The Last Person I Loved - 01

It was my joining day, so I reached the office early.
As I entered the office, I noticed my boss was in the middle of an interview. I quietly sat on the sofa nearby and started observing the process — the way the candidate was answering questions, her posture, her confidence.
And then, for a few seconds, I completely zoned out.
She was beautiful.
She was wearing a blue t-shirt and jeans that suited her perfectly. The confidence with which she spoke fluent English made it seem almost impossible for anyone to reject her. I still remember the way she answered every question without hesitation, as if she already belonged there.
After completing her interview, she left the office.
A few minutes later, my own joining process started, and I became busy with formalities, introductions, and work.
Normally, I don’t overthink about girls. I’m not the kind of person who falls for someone instantly. But somehow, her face kept appearing in my thoughts throughout the day.
A week later, she joined the company as the admin.
I’m a shy person by nature. I don’t initiate conversations with girls, and honestly, I avoid unnecessary interactions most of the time. So whenever she passed by, I would quietly focus on my screen or pretend to be busy with work.
But she was different.
Every morning, she would greet me with a cheerful, “Hello!” or “Good morning!”
And I would simply reply with a small smile.
That was all.
Days passed like that.
We still hadn’t spoken properly, but slowly I started noticing how everyone in the office was trying to become her friend. She was the only girl in the office, and naturally, she became the center of attention very quickly.
The boys in the office talked about her constantly.
Some praised her looks. Some tried to impress her. Some created excuses just to talk to her.
I mostly stayed away from those conversations.
I was new to the company, and honestly, gossip never interested me much.
Still, even without talking to her properly, I had started noticing small things about her.
The way she laughed. The way she confidently handled people. The way she walked into the office like she belonged there.
And maybe without realizing it…
I had already started waiting for her “Good morning.”
One thing slowly caught my attention.
Our office timing was till 7 PM, but female staff usually left around 6 or 6:30 PM. Yet many times, during closing hours, I would still notice her vehicle parked outside.
One evening, I was working late because of some bugs in my project. By the time I finished, the office was almost empty.
I walked toward the parking lot while checking something on my phone, and then I noticed her scooter was still there.
I went near my own vehicle and started it.
Just then, she walked toward me.
“Hello!” she said with a smile. “You were very busy today, haan?”
For a second, I got nervous.
It was probably the first proper conversation we were having alone.
I smiled awkwardly and replied, “Yes… a lot of bugs today. What about you? Why are you still here?”
She adjusted her bag on her shoulder and said, “I had to finish some work for tomorrow.”
There was a small silence after that.
Not an awkward silence. A comfortable one.
Then she smiled again and said, “Okay, bye. See you tomorrow.”
“Bye,” I replied softly.
And we both left in different directions.
But while driving back home that night, one strange thought kept repeating in my mind again and again.
Maybe…
Maybe she was interested in me.
Of course, being the shy person I was, I did absolutely nothing about it.
But somewhere deep inside…
Something had already started.