I had one goal for the day: act normal.

Mehul was just a coworker. A regular guy.

A guy who happened to be unfairly attractive, mildly terrifying, and impossible to stalk online.

But whatever. Not important.

What was important? The inter-department project that I now had to work on with him.

I told himself it was fine. It was work. I was a professional.

And then, the universe decided to test that.

Because the moment I walked into the conference room for the first project meeting—

Mehul was already there.

Sitting right across from the only empty seat left.

I froze.

Mehul—completely unbothered—lifted his gaze, met mine soul-crushing eye contact, then looked back down at his notebook.

Like I wasn't having a minor crisis.

Like Mehul hadn't completely wrecked I's sense of reality in the past 24 hours.

I took a deep breath. Act normal.

I walked over, sat down, and definitely did NOT steal another glance at Mehul.

...Okay, maybe one glance. Fine, two.

But that was it.

Probably.

The project manager started talking, but I heard exactly nothing.

Because Mehul was right there.

A mere two feet away.

Taking notes. Looking effortlessly focused while I was struggling not to fall apart.

Every few minutes, my gaze would drift toward him, only for Mehul to not even acknowledge my existence.

No glances. No smirks. No nothing.

Was he that unfazed by all of this?!

I exhaled slowly, tapping his pen against notebook. Okay. Fine. If Mehul wasn't affected, then neither was he.

The project manager cleared his throat. "Alright, let's go around and introduce ourselves. Since we'll be working closely together, it's good to know everyone's role."

I straightened. Easy. Just a basic intro.

Everyone started going around the table. Simple stuff.

Then—

It was Mehul's turn.

Mehul set his pen down and said, in the same calm, unreadable voice, "Mehul. Systems Team Lead."

Nothing extra.

No pleasantries.

Just Mehul being Mehul.

I squinted.

That was it?

Just "Mehul. Systems Team Lead." like he was announcing the weather?

I's turn came next. He quickly adjusted his expression. Time to be professional.

"Vihaan," I said, flashing a grin. "Business Operations. Also known as the guy who fixes messes."

A few chuckles from around the table. Good.

Mehul?

Completely unaffected.

I ignored the irrational sense of disappointment.

By the time the meeting ended, I had successfully done three things:

For one Pretended to take notes. Two Not made a fool of himself.And Failed to understand Mehul even more.

Everyone stood up, gathering their things. I watched as Mehul wordlessly closed his notebook and left.

No small talk. No side glances. Just... gone.

I stared after him.

"Dude," Arjun muttered, appearing next to him. "You're staring."

I blinked. "What? No. I'm not."

"You totally are."

Riya smirked. "I give it a week before you completely lose it."

I scoffed. "I don't even know what you're talking about."

Arjun crossed his arms. "Okay, let's test that. If I say 'Mehul,' what's the first word that comes to mind?"

I opened my mouth, then immediately closed it.

Riya gasped. "Oh my god. You DO have a work crush."

I nearly threw my notebook at her.

Later That Day......

I was not obsessed.

But he was... mildly invested.

Just a little. For research purposes.

So, when I saw Mehul sitting alone at one of the office lounge areas, I did what any normal, rational coworker would do.

I walked over.

Mehul looked up as I not so casually sat across from him.

Mehul blinked. "Something you need?"

I leaned back. "Nope. Just taking a break."

Mehul stared at me. "Then why are you sitting here?"

I grinned. "Maybe I like the ambiance."

Mehul did not look convinced.

I tapped my fingers on the table. "You know, you're really hard to read."

Mehul took a slow sip of his coffee. "Good."

I squinted. Oh, so he was doing this on purpose.

"Tell me something about you," I said.

Mehul raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

I thought for a second. "I don't know. Favorite movie? Hobbies? Something normal people share."

Mehul set his cup down. "I don't think we know each other well enough for that."

I pretended that didn't sting. "Wow. Not even a little fun fact? C'mon, throw me a bone here."

Mehul exhaled, like I was the most exhausting person alive.

Then, after a pause, he said, "I like black coffee."

I stared.

"...That's it?"

Mehul nodded.

I dragged a hand down my face. "Oh my god. You are impossible."

Mehul stood up, completely unfazed. "And yet, you're still here."

I froze.

Before he could respond, Mehul walked away.

I sat there, stunned.

And for the third time that day, I realized something even worse.

I didn't just want to figure Mehul out.

I wanted to see if I could get a reaction out of him.