A Monday Like No Other

It was a bright, sunny Monday—the day I hated the most. But something about this Monday felt different. It was as if a new story was about to unfold before my eyes, and little did I know—I would be the catalyst for it.

A story filled with twists, turns, drama, emotions, and most of all... romance.
"Ahh! What are you doing?" Harsha's voice trembled with hesitation
"Don’t you want it?" A deep voice responded smoothly.
"It’s not that I don’t want it… but I just started my new job! I’m supposed to pick up my new boss from the airport today."
"And when exactly are you supposed to pick him up?"

"At 9:00 AM."
A pause. Then—
"Harsha… it's already past 8:30."
"8:30?! Oh, God!"

Suddenly, the world around her faded. Her heart pounded as reality crashed down on her like a ton of bricks. She wasn’t at work. She wasn’t even awake.

A voice—this time real—snapped her out of her dream.
"Finally! You’re up. I’ve been trying to wake you for the last fifteen minutes, but you were sleeping like a dead man!"

Harsha groggily opened her eyes, squinting at her best friend. "Why did you wake me up so early? I was having such a good dream…"
Her friend scoffed. "Early? Madam, it’s already 8:30! And for your kind information, you were the one who told me to wake you up."
Harsha blinked. "8:30… 8:30… Oh, God!"

Her brain finally caught up. She had to pick up her new boss at 9:00!
"I am so dead!"

In a frenzy, she jumped out of bed and rushed to get ready. There was no time for a shower. No time for breakfast. No time to even properly process how doomed she was.

"Where are my damn keys?!" she yelled while throwing random things aside.
"Stop yelling! They’re on the keyholder!" her friend called out, pointing at the obvious.

Snatching the keys, Harsha dashed toward the door.

"Aren’t you going to eat something?"
"Not today!" she shouted back before disappearing out the door.

Harsha was usually a good driver. But today? Today was different.
She tightened her grip on the steering wheel. "It’s already past 9:00! His flight will land in thirty minutes—I need to hurry!"
Without hesitation, she slammed her foot on the accelerator, shifting gears from third to fifth. The car roared as it sped past 100 KMPH.
But fate wasn’t on her side.
Within minutes, she hit a massive traffic jam.

"Ugh! It’s like God Himself is trying to stop me from reaching the airport!"
After what felt like an eternity of honking, weaving through lanes, and questioning her life choices, she finally reached the airport.

9:20 AM.

"Hah! Saved." She let out a sigh of relief.
But just as she was about to relax, an announcement played over the loudspeakers:
"Delhi to Mumbai Flight No. A12D will be delayed by 45 minutes. The estimated arrival time is now 9:45 AM."

Harsha’s jaw dropped.

"A delay?! Are you serious?! I broke traffic rules, risked my life, and nearly lost my sanity just to get here on time—only for the flight to be late?! What kind of irony is this?!"
Resigning herself to her fate, she slumped onto a nearby bench, waiting impatiently.

An hour later, another announcement echoed through the airport.
"Flight No. A12D has arrived at Terminal 5."

Harsha jumped up. She grabbed a small poster from the backseat of her car, holding it up with the name printed in bold:

KARAN KADAM.

As passengers began pouring out, she scanned the crowd, searching for the man she was supposed to pick up.
But then it hit her—she had never seen Karan Kadam before.
"No point in looking for him, then. I'll just hold up this board and hope he sees it."

She tried to recall what little information she had about him.
"He’s a game developer, right? Someone mentioned he wears glasses and has a bit of a temper… gets angry when things don’t go his way… Sounds like an immature brat."

She smirked at her own imagination.
"Probably some guy in a hoodie, messy hair, and thick glasses. Baburao from Hera Pheri but in tech form."

Just as she was picturing this nerdy version of Karan Kadam, a tall, well-dressed man approached her.

He wore a sleek black blazer, a crisp white shirt, and a perfectly matched tie. His glasses rested neatly on his face, and his slim, athletic build made it clear—this was not the guy she had imagined.

He stopped in front of her, glancing at the board before pointing at his wristwatch, then at himself.

"You looking for me?" he asked.
Harsha raised an eyebrow. "No. I’m looking for Karan Kadam, and you certainly don’t seem like him at all."
The man smirked. "Karan Kadam. CEO of V1 Interactive. That’s who you’re waiting for, right?"
Harsha narrowed her eyes. "Wait… how do you know that?"
The man chuckled, adjusting his blazer. "Because your poster has a big logo on it. I might wear glasses, but I’m not blind."

Harsha’s eyes widened. "Wait… YOU’RE Karan Kadam?!"
"That would be me." He extended his hand with a teasing smile.
Feeling a mix of shock and embarrassment, she quickly composed herself.

"Welcome, Mr. Kadam. Apologies for my earlier behavior."
She stole a glance at him. "Damn. He’s hot. I did NOT expect that."
Karan studied her for a moment before commenting, "So… you’re my new secretary."

His gaze traveled from her messy hair to her slightly wrinkled clothes and finally to her tired, sleep-deprived eyes.

"You’re a clumsy one, aren’t you?" he said.
Harsha scowled. "I’m not clumsy!"

"Oh? Your hair’s a mess, your clothes are wrinkled, and judging by your eyes, you probably had little to no sleep. Which means… you woke up late, rushed here, and drove like a maniac to make it on time."
Harsha crossed her arms. "Okay, fine! But I wasn’t driving THAT bad!"

Karan smirked. "Relax. Just remember—being late is fine. But breaking rules to be on time? That’s something I won’t tolerate."
She sighed. "Got it, sir. It won’t happen again."

Karan nodded. "Good. Now let’s go. We have a lot of work to do. and one more thing: because of your rash driving, if company received any traffic fines, it'll be deducted from your salary."
"Yes, sir! I got it," Harsha said with a forced smile, though deep down, she was already dreading working under him.
She muttered under her breath, "Now I understand why people call him the devil…"
"Did you say something?" Karan asked, his sharp gaze flicking toward her.
Harsha stiffened. "No! Nothing at all!" she blurted out.
Her mind raced. How did he even hear that? I was barely audible!
Karan narrowed his eyes slightly, then smirked. "Oh? I could’ve sworn I heard someone call me ‘de—’" He paused dramatically, then shrugged. "Never mind. Let’s go."
Just as he turned toward the car, a loud grumble echoed through the air.
It was coming from Harsha’s stomach.
Karan slowly turned back, raising an eyebrow. "Hungry?"
Harsha’s face flushed red. "N-no!" she stammered, clutching her stomach as if she could silence it by willpower alone.
Karan chuckled, shaking his head. "Let’s get breakfast first. I know a great place."

Harsha sighed in defeat, trailing behind him toward the car. This job was definitely going to be interesting.