04

CHAPTER 3

A New Meeting

Reyansh started his morning as usual a gym session, a quick shower and dressing up in a sharp black three-piece suit. He headed downstairs and joined his family for breakfast.

After breakfast he left for his office ....

At Reyansh's Office

Reyansh sat at his desk, eyes fixed on his laptop as he worked through the details of an upcoming project. The soft tapping of keys filled the quiet office until a knock on the door broke his focus.

His PA stepped in, placing a file on the table. "Sir, the documents you requested."

Reyansh nodded, flipping through the pages. Without looking up, he said, "Also, schedule a meeting with Mumbai's best event manager today. Pick a good cafe - somewhere quiet."

His PA took note. "At what time, sir?"

Reyansh glanced at his watch. "Evening. Make sure everything is arranged."

With a swift nod, the PA left, and Reyansh returned to his work, unaware that this meeting would be far more interesting than just business.

At  Kapoor's House

Ishani woke up, freshened up, and went downstairs. She greeted Ashirit and her father with a warm side hug before stepping in the temple to pray.

Even though the house had maids, her mother decided to cook breakfast today. Ishani happily joined her in the kitchen, helping her in making and after that in setting  the table.

As they all sat down for breakfast, laughter filled the air. Afterwards, Ashirit left for work, and Ishani also got ready for her office.

Just as she settled in, her phone rang with an unknown number. She hesitated but answered.

"Hello?"

A formal voice spoke, "Good morning, Miss Kapoor. I'm calling on behalf of Mr. Agarwal. He wants to meet you today if you're free. There's an upcoming event at his home, and he'd like to discuss it with you."

Ishani barely reacted to the name. After all, there were many Agarwals in Mumbai.

"Yes, please send me the address," she replied.

"Of course. I'll text you the details."

She ended the call and got back to work, unaware of how this meeting would change everything.

After some seconds her phone buzzed with a new message , she glanced at the screen and saw it was from Mr.Agarwal's PA...

(Left side messages are of Mr.Agarwal's  PA and Right side messages are from Ishani)

"Good Morning Miss Kapoor, your meeting with Mr.Agarwal  has been scheduled for 4 PM at the  Bohemian Cafe"

                                                                                                      "Alright, I"ll be there.Thank You "

Ishani checked the message and put her phone aside, then got back to work. As an event manager, she spent her time reviewing venue layouts,  and finalizing important details for upcoming events. She made a few calls, ensuring everything is on track.

On the other side, Reyansh was busy with back-to-back meetings. His focus was on work, but in the back of his mind, he remembered about  the meeting. 

As time passed, both glanced at their watches. It was almost time.

Ishani wrapped up her work, grabbed her bag, and got ready to leave. Reyansh closed his laptop, rolled up his sleeves slightly, and walked out of his office.

Both left for the cafe. 

As soon as Ishani reached the cafe, she walked up to the staff and inquired about her reserved seat. The waiter guided her to a quiet corner,  she settled down, waiting for Mr. Agarwal who hasn't arrived yet..

A few minutes later, Reyansh stepped into the cafe. One of the staff members immediately recognized him and led him to his reserved seat.

As he approached, his eyes fell on someone already sitting there - a girl. From where he was standing, he could only see her back, her posture calm yet professional.

Even without seeing her face, he instantly recognised - She is  the event manager.

He approached her and without paying much attention settled himself across her . 

A soft noise from the chair across made Ishani glance up. Her eyes met his, and in that instant, a sense of disbelief passed through them.

"You?" Ishani whispered, blinking in disbelief.

Reyansh leaned back, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Looks like destiny has its own plans." He smirked. "First at the bakery, and now here. Aap har jagah dikhne lagi hain, Miss Kapoor."

Ishani straightened, still recovering from the surprise. "I... I wasn't expecting you either."

Reyansh tilted his head, pretending to think. "Wait , don't tell me. You own this cafe too?"

Ishani frowned. "Of course not!"

He chuckled. "Bas confirm kar raha tha. Aap bakery sambhalti hain, events manage karti hain... aap har field mein hain kya?"

Ishani, flustered, shook her head. "I'm an event manager, Mr. Agarwal. That's why I'm here."

Reyansh's teasing smirk faded slightly as realization dawned. "You're the event manager?" 

"And you're Mr.Agarwal whose PA called me for organising the event "Ishani asked ...

He let out a soft laugh, running a hand through his hair,"Yeah".

Ishani bit her lip, looking away, while Reyansh simply leaned forward, his gaze still on her, enjoying how easily he could make her nervous. His smirk never fading. "You know, this is getting interesting... kahin aap jaan-bujh ke toh nahi aa rahi jahan main hoon?"

Ishani's eyes widened as she looked up at him. "W-what? No! Aisa kuch bhi nahi hai!" She quickly lowered her gaze, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Reyansh chuckled, enjoying how easily she got flustered. "Acha? Toh yeh sirf ek coincidence hai?"

Ishani nodded, still avoiding his intense gaze. "Obviously."

He tilted his head, pretending to think. "Hmm... coincidence ya kismat?"

Ishani fidgeted with the corner of her notepad. "Aap... aap kaam ki baat kar sakte hain, please?" she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Reyansh smirked at her nervousness but decided to ease up , just a little. "Theek hai, kaam ki baat hi sahi. Dadi ka birthday hai paanch din baad that is on 2nd April  . I want it to be special."

Ishani immediately focused, her professional side taking over. "Okay, what kind of event are you looking for? Venue, decor, theme?"

Reyansh leaned back, his gaze never leaving her face. "Agar main bolt ki mujhe sirf aap ki pasand chahiye, toh?"

Ishani's breath caught in her throat. She blinked rapidly, unsure how to respond. "M-mai... mai kuch suggestions bana ke bhej dungi," she stammered, looking down at her notepad as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

Reyansh chuckled softly. "Bohot jaldi jana chahti hain aap."

Before Ishani could say anything, he signaled the waiter.

She frowned. "Ab kya?"

Reyansh picked up the menu. "Order karna hai. Kaam toh hota rahega, lekin pehle coffee. Aap bhi lengi?"

Ishani hesitated. "N-nahi, main thik hoon."

Reyansh shook his head. "Nahi, aaj toh aapko coffee peeni padegi. Dekhna toh padega ki humari business meetings ka taste bhi acha hai ya nahi."

Ishani bit her lip, knowing there was no escape. She gave a small nod, her cheeks tinged pink.

Reyansh grinned, satisfied. "Good. Aaj se hamari meetings aur bhi interesting hone wali hain."
After ten minutes , their coffee arrived. Ishani slowly stirred her cup, gathering the courage to speak.

"Umm... kya hum aapke ghar ke hall mein decoration karein? It'll look good, I think," she suggested, glancing up at Reyansh.

He raised a brow, taking a sip of his coffee. "Interesting... aur?"

Ishani hesitated but continued. "Agar subah koi pooja rakh lein aur shaam ko birthday party... jaise dadi ko pasand ho. Grand ya simple, sirf close logon ke saath."

Reyansh observed her carefully, a soft smirk playing on his lips. "Hmmm... aapko kaafi sochna padta hai mujhse baat karne ke liye, hai na?"

Ishani's cheeks warmed. "A-aisa kuch nahi hai. Main bas..."

He leaned forward slightly. "Bas?"

She quickly looked away, focusing on her coffee. "Bas... bas suggestion de rahi thi."

Reyansh chuckled, shaking his head. "Suggestion achi hai, Miss. Event Manager. Let's do it your way."

Ishani finally met his gaze, a small relieved smile on her lips. "Thank you."

"Lekin ek shart hai," Reyansh added, amusement twinkling in his eyes.

She blinked. "K-kya?"

He leaned in just enough to make her heart race. "Aap bhi poori planning mein mujhe  saath mai involve karengi. Har cheez, har detail."

Ishani swallowed hard, knowing there was no escape now. "o-ohkk," she mumbled, looking back at her coffee to avoid his intense gaze.

Reyansh grinned, satisfied. " Phir toh yeh birthday aur bhi special hoga."

''Definately , I will try to make it as special as possible'' Ishani said .

After a minute of silence Reyansh said. " Sach bataiye, Miss. Kapoor. Aap har field mein expert hain-Baking ,Event Management ya sirf mujhe impress karne ki koshish kar rahi hain?"

Ishani's grip tightened around her cup. "Aapko koi galatfehmi ho rahi hai, Mr. Agarwal.Aisa kuch nahi hai" She tried to sound confident, but her shy smile gave her away.

Reyansh grinned. "Aap toh event manage kr rhi hai,toh apka hamare ghr aana jaana regular hoga"

Ishani's heart raced at the thought. "M-main... sirf kaam ke liye aayungi."

"Haan, haan, bilkul. Sirf kaam ke liye." He said, pretending to agree but the teasing look in his eyes made her feel otherwise.

After completing her coffee Ishani said "I think I should leave now,I've a meeting to attend."

"Okay , Aap car se aayi hai ya cab se"Reyansh asked

"Cab se "Ishani replied 

"Will you mind if I'll drop you Miss.Kapoor"He asked immediately as if wanting to spend some more time with her.

"O-Ok" She replied after a second 

Reyansh smiled like he have won something big and asked Ishani to follow him to the car .After that Ishani settled in the car and he closed the door for her .He quickly settled himself as well.

"Seatbelt"Reyansh said ."Han?"Ishani asked dumbfounded

"Seatbelt to lagaiye Ms.Kapoor "he said by smirking 

"oh Y-Yeah"she replied
Ishani struggled with the seatbelt, pulling at it again and again, but it wouldn't budge. She let out a small frustrated sigh.

Reyansh, watching her amusely, smirked. "Aap seatbelt bhi nahi laga sakti?" he teased.

Ishani shot him a quick glare. "W-woh... fas gayi hai!" she defended herself, trying again.

Before she could say anything else, Reyansh leaned in, his hands brushing past hers as he smoothly grabbed the seatbelt. Ishani's breath hitched as he clicked it into place effortlessly.

"Dekha? Itna mushkil nahi tha," he said, glancing at her.

Ishani quickly looked away, feeling warmth rise to her cheeks. "M-main khud bhi kar leti!" she muttered under her breath.

Reyansh chuckled. "Par agar main madad karun toh zyada accha lagega, hai na?"

Ishani's face turned even redder. She just gave a shy smile.

Reyansh smirked and leaned back in his seat, watching her. "Acha, ek baat bataiye," he said casually. "Aap har jagah mil hi jaati hain. Pehle party, phir bakery,  aur ab yaha bhi, kya yeh koi sign hai?"

Ishani's eyes widened. "K-kya? Nahi! Aisa kuch nahi hai.M-Maine pehle bhi bola Bas... bas coincidence hai!" she quickly clarified, her voice slightly shaky.

Reyansh chuckled at her nervousness, tilting his head slightly.

Ishani looked away, trying to ignore the way her heart was racing. "Aap ab chaliye, der ho rahi hai," she said, changing the topic.

Reyansh smiled to himself, enjoying how easily she got flustered. "Theek hai, chaliye. Par yeh baat yahi khatam nahi hogi, Miss Event Manager," he said playfully, making Ishani even more nervous as she looked out of the window, avoiding his gaze.

As the car moved through the streets, silence filled the space, except for the soft hum of the radio. Ishani sat quietly, fidgeting her fingers, while Reyansh glanced at her with a small smile.

"Aap itni chup kyun hain? Lagta hai, aaj kaafi serious mood mein hain," he said, breaking the silence.

Ishani looked at him, a little startled. "Nahi... just tired ," she replied softly.

Reyansh smirked. "Ya shayad aap mujhse dur rehne ka tareeka dhoond rahi hain?"

Ishani's eyes widened slightly. "Aisa kuch nahi hai!" she said quickly, looking away.

Reyansh chuckled. "Achha? Toh yeh eye contact avoid karna kya hai?"

Ishani pursed her lips, trying to think of a response. "Main bas... raat mai event hai uske baare mein soch rahi thi," she said, hoping to change the topic.

Reyansh nodded, playing along. "Haan, sahi baat hai. Waise bhi, ek acche event manager ka har cheez pe dhyaan hona chahiye," he said casually, then added with a smirk, "jaise ki client ki expectations par ."

Ishani gave him a look. "Haan, bilkul. Aur client ko bhi professional boundaries maintain karni chahiye," she said, her tone half-teasing, half-shy.

Reyansh grinned. "Oh, toh ab boundaries bhi set ho rahi hain?,I see"

Ishani sighed, shaking her head. "Bas... yahan se left lijiyega . Woh grey building mera office hai."

Reyansh smoothly parked the car and looked at her. "Aaj ka din kaafi interesting tha, hai na?"

Ishani nodded,"Haan."and smiled.

Reyansh leaned slightly closer. "Main toh soch raha tha ki aap thank you bolengi."

Ishani blinked, then quickly said, "Thank you."

Reyansh raised an eyebrow. "Itna simple? Koi aur tareeka nahi hai?"

Ishani, flustered, quickly unbuckled her seatbelt. "Mujhe late ho raha hai, phir milte hain," she said  and gives her business card to Reyansh before stepping out and said "Message me on this number and after one or two days I'll share some designs with you"and left hurriedly.

Reyansh chuckled, watching her rush inside. As he drove away, a smile lingered on his lips. And same goes with Ishani , There was no meeting of her with someone she just wanted to leave from there .

Both were feeling something towards each other but don't know what exactly it is .....

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Ikaa

I write about quiet love , tender moments , and feelings that stay long after the page ends.