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Katrina khan appeared at office next Sunday with a cup of coffee on her hand and a chest full of guilt.
Her last conversation with Salman weighed down her heart all weekend. Katrina she made the right decision by not letting a stranger learn their address, but she also realized she could have handled the situation with more grace. She was rude, unnecessarily, and she knew it. Tamara's constant reminders didn't help.
Katrina didn't always want to admit when she was wrong, but she knew that strength was in finding the courage to apologize when needed. So at the next working day, early morning, she grabbed his coffee order (which her cousin found out by some apt social media stalking) and appeared in front of him.
Salman looked up from the papers he was working on, his expression falling flat at her sight.
"I'm sorry," she murmured under her breath, placing the cup on his table. "I was out of line."
Even through her hesitance to look at him, and discomfort at the situation, Katrina noticed there was a tenderness in his expression. The aromatic coffee sat between them, it's steam seemingly melting off the tension.
Katrina left after that without another word. No more sentences were exchanged, but it seemed like it wasn't needed. Her apology was accepted.
He greeted her the next time he saw her, and the air between them had cleared out. It took Katrina by surprise. For someone who grew up in a house full of uptight people, and had to butt heads with egotistical men all her academic and professional career, his behavior was like a breath of fresh air. He was so easy going, and he took things so lightly. He let things be, just like that, and somehow ensured there was no awkwardness lingering.
Katrina's attention began veering towards the Sales department more than needed. She did not even have to make an effort to search for him - suddenly, Salman Bashir was in every corner her eyes went.
He passed by her desk during lunch everyday, he stumbled into her in the photocopy room, he held the door of the elevator for her as she exited the office for the day. He also knew everyone, and everyone knew him.
Literally.
He greeted the security guards with enthusiasm and also exchanged playful high-fives with the Managing Director in the midst of meetings. Salman caught a lot of attention from the young women in the office, but he spent time winking at the elders to make them feel loved. He was welcomed amongst the more popular guys, but was also received warmly by the socially awkward ones.
Katrina once turned to Tamara and asked, "Where does he find the time to keep up with all these people?" But she was also secretly impressed by his social skills, since she didn't possess much herself.
Salman spent the majority of his time with Zakariya Azad and Arafat Chowdhury from the IT department - guys Katrina would have least expected him to see him with.
