Hiraeth

33

"YOU NEED TO REVIEW THIS." She put her palms above her face, mentally exhausted at the sight of more paperwork. She could have never guessed that building a single school or dispensary would be that much of a hassle. 

She was happy with whatever that she was doing but at times, the work load grew and she felt flustered under the pressure that crushed both; her strength and confidence in an environment that she was barely familiar with. 

"The elections are approaching soon. Nobody knows whether the contract that we had received for the Civil Lines hospital would be continued if the government changes." Aditya sat down on a chair across her, trying to be of some help by proofreading things that were taking much time. 

"We have no control over that." She gave him a feeble smile, looking up although his words had manage to shake her from within. She didn't want to be reminded of those wretched elections from time to time. It opened up certain wounds in her that were difficult to nurse. 

She hoped and prayed that the existing government prevailed. Having to see Asad in a position of power that could somehow directly affect her life was both bitter and scary. She knew that if his party won, she'd have to live under perpetual terror. He was already cruel and wicked with whatever little he had and to imagine him suddenly achieving that throne of ultimate authority would often disturb her. She knew how bad he could get. 

"Ma'am?" Aditya's eager voice broke her out of the doomed trance that she was in. She pushed in some air through the passage of her nostrils, composing her mind as she had found herself slipping into that dark territory again. 

"If you want, I can send this to the legal team instead. It's already too much and I don't think that it's worth wasting so much of your time, just general stuff." He told her, realising that she began to zone out despite the number of empty cups of coffee beside her. 

"Fine, but I will read it once later in the night. Just email it to me after they've looked at it." She pushed the strand of hair falling near her eyes behind her ear, watching her manager clear out her desk. 

She took her phone out from the purse and was a little taken aback at the missed calls and a single text from him. He never called her more than twice. 

"Haan." She gulped, feeling a sudden shot of hesitance overpower her when she heard the call being picked up after a few rings. 

"Sitara?" Like always, the first thing that she heard from him was her name. She could remember that he never wasted time in starting with a simple 'hey' or 'hi' and resorted to speaking out her name the very minute she picked up. It didn't bother her but she also couldn't help but find herself noticing this. 

"Yes." She saw Aditya move out of the cabin and slumped down a little on her chair, relaxing her shoulders. It had been a long day. 

"Where are you?" He asked after a while, as if he was speaking his each word after a lot of thinking. It was both confusing and uncanny for her, considering that he knew that she'd be nowhere but here like every other day at this time. 

"At the beach." 

"Huh?" He blurted, being visibly dumbfounded by her response and her lips curved into a small smile. 

"Of course, I'd be at the office. Since when does Delhi have beaches?" She mumbled, fiddling with a pen that she had found lying on the desk. The faint clicking noises of it was the only things that she could hear as she pressed onto it, waiting for him to say anything. 

"Alright." His response was reserved and curt. She could sense that there was something going in his mind. 

"What's wrong, Rehaan?" She asked, feeling an unexplained fear creep down somewhere insider her. His behaviour was making her brain slowly note down all the possibilities of a potential mishap.