New Beginnings and Old Wounds

The hum of computers filled the air as Dhruv Sharma settled into his cubicle on the third floor of the bustling IT company in New Delhi. It was just another day, or so he thought.

The HR manager's voice echoed through the office speakers, "Good morning, everyone. Please gather in the conference room for an important announcement." Dhruv, Aryan, and Karan exchanged curious glances before making their way to the room.

Inside, the HR manager stood with a bright smile. "I'd like to introduce you all to Ananya, who has been promoted from the fourth floor to join us here on the third floor. Let's give her a warm welcome!"

Ananya, a lively young woman with an infectious smile, waved at the room. Dhruv noticed Aryan's eyes light up the moment he saw her. Karan nudged Aryan, whispering something that made Aryan blush. Dhruv chuckled inwardly at the sight but maintained his usual reserved demeanour.

During the introduction, Dhruv observed Karan and Aryan exchanging glances. It turned out that Karan already knew Ananya as she was dating one of his friends from the fourth floor. The two were determined to have Ananya join their team and began scheming a way to convince their floor head, Manvi.

"Dhruv, you have a good rapport with Manvi," Karan said. "You need to ask her to put Ananya on our team."

Dhruv hesitated but eventually agreed, knowing their chances were slim without his help. He approached Manvi with a well-thought-out argument. "Manvi, I think having Ananya on our team would boost our productivity. Karan and Aryan might actually focus on work with a girl in the team," he said with a slight grin.

Manvi pondered for a moment before nodding. "Alright, Dhruv. I'll assign Ananya to your team since your team is a member short as well. Let's see if your plan works."

By lunchtime, Ananya was officially part of their team. To celebrate, Karan and Aryan organized a small party in the break room. True to his nature, Dhruv remained in his cubicle, engrossed in his work.

"Why didn't Dhruv join us? Don't mind me saying this but he doesn't look happy with me joining you guys, didn't say a Hello even, that's pretty rude, to be honest," Ananya exclaimed, looking around.

Karan shrugged. "He's not rude or anything, just prefers to stay out of parties. But don't worry, he'll introduce himself once we're back at our desks."

By every passing hour, Aryan couldn't help but steal glances at Ananya. He was mesmerized by her cheerful demeanour and the way she carried herself. During a break, he gathered the courage to approach her at the coffee machine.

"Hey, Ananya," Aryan began, trying to sound casual. "How are you finding your first day on the third floor?"

Ananya smiled warmly. "It's good so far. Everyone seems nice, though it's a bit hectic."

"Yeah, it can get pretty busy," Aryan agreed. "By the way, if you need any help settling in or understanding the work, just let me know. I'd be happy to help."

"Thanks, Aryan. That means a lot," Ananya replied. She appreciated his offer, even though she could see through his intentions.

Karan, noticing Aryan's efforts, decided to play along. He walked over and patted Aryan on the back. "Aryan here is one of the best when it comes to understanding our projects. You'll be in good hands."

Aryan shot Karan a grateful look. "Yeah, I've been here a while, so I know the ropes. Plus, I can show you the best spots around for lunch."

"Sounds great," Ananya said. "I'd love to explore more around here."

As they chatted, Dhruv watched from his desk, amused. He knew Aryan's antics well and could see how hard his friend was trying to impress Ananya.

As the day progressed, the reality of an impending deadline dawned on them. Their project was far from complete, and the three of them decided to face the wrath of Manvi together the next day and give up the hope of completing the task on time.

At 7 PM, the office began to empty. Karan, Aryan, and Ananya had left half an hour earlier, eager to show Ananya a new café. Dhruv, lost in his thoughts, suddenly remembered that his landlord had scheduled painting work in his room. He had no place to go.

He decided to stay back in the office, he thought that if he took a hotel room now then the hotel would charge more as the hotels charge per hour of a person's stay, so he decided he would leave the workplace late by 11:00 PM, so that he can save some money. By 11:30 PM, he was still at his desk when a notification from his bank jolted him: ₹60,000 had been withdrawn.

A call from his sister explained the situation—she needed the money for college fees. Dhruv reassured her, masking his concerns, and then returned to his work, completing the team's project by morning.

The next day, Dhruv was found sleeping at his desk. Whispers spread among the employees, but no one dared wake him. Karan and Aryan made jokes, but Ananya watched silently. Manvi's arrival brought a swift end to the murmurs.

"Wake up, Dhruv," she said sternly. Dhruv jerked awake, disoriented. Laughter erupted around him, but Manvi quickly restored order and scolded everyone.

She turned to Karan and Aryan. "What about the project?" Dhruv stepped forward, "It's done. We'll submit it by lunch."

Manvi's expression softened. "Good job, Dhruv. I appreciate your dedication."

Despite the success, Karan and Aryan were miffed. They believed Dhruv had completed the work alone to hog the credit and the bonus. Ananya felt disappointed, thinking Dhruv didn't understand teamwork.

After lunch, Manvi called them into her office. She praised Dhruv and gave Karan and Aryan a stern look. Dhruv sensed something was wrong.

Back at their desks, he confronted Karan and Aryan. "Is something bothering you guys?" he asked.

Karan scoffed, "Oh, like you don't know. You did all the work yourself to look good in front of Manvi and to get the bonus."

Dhruv frowned, "That's not true. I just..."

Aryan cut him off, "Yeah, right. You always act like you're better than us."

Dhruv's frustration began to build, but he tried to stay calm. "Look, I didn't mean to..."

Ananya, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke up. "Dhruv, I thought you understood what it means to be part of a team."

That was the last straw for Dhruv. He snapped, "Do you think I wanted to do this alone? I stayed back because I had nowhere else to go. My landlord was painting the house, I didn't have anything to do, my mobile's battery got off so I decided to try and finish the work, if possible, that's it."

Karan and Aryan exchanged confused looks. Karan asked, "Why didn't you take a hotel room then?"

Dhruv sighed, his anger dissipating into weariness. " For sure if only I had more balance in my bank account rather than some ₹4000".

Dhruv leaves the place and returns midway with a pass and puts it on Aryan's table saying, "This is the bonus that you were talking about please read the name on the pass and be sure to read the date and time."

Dhruv leaves the place and Karan and Aryan see the pass was of a three-day Goa trip and the names of attendees were Karan Singh and Aryan Mishra. The pass was dated two days back means this was the bonus that Dhruv got two days back but decided to give it to them so he gave their name on the pass.

The room fell silent as Karan, Aryan, and Ananya absorbed his words. Dhruv left with a quick straight walk.

Karan and Aryan fell silent, realizing they had jumped to conclusions a bit too soon.

Ananya, standing by the coffee machine with Karan and Aryan, reflected on their confrontation. "We questioned him so much, even about why he didn't take a hotel but we never considered why he didn't call us," she muttered, realizing her mistake. By then, Karan and Aryan had already left, leaving her deep in thought.

At the end of the day, Karan and Aryan approached Dhruv to apologize. Dhruv accepted without hesitation or ego, saying, "It's all good. I should've informed you I was completing the work." They invited him to stay at their place, but he politely declined giving some excuse.

Ananya, lost in thought during her cab ride home, was asked by Karan, "What's on your mind" She simply replied, "Nothing."

Dhruv returned to his small rented room, entered the dark space, and sat down, scrolling through Instagram on his phone, the events of the day weighing heavily on his mind, eyes heavy demanding sleep. As soon as he decides to lie down, the phone rings. "Now what", asks Dhruv in a tired tone. "Why do you sound so tired, I wanted to give you an update about the boy who is trying to hit on me", replies Dhruv's sister with excitement. "Nah, not tired I was with my office friends at the club, so yeah a bit tired physically, but you go on with your nonsense stuff and the boy whom you have been making fool from a week".

Thus, the day ended, Dhruv dozed off on call.

Flashback:

"Guys, come on don't be a loser, let's do something fun, we just finished our semesters today, don't be so boring, let's go on a trip nearby", Dhruv said in excitement.

"We'll do something Dhruv don't worry, just not today please, I wanna rest and maybe watch some sports. We'll think about it tomorrow", answered one of his friends lying on the bed chatting on his phone.

"I agree, let's leave today to rest and think something tomorrow", added another friend.

"Okay if you guys say so", replied Dhruv disappointed.

Later midnight that day, Dhruv came out of his room searching for the network on his mobile. His eyes glanced at the hostel gate and there he saw his friends, well dressed in cool stylish attire, one of his friends wearing a black jacket that Dhruv gifted him. They waited for some time and then two of his friends arrived near the gate on bikes, two on each bike, they left the place giggling and laughing. Dhruv watched all this and all he did was, ...smile!