The alarm rang at 6:00 a.m., and the first rays of the sun fell on Aanya Mehta's face. She groaned, half-asleep, pulling her blanket over her head.
"बस पाँच मिनट और…" she mumbled. But her phone buzzed again—this time, it wasn't the alarm. It was a message from her best friend, Riya.
"Good morning, Miss Daydreamer! Don't forget — today's your first interview at SkyLine Advertising! Don't be late, or your dreams will stay just dreams 😜."
That woke Aanya up instantly. She sat up straight, hair messy, eyes sparkling with both excitement and fear. This was it — the day she had been waiting for. A job at SkyLine, one of Mumbai's most creative ad agencies, where ideas turned into magic.
She rushed around the small apartment she shared with Riya — one shoe in hand, toast in the other.
"Coffee? No time. Lip gloss? Definitely time," she muttered, laughing at herself in the mirror.
Aanya was a dreamer — always lost in her thoughts, writing short stories in her diary, believing that one day she'd create something big, something that would touch hearts.
By 8:30, she was on her way — the city alive around her. Rickshaw horns, morning chaos, and the salty breeze from Marine Drive filled the air. Aanya took a deep breath. "Today's the beginning," she whispered.
When she entered the SkyLine office, she froze for a moment. The place was breathtaking — glass walls, artistic posters, and people talking passionately about campaigns and ideas. It felt like stepping into a dream.
And then, she saw him.
Standing near the conference room, dressed in a black suit, was Arjun Raichand — the company's creative director. His calm confidence filled the room. His eyes were sharp, but his voice — when he spoke to a team member — was unexpectedly gentle.
Aanya felt something shift inside her. Her heart skipped, just once, but enough to make her forget how to breathe for a moment.
Before she could recover, a woman's voice called out,
"You must be Aanya Mehta? Mr. Raichand will take your interview. Please, this way."
Her stomach dropped. He's the one interviewing me?
She followed the assistant, her heart beating so loudly she thought everyone could hear it.
The interview room was large, with sunlight spilling across the wooden table. Arjun looked up from her file and gave a polite nod.
"Sit, Miss Mehta."
"Thank you, sir," she said, her voice trembling slightly.
He scanned her resume, then looked directly at her. "Your degree is in literature, not advertising. Why do you want to work here?"
Aanya hesitated, then smiled softly. "Because stories move people, sir. And advertising, to me, is just another way of telling a story — one that touches hearts and changes minds."
For the first time, Arjun smiled — a small, rare smile that made her forget the world again.
"Interesting answer," he said. "Most people talk about ambition or money. You talk about hearts."
"Maybe because I'm a dreamer, sir," she said without thinking — then immediately regretted it.
But instead of laughing, Arjun leaned forward slightly. "Then maybe that's exactly what we need here — a dreamer."
The moment felt frozen in time. Two souls — one practical, one poetic — meeting for the first time under the Mumbai sun.
When Aanya left the building an hour later, her head was spinning. The interview had gone well, but what stayed with her was his voice, his eyes, his quiet intensity. She stood outside the office, looking up at the blue glass building, whispering,
"Arjun Raichand… I don't know why, but I feel like I've met you before."
As she walked away, unaware, Arjun stood by the window of his office, watching her leave. There was something about her — something familiar, something that stirred a part of him he thought was long gone.
He picked up her file again, reading her name once more.
Aanya Mehta.
And for the first time in years, the stoic creative director smiled to himself — a small smile that felt like the start of a new chapter.
🌸 To be continued…