder before putting her shoes back on quickly
Anurag's eyes widened uncomfortably "Well your credentials certainly show you're capable for the job, but um lets give you a test run maybe, why don't you uff" he grabbed the table in order to not topple back when Prerna wrapped her arms around him
"Thank you so much Sir, you won't regret it, from now on i'm your number one girl, i'll do anything you need even before you realise you need it" she smiled as she pulled away making him falter over her words
Crazy but beautiful, a dangerous mix. "Maybe don't call yourself my girl infront of other people, they may get the wrong image"
"Oh" she nodded "Yes of course" she did a zipping motion over her lips and pretended to throw away the key "Ill keep quiet, don't you worry, it'll be our little secret" she stopped "But why can't people know that I am your secretary"
"You're not my secretary yet and never mind, I have some files that were written up incorrectly do you think you could edit them for me"
"Sure" she clapped excitedly "I'll get to it now, on that computer over there" she asked as she held out her hands for the files
"The log in will be written in the notebook in the first drawer, I want that finished within two hours" Anurag waited for her to leave before falling back into his chair "Crazy, she's absolutely crazy" he shook his head but realised he couldn't help but smile at her unsual antics, she sure was interesting to watch
~'~'~
"Done"
Anurag looked up to see Prerna stood at the edge of his mahogany brown desk, he hadn't noticed before but it reminded him of her eyes when she laughed. "Great, i'll check them through"
"There were so many spelling errors, I thought I was going crazy, are all your staff dumb" she sat back on the seat and exhaled loudly, slouching further down
"Uh I wrote one of those files" he glared at her
"Don't look at me like that I am as surprised as you that those words came out my mouth, you should know by now I don't have a filter, we're never going to work Basu if you keep forgetting these things" Prerna threw her hands up
"It's Sir to you"
"Fine, Sir Basu then, anyway the um" she clicked her fingers again "The Kapoor industrials are ripping you off, that was clear from the sales, according to their latest newsletter they gain about fifteen percent more than other companies every month, you give them ten percent of all earnings, they benefit from this more than you do"
"I'm impressed" Anurag looked at the files "No one else picked that up, I guess you have an eye for these things, i'm willing to forget your previous blunders today if you continue to work as well as you did with this" he rested his fingers beneath his chin in a steeple position "So, Miss Sharma, i'll be seeing you tomorrow at eight thirty am, congratulations"
Once again the way her eyes lightened to a caramel as she smiled made his insides churn "Thank you, you won't regret it Basu"
No longer wanting to argue he nodded "No problem Sharma" waving at her as she left he returned to his laptop and began to type, there was certainly no point in taking a break that only added to the loneliness1
Prerna looked up at the fluffy white clouds littered across the azure sky and smiled greatfully "I'll make you proud, I swear, just you watch" she ducked her head down before walking up the road
Suddenly two lonely beings weren't alone anymore
Part Two~
"Blue eyes, hypnotise teri kardi a mennu,
I swear, chhoti dress mein bomb lagdi mennu, glossy lips, uff yeah tricks, baby lagdi e killer, oh yeah oh yeah, katal kare tera bomb figure"
"Prerna, please, I cannot hear that song one more time" Anurag rested his head in his hands
"Oh, so it's Prerna now, on a first name basis now are we, well if you wouldn't have called me that thing I wouldn't have started singing in the first place, technically you asked for it" she shrugged continuing to tidy the office around him
"Okay, fine, I apologise for calling you naukar Sharma, just please stop singing that damn song" he gritted his teeth in exasperation before standing up to face her
"All you had to do was ask Basu" she smiled sweetly "Next time don't call me a servant" she walked towards the door "Peasant" Prerna muttered under her breath
"I heard that, is that really how you're going to speak to your boss"
Spinning on her heel Prerna smiled at him "You mean my boss who just called me a slave, yes that's what i'm going for, that will teach you to undermine your workers hm, now i'm willing to forget all your previous blunders today" she smiled at the use of his own words against him "If you allow me to go for an early lunch cause I am starving"
"That's blackmail" his eyes widened
"Uh, yeah it is, can't really take it back now can I, oh look at the time I have so much work to do, so much" she turned around quickly only to walk into the door as it opened, falling back she looked up at Anurag in a dazed state "If you're the angel here to take me to heaven tell them I want a refund" sitting up Prerna rubbed her head "I'm tired of the workplace abuse, who even are you anyway"
The woman scowled, eyes jet black and empty "Komolika, but you can call me ma'am, Anu did you forget we have that meeting" her voice turned sickly sweet and Prerna suddenly didn't like anything with a high dose of sugar in anymore
"Miss Sharma, meet my business partner Komolika, Komolika meet Miss Sharma, my new secretary from now on things should come through her" Anurag looked at Prerna who had just stood up then glanced back at Komolika "I'd like Prerna to come with so she can gain a taste of how business works"
"But she's just a secretary" Komolika spat out, like venom from a snake's mouth
"And yet i'm still more important than you and i've been here for just under two days, crazy I know" she rubbed her head "I'll get my notebook"
"Are you just going to let her speak to me that way" she adjusted her blazer slightly then gazed back up at him to see him glancing into the distance distractedly
"I think it might be about time someone spoke to you like that Komolika, go, we'll be there soon" as soon as she left he waited for Prerna to face him "You really can't be talking to her like that, she is at the same level as me"
She blinked slowly "Don't you mean I shouldn't speak to her like that, the word can't implies it isn't possible, which clearly it is as I did it, she isn't my boss, you are, as a child growing up I watched my parents be belittled by their superiors, I won't allow someone to do the same to me"
He frowned, her passionate choice of wording was attractive, for lack of a better word and he suddenly found a new respect for the woman who had literally fell into his life. "A little thought before you speak next time please, I really don't want to have to fire someone who is as good at this job as you are"
She nodded then held her arm out infront of her "Lets go or we'll both be late"
~'~'~
Rain poured from the sky, pelting down on Prerna's thin back- though she shivered she wouldn't move from her spot. "I let you down right, I let someone speak to me the way they used to speak to you" a shaky sigh escaped her chapped lips "I won't do it again, promise, but i'll be the strong girl you raised me to be, you just watch" her eyelids covered her eyes slowly as the water made her cheekbones glisten
"What are you doing out here, it's freezing" Anurag dismissed her attempt at a dignified response and instead removed his jacket to wrap it around her shoulders "What are we going to do with you Sharma" he made a ntt sound
"I don't know, maybe tell me how great I am, just a suggestion" she shivered again, this time from his gaze on her. "Or not, did you get the lifts fixed yet, my legs are burning from taking all those flights of stairs on a daily basis, i'm wasting away here with hunger from all the extra exercise"
"Very dramatic aren't you"
"Yeah actress was my next job choice, instead of tiring the world with my theatrics i've choose to tire you, lucky aren't you, I might just be the greatest thing to ever happen to you, oh my god is that ice cream" she ran forward towards the truck "Come on Basu, you have to have some too"
"Prerna its freezing"
Prerna raised a brow "Are you done stating the obvious, because if so hurry, or i'll eat it all"
"There are buckets of ice cream in that truck"
"Yes" she said pointedly "What are you trying to say, don't underestimate me Basu, it might be the most dangerous thing you'll ever do" she warned then began to order her ice cream
"Lesson learnt" Anurag smiled to himself before standing beside her "Mint chocolate please" he placed the cash on the counter "My treat for the earlier insult"
"Someone better marry you quickly, you might just be husband material, the question is, do you fit in the tumble dryer"? She pursed her lips then bent over laughing loudly "I'm so funny, why hasn't anyone asked me to desi shaadi them yet" a huff left her mouth seconds before a comforting silence enveloped them
"Oh I don't know, whatever would make any man think that you might not work as wife material" Anurag's response was laced with sarcasm as he looked up at the darkening sky, though his world didn't seem as dark as usual today
Prerna nodded "I'm too good, that's the issue, what can I do, oh fate why must I be punished for being perfect, cruel really" she jumped at the loud snicker from her boss, watching him from the corner of her eye she smiled, it was nice to see him laugh, it didn't seem to be an often occurrence.
In a mix of laughter, rain and ice cream the duo had found a save haven, moments made up a lifetime and they had just shared their very first moment that would change their life completely
