Chapter 4 : An Interview, A Beginning

"Fate rarely knocks on the front door. Sometimes, it quietly sits across the table and asks, 'Tell me about yourself.'"

Two Years Later...

Life had changed.

Riya was twenty now.

The girl who once hid behind Swara whenever a male colleague spoke to her had grown into someone much calmer.

She was still clumsy.

Still laughed at her own mistakes.

Still loved sunsets more than crowded places.

Still cried easily whenever life became overwhelming.

The only difference was...

She had learned how to hide her tears better.

Her parents smiled proudly as she adjusted the sleeves of her light blue kurti.

"You'll do great," her mother said.

Her father handed her a small chocolate.

"For confidence."

Riya laughed.

"Appa, I'm twenty... not ten."

"To me, you'll always be ten."

She hugged both of them before leaving.

---

The company building stood taller than any place she'd ever worked before.

Modern.

Elegant.

Intimidating.

She looked up and whispered to herself,

"Okay, Riya... just don't trip today."

The universe clearly had other plans.

She pushed the glass door...

Only to realize it opened inward instead of outward.

A security guard chuckled.

Riya covered her face.

"Wonderful. My interview hasn't even started."

---

Inside the waiting hall, nearly thirty candidates sat silently, revising their resumes.

Some looked confident.

Some looked terrified.

Riya simply admired the indoor plants near the reception.

"These are cute..."

A receptionist called her name.

"Ms. Riya?"

She stood up.

"Interview Room Three."

Her heartbeat quickened.

She took one deep breath before knocking.

"May I come in?"

"Come in."

She opened the door.

A young man sat across the table, reading her resume.

He looked no older than twenty-two.

White shirt.

Navy tie.

A neatly folded sleeve.

A calm expression.

He didn't even look up immediately.

"Please have a seat."

Riya quietly sat down.

Only then did he lift his eyes.

And everything around him seemed to disappear.

For one brief moment...

Krish forgot he was supposed to be interviewing a candidate.

She wasn't the most glamorous woman he'd ever seen.

She wasn't wearing expensive clothes.

She wasn't trying to impress anyone.

She simply smiled politely before introducing herself.

"Good morning, sir."

That smile...

It reached her eyes.

Without trying.

Without pretending.

Something inside him shifted.

"What is this?"

He had interviewed dozens of candidates before.

None of them had ever made him forget the next question.

He quickly lowered his gaze back to her resume.

"Focus, Krish."

---

The interview began.

"Tell me about yourself."

Riya smiled.

"My name is Riya..."

She answered confidently.

Whenever she didn't know something, she admitted it honestly instead of pretending.

"I haven't worked with this software yet."

"But I'm willing to learn."

Krish almost smiled.

Most candidates exaggerated.

She didn't.

"What are your strengths?"

She thought for a moment.

"I'm patient."

"And?"

"I don't give up easily."

"What about your weakness?"

She laughed awkwardly.

"I'm... very clumsy."

He looked up.

"You admitted that?"

"Better than you finding out later."

He couldn't help it.

A quiet laugh escaped him.

It was the first time anyone had made him laugh during an interview.

---

The interview continued naturally.

Every answer made him more certain.

She wasn't perfect.

But she was genuine.

And somehow...

That felt rare.

When the interview ended, she stood up and bowed slightly.

"Thank you for your time, sir."

"Thank you."

She left the room.

The door clicked shut.

Silence filled the cabin.

Krish stared at the closed door.

He didn't move for several seconds.

His colleague walked in.

"So?"

Krish looked at the resume still lying on his desk.

Without realizing it...

His thumb gently traced the name written at the top.

Riya.

His colleague smirked.

"Good candidate?"

Krish answered without looking away.

"...Yes."

The colleague picked up the evaluation sheet.

"You haven't even marked her score."

Krish blinked.

He had completely forgotten.

He quickly completed the form.

Recommended.

As his colleague walked away, Krish leaned back in his chair.

For the first time in twenty-two years...

His usually quiet heart felt strangely restless.

"I hope she gets selected."

He didn't realize...

As the interviewer...

He had just ensured that she would.

---

Outside the building, Riya let out a long breath.

"That wasn't as scary as I expected."

She bought a chocolate ice cream from a roadside cart and smiled at herself.

"If I don't get selected..."

"At least I survived."

She walked away happily...

Without knowing that someone on the third floor was watching her leave through the office window.

Krish stood there quietly.

A tiny smile appeared on his face.

One interview.

Twenty minutes.

That was all fate needed.

End of Chapter 4

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