The mountain air was chilly, and the residence was quiet. After a long day of sightseeing and eating chicken rice at a local shack, Sony looked exhausted. Her "bold" side had been out all day—laughing, teasing Ashok, and even holding his hand during the bus ride.
But as night fell, the "overthinker" returned.
Ashok watched her from the balcony as she sat on the edge of the bed, her expression tense. She pulled a small strip of tablets from her bag.
"Headache?" Ashok asked softly, walking into the room with a glass of water.
"Just... thoughts, Boss," Sony murmured. "If I don't take these, my brain won't stop talking to me. I'll think about the Dubai visa, the office, my family... you."
She swallowed the pill and drank the water. Ashok sat on the chair across from her, watching the transformation. Usually, Sony was guarded, but he knew from the "past-future" that these tablets stripped away her filters.
Ten minutes passed. Her eyes grew heavy, and her posture relaxed. The "Strict PA" was gone.
"Ashok..." she whispered. She didn't call him Boss.
"I'm here, Sony."
She reached into her small velvet pouch and pulled out a simple, elegant ring. It was the same ring he remembered—the one she had given him on the tour in his previous life.
She took his hand. Her touch was warm, but her grip was shaky. She slowly slid the ring onto his finger.
"We are married now," she said, her voice slurring slightly with sleepiness. A small, beautiful smile played on her lips. "Don't tell the company. They'll get mad that the Senior married his PA."
Ashok's heart skipped a beat. This was exactly what she had said in the other timeline. The words were identical. Is it a memory? Or is she just dreaming the same dream?
"Sony," he whispered, leaning closer. "Why are we married? You haven't even said you like me yet."
"I told you... in the favorite street," she mumble-giggled, leaning her head against his arm. "The moon was beautiful. And you looked at me... and I knew. We've been married for a long time, haven't we? In my head... we already have a house."
She looked up at him, her eyes clouded by the medication but filled with a raw, honest love. "But tomorrow, I'll be scared again. Tomorrow, I'll pretend I didn't say this. So... remember it for me? Okay, Boss?"
"I'll remember," Ashok promised, his chest tightening. "I'll remember everything."
She drifted off to sleep within seconds, her hand still resting in his.
The next morning, the sun filtered through the curtains. Ashok stayed awake, watching her. When Sony finally stirred and opened her eyes, she saw her ring on his finger. She immediately pulled her hand away, her face turning bright red.
"Boss! Why... why are you wearing my ring?" she stammered, the "Strict Sony" back in full force. "Did I... did I do something weird last night? The tablets make me talk nonsense, I'm so sorry!"
She looked panicked, her mind already overthinking a thousand ways she had embarrassed herself.
Ashok looked at the ring, then at her. He didn't take it off.
"You said we were married," he said calmly, watching her reaction.
Sony looked like she wanted to disappear into the floor. "I—that's just! The medication! It's just a dream, Boss, please don't take it seriously. I don't even remember saying that!"
Ashok stood up and walked toward her. He didn't stop until he was inches away. "You might not remember, Sony. But I do. And in this life, I'm not going to let it stay 'just a dream.'"
He reached out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "The Dubai visa came yesterday, didn't it?"
Sony froze. "How did you know? I haven't told anyone."
"Because I'm your Boss," he said, his voice dropping to that "naughty" double-meaning tone she loved and feared. "And because I'm the man who is going to give you a reason to stay."