🏙️ “Long-Distance Love, Close-Distance Pain” - Chapter 6

 

Chapter 6: Professional Boundaries, Personal Earthquakes

"They wore professionalism like armor. But emotions have a way of slipping through the cracks."

Two weeks into the project.

Clarity’s office buzzed with activity. Aditi stood at the whiteboard, pointing at the evolving campaign roadmap for Ravelle India’s luxury wellness launch.

Aditya sat across the table, dressed in a charcoal blazer, face unreadable.
Except his eyes—they never stopped watching her.

He had kept his word. No personal conversations. No late-night messages. No dramatic confrontations.

He was the perfect client.
She was the perfect lead.

And yet…
The air between them? Anything but professional.

During meetings, their conversations stayed within creative boundaries.

But their silences were loaded.

Like when she handed him a brochure draft and their fingers brushed.
She didn’t flinch.
But he did.

Or when he complimented a tagline: “It’s powerful—minimal, yet emotional.”
She met his gaze and said, “Some stories are better told without too many words.”

He knew she wasn’t talking about marketing.

Wednesday. 6:00 PM. Strategy Room.

They were the last two in the office, finalizing pitch points for the client board.

Aditi typed away on her laptop. Aditya sat beside her, unusually quiet.

The air was thick with unspoken tension.

He finally broke the silence.
“Aditi… I owe you an explanation.”

She didn’t look up. “No, you don’t. I stopped waiting for one a long time ago.”

He sighed. “Still… I want to say it.”

She shut her laptop gently. “Why now?”

“Because I finally saw what I lost. Not the girl who waited. But the woman who outgrew the need to.”

That made her pause.

He continued, voice quieter. “I thought I needed space to grow. I didn’t realize I was outgrowing us while you were holding it together alone.”

Aditi leaned back in her chair, arms crossed.

“You didn’t just leave, Aditya. You disappeared. You didn’t let go with honesty—you left me holding the pieces while you flew free.”

“I know.”

“No, you don’t.” Her voice trembled slightly. “Do you know how many nights I stared at a blank screen, just praying you’d say anything? Even if it was goodbye?”

Aditya stood up slowly. “I was a coward. I still don’t know if I deserve a second chance. But I want to make things right. Even if you never… feel the same.”

She stood too. “You think I’m angry because I lost you?”

He looked confused.

She continued, “I’m angry because I lost me in the process. And it took everything I had to rebuild.”

Their eyes locked—hers fierce, his full of remorse.

Silence.

Raw. Honest. Unfiltered.

Then, her phone buzzed.

She picked it up, looked at the screen, then back at him.

Her voice was firm. “We have a board meeting in two days. I suggest we keep the focus on that.”

And with that, she turned and walked out.

Aditya stood alone in the strategy room, surrounded by pitch boards and brand words like ‘revive,’ ‘restore,’ and ‘renew.’

Funny.

Those weren’t just campaign goals anymore.

They were what he wanted—with her.

Some earthquakes are silent.
But their aftershocks… shake everything.

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