Page 36 of Yes Boss
He nodded once, as if remembering her favorite meal was simply another task he’d efficiently completed. But beneath his calm exterior, something possessive and primal settled in his chest.
She was here, with him, not at Citrus with Samrat.
Exactly where she belonged.
By the time they finished dinner, it was already late.
Raghav had an urgent call lined up with the Singapore unit. He knew Ishani was exhausted, it showed in the way she moved more carefully now, conserving energy without complaint. And he did feel guilty about it.
“Wait here,” he told her. “I’ll drop you once I’m done.”
Before she could refuse, he was already heading to the conference room.
The meeting ran longer than expected. When it finally ended, Raghav stepped out, rolling his shoulders as he loosened his tie. He was halfway down the corridor when a sound stopped him.
Laughter.
Not the restrained, polite kind, but something lighter. Unguarded. Warm.
He slowed.
Then came her voice, unmistakable now. “Look at his little paws, Maa! What did you name him?”
Raghav approached the break room without thinking, his steps quieter than usual. The door was ajar.
Inside, Ishani sat curled into the corner of the small couch, her back to the door. A tablet rested on her knees, its glow soft against the dim room. She leaned forward as she spoke, completely absorbed.
Her hair was loose. The careful knot she wore all day was gone, dark waves falling over her shoulders. One side tucked behind her ear as she smiled at the screen, eyes bright with something he had never seen, not even when she was working.
For a moment, he just stood there, watching a version of Ishani that only existed in his imaginations. Something in his chest tightened, quiet and unfamiliar.
“He followed your father home from his morning walk,” her mother said from the tablet. “Wouldn’t leave him alone. Your father pretended to be irritated, but he’s already bought three kinds of dog food to see which one the puppy likes.”
Ishani laughed.
It stirred something in Raghav, again. The sound was unguarded and easy. He leaned a little closer without thinking.
“Of course he did,” she said, shaking her head. “He’s wanted a dog ever since I was in college.”
She pushed her hair back absently. Without her jacket, sleeves loose, blouse slightly rumpled from the day, she looked… different. Less put together. More herself.
“We named him Kaju,” her mother continued. “Because he’s small and cream. Like a cashew.”
The screen tilted, and a tiny puppy appeared, wriggling in someone’s arms.
Ishani made a small, delighted sound before she could stop herself. “Oh. He’s perfect,” she said, leaning closer to the screen. “Hello, Kaju. Hello, you.”
Raghav’s breathing changed, grew shallower as he watched her. But he shouldn’t have been watching. He knew that. Still, he didn’t look away.
The Ishani who sat outside his office was composed to the point of precision. Every reaction measured. Every word chosen with care. She moved through the day like nothing ever caught her off balance.
This version was different.
“Then when will you come home to meet him?” her mother’s voice drifted through the speaker. “It’s been weeks, beta.”
Ishani straightened slightly, the familiar calm settling back over her shoulders. “Work’s hectic right now, Maa.”
“Work again,” her mother sighed.
