She nodded and left, closing the door discreetly behind her.
I stood and walked over to Viya, taking her hand again. She looked like she wanted to protest, but I just tugged her gently toward the couch.
"Sit."
She sat, and I sat beside her. She immediately reached for her laptop, clearly intending to start the presentation.
I picked up one of the parathas, tore off a piece, and brought it to her lips.
Her eyes widened.
"I need to—"
"Eat first. Present later."
She looked at the paratha, then at my face, clearly trying to decide if she dared to argue. Whatever she saw in my expression must have convinced her that arguing was futile, because she opened her mouth and accepted the bite.
Satisfaction coursed through me.
"Good. Now, start your presentation."
She swallowed and opened her laptop with shaking fingers. As the screen came to life and she began navigating to her files, I tore off another piece of paratha and held it to her lips.
She accepted it without comment this time, and began explaining her optimization strategy.
I listened carefully as she walked me through her solution, her voice growing steadier and more confident as she got into the technical details. She had done excellent work. The caching strategy she had developed was elegant and efficient, exactly the kind of innovative thinking we needed.
But I was only half focused on the presentation itself. The other half of my attention was on her. On making sure she ate every bite I fed her. On watching the color slowly return to her cheeks. On the way her eyes lit up when she talked about something she was passionate about.
By the time she finished the presentation, the food was gone and she looked infinitely better than she had when she first walked into my office.
"Your approach is sound," I said, setting the empty plate aside. "You have my approval to move forward with implementation. Work with Vikrant to integrate it into the current development timeline."
Relief flooded her features.
"Thank you, si— Armaan."
She had almost called me sir again. But she had caught herself.
Progress.
As she began to close her laptop, I noticed a small crumb stuck to the corner of her mouth. Without thinking, I reached out with my thumb but in instant I moved close and licked it.
Her breath hitched.
Her eyes were closed. The air between us suddenly felt charged with something electric.
Viya's hand clutched at my arm, her fingers digging into the fabric of my sleeve. Her eyes fluttered closed, her lips parting slightly.
I leaned forward, drawn to her like gravity. My hand came up to cup her face, my thumb tracing along her jawline. She was so beautiful. So perfect. So mine.
Just as I was about to close the distance between us, there was a knock on the door.
We sprang apart. Viya's eyes flew open, wide and startled. I cleared my throat and forced myself to sound normal.
"Come in."
The door opened and Aryan walked in, his usual cocky grin firmly in place.
