Episode - 2

Ravali called the entire team for lunch. Everyone was ready except Preethi. She had an important call to attend, so she said, "You guys can go ahead. I'll join you later."

We left the workplace and headed to the cafeteria on the ground floor. It was extremely crowded, especially around 1 PM. After searching for about 10 minutes, we finally found an empty table and some chairs. There were five of us, and we managed to sit comfortably.

I ordered chapati with chicken curry, while Ravali chose a peanut salad. The others ordered their own meals, but Sreeja had brought food from home. She sat at the table, holding our places, making sure no one else took our seats while we waited for our food.

We were all having our lunch. Then we came out of the cafeteria and started walking around the office. After a while, we headed back to our work desks.

Since I had eaten too much at lunch, it made me feel sleepy. To avoid my sleepiness, I brought coffee to my desk from the tea breakout area.

I looked at the people around me—everyone seemed sleepy. Some of them were yawning too. I just laughed at them.

As time passed, I started taking small breaks between my work.

I hadn’t completed the documentation assigned by my manager — it was messy and complicated, filled with multiple modules from my project.

By evening, as people were getting ready to leave the office, I felt completely drained. I didn’t want to continue. I needed to leave.

But how?

My manager had clearly mentioned during the afternoon, “I want an update by EOD.”

This was right after I finished another hectic task.

I checked Teams to see if he was still active. His status showed “Away – 17 minutes ago.”

Did he leave the office?

If he had, why didn’t he check in with me before going?

Maybe he forgot…

Or maybe he just assumed, “Pranay will get it done by the end of the day. He’ll manage.”

I couldn’t decide — should I stay and finish it?

Or just leave and complete it tomorrow morning?

As I was stuck in this dilemma, my phone made a soft ting.

I checked the screen — a message.

It was from her… my sweetheart.

I opened it, half-distracted.

“Hey Pranay... I'm here. In front of your office.”

I read the message and smiled — cheeks instantly blushing.

Before I could reply, another message popped up:

“Are you coming now? Should I wait? If you need to work, it’s okay... take your time. No rush.”

I quickly typed back:

“Nope, babe… I’m coming.”

Her reply came immediately:

“Aww… so sweet. I’m waiting for you.”

I smiled again, heart lighter now.

I liked her message and slid the phone into my pocket.

I shut down my laptop, still thinking about my pending task.

I’ll finish it tomorrow morning — before my manager even asks.

I walked out of the office building, heading toward the exit.

Once I reached the main road, I looked around for Shriya.

She was standing under a tree, soaking in the street view, lost in the moment.

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