12. First Day, First Date

First day of school. First day of College. First day at an office.

They all give us nervousness and anxiety. Don't they? That's what was happening to me while I was driving to work that day. My first day as a senior editor.

Will I be able to do it? Will my colleagues like me as they did before? Will my bosses like me at this new position?

Questions stormed through my mind, I didn't know the answers to. But one thought overpowered them all. I had to meet Shiv for lunch and tell him about the baby. The thing that I dreaded the most. It scared me more than the monsters under my bed ever did. What if he lashes out? Whatever was going on between us was at risk. I actually felt happy with him. My smiles weren't fake like they were most of the time. I didn't want to give it all away. I also didn't want to give this baby away, It was a part of me and a little of Shiv. Even if I lost him, I will always have a little part of him with me.

I parked my car at the usual spot and got out of the car. Cold air hit my body and I shivered as I walked towards the 52-storey building. Heat engulfed me as I entered the familiar lobby. I pressed the button to call the lift. I had to wait for a while; as I waited, I heard the clicking of heels coming towards me.

"Hey Naina! You're back so soon." I heard a sharp voice. I knew who it was.

I put on a fake smile as I turned around to face her.

"Hey, Victoria. Missed me?" I hated that girl and I know she reciprocated the feeling.

The lift arrived and we got in. I pressed the button for the 50th floor and waited in the lift.

"Of course I did." She said. What a fake bitch, I thought. "But what the hell are you wearing?" She said looking at my outfit, her face in a disgusting expression.

It was pretty descent. A white shirt with a pencil skirt with hemline just above my knees. A matching back blazer to go with the outfit. I also wore black, 3-inched, pointed toe heels. But her outfit, on the other hand was hideous. A hot pink skirt and blazer with a black shirt and white heels. She was the one who needed to be asked what she was wearing. She looked like a Walmart version of Barbie with her outfit, blonde hair and blue eyes.

"I'm wearing an outfit slightly better than yours. Thanks for asking." I said.

I heard her huff out. She had no reply. She had to know better than to question me while wearing clothes stolen from Barbie. Our floor arrived and we stepped out. I walked straight to my boss's office and knocked twice before entering.

"Good morning, Mrs. White." I said as I entered.

"Good morning Naina, ready to see your new cabin?" She asked with a smile.

"More than ready, Mrs. White." I replied.

"Oh please, call me Beth." She said as she walked out of her office, I followed her closely. I felt eyes on me as I walked.

We entered the cabin. I was huge. Not bigger than Beth's office but still a lot bigger than my small desk. There was glass on one side, visible as we walked in. The London skyline could easily be seen. My desk was a lot bigger than the one I had before. It already had stacks of manuscripts for me to read and select for printing. There were even plants in the cabin. It was like a dream come true.

"I love it. Thank you so much Beth." I said with a huge smile.

"Oh don't thank me. You're here only because of your work. Now let me explain all the changes you will experience. You won't have to read all the manuscripts as before. They will come to you after being selected and edited, once. You will have to read them and edit them once again and also select if they have potential to be printed. Your work will be easier than what you did before but don't take that for granted. You will still have to give your hundred percent. I know you will. You can do it, You're the only person who can prove to be the best for this job. I hope you understood." She said.

"Yes, I understand. I will not give you any reason to be disappointed." I said with a smile which she returned.

"Good. All the best. Not get to work. You can bring your things here from your old desk and you can decorate this place as you want." She said and I nodded. With that, she left.

After a minute of staring out at the London skyline, I walked out towards my desk.

"So you are the one that got the position?" Victoria said with a sneer on her face.

"Yes, I did." I said nonchalantly.

"I bet you slept with our boss." She said and I turned around to face her.

"Don't reveal your own secrets Victoria. We all know who got their job on what basis. And secondly, our boss, is a straight woman and so am I. So just go and do your work if you can't even insult me properly." I told her. Everyone was listening and people burst out in giggles as I said it to her.

Her face turned red and she turned around and sat back at her desk. I went back to gathering my things. I walked back into my new office and started scanning through manuscripts. I didn't even realise that it was lunchtime.

I heard a knock on my door and I yelled "Come in.", not looking up from the papers scattered in front of me.

"You can at least look up." I heard the familiar voice that made me go crazy and a smile appeared on my lips.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Am I late for lunch? I'm so sorry. We can still go." I said in one breath as I stood up, got my overcoat and handbag.

"No, you aren't late, I thought I'd come by to pick you up." He said.

"Really?" I said, surprised. No one of my ex-boyfriends ever did that. They usually were late. "Who told you where I worked anyway?"

"I think you know who told me. And to answer your question, yes really I came by to pick you up. You deserve it." He said and I blushed.

"Of course Sanjana told you." I said, realising this could only be her. "Thanks for picking me up." I gave him a smile.

"So, shall we?" he asked and held his arm out for me to hold.

"We shall." I said with a grin.

I could still feel Victoria's fire like gaze on me as I walked out with Shiv. I really felt like killing her. Maybe, one day I will.

We walked out and he escorted me to his car. He opened the door for me and I thanked him.

"How do you know your way around here?" I asked him. He seemed to know the restaurant we went for dinner too.

"I've lived here for 6 years and my father's main office is here so I visit frequently." he told me.

"I didn't know."

"Yeah, I manage the office in India and my father manages the main office in London. Now you know."

We stopped outside the restaurant I told him to meet me at. He walked out and went around the car to open the door on my side but I opened it before he did and stepped out.

"And then you say chivalry is dead." He said and rolled his eyes. I laughed and shook my head.

We went in the restaurant and sat down in a booth near the huge glass window and ordered our food.

"I need to talk to you about something." I said, with seriousness on my face.

"Yeah, anything." he replied.

I took a deep breath and started.

"Um...how do I say this. I-" I said and took a long pause, the words weren't able to roll off my tongue.

"You what?" He asked.

"I- I don't want you to go back." I said. I couldn't tell him. I just couldn't. I didn't know how he would react. We were in a public place. I didn't want to create a scene.

"Oh." He said. "I don't want to go either but I have work. I promise I will visit soon."

"Okay. When?" I asked.

"I guess in a month."

"Okay." I replied with a nod.

"Should we talk about what is going on between us?" He asked.

"I guess we should."

"So, What are we?"

Well, I'm the mother of your child and we slept together, yet again, last night. So, you tell me.

"What do you want us to be?" I asked. It was like I pulled an UNO reverse on him.

"I want to get to know you. We both know there is something between us, I mean we keep waking up next to each other and I really like you." He said and continued after a pause. "I want you to be my girlfriend. Let's give it a try?"

"I would like that." I said with a smile. Damn, I'd been smiling a lot. I wondered how my cheeks weren't torn apart yet.

"Okay. Now the getting to know each other part."

"We kind of have the concept messed up but it's fine." I said with a chuckle.

We really did. We slept together, then I got pregnant, then we slept together again, now we were in a relationship and then we would slowly get to know each other. We were doing everything backwards.

"I know. We are weird." We both laughed and our food arrived.

.

"Favourite colour?" He asked me while we were having lunch.

"Black. Yours?"

"Okay, don't judge me, it's purple."

"Really? I'd be lying if I said that I didn't judge." I said while laughing.

"Okay, it's not that funny."

"Fine. Favourite book?" I asked. It's the primary question and the only important question.

"The Mortal Instruments series." He said with a grin. His answer truly surprised me.

"What? Really?" He nodded. "I like you a thousand times more now. I didn't think you'd be a reader."

"What can I say? I'm full of surprises." He said with a smirk.

Well, there's another surprise for you on its way and I guess its me who is full of it. I thought.

"You won't ever stop being cocky. Will you?"

"Stop. You know you love my cockiness, and something else in the same word." He gave me a suggestive look.

"Shut up." I said. I was blushing. For no apparent reason.

Actually, there was a reason. I did love his cockiness. I don't want to talk about the other part in any way.

.

He dropped me off at my office and walked with me to my cabin. His hand was on my lower back. As we entered the cabin, I closed the door while his arm moved and clasped around my waist. He pushed me to the wall and kissed me. I kissed him back. The kiss was nothing like this morning. It was full of passion and something else that I couldn't figure out.

I smiled as we pulled away.

"Nice way of saying good-bye." I said to him, feeling a little out of breath after the kiss.

"Always the best for you." He said with a smirk. He kissed my forehead and walked out of my new cabin, giving me one last smile as he turned around, only to crash into a pillar, head first. I rushed to him, trying to control my laugh but absolutely failing at it.

"Are you done?" He asked me, rolling is eyes.

"Not quite yet." I said while laughing.

"What kind of girlfriend are you? Shouldn't you be concerned instead of laughing?" He said, trying to be serious but a smile cracked on his lips, watching me laugh.

"I would've been concerned if you had a brain in there but it turns out that you don't." I joked.

He let out a small laugh while shaking his head. He snaked his arm around my waist and kissed me one last time before walking towards the exit.

I walked back in my cabin with a genuine smile tugging on my lips. I sighed and went back to work.