A Love Written by Fate

Chapter 1 Mirha adjusted the strap of her watch and placed her coffee cup beside her keyboard before settling into her chair. The office was already alive with activity. Phones rang from different corners, printers hummed without stopping, and the sound of keyboards filled the open workspace. Unlike many people who complained about busy mornings, Mirha actually enjoyed them. She liked having things to do because it kept her mind occupied and made the day move faster. Her computer screen displayed a branding project she had been working on for the past two days. The client had already requested several revisions, and she was determined to finish everything before lunch. She studied the design carefully, zooming in and out while adjusting colors, spacing, and typography. Every few minutes she changed something, leaned back to look at the overall layout, then moved forward again to fix another detail. Design work required patience, and Mirha had plenty of it. She took a sip of coffee and narrowed her eyes at the screen. “No, that still doesn't look right,” she muttered quietly before changing the color palette again. This time she nodded with satisfaction. Beside her, her friend glanced at the screen and laughed. “You've been arguing with that design for half an hour.” Mirha chuckled. “The design is not the problem. The client is.” Her friend laughed louder. “That poor client doesn't even know you're blaming them.” “They deserve it,” Mirha replied dramatically, making both of them laugh. The morning continued smoothly. Mirha answered emails, updated project files, attended a short discussion with her team, and helped a junior designer fix a formatting issue. She enjoyed being busy. It made the hours pass quickly. A little later, her manager stopped by her desk to review the project she had been working on. Mirha immediately sat up straighter and waited while he looked through the design. After a few moments, he nodded approvingly. “This looks good. Send me the final version after lunch.” Mirha smiled. “Sure.” As soon as he walked away, she quietly celebrated by taking another sip of coffee. Her friend noticed and rolled her eyes. “You act like you just won an international award.” “Maybe I did,” Mirha replied. “You definitely didn't.” Mirha laughed and returned to her work. Around lunchtime, the office atmosphere became more relaxed. Employees gathered near the break area, discussing random topics while eating. Some talked about projects, others talked about weekend plans, and a few were simply enjoying the break from their desks. Mirha and her friend sat together with coffee and snacks while chatting casually. The conversation moved from work to television shows, then to funny office incidents, and eventually to office gossip. That was when her friend suddenly looked at her with an amused expression and said, “You owe me sweets.” Mirha frowned in confusion. “Why?” Her friend grinned. “Because Ayaan's proposal was discussed yesterday.” Mirha stared at her for a moment before letting out a short laugh. “And why exactly would that require me to bring sweets?” Her friend raised an eyebrow. “Because everyone knows you like him.” Mirha immediately shook her head. “I absolutely do not.” “You absolutely do.” “I don't.” “You do.” Mirha laughed and pointed at her friend. “Stop creating stories.” Her friend looked completely unconvinced. “You notice him every time he walks into a room.” “That proves nothing.” “It proves everything.” Mirha rolled her eyes and returned to her coffee. She laughed along with her friend, but after a moment she looked down at her coffee cup. Maybe her friend was not completely wrong. She did not like Ayaan in any serious way, but she noticed him more than most people in the office. She liked how calm he was, how respectful he seemed, and how he never tried too hard to get attention. It was nothing important, just a small feeling she had never talked about. Not even to her closest friends. There was no reason to. It was only a harmless little crush, something she barely thought about most days. The conversation could have ended there, but her friend was clearly enjoying herself. “There is another rumor too,” she said. Mirha sighed dramatically. “Office gossip never ends.” “The new girl.” “What about her?” “People think there is something going on between them.” Mirha paused for a second before taking another sip of coffee. “People think a lot of things.” “That means yes or no?” “That means I don't care.” Her friend laughed. “You definitely care a little.” Mirha pointed a finger at her. “Go back to work.” Both of them laughed before the conversation moved on to something else entirely. The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. Mirha finalized her project, received approval from her manager, and spent some time helping another colleague who was struggling with a presentation. She liked being useful and often helped whenever someone needed assistance. By evening she felt satisfied with everything she had accomplished during the day. As office hours slowly came to an end, people began shutting down their computers and packing their bags. Conversations became lighter as everyone prepared to leave. Mirha organized her desk, saved her files, and finally picked up her bag. She felt pleasantly tired after a productive day. Her friend was still talking about random things as they walked toward the exit together. The office felt quieter now compared to the busy atmosphere of the morning. When Mirha reached the glass doors near the entrance, her attention drifted outside. Near the gate stood Ayaan. He appeared to be talking to someone. Normally she probably would not have paid much attention, but her friend's teasing earlier naturally made her glance in that direction. Beside him stood the new girl from the office. They looked comfortable around each other. The girl was smiling while speaking, and Ayaan listened calmly. After a moment, she casually sat on his bike while continuing the conversation. Everything looked completely normal. Friendly. Relaxed. Nothing dramatic. Nothing unusual. Still, Mirha found herself watching for a second longer than necessary. A small part of her felt slightly disappointed, though she could not explain why. Maybe it was because she had secretly hoped her friend was wrong. She barely knew Ayaan, and it was not as if she had imagined a future with him. Yet seeing him with someone else left a small uncomfortable feeling in her chest. Not heartbreak, not jealousy, just a quiet reminder that sometimes even the smallest feelings can surprise you. She quickly pushed the thought aside and reminded herself that it was none of her business. Her friend immediately noticed where she was looking. “See?” she said with a grin. Mirha rolled her eyes. “Oh please.” “You looked.” “Everyone looked.” “I don't think everyone looked.” Mirha laughed despite herself. “You're impossible.” “I'm observant.” “You need a hobby.” Her friend proudly ignored that comment. Shaking her head, Mirha turned away and continued walking. The evening air outside felt pleasant. Cars moved steadily along the road while people hurried toward buses and ride services. Streetlights slowly began illuminating the sidewalks as daylight faded. During the ride home, Mirha thought about several things, including unfinished household chores, a television show she wanted to watch, and a presentation scheduled for next week. Ayaan crossed her mind briefly, but the thought disappeared almost as quickly as it came. By the time she reached home, she was thinking about completely different things. Her mother welcomed her inside and immediately asked about her day. “Busy,” Mirha replied. “That's every day,” her mother said. “Exactly,” Mirha answered with a laugh. After changing her clothes, she joined her family for dinner. The evening passed peacefully with ordinary conversations and small family moments that made home feel comfortable. Later that night, Mirha returned to her room and spent some time scrolling through her phone before getting ready for bed. Just as she was about to put her phone aside, a notification appeared from her friend. It was a single message: "Wait until tomorrow. I have something interesting to tell you." Mirha stared at the screen. "What happened?" she replied immediately. A few moments passed, but no answer came. Her friend had already gone offline. Mirha frowned slightly and placed the phone beside her pillow. Now she was curious. Whatever it was, she would find out tomorrow. With that thought lingering quietly in her mind, she switched off the light, closed her eyes, and drifted into sleep.