Page 123 of Okay Boss
Her face cycled through emotions in rapid succession. Confusion. Shock. The beginning of understanding.
Vikram was holding out a cup of tea for her?
She looked back at Vikram, the phone still pressed to her ear, the producer's voice a distant buzz she no longer processed.
"What..." Her voice emerged barely above a whisper.
"Chai," he said simply, extending the cup closer. "For you."
"I'm... I'm on a call."
"Hang up."
The command was gentle but absolute. Not a request. An instruction that allowed no debate.
Her fingers shook as she lowered the phone. "I need to go," she said into it, cutting off the producer mid-sentence. "Something's come up. I'll call you back."
She didn't wait for a response. Just hung up, the producer's confused "Wait, what," cutting off as she set the phone down.
Her hands reached for the cup automatically. Her fingers brushed Vikram's as she took it, the contact lasting a heartbeat longer than necessary. The chai was warm against her palms.
She brought it closer, inhaling. Her breath caught. That scent. Ginger, cardamom, tea leaves. She knew that scent. The tapri chai.
Impossible.
She looked at Vikram again, questions forming that she couldn't articulate. He just watched her, waiting. The entire set waited with him.
Her hands shook as she raised the cup to her lips. The first sip hit her tongue and she gasped.
Exactly right. The balance of spice and sweetness that had made her walk fifteen minutes out of her way three times a day during college.
"How..." She couldn't finish the question. "This is... did you order it?"
"No."
"But it tastes just like..." She took another sip, needing confirmation. "This is from that tapri near college. How did you get it? How is it still hot?"
"I made it," Vikram declared, spreading his hand dramatically.
Divya's eyes went wide behind her glasses. She looked at Vikram. At the cup. At the crew who still stood frozen.
"You made this?" Her voice had gone higher. Thinner. "You learned... you actually..."
"I learned," Vikram confirmed. "This morning."
Her brain stopped working.
"How did you even know..." She stammered, professional composure completely abandoned. "Who told you about..."
"I have my ways." He leaned closer, his voice dropping so only she could hear. "Mrs. Menon sends her regards. And Raju as well."
Her face flushed. Then paled. Then flushed again, warmth rising from her neck to her cheeks in a wave she couldn't control.
Her hands trembled visibly. From something she couldn't name or process or defend against. The professional mask didn't just slip. It shattered.
A smile spread across her face before she could stop it. Wide. Genuine. Completely unguarded. The kind that transformed her features from merely pretty to radiant.
A small sound escaped her throat. Half laugh, half sigh of pure pleasure.
