Chapter 10

I walked into the office the next morning, fully prepared to pretend last night never happened.

No more over-analyzing . No more unnecessary thoughts about Mehul. Just work.

And then, two minutes in, I realized something.

My charger was missing.

I checked my bag, my drawers—nothing. I groaned, rubbing my forehead. "Great."

"Here."

I looked up.

Mehul was standing next to my desk, holding out his charger.

I blinked. "Huh?"

"You left yours in the conference room yesterday," he said simply. "Figured you'd need one."

I stared at him. Then at the charger.

Then back at him.

"Did you… notice?" I asked, before my brain could stop my mouth.

Mehul tilted his head slightly. "It was in the way. I moved it."

Of course. Noticed it, but not me.

I took the charger, still processing. "Uh. Thanks."

Mehul just nodded and walked away.

I sat there, staring at the charger in my hand, my brain a complete mess.

Okay.

So maybe… just maybe…

Mehul wasn't as unaffected as I thought.

And that thought?

At lunchtime, I grabbed my food and walked into the lounge—immediately spotting Mehul.

He was alone. As usual.

Before I could think it through, I sat across from him.

Mehul looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Again?"

I grinned. "Maybe I like the ambiance."

Mehul sighed. "You said that last time."

"Wow, you remember what I said?" I teased. "I'm honored."

He didn't even blink. "It was repetitive."

I laughed, shaking my head. "You are impossible."

Mehul went back to eating, and I dug into my food too.

For a few minutes, we sat in silence. It wasn't awkward. Just… quiet.

Then, casually, I asked, "Why don't you ever eat with anyone?"

Mehul didn't even pause. "I prefer it."

That was… not the answer I expected.

"No offense, but that's depressing," I said, taking a bite of my sandwich.

Mehul exhaled through his nose—not quite a laugh, but close.

I frowned. Was that progress?

"I don't mind company," he admitted. "If they don't talk too much."

I smirked. "You're in trouble then. I never shut up."

Mehul took a bite of his food, completely ignoring me.

I stared at him.

…Yeah. This was getting bad.

Because now, I was noticing too much.