Married to Him ✔

Chapter - 25

Arshita

"What are you doing? " Piya asked me as I was wrapping a gift for him.

While returning from NY he said that he had gifted me many times already but had never been given any, even on his birthday. I remembered then how he said that he will ask for it later so I reminded it to him to get the answer as "Still couldn't you have gifted me anything for the sake of formality? "

" Can't you see, I am wrapping a gift? " I said.

" I can but for who? " She asked as she turned the gift to look what it was.

" For Him. My boss, Mr. Armaan Oberoi. " I said happily imagining his face when he opens it up.

" It seems to me like some book, no magazine or something. Let me see it." Piya showed her teeth as she opened the upper part to see the cover of the book.

She looked at it, then glanced at me, bored then slapped her head.

" A Book of Bad Jokes, pitiful puns, woeful wordplay and Ridiculous Riddles? Like seriously? You are Ridiculous if you ask me. " she rolled her eyes as she sarcastically read the cover of the book.

" I am trying to hon his talent of cracking Pj's that's all. " I said, now doubting about it.

" You should gift something else dear not some fuxking joke book or if you are giving it, you ought have some standards! " She said as she began to surf the Internet.

" Look! This is it. " She showed me and I excitedly glanced at her phone.



What the hell ?!

" Oh yeah, the book of DIRTY JOKES?! Now are you serious?" I said to her.

"Yes I am. That's what will be good to see. Don't you want to see his real self? What if he is nothing but a guy with dirty desires? " He went on and I looked at her thinking that I already doubted it.

But how does this book helped me with it?

" And when you will give this then you can read his facial expressions. You know, just in case he never stops asking you to date him. You should be alarmed. " our head almost touched and I nodded to her in agreement.

" You are right. " I said taking her phone," I am ordering it then. "

While I was on to it, Piya started to laugh badly lying on her chair attracting lot of people attention.

I furrowed at her but as she would look at me, her laughter never stopped. What was wrong with her?

Oh no, is she playing with me?

" Piya! " I growled picking the joke book and slamming on her head.

" You are such an i***t! Oh I love you sweetheart. " She kissed my cheek and I push her away making faces.

How dare she, being my only girl-friend make fun of the sensitive topic as this? I ain't forgiving you Piya!

" I am gifting him this and ending it here. " I said as I roughly packed the book and stuck the chit upon it taking Piya's cello tape.

" Stop making PJ's yet this is what you are good at! " I sang it as I wrote it on the chit.

" That's okay. " Piya peeked at it and shook her head.

" Ammmm.... To ARMAAAAAN!! " I said as I wrote his name the same way.

" Armaaaaan ?! " Piya raised her eyebrows.

" Yes Armaaaaan! He asked me to call him by name, not sir. " I said to her taking the gift and showing it to her.

" That's sounds fair! " She chuckled.

" You are talking about OUR BOSS, as in Armaan Oberoi? "

I looked back towards the source in awe while he stare the chit before frowning at me.

Mr. Nosey Salil.

" Is that any of your concern Salil? " Piya said to him while I nervously looked at him and then put the gift behind me.

" This is birthday present for Armaan, my friend Salil, if you want to know... So much . " I said to him before walking past him.

Why I have to pack it down here when I have a whole office to myself?

Idiot!

I took the elevator, passed his office but stopped, went back and peeped in, and when found his big and sharp nose into his work, I headed to my office.

Putting the gift in the table, I started to work, sending mails and letters to people. I wondered if anyone read them whole. I mean you write a big 'sorry ' paragraph on behalf of your boss who hadn't even draft it to mail and also not so sorry for something he didn't find working well for his company. Yet here I was writing them and mailing.

Then I got lot of the same kinds of mail and my task would be to pin point the important thing separately for the Boss.

Another mail!

I opened Armaan's mail, realising that I had started to call him by name now all the time without hesitating a bit.

Hey Arshi!

Need file XL52B2 now with two cups of hot coffee made by you, of course.

Tomorrow's schedule in handy would be great too, if possible.

See you in minutes,

Armaan

" No Armaan Oberoi, Oberoi group of industries at the end? " I said to myself as I stand up closing the mails and printing the schedule by the time I took the file, and head to the filing section.

"Got it." I said as I opened the file just to see at nothing and after closing, " Now coffee!"

I strutted towards the mini kitchen and start to prepare the coffee. By the time milk boiled, I thought of the correct time to gift him the book.

"Maybe now. " I said.

" No. At the end of the day. " I said to myself as I put the sugar in the cups and stir it.

I walked to his office with coffee in one hand and file in other. Reaching over to his office, I push open the door with my leg to wobble a bit.

" Easy! " He chuckled probably watching the show.

" Here is the coffee and the file with schedule list inside. All the mails have been sent and the received ones reports will be send to you after the break. " I said as I put the coffee tray in front of him.

" Thank you. " He said smiling brightly.

" Have it. As if you don't understand. " He said gesturing to the coffee. Of course I understood.

Grabbing the cup, I sat on the chair across the table and began to sip on it.

He om the other hand stared me.

" You won't give me chance easily, right? " He said suddenly.

I wasn't shocked at all as I had enough of it from the day we met. What he had done most is shocking me.

" I don't know know. " I said like always.

" Just so you know, not a clever answer." He sniffed.

" We have had lot of fun together in this short period. In addition to that we now know each other better, well you met most of my family and they know and approve you too. Plus plus plus except I haven't met your whole family though. I suppose we both are doing pretty well till then. " He added sipping off of his coffee.

" You want to meet my family?" I asked him quite worried. Just one look of smart and handsome man with me in the photograph meant my family going mad and starting to c***k me up, and here he was talking about meeting them in person.

Not happening!

Ridiculous!

This is ridiculous than that joke book.

" Great idea! I would love to introduce you to them. Well you said that you know my father already. " I said.

" Yeah, I know but I want to meet him differently now. Start Over! You understand. " He said looking away.

I didn't understand what it was with him that whenever we talked about dad he would look away and smile.

" Has anything happened between you? You told you have a history or something like that I think? " I asked him leaning towards the table.

" Maybe. It could be an amazing history or the little bad one. Let's see when we meet. " He said putting the cup down and picking the file I brought to him.

I stood up and taking our empty mugs and glancing him for the last time, walked out of his office.

" See you after brake. " He said and I nodded.

I walked back to my office and started with my work until the brake time. To join Piya and Abeer, I hurried to them.

They were sitting at the end of the canteen. I walked to them only to hear the whisperings. Of course it's wasn't them but Salil and his friends.

"There is literally something going on. I have seen him drop her at home and then unnecessarily take her to places. She calls him by name. Told you about the gift already. " Salil went on and on excitedly like always. Like him there was this nosey, Asmita.

" I knew it. How come she become his Personal Secretary without any experience with it? It was supposed to be me. What else is she giving him though? " She giggled.

" Oh Arshi!" Piya said before going up to them and yelling, " Can these cheap and dirty head cook of something else?"

I ran out of the canteen so embarrassed, even though there was nothing that I thought wouldn't happen, I knew this was happening all along. The fact that people might take this in wrong way was known to me from the beginning but what I didn't know was that Salil would be the one doing it.

We were not best friends but he was the one coming next to them and I never thought that he would do this behind my back.

I headed back to my office and slumped myself in the chair putting my head into my hands. Was there anything wrong to have feeling for your boss?

Did I look gold digger to all of them?

No I am not.

My parents had enough but I wanted my independent life after I ran away with Ronit. How stupid I was and maybe that's why he left me. My parents loved me enough to forgive me. They showed they were angry but no, they just wanted me to go back to them.

I too wanted it until Ronit ditched me and I decided to continue my life in Mumbai. Mom understood me and so she helped with dad who was against it. But when he agreed with it, another hype caught the whole family of mine : Me engaging with someone and settling down.

They didn't know my secret that Ronit left me. I couldn't tell them this so I said that I didn't love him anymore because I wanted the independent life which I only wanted after leaving home and when I was left alone all o wanted was my family but couldn't.

Oh god!

I was nuts. Reckless and took life like baking a bread.

I am not that now. I understand things and know what's right and wrong.

My phone rang. It was piya. I picked it up to hear her concerned voice, "Arshu you are not taking anything in your head, right?"

"I am not. " I said it though I knew how much I tried it wasn't easy.

" I am coming over to you. " She said.

" No. You have lot of work, I have lot of work. We will talk at your home, tonight." I said.

"Are you sure you are okay? " She asked.

" Yes I am. Don't worry Piya. " I said sounding happy.

" Okay. Take care!" She said before I ended the call.

To divert my head, I started to work like a workaholic. Crafting extra long mails, arranging schedules and filing slowly.

Meanwhile I was trying hard to suppress the yelling due to irritation, the reason itself knocked and peeked in with the usual smile in his glorious face.

He came up to me and looked at me for a while, and I did the same honours in addition of thinking nonsense.

His gaze shifted to the left and I followed it to find him stare at the golden coloured polythene wrapped gift.

" Here is the gift I see, for who? " He sang coming across the table.

" Nobody. " I stood up grabbed it and clumsily opened the drawer to keep it inside.

" But I see Armaan written in it. When were you thinking to give it to whom it is supposed to be with? " He said pointing himself.

I didn't know what got into me as I opened the dustbin top and threw it into it.

" Never. " I said looking away.

I felt him stare me badly. After few seconds, he reached out to the dustbin picked the thing and shook it before me and then after three shake, he strutted out. I looked at his retreating figure horribly thinking to stop him for making any more incidents to be talked off.

Before closing the door, he turned and said, "I will ask for my real present someday. Thanks for this though."

***

Hope you enjoyed the update. I don't know but I am feeling there is lack of excitement in the story. Because there aren't lot of readers at present. Please let me know if the story is fun to read.

That's why it's taking me long to update.

I doubt that it's not that good. Do leave sweet comments behind for fast and early update.

Love ❤️

Neha.