Chapter 4 — Familiar Without Knowing

Veeresh’s car rolled into the company premises just as Innayat’s patience ran out.

Before he could unbuckle her seatbelt properly, she was already wriggling free, her tiny feet touching the ground as if she knew exactly where she wanted to go.

“Angel aunty!” she called out, her voice echoing through the corridor.

Veeresh froze for half a second.

Poornima’s cabin door was already open.

Innayat ran straight in, arms wide, curls bouncing.

“Angel aunty!”

Poornima looked up from her laptop—and her entire expression changed.

The sharpness melted.

The walls came down.

She stood instantly, kneeling just in time to catch Innayat as the child threw herself into her arms. Poornima kissed both her cheeks, again and again, laughing softly.

“My fairy,” she said warmly. “You came to see me?”

Innayat giggled, placing her tiny hands on Poornima’s face like she owned it.

“Fairy,” she repeated proudly.

Veeresh watched from the doorway, something unfamiliar tightening in his chest. This was the Poornima no one else saw. Not the efficient manager. Not the composed professional. Just warmth. Just care.

He cleared his throat.

“The meeting—”

Poornima stood up smoothly, Innayat still in her arms.

“Already arranged,” she said without looking at him. “Go.”

No irritation.

No softness either.

Just control.

Before Veeresh could say anything more, Poornima turned away, carrying Innayat down the corridor, the child’s laughter trailing behind them.

Veeresh stood there for a moment longer than necessary.

Then he straightened his shoulders and walked toward the conference room.

Somewhere between spreadsheets and projections, his mind stayed behind—with a child calling someone else angel.

---

The café door opened late.

Saif looked up instantly.

Priyanka rushed in, hair slightly messy, breath uneven.

“I’m sorry,” she said, already halfway toward him. “The call ran longer than expected.”

Saif smiled—soft, automatic.

“I understand.”

She dropped her bag and hugged him without hesitation, arms tight around his shoulders.

“You’re my bestie,” she said, smiling against his chest.

Saif closed his eyes for a second longer than he should have.

He hugged her back carefully. Always carefully.

“Of course,” he said lightly.

Friendship had rules.

Love followed none.

---

At the high-profile party, conversation drifted easily between strangers.

Neha stood near the balcony, nursing a drink she hadn’t touched, when a familiar voice—unfamiliar face—spoke beside her.

“These events are louder than they need to be,” Narayana said calmly.

Neha smiled, surprised.

“I was thinking the same thing.”

They spoke easily after that. About work. About stress. About how silence had become a luxury. Nothing personal. Nothing revealing. Just two people finding relief in conversation.

Narayana found her thoughtful. Grounded.

Neha found him steady. Observant.

Neither of them searched memory.

They didn’t see the boy who once walked her home.

They didn’t see the girl who once waited without asking.

They saw only the present—polite, distant, safe.

When the conversation ended, they exchanged brief smiles and walked away in opposite directions.

Unaware that fate had just tested their hearts—

and pulled back.

---

That day moved on, carrying moments that didn’t know their own weight.

A father walked into a meeting, leaving warmth behind.

A woman held a child like instinct, not duty.

A friendship stayed where it was meant to be—

for now.

Two pasts brushed shoulders—

and failed to recognize each other.

Time was patient.

It always was.

And when it chose to reveal the truth—

it would not be gentle.