A bet that changed their lives

Part 12 - Enough Proximity For a Day

Arya was on her way to office, checking her to-do list while in the cab. Reaching sharp at 7.30am, she freshened up and went to prepare coffee for her boss. She placed the coffee, arranged the files that needed his immediate attention on his table and was about to turn when she collided into a wall, or so she thought. She felt a strong pair of arms hold her in place just when she thought she was going to fall. She soon regained her balance and her senses, realising that it was her boss she had collided into. Extremely embarrassed by the situation, she muttered a sorry and a thank you as she created some distance between them. As if what had happened wasn't enough, someone being this close to her, in her personal space, was a bit unsettling for her. "Ms. Davis, are you okay?" Came Derek's concerned voice.

"I..I am fine, I am fine. Extremely sorry, I didn't realise you had entered the office. I should have..."

"Hey, it's okay. It's not completely your fault. I was a bit preoccupied and didn't see you standing here. What were you doing in my office?" He asked, still not convinced that she was fine.

"I was arranging your files, Sir. The first two files need your immediate attention, you have a meeting with those clients in the first half. And, your coffee, Sir, black coffee with one cube of sugar."

"Thank you, Ms. Davis. I presume George must have shared a task list with you? You can skip arranging files for now, I would need you to get started on a few important things ASAP."

Derek went on about the things he needed done in the next one hour as Arya made a mental note of everything, trying hard not to forget anything. Once he was done describing what she had to get started on, she was dismissed.

"Oh and Ms. Davis?" He called her again.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Please do carry an organiser with you, preferably always."

"Y...Yes, Sir," and she darted out of his office, the incident still fresh in her mind, making her feel embarrassed over and over again.

***

Out of all the scenarios that played in his head since yesterday's bet, the one that he had never imagined happening was having Arya collide into him as soon as he entered the office. He was stunned as he wasn't expecting her to be in his office, not this early honestly. He knew Arya was supposed to arrive by 8, and he had missed informing George that he would need her to be in office a bit earlier than the usual time.

Getting an opportunity to look at her at such proximity had made his day. She looked pretty in her light pink blouse, the colour complimenting her slightly flushed face. Her faint strawberry and vanilla scent appealed to his senses, making him momentarily want to forget everything and drown himself in her presence. But he could see that she was pretty embarrassed with what had happened, and not pretending to be coy. That made him fall for her all the more. Fall for her? Seriously?! He mentally rebuked himself, yet again. God knows how many he had had to rebuke himself since meeting Arya. He was now sounding like a creep to himself! God! He hoped she never thinks of him like that, because it would definitely crush him. Okay, he had officially lost it.

He leaned back on his chair as he tasted his coffee. His senses were still hung on her sweet, mild scent, and how natural she felt in his arms. Even though he scolded himself for thinking along these lines, he knew that he was absolutely smitten by her, bet be damned.

***

"Oh my God! I am so sorry!" Arya's day had started on a weird note, and it seemed that the streak wasn't going to end soon. "That's oka... Hey, aren't you Derek's new PA?" The person she had collided into asked.

"Umm... Y...Yes. How did you know?" Arya was curious as she absentmindedly arranged the papers in her mind as she looked at the person in front of her.

"I guessed that. Mark, Mark Smith, Derek's business partner. Pleasure meeting you," and he extended his hand. So he was finally meeting the girl that George had praised and the one for whom Derek felt protective. She was a pretty thing for sure, no wonder his best friend was hesitant to agree to the bet as he knew no one could resist his charms.

"Arya Davis," and she extended her hand in response.

"I guess I will see you around."

"Yes, Sir." She was about to take her leave when Mark called her.

"Hey, no. Please call me Mark, okay?" He didn't wait for her response as he had to dash to another meeting, a meeting with his brother. "Sorry for leaving abruptly, we will catch up soon," he slightly raised his hand as he entered the elevator, and was finally out of sight.

Slightly shrugging at what he had suggested, Arya picked up her cup of coffee and balanced it with the other files and papers in her hand. She had to hand over these files before her boss' next meeting, which was going to start in fifteen minutes. She was more attentive now, enough embarrassment to deal with on her first day as a PA. She had no intention to collide into more people for the remainder of the day. The awkwardness she had to deal with twice was more than enough to make up for a lifetime. Imagine colliding with your boss and his business partner, and that too on her first day of working as a PA, officially! She just hoped they would forget such a thing ever happened. God! What if she was the butt of their internal jokes now? Her overthinking was now making her more miserable, as her cheeks began to turn a slight shade of pink even thinking about being made fun of.