That morning, as Astha settled at her desk, she found another package waiting for her. Small, neatly wrapped, with a note attached.
She carefully untied the ribbon and opened it to reveal a pair of delicate star-shaped dangler earrings. A small card was tucked inside, the handwriting precise and elegant:
For a woman who is a star but doesn’t know it yet.
Astha blinked, staring at the note for a long moment before picking up the earrings. They shimmered softly under the office lights, catching reflections like tiny galaxies suspended in silver.
She looked around, scanning the office as discreetly as possible. Who could have sent this?
Her mind immediately rejected the most obvious answer—Arin. He was polite, professional, and always maintained a certain distance, despite their interactions outside work. He pushed her in her writing, challenged her, but this? This wasn’t his style.
Was it?
She shook her head. No, it can’t be him. Arin wasn’t the kind of man who played these kinds of games. He was far too composed, too serious. She reasoned with herself—it must be someone else, maybe Priya playing a joke or someone from the office trying to be amusing.
Still, her fingers brushed over the earrings again before she tucked them away in her drawer, her expression unreadable.
Across the room, Arin observed her quietly.
He had expected her to smile, to react in some way, but instead, she simply tucked the gift away as if pushing the thought aside. He exhaled, watching the small furrow between her brows before turning back to his screen.
Later that afternoon, a package arrived at Arin’s desk.
Curious, he opened it and found a small pendant spelling out the word Cool in sleek silver. Alongside it, a single roll of Mentos rested in the box.
There was a note:
You look better when you are cool about everything. Take a chill pill, boss!
Arin let out a rare laugh, shaking his head as he leaned back in his chair. He had a strong suspicion about who had sent it, and for once, he didn’t mind being challenged.
That evening, as they drove home, Arin reached into his pocket, unwrapped a Mentos, and casually handed one to Astha. “My secret Santa says I look better when I take a chill pill,” he said with amusement. “Want to test the theory?”
Astha took the candy but didn’t comment, popping it into her mouth with a small, unreadable smile.
Arin glanced at her. “Who do you think my secret Santa is?”
Astha kept her eyes on the road. “How would I know when I have no clue about mine?”
It was then that he saw it—a soft blush creeping up her cheeks, subtle but unmistakable.
For the first time since he had known her, Astha blushed.
Fascination gripped him. The strong, confident woman he had come to admire had always been composed, sharp, in control. But this moment—the slight pink in her cheeks, the way she avoided his gaze—this was a side of her he had never seen before. A side that intrigued him far more than he had anticipated.
He leaned back slightly, watching her with growing amusement. “Maybe it’s Pooja… or Neha?” he mused, ticking off imaginary names on his fingers. “Or maybe it’s one of your friends?”
Astha kept her eyes stubbornly ahead. “I don’t know.”
Arin saw her blush deepen and found himself enjoying this more than he should. So she’s not as immune as she pretends to be.
For the first time, a strange urge settled in his chest—the desire to reach out, to pull her into a quiet embrace, to see how long it would take before she stopped pretending and let herself be flustered. But he didn’t.
Instead, he asked casually, “Any idea who your secret Santa is?”
Astha gruffly replied, “I don’t have time for these things. Besides, in the next two days, we’ll know anyway, so why bother?”
Arin smiled, filing away this moment as something worth remembering.
The car ride continued in silence, but his mind was anything but still.
He liked this contrast.
And he wanted to see more of it.
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