Page 29 of Yes Boss
“After lunch.” He cut her off smoothly. “Tell me about your weekend plans.”
Again, that subtle shift from professional to personal. Ishani’s eyes narrowed slightly, assessing him.
“Nothing special,” she replied cautiously. “Catching up on reading, perhaps.”
“What do you read?”
“History, mostly. Some economics.”
“For pleasure or professional development?”
“Both.” She turned her water glass slowly, precisely. “And what about you? Any weekend plans, Boss?”
The question surprised him. She rarely initiated personal conversation.
“Family obligations,” he answered, thinking of his mother’s continued pressure about marriage arrangements. “Unavoidable ones.”
“I see.” She didn’t press for details, returning instead to her food.
Raghav watched her as she ate—the clean line of her jaw, the careful way she handled her fork, the slight tension in her shoulders that betrayed her awareness of his gaze. He should look away. Should return to business. Instead, he found himself asking another question that had no place in a professional lunch.
“Do you enjoy living alone?”
Her eyes lifted to his, something like amusement flickering across her face. “Are we still discussing company security concerns?”
“Humor me.”
She considered him for a moment. “Yes, I do. I value my space.”
“Even at night?”
“Especially at night.” She set down her fork. “I find silence... clarifying.”
Her choice of words felt surprisingly personal. Clarifying. It was as if her mind needed to be organized just like his. Those quiet moments alone seemed to mean more than just rest.
“The presentation,” she said, steering them back to professional ground. “Shall we continue?”
Raghav nodded, though he’d already seen enough to approve it. The lunch had served its purpose—not to review work that was already flawless, but to keep her here, beside him, close enough that he could catch the scent of jasmine when she moved, close enough that their arms brushed when reaching for the same document.
He found ways to keep her there—asking about slides they had already gone over, bringing up logistics that were already sorted. When she checked her watch after they had been sitting for almost ninety minutes, he acted like he hadn’t seen.
“The color palette for the final section,” he said, pointing at the screen. “It should fit our branding better.”
“I can change that,” she answered, jotting it down. “Anything else?”
Everything else, he thought, watching her fingers move across the keyboard. Questions he shouldn’t be asking. Thoughts he shouldn’t have about someone who worked directly under him.
“No.” He stood up, marking the end of their long lunch. “That will be all for now.”
Ishani packed her laptop and notes, and slipped out of his office, the door closing softly behind her.
Raghav remained standing, watching her return to her desk through the glass wall, tongue in his cheek.
Chapter 8
Most of the floor had emptied. Ishani stood by the printer beside her desk, patience thinning by the second. The machine whined. Then stopped. She pressed the side panel, peering into the narrow gap. A strip of paper was lodged somewhere inside.
“Come on,” she muttered under her breath.
