Mine Forever

The alarm buzzed, disturbing Avika from her slumber. She tried to slap the snooze button on the alarm clock but realized that the alarm was set on her mobile. She woke up and stretched her hands, throwing away the blanket. She grabbed her mobile and tried to switch off the alarm. She was unable to and tried instead to switch off the mobile itself. But it wasn't that easy to turn off this alarm as this alarm was designed for those sleepy heads who are busy sleeping in the morning while other successful people are busy succeeding. She remembered installing the new alarm app last night to banish her laziness and join the ranks of the early risers. She solved a mathematical task, a memory task, a matching colors task, etc. to switch off the alarm. Finally, she was awake, and she got out of the bed.

She looked at the glass of the window through which the rays of the sun were entering the room. She opened it and embraced the warmth of the sun.

"Good morning, Avika!" she greeted herself, as she knew she had no one in her life. She took a shower and dressed in a simple white salwar kameez. She preferred to wear white for important occasions. She locked the door to her room and reached the bus stop.

She waited for one hour at the bus stop, but there was no sign of any bus.

'Today is my first day in the office, and I'm going to be late! The bus hasn't come yet. How will I make it to the office on time? I guess I have no choice but to ask someone for a lift,' she thought to herself.

She saw a red car coming her way. She waved her hand to stop the car and ask for a lift. The car pulled up to where she was standing. The window of the car had been rolled down. A man wearing a cream-colored suit with black sunglasses and curly hair looked at her. He was damn handsome with that smile. His eyes passed over her face, nose, and lips, making her uncomfortable.

"Where do you want me to drop you?" he asked.

"That's alright, you can leave," Avika replied.

'He's a young man, and he has a wandering gaze. I can't trust him. It's better if I just let him go,' her mind advised.

"What? Why did you stop my car then? It's no big deal. Get in and tell me your destination," he said, opening the door of the car.

"It's my first day at the office. I'm going to be late. I need to get to Samar Industries," Avika said.

"Samar Industries? Okay, get in. I will drop you there," he said with a smile.

Avika sat in the car on the seat next to him. He started the car and played some music. He enjoyed the music as he drove, humming the tune.

"By the way, what is your name?" he asked.

"It's none of your business," Avika replied.

"Is it my business to drop you at your office?" he countered.

"Look, I just asked for help, and you stopped the car. If not you, someone else would have helped me. Anyways, I hate unnecessary conversations with strangers. Please, stop," Avika said, showing her irritation.

He stopped the car. There was no one on the road as they were on the outskirts of town. Avika was scared of this stranger. She started to panic and looked at him, predicting the worst.

"Why did you stop the car?" she asked, wiping sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief.

"I stopped the car because you told me to stop," he said, shocking her.

"No! I asked you to stop talking."

He smiled and started the car. He dropped her at Samar Industries, and she got out and turned to him.

"Thank you!" she said.

"You're welcome. Any time. By the way, you look fantastic in that white dress," he said. She fumed.

But he just winked and drove off, leaving her in shock. She scolded and cursed him in her mind.

She went into the building. She waited in the reception area, and after some time, MD called her to his office. She knocked on the door.

"Yes, come in!" MD said.

Avika went inside, and MD turned away so his face was invisible to her.

"Good morning, sir! I am Avika, the new hire. This is my posting information," Avika said.

MD turned towards her, and she was shocked when she recognized him as the person who dropped her at the office.

"Nice name, Ms. Avika," he said.

He took the posting information and then gave it back to her.

"Are you Mr. Samar?" Avika asked.

"I think that's none of your business," he said seriously.

"I'm sorry, sir," she said, responding to his seriousness.

'What can I do? I'm stuck. I need this job, but I don't think it's safe for me to work here. Just my luck. Whenever I'm happy, something always happens to take away my happiness,' she thought to herself, cursing her stupid fate.

"For what?" Samar asked.

"For not minding my business, sir!" she said.

"Good. Now you can go to your desk."

Samar called the office boy and asked him to show her to her desk.

"Ms. Avika, just a minute. Take this mobile," he said.

She looked at him in confusion.

"Avika, you are my secretary. You'll manage my schedule, my appointments, and my meetings. If I need anything, I will call you. You can also call me if you have any questions about my schedule or meetings. So, as per company policy, we provide a laptop and a mobile to all personal secretaries. We provide the mobile immediately, and you'll get your laptop in a month, after reviewing your work performance, of course," Samar said.

"Okay, sir!" she said, taking the mobile.

'I'm sure he's angry with me. He's going to get revenge for my rudeness during our drive. But I didn't do anything wrong. I hope this will not become a big issue. This job is important to me. God, please help me,' Avika thought.

'You are beautiful and smart. I love you. I've been searching for you for a long time. And, finally, I've found you. From today on, you are mine, Avika. My love is all for you,' Samar said to himself.

After one hour Samar called Avika to his office.

"Take a seat," Samar said.

Avika sat down on the chair in front of him. He was busy working on something and didn't say anything more to her. Ten minutes went by, and she tried to ask him why he had called for her. But she didn't want to disturb him.

Avika was fed up with waiting and being idle after an hour.

"Sir, may I know why you called for me?" Avika said.

"You're my personal secretary. You have to do whatever I say. Don't question me. Got it?" Samar said rudely, still busy with his work.

"What a stupid and proud man. I think his wealth has gone to his head. I don't know how long I can work for such a person."

"I can hear you," Samar said.

Avika was shocked. 'Did I say that out? Avika, what have you done?' she said to herself and looked at him.

"I'm not stupid. Yes, I'm proud, but not because of my wealth. I'm proud because I've earned this money. I'm proud of myself and my skills," he said, showing his pride in his words.

"I'm sorry, sir," she said.

"Don't worry. I called you in so I could give you a few printouts. That's what I've been checking on my laptop. Patience is necessary for anyone to succeed in life. Don't be in such a hurry all the time. Now grab those printouts from the printer and prepare the price quote for the products I mentioned in those papers. We are going to submit a new proposal. Complete the work by this evening. Now, you can leave," Samar said.

"Okay, sir!" Avika said and went to her desk. She completed her work and went to a cafe to have a coffee. Samar showed up and sat in the chair in front of her.

"Hello, my name is Samar," he said, smiling at her in a departure from the serious attitude he maintained in his office.

"Sir!" Avika said.

"Call me Samar, not Sir, because we are not in the office," Samar said.

"Why are you following me?" she asked, confused and frustrated.

"Avika, I don't know how to act. Let me be frank. I love you. I don't know anything about you. So, truthfully, I am in love with your beauty right now. But, if you like me, we can slowly get to know each other, and if we end up loving each other, we can get married. I'm not forcing you. I'm just expressing my feelings for you. That's it," Samar said.

Avika was scared by his words. A few scenes and voices replayed in her mind. She remembered her past, which she had been trying hard to forget. She felt as if her head was spinning. Her heartbeat increased, and she struggled to breathe. She fainted, and Samar caught her in his arms. He didn't understand her tension and fear. He rushed her to a hospital, and the doctor checked on her.

"Is she undergoing any psychiatric treatment?" the doctor asked Samar.

"I don't know, doctor," Samar replied, staring at Avika lying unconscious on the hospital bed.

"How are you related to her?" the doctor asked him.

"She is my employee. Doctor, is anything wrong with her?"

"She is experiencing severe mental stress. She also seems to have suicidal tendencies. If she is receiving psychiatric treatment, she should be fine. If not, please consult a psychiatrist immediately. Otherwise, I'm afraid she could commit suicide," the doctor said.

He was shocked by the doctor's statement. He didn't understand. He had been so happy to find her after so long. But everything was different now that he knew of her psychological condition.

"Okay, doctor, thank you," he said.

Samar sat beside Avika, waiting for her to wake up. She opened her eyes and looked around.

"Where am I?" she asked Samar.

"In space. This is the planet Mars. NASA has succeeded in sending a person to Mars. Congratulations, you are the first!" he said sarcastically.

"What?"

"Can't you figure out where you are with all the patients and doctors around?"

"Am I in the hospital? But why, and who admitted me?" Avika asked.

"You fainted in the cafe, and I brought you to the hospital. How are you feeling now?"

"I'm okay. Thank you and sorry about all the trouble," Avika said.

"It's okay. By the way, are you receiving any psychiatric treatment?" Samar asked, remembering the doctor's words.

"Sorry, what?" she said.

"The doctor who treated you told me to ask you this," Samar said.

"Yes, I'm receiving psychiatric treatment," she said.

"Okay, come with me. I will drop you off at your home,"

"No need. I can go by myself," she said seriously, assuming this was a trick to learn her address.

"Don't be foolish, Avika. You're unwell. How can you go alone? Let me drop you," Samar said.

She finally agreed, and they soon reached an orphanage.

"This is your home?" he asked.

"Yes, I live here."

"Don't you have any family? Or are you an orphan?"

Avika got out of the car.

"Look, Mr. Samar, you are my boss, and I respect your orders in the office. The only relationship between us is that of an employee and her employer. Nothing more than that. You told me that you love me, but I don't love you. I can't love anyone. I even hate the word love. So don't waste your time on me. Thank you for your help today. I hope you will find another lovely girl soon," Avika said.

She was leaving, but Samar held her hand. She was too close to him. She felt his breath on her face and became scared.

"Before, I loved your beauty. Now I love your courage too, Ms. Avika. You'll fall in love with me, and until then I will be waiting for you," Samar said smirking.

He blew her a kiss. Then he held her wrist and helped her cross the road.

"If you faint again while crossing the road, it will be a problem for me. So I'm helping you cross the road safely. See you tomorrow. Bye, I love you!" he said.

Avika freed her hand from his grip and gave him a serious look. Samar smiled and went off in his car, thinking about the doctor's words. He remembered her murmuring the name Jashwesh when she was unconscious.

'I know that you had a past love. Maybe that's why you hate love and are scared when you hear the word love. It's okay. I'm not bothered by your past. If you're depressed because of a failed love, I will heal your pain. My love will become medicine for your depression. The thing that you don't know is I already know you. However, you don't know me. I know you well, and I will bring back the Avika of the past. But in order to do that, I have to know exactly what happened to change you this much,' Samar thought, determined to win her love at any cost.

Avika reached her room. She got fresh up and brewed the coffee. Sitting on the sofa placed on the balcony, she enjoyed the cool breeze. She grabbed her favorite novel, "A Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" by Robin Sharma. She reread the text which was highlighted by her in the previous reading.

She kept the book aside and laid on the bed recalling the happenings of the day.

Who is this Samar? Why is he behind me? Love, a word which I hate the most. I can't take another chance to make my lifeless life more pathetic. I don't understand why most of the men are like this. His looks are disgusting. How can he propose me as soon as we met? He didn't know anything about me. He told me that he loves my beauty. My heart doesn't matter to him, but he needs only my body. I wanted to slap him, but this job is vital for me to survive. I can't miss this job by hitting him.

Avika was upset with Samar's behavior and went to sleep thinking about her life which is full of problems.

On the next morning, Samar went to her orphanage. He went to the Mother, the administrator of the orphanage.

"Good morning, Mother! I am Samar," he introduced himself.

"I know you, son. God bless you! You are the MD of Samar Industries, am I right? Your mom donated to this home many times," the Mother said.

"Mother, I need help from you. I want details about Avika. What happened to her? Why is she under psychiatric treatment? What is her problem?" Samar asked.

"Son, we don't know anything about her. I met her at a railway station. I noticed emptiness in her eyes, and I asked her to accompany me to the Home when she told me that she has no one. She never talks to anyone. Here I consulted a psychiatrist seeing her condition. She is under treatment."

"Okay, Mother! Thank you. Shall I see her?" Samar said.

"Sure, but why are you asking about her? Do you know her?" the Mother asked.

"I know her. Before a year, she is my fiancé. Suddenly, marriage was called off. I don't know what happened to her. I went to the US and returned last month. Fortunately, I saw her today in my office as an employee," he said.

"Did you meet her family?"

"I tried, but I don't know where they are. They shifted from the place where they stayed before. I don't know what happened and why did they cancel the wedding."

"It is the Visiting Card of the psychiatrist who is treating her. Meet her once. You may find any details which may help you," the Mother said and gave Visiting Card to him.

Samar took it and went to meet Avika. He went to her room and opened it. He sat on a chair admiring her beauty while sleeping. She woke up slowly and saw him. She was shocked and about to about but he closed her mouth with his hand.

"Please, don't shout. I just came as I am going on this way. If you don't mind, you can accompany me to our office," Samar said and removed his hand from her mouth.

Avika glared at him.

"Just get lost from here. I didn't want your help. I already told you not to waste your time on me. Please, leave me," Avika yelled at him.

"Did you finish your words. Why do you shout more than you speak? Stop shouting and learn to speak. We have a meeting today. I need my secretary to accompany me. So I came here to pick you. Now go and get ready within ten minutes, or you will lose your job," Samar ordered.

"But you didn't inform me about the meeting yesterday," Avika said.

"I forgot to inform you. Now don't waste my time and get ready fast."

Avika got ready quickly.

"Shall we go?" She asked.

"What about your breakfast?"

"That is okay. The meeting is more important than my meeting. Come, let's go," she said taking her hand bag and office mobile.

"Look, my dear secretary, if you faint again, our meeting will be a mess. So, have food and come to the car. I will be waiting for you," he said.

Both went to the office and attended a meeting. Avika tried her best to be normal, but Samar found some restlessness on her face. He concluded meeting as soon as possible. Before he could speak, Avika left to her cabin. As she is new, few colleagues started interacting with her formally.

"Hi, my name is Raj. I am the technical expert here. May I know your name?" a guy asked her.

Avika was restless. She is suffering from an unbearable headache.

"What the hell is this? Why do you need to know about me? Just go away," she shouted giving a shock to everyone.

"Hey! Calm down. He didn't talk anything wrong. What happened to you? Please, relax," another lady employee tried to calm her.

"Why are you guys coming to my cabin? Just get lost from here. I didn't want to talk with anyone. Get lost," she yelled holding her head.

Samar watched this in the CCTV footage. He called her, but she didn't receive the call. He came to her cabin. He asked them to leave her cabin. Everyone left to their cabins.

Avika was in standing position bending her head and in deep thoughts. Samar kept his hand on her shoulder to pacify her. Suddenly she shouted out loud and slapped him. She started sobbing.

"Avika, look at me. This is Samar. What happened to you? Why are you scared? Just relax," Samar tried to calm her down.

He tried to hug her, but she pushed him away. He hit the wall and was shocked seeing her weird behavior. She threw all the files on the table towards him.

He didn't understand how to control her. He remembered mother giving him the business card of her psychiatrist. He immediately called her psychiatrist. She came within few minutes. Avika, in the meantime, threw everything. She sat on the floor at the corner of a wall hugging herself and scared of him. Samar tried to go near her but she him again. Finally, he gave up. The psychiatrist came, and as soon as she saw the doctor, Avika went and hugged her.

"Cool down, Avika. It is okay," psychiatrist tried to calm her.

Slowly without her notice, she gave an injection to her. She fell unconscious, and Samar took her to his rest room in the office. He made her sleep on the bed.

"What happened to her? Why is she reacting like that suddenly?" Samar asked.

"Avika is in severe depression and suffering from schizophrenia. She hallucinates that something bad was happening to her and someone is attacking her. So, she was scared and hit you for self-defense," the psychiatrist Akshara explained him.

"What is the reason behind her disease?"

Akshara eyes filled with tears.

"I am sorry. I can't reveal personal details of my patients to anyone. I didn't even tell her details until now to the Mother," Akshara said.

"Please, understand me. I want to marry her. I love her, and I can't see her like this. I want to help her and heal her," Samar said.

"Give up your idea of marrying her. It's not possible. What do you know about her to marry her?" Akshara asked.

"I know how she was in the past. My marriage was fixed with her in the past. But suddenly her parents canceled the marriage, without even giving a reason. After that, I didn't find her until now. Recently I saw her application for secretary post and immediately sent her posting order just to get her back into my life," Samar said.

"Look Mr. Samar, What you know about her is just a very small part of her life. You don't know entirely about her past. Now she is different. Your love increases her problems. So please give up your love for her and leave her," Akshara said.

"I am not bothered about her past. I can't remember her past, but I will change her. I will find the reason behind her change without your help. I will do anything for her happiness."

"If you know the truth, you will leave her. That is why, please don't create false hopes to her. If you can't stay with her after that, she can't live. Are you going to drop her at home or Shall I drop her?" Akshara asked him.

"I will take care of Avika."

Akshara nodded and left his office. Samar came to Avika and caressed her hairs. Tears rolled in his eyes and fallen on her cheeks.