LinkedIn Could Never

She sat there nonchalantly, minding her own business and trying to focus on the task at hand. She was anxious she might not reach her goal, but she also had the conviction and determination that if she had come this far, she could make it. Tired from the party last night, she was still a bit hungover, but her aversion to caffeine kept her from even a sip of coffee; hence, the sleepiness was inevitable.

“Next,” someone called out. She brought her full attention back to the room, where she was surrounded by her new colleagues with somewhat familiar faces, as they belonged to the same community but had no real connection. They were all strangers to each other. She stood up, introduced herself to the room, and talked a little about what she liked to do in her free time, or, in other words, her love for painting. She was a hundred percent sure that nobody paid any attention to what she said because everyone seemed absorbed in their own mini prep for a self-introduction.

Everybody went turn-wise; someone was a recent graduate fresh out of school, while others were polished and had more work experience. This one guy, however, was unusually secretive about who he was and where he had worked in the past. He spoke with an American accent, and she found him rather disrespectful and headstrong. Yet beneath his powerful exterior, there was something about Shanaya’s silent confidence that drew him to her. Little did she know that he had already laid eyes on her and had a whole plan thought out.

As the days passed, the training became increasingly difficult, but the good thing was that it would end soon, and then everybody would be on their own. After all, how hard can quantitative statements be when one is assessing them on one's own, rather than doing so in a group and having the supervisor critique one's work in public? Well, whatever the answer to that question might be, it was going to be apparent soon.

Finally, the day of decision came, and to her surprise, she cleared her probation, and that too earlier than expected. She was extremely elated, but more than that, she was grateful to the Almighty for better-than-expected results. They rearranged the seats so everyone could sit comfortably and brought in the tenured folks to sit with the newcomers. It was still a little cold outside, so she loved the new window seat. The sunlight came in during the late afternoon hours and lit up the entire workstation. Moreover, being from the tropics, she couldn’t complain about the sun or vitamin D. Too busy enjoying the view, she was completely unaware that he sat at the workstation next to her.

The bullies among the tenured folks, who were all immigrants, showed up next and started asking the newbies for their names and hometowns. He knew he was different and more likely to be a target, so instead of inviting trouble, he played it smart and did what they all do. He lied. They seemed convinced, but were they really?

She put her heart and soul into striving to become better with each passing day. Not only did she want to improve her position on the leaderboard, but she also wanted to gain the respect of her peers and appear in good standing on the team. Hard work and perseverance paid off! She improved her ranking, but not everyone was enthusiastic about it. Corporate competition, as they call it. His ranking was now below hers, and he didn’t like it.

“Shanaya, do you still have access to the training material?”

“No, I don’t.”

“When did you lose access?”

“It's been a while, Arnav.”

“Oh, okay!”

That was the first time he’d called her by name, and it felt good to be seen, or at least to have his attention.

They barely talked to each other, but whenever they did, she felt she had someone to turn to, a friend. She developed a liking for him and tried to start conversations when fewer people were around. He was welcoming but always carried an air of superiority, which she found borderline rude. However, it wasn’t real attraction. They were friendly but not friends. On the flip side, he had handpicked her for his mission to escape social judgment and climb the corporate ladder.

Men need to have female friends or lovers if they want to come off as cool and desirable in the social setting of the workplace. Some unwritten rules of the corporate environment. At the end of the day, it is all a matter of perception. Respect and inclusion matter more than money, she thought.

He was sharp and cunning. He had told everybody, with extreme subtlety, that he liked her and that she liked him back. He convinced everyone that it was, in fact, true by mimicking her actions and behavioral patterns. It saved him the trouble of chatting with other people he felt were inferior to him and also got him a seat at the table.

Her soft features and striking hazel eyes gave her a doe-like appearance that, without a doubt, complemented her introverted and creative personality. She was a Fresh off the Boat (FOB) immigrant and had a master's degree in ComSci from UC Berkeley.

His sharp jawline and tall stature made him appear charming and confident, reflecting his personality. He was an American-born Confused Desi (ABCD) and was just a community college graduate.

He was always on the phone talking to his girlfriend. In fact, break time and even restroom time became all about her. Shanaya was observant and cognizant of the situation, so she withdrew as any self-respecting woman would. She stopped giving him any access to her, and he grew hungrier and hungrier for her attention. This made him irate.

As days passed, his performance tanked. His focus shifted from work to his phone and his girlfriend, calling her every two hours. Everyone could tell something fishy was going on, since Shanaya wasn’t talking to Arnav at all and never confirmed anything between them. The situation grew more tense when, upon being asked, he couldn’t provide a solid response to back up his earlier story.

As the end-of-year party approached, she found herself preparing with a mix of emotions. She hesitated, unsure whether to attend, since these events often wore her out socially. However, she knew she needed to go, especially since she had made a promise to her manager and truly valued her job. She reminded herself that showing up was important, and pushed herself to embrace the moment.

She wore a pretty pink dress and a big, sparkly bow in her hair. She was truly a sight to behold, drop-dead gorgeous. He wore a suit and tie, with gel in his hair. He looked incredibly tempting and effortlessly handsome.

At the party, she arrived with a couple of colleagues who picked her up on their way. He came with his girlfriend, who was dressed in black and had a loud, chatty personality. Shanaya and Arnav avoided each other but were forced to exchange formal ‘Hellos.’ She tried hard not to look at him, but their eyes met, and she couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Have you guys tried the chocolates? They’re delicious.”

“I’d rather not. No sugar, you know. It's not good for me and my Instagram reels,” replied the girlfriend, her tone sassy.

“Understandable. Your boyfriend sure likes to stalk me on Instagram,” said Shanaya.

“Are you completely insane? What are you talking about?”

“Arnav has been stalking me on Instagram for months now.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“When I became suspicious that someone was visiting my profile daily, I created a webpage with a URL link. Anyone who clicks the link is redirected to the page, and their device IP address, registered name, and server location appear on my end. The algorithm is coded to collect these three pieces of information with each visit. I casually put the link in my bio on my Instagram profile, and I was surprised to see the results. Arnav visited my profile twice or thrice daily, which added up to more than 50 visits in a month.”

“STOP,” he yelled. “This can’t be true! I was hacked,” said Arnav. Everyone knew he was lying.

“Then you may want to deactivate your account for a while,” said Shanaya and left the discussion.

The party gossip grew more engaging, and word spread like wildfire about what had happened between Shanaya, Arnav, and his girlfriend. Both Arnav and his girlfriend exchanged embarrassed, nervous smiles with everyone. Finally, they left the party, and his girlfriend was in tears; he followed her, unable to explain his actions that night. It was obvious they were broken up now.

Weeks passed; Arnav did not speak to Shanaya at all, not even in greetings. She reciprocated. One fine day after getting home, her screen flickered, and an Instagram notification appeared. She unlocked her phone and opened the app; to her surprise, it was a follow request from Arnav. She accepted and followed him back. The next day at work, he passed her in the hallway and asked what book she was reading. They started talking and discovered they had so much in common.

When he finally asked her out, the words sounded like music to her ears. She had waited a long time to hear them. In the weeks before their date, small talk about the weather gave way to deep conversations about books, art, and dreams; laughter now came as easily as breathing. On their first date, they walked through a lakeside garden with tiny bridges over streams and large, shady trees. Sitting beneath a tree, her head on his shoulder, they read her favourite book together. In that moment, they loved each other.