A WEEK LATER, AT WORK

The week flew by. All I managed to do was sleep, eat, work and call Saket a few times during the day to check if he had any news about Piyush so far. He claimed to know nothing. I hardly had any time to look up from my laptop at work because of my new role. Every night, my shift was longer than usual, and took a cab back home after everyone else left. Every morning, I reached the metro station with hope in my heart that I would bump into the boy on whose wrist a silver watch sparkled brightly. Each morning, as I boarded the metro, my eyes eagerly searched for him, on the platform, in the train and everywhere else, only to be met with disappointed. I had not seen him at work since that day either, and sometimes I wondered if my mind had played a cruel joke on me. That day when I saw him, was it actually him? I made one or two furtile rounds of the ninth floor, and that was about it. The rational part of me as sure that it was no one else but him, and that I was not mistaken. But my lonely heart was blaming my treacherous mind and urged me to forget it all and move on with my life. You have too much on your plate already, my inner voice told me.

Despite having put so much effort into the project, I was not able to submit it on time. It was the last day of the two-day extensions that Rajbir had quite unwillingly granted only because I was new to the team. Finally, at 6 p.m., with a co-worker's help, I managed to complete the task. We cross-checked everything before sending it to Rajbir ----Thank God! I will leave work on time today ----I was relieved.

At 6:30 p.m. sharp, I received an email from my boss, and my plans came crashing down like a house of cards built under a ceiling fan.

Hi Adira

I have gone through the email you sent.

Meet me in meeting room number five at 6:45pm

Rajbir.

'Shit!' I exclaimed loudly, and apologized immediately for my unruly behaviour at work. I was met with stares from as far as four cubicles away. With apologies pasted all over my face, I sunk as low as I could and reread the email, not that reading it over and over again changed anything.

It did not look like good news. I could almost sense a termination letter coming my way that evening. For I was not being summoned into the wretched meeting room to be praised. That was the moment when I first felt the power of written words.

I packed up my laptop and walked towards meeting room number five at the time mentioned in the email. Rajbir was sitting there busily working on his computer. I felt my stomach churn, and terrifying thoughts found their way into my already-messed-up brain. Are they about to fire me? Oh no! Please no, God. This is my first job! I have not even got my third salary from here -----I offered my prayers that I first begun during my examination. I knocked on the glass door very gently with my knuckles, and Rajbir signalled me to come inside and take a seat. I took the empty chair next to the only other person in the room. The other girl gave me a warm smile which I barely managed to return.

'Do you have a passport, Adira?' Rajbir asked me, and unknowingly pulled the chain on the random train of thoughts which was unnecessarily running through my brain.

'Yes . . . yes, sir.' I managed a response, wondering why I was being asked about my passport.

'I have a replacement here, Mike,' Rajbir said into the phone. That was the moment when I got to know that Rajbir was on a call with a new client again.

Before I could understand anything more, bold sounds at the door broke my concentration. I lifted my head up to see who it was----- Piyush! As expected, I missed a heartbeat and shivering. He was there. Dressed in a black trousers and grey shirt, he looked professional well groomed. He stood at the door with another boy who was also dressed in similar attire. The boys looked deeply embarrassed at having disrupted our meeting. Slowly, they walked in, suppressing their smiles, and sank into the two chairs opposite mine---- I could see a sheen of sweat on Piyush's face. He looked exquisite. Mike was still talking; no one apart from Rajbir was listening to them. The two boys were scribbling notes for each other on a notepad while the girl smirked, reading them from the corner of her eyes.

Piyush looked in my direction and waved gently. I grinned like a monkey and said, 'Hi.' This was the exact moment when the call ended, and Rajbir cleared his throat to capture the attention of the rest of the people in the room. Unwillingly, I too had to focus my attention in his direction. He stood at the end of the room as he addressed us all. Piyush and his friend adjusted their chairs, so we all sat in a row, and he sat next to me at my workplace; giving me jitters.

'So, I guess most of you know why are we here . . .'

my boss began.

My eyes wandered towards my neighbour. He had placed his hand on the table and was examining his fingers. Rajbir paused for a little too long between two statements, and I turned to look at him to know why; only to find him staring back at me arching his left eyebrow ----caught in the act. Thankfully, he decided to spare me some embarrassment and left me alone.

'As the fourth person in your batch has decided to leave the organisation. I have added a memeber to my existing team to the transitioning batch. Adira, you need to submit your passport to the admin team tomorrow, and then we will proceed with your movement into this team,' he said, and that was it. Everyone took their leave from the room, and as always, I was left alone with Rajbir who explained to me what had just happened.

A new business had been acquired by the company, and a four member team had been hired to manage the new clients. Piyush was a part of the same team. It was an Australian client, and the new team, along with their managers, was to visit Australia for a month to understand the needs and processes. Due to a personal emergency, one memeber of the new team had had to leave the company. The client needed only fresh postgraduates to work in the group which was why Rajbir, most unwillingly, had to choose me as a replacement.

I am going to Australia for a month with Piyush! It was all to good to be true. As always, the building of grand dream castle began in my head, without much delay. But first, I had to know why was this other overly--friendly girl with whom the two boys giggled non-stop, even after the meeting ended. She looked like a rival to me, and no matter how bad my luck is, my sixth sense never fails me.

Half an hour later, I managed to find out that the girl in Piyush's batch was Pihu Malhotra---this bit of information was easy to get. She lived in South Extension----- I checked her transport roster to get her address and passed it on to Saket when he finally called me back that same evening. 'Get all the information that you can,' I instructed him. Saket is a very dependable person when it comes to such detective--like activities. The next day I knew everything I wanted to know about her.

Pihu Malhotra

Daughter of Mr Samarth Malhotra,

Advocate, High Court:

Mr Malhotra and his only daughter were worth so much money that Pihu did not need to be working in the company that she was working for. Advocate Samarth Malhotra was a very-well know face in Nagpur social circuit as well. Pihu's mother was a housewife. Pihu had studied in London and had recently came back to India. She wanted to start a consulting firm for her own and decided to work at a similar place to understand what she was getting into.

She knew Piyush only at work and had a colourful reputation. Found of luxury cars, bags, and wardrobe.

There was a little more information about her family which Rohit said was juicy but not of any use to us. I knew all that I had to know about her. Not that it made any difference as she was quite far ahead of me in the game. She and Piyush took more of their breaks together at work, and she sometimes even go for party with him. 'And by the way, she is beautiful and hot!'