7 Caught in the Rain
1175 Words
After finishing their garden walk, Arav received a call from Anna regarding work. Turning to Sara, he said, “Let’s head back to work.”
Sara, knowing she still had 30 minutes left of her lunch break, hesitated. “I’ll stay here for a while longer,” she said. “You go ahead.”
Arav tilted his head and smiled. “Then I’ll stay here too.”
“Arav, no!” Sara protested, laughing. “Your work will get delayed. You should go first.”
He folded his arms. “Then you come with me. That’s the only option.”
Sara sighed, feeling cornered, and finally confessed, “I’d rather not return early and become the hot topic of your company’s internal forum again.”
Arav’s smile widened, satisfied with her reason. “So you’re avoiding their gazes,” he teased. “That makes me happy.”
Sara rolled her eyes but smiled at his smug expression. “Fine,” she said, giving in. “I’ll wait in your office until lunch break is over.”
“Perfect,” Arav replied, leading the way back to his office.
---
After refreshing herself in the washroom, Sara joined Arav in his spacious CEO office. While he reviewed urgent documents handed to him by Anna, Sara found herself drawn to the large French window overlooking New York City. The view was stunning, the city’s skyline bathed in soft, overcast light, with a faint drizzle beginning to fall.
Arav, noticing Sara lost in thought, finished signing the documents and handed them back to Anna. “That’s all for now,” he said, dismissing her.
He turned his attention to Sara, who was still gazing out the window. Walking up behind her, he leaned in close and whispered, “Sara.”
She started slightly and turned to face him, her lips curling into a soft smile.
“Aww, that smile,” he murmured before capturing her lips in a deep kiss. Her cheeks flushed as she lowered her gaze, shyly avoiding his eyes.
Pulling her into his arms, Arav asked in a hoarse voice, “Did you like it?”
Sara, still blushing, nodded. “The view is lovely,” she replied cheekily.
“I wasn’t asking about the view,” he teased, smirking.
Sara buried her face in his chest to hide her embarrassment, eliciting a chuckle from him.
Just then, Anna knocked and entered the room. “Boss, Sara’s lunch break is over, and she’s getting late for work,” she announced.
Sara pulled away from Arav’s embrace and smiled. “Okay, I’ll head back now. See you later, Arav.”
As she stood to leave, Arav grabbed her wrist. Rising from the sofa, he straightened her dress and smoothed her hair. “Okay, bye, honey,” he said softly.
Anna, watching this rare display of affection, stood in stunned silence. Is this really the same cold, distant Boss? she thought.
Sara, noticing Anna’s expression, smiled at her. “Anna, please stop calling me ‘Mam.’ Just call me Sara,” she said before leaving the office.
---
Back at her desk on the third floor, Sara resumed work while Arav dove into a packed afternoon schedule. At one point, Peter stopped him before a meeting, pointing out a faint lipstick mark on his suit.
Arav glanced at the stain and chuckled. “How do I get rid of this now? I don’t have time to change,” he muttered.
Anna, quick to act, handed him a makeup remover wipe. “Here, Boss, this should work.” She helped him clean the mark before he hurried into the conference room.
---
Meanwhile, Sara’s office hours ended at six, and she began tidying her desk. Just as she was about to leave, Sam and Joe approached her.
“Hey, Sara,” Sam said. “It’s starting to rain outside. Shall we drop you home?”
Sara smiled politely. “Thank you, but I’m waiting for Anna. I’ll leave with her.”
Sam raised an eyebrow. “Anna? You know she usually stays late with her workload. It might be midnight by the time she’s done!”
They laughed, making Sara feel awkward. To avoid further persistence, she said, “I’ll check with Anna and let you know. You two go ahead.”
As expected, Anna didn’t answer her phone. Without any other options, Sara reluctantly agreed to leave with Sam and Joe.
---
Sam and Joe, thrilled by her agreement, offered to treat her to coffee before dropping her home. They took her to a nearby Starbucks, where the atmosphere was warm and lively.
The two cracked jokes and shared office gossip, making Sara laugh freely for the first time in days. Her carefree laughter was so contagious that Sam couldn’t resist pulling out his phone.
“Let’s take a selfie!” he exclaimed.
Sara smiled as the three posed with their coffee mugs. Moments later, Sam uploaded the photo to the internal forum with the caption: The shining star of the designing team!
Sara frowned. “Sam, I told you not to post that!”
Sam grinned. “Come on, Sara. You’re the best design of our designing team. We have to show off!”
Joe chimed in, “You’ve made the other women in our team look like… well, ginger-eaten monkeys!”
Sara gave him a disapproving look. “Don’t talk like that about them, Joe.”
Joe raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. But seriously, Sara, you’re awesome.”
Sara couldn’t help but laugh at their antics, feeling a rare sense of lightness.
---
Meanwhile, Arav finished his meeting and realized with a start that it was already past seven. Turning to Anna, he asked, “What about Sara? Her office hours ended a while ago.”
Anna, flustered, checked her phone and found Sara’s missed call and a message. “She left with Sam and Joe, Boss,” Anna explained nervously.
Arav’s expression darkened. “In the future, I expect you to keep track of her. This shouldn’t happen again.”
Anna stammered, “Understood, Boss.”
Arav, visibly annoyed, obtained Sara’s number and called her immediately.
---
Sara, still at Starbucks, saw her phone ringing and excused herself to answer. “Hello, Arav,” she said gently.
“Where are you?” Arav asked, his tone softer than expected. “I’ll come and pick you up.”
“I’m at the Starbucks near the office,” Sara replied. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”
Before Arav could say more, she ended the call, noticing Sam and Joe returning to the table.
When they offered to wait with her for Anna, Sara politely declined. “Thank you, but I have other work to finish. You two go ahead.”
After some insistence, they finally left. Sara sighed in relief, sitting down on a stone bench outside the café to wait for Arav. The evening breeze carried the scent of rain, making her feel calm despite the chaos of the day.
- Writer
