Chapter 12
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Chapter 11:
{Imagine the scene taking place here. There are a few things I added, so bear with me.}
It was a very tranquil atmosphere; such that even Orni, the most hyper amongst the group, was sitting quietly on a rock with her feet under water, watching the translucent water move in a rhythm somehow matching her heartbeat, unaware of anything else. Yudi leaned against a tree armed crossed, watching the girl oblivious to him right now. He knew he wanted her; he knew it better than he had ever known anything about himself. There was no point in denying that now.
Not far from Orni were Pooja and Ali. They were sitting at the riverbank enjoying each others' presence. They weren't sure about their future after the case was solved; nothing was certain anymore, except for the fact that they were married. Maybe they wouldn't be able to peacefully appreciate each other like at present ever again, so they weren't going to give up the chance.
"Naina, do you trust me?" Rajveer asked quietly, eyes still closed as he lay on the grass enjoying the sun. Naina, sitting in the shade under a tree, was quiet for a few moments, surprised at his question.
"Why-"
"Just answer the question Cadet Singh… yes or no?"
"Yes." Naina replied without hesitation. At this, Rajveer looked up at the beautiful face about a metre away.
"I want a truthful answer Naina, think about it before answering."
"I've already given you my answer. I do trust you; if I didn't, I wouldn't have come this far without knowing anything for sure." She said simply. Her eyes radiated with trust, care and so much more. He sat up, looking at her in awe.
Aalekh was the farthest away from them all, sitting on top of a wooden bridge, watching everything take place. He wondered if he would've been one of these men if Neelu was here. He usually stopped himself from thinking about her too much.
Never before had love fallen on him, and even though he had experienced many aspects of life out front, this was a place of uncertainty in his mind. He didn't care about being hurt; it was hurting he was afraid of. She was his wife, true, but she hadn't seen even a fraction of life like he had; maybe that's why fate had brought them together.
~*~*~
Ashiana Restaurant: Nandini Virani & Colonel Shakti
"Sir, are you sure? I mean… this is a very important case… and I-"
"Nandini, there's no one else I would trust with this case more than you. Relax, it's already quite solid, your friend has already taken care of that. Only if they had evidence for the boss though…"
"Don't worry Sir, we'll get a lead from the Majors… no matter what we have to do. Plus, I don't think my friend would give up this easily; he's probably – uhm…" Nandini realised she had said too much. She felt like she was a cadet again, who slipped about her friend's plan to her teacher by mistake. Colonel Shakti understood it and let it go. He had learnt that trying to stop this certain batch of KMA pass-outs was a waste of time. It seemed the first year batch of KMA at present was following lead.
"I'll take you leave now, Sir. It's better to have an early start on any case."
"You're still very young you know."
"Pardon?"
"I meant it's not your age yet to only care about your job; take advantage of what you have! You're in one of the fanciest restaurants in Simla! I am having lunch here with my family, why don't you join us? Oh there's my son!"
"Oh I possibly couldn't… are you sure your family wouldn't mind?" Nandini was not among people who turned down profitable offers, even if it meant a simple meal with her boss' family. Was it only her decision, though, to stop by? No… you see, it was an invisible force called 'fate'.
~*~*~
At the riverbank: Orni, Yudi, Ali, Pooja, Aalekh, Naina & Rajveer
"Hey what's up with you guys? It's like we're all dead… wake up! It's 12:30, and to getting into town will take about half an hour, and by that time we'll be starving, so come on!" Orni rushed, waking up everyone with her sudden burst of energy. Yudi reached out his hand to help her onto the land, seeing her grace; it was something people wouldn't expect from an energetic girl like her.
"So where are we going for lunch?" Ali asked.
"If you guys want a total Indian themed meal we could go to the Amber Resto; for western interests-"
"Ashiana Restaurant!" Yudi said with a gleam in his eyes. "Is it still as fun as before?" He asked Orni, then turned to the others. "There used to be monkeys strolling about when all the food was spread about on the table… we had so much fun there the last time we went! Once…"
On their way to the Ashiana Restaurant, Yudi and Orni enthusiastically told the others of their experiences in Simla. No one even noticed that none of then had chosen their lunch destination; it seemed that 'fate' had something plans in mind.
~*~*~
Ashiana Restaurant
"Hey Aalekh, that guy looks really familiar… see over there?" Naina asked. "With his family…"
"Yeah I know what you mean, where did we see him though?" Yudi cut in.
"Maybe at KMA… many Army Officers come and go all the time, he's probably one of them. Leave it." Aalekh said indifferently. They all went in and chose a table. Only then did Colonel spot Raj.
"Ah Raj! You're still here! You didn't tell me you had a team in this mission…" Colonel Shakti said from his place, as their table was only a few metres away.
"Uh… Sir… that was – not really necessary in our case…" Raj said standing up. His blood turned cold as he spotted his friend headed towards their table with a smile.
"Raj oh my God! It's been months since we last met! Nice team you got there…" she said examining each person at the table. A thought hit Rajveer even when he was in tension; he should be thanking God that Huda wasn't there! He let out a small chuckle at this, giving everyone the wrong impression that he was laughing at her remark.
"Nandini…" Naina's mind froze for no apparent reason at hearing the name. "How did you end up in Simla? I thought you couldn't live without your Bombay lifestyle!"
"Well you couldn't live without me, either, when we were at KMA!" she teased back, not realising what effect her joke would have on the rest. Rajveer's head shot up to look at Naina, who was avoiding his gaze while Aalekh was trying to engage her into a conversation.
"When are you going to tell your parents about the case?" he asked quietly.
"Huh? Oh right… I think… I'm going to give them a call now…" she said distractedly. She excused herself from the table and went to the phone at the reception area.
Back at the table, Yudi, Ali, Pooja and Aalekh were having a difficult time with Orni.
"You two were a couple? No wonder Nai – ow!" She exclaimed as Yudi kicked her (successfully!) under the table.
"Orni, it's their business!" He said in a warning tone.
"No, it's ok… what were you going to say?" Nandini asked in an interested tone. It was as if they were in a war, caught by their enemy, and one of them was going to leak out information. Aalekh, Pooja and Yudi's hearts were beating like drum rolls and minds were racing for a way to stop Orni.
"She was going to say that… no wonder Nair hates Captain Rajveer!" Ali said before Orni could carry on. "Since he supported a female in the army…"
"Yeah… we all spent our talktime on telling her about KMA, so she knows all about it…" Pooja explained from beside Ali. She nudged Aalekh, who was on her other side, because the way he was glaring daggers at Orni was nearly going to make her cry from fear and shame. The atmosphere was so heavy with tension that it was getting difficult for Rajveer to breathe.
"Uh… You guys order, I'll go and check on Na – Cadet Singh." Rajveer stood up. Nandini caught his hand, trying to pull him back down on his chair.
"She's not a child that she'd need help with a phone call Raj! She's coming back anyway, look. Oh wait… is she…? She's Naveen's…" her expression softened as she remembered her friend's fate.
Naina, on the other hand, was in a better mood, now having talked to her parents, but deflated as soon as she saw Nandini holding Rajveer's hand. He noticed this and immediately pulled away, moving forward to talk to Naina.
"Everything OK, Cadet Naina – Ah – Singh?" He asked with a smile and his eyes got back their twinkle. She nodded with a smile. Like a gentleman, he pulled out the chair for her. The seating arrangement was like this, around a round mahogany table:
Ali – Pooja – Aalekh – Naina – Raj – Nandini – Orni – Yudi – Ali
Nandini noticed how her friend's mood lifted at the arrival of her late friend's sister, and how she looked up to meet his gaze once in a while. Suddenly realisation dawned upon her, making her feeling left out… oh… and a tiny bit of regret as well. She wouldn't let guilt about anything get anywhere near her heart, since she knew how weak it could make a person. A soldier couldn't afford to lose strength from personal feelings.
Her thoughts shifted from all this as she saw Aalekh and Pooja talking in hushed tones, sometimes stealing glances at her, Naina and Rajveer. They stopped talking and went back to normalcy when they spotted her looking at them. Now she was certain; they were obviously planning to hook up the couple beside her, and she was being a bone in the meat.
No worries though, she wanted to be a part of their planning. This meant she had to gain their trust, and she knew just the way to do so. She smiled to herself, thinking of her personal victory coming soon. It was about time she welcomed fun and mischief again!
But this isn't the only occasion 'fate' had prepared for them.
~*~*~
Outside Ashiana Restaurant: Gopal Bhatt
"Tell X that CSC & his family are at the Ashiana Restaurant now… I won't be able to stay with him for long though." His voice turned from urgency to shock and fear, though a glint in his eyes betrayed his true emotions.
"What! But it's full… what do you mean? OK I'll do it… just make sure X doesn't – yes I'll do it, I already told you that! Over and out!" He said, eyeing the young boy by Colonel Shakti Chandra's side.
What he failed to notice (which is a surprise… but people do tend to get careless when excited and focused on one job) a table with two Army Captains, five future soldiers and a civilian with knowledge of the Army a few metres away from his target.
{Imagine the scene taking place here. There are a few things I added, so bear with me.}
It was a very tranquil atmosphere; such that even Orni, the most hyper amongst the group, was sitting quietly on a rock with her feet under water, watching the translucent water move in a rhythm somehow matching her heartbeat, unaware of anything else. Yudi leaned against a tree armed crossed, watching the girl oblivious to him right now. He knew he wanted her; he knew it better than he had ever known anything about himself. There was no point in denying that now.
Not far from Orni were Pooja and Ali. They were sitting at the riverbank enjoying each others' presence. They weren't sure about their future after the case was solved; nothing was certain anymore, except for the fact that they were married. Maybe they wouldn't be able to peacefully appreciate each other like at present ever again, so they weren't going to give up the chance.
"Naina, do you trust me?" Rajveer asked quietly, eyes still closed as he lay on the grass enjoying the sun. Naina, sitting in the shade under a tree, was quiet for a few moments, surprised at his question.
"Why-"
"Just answer the question Cadet Singh… yes or no?"
"Yes." Naina replied without hesitation. At this, Rajveer looked up at the beautiful face about a metre away.
"I want a truthful answer Naina, think about it before answering."
"I've already given you my answer. I do trust you; if I didn't, I wouldn't have come this far without knowing anything for sure." She said simply. Her eyes radiated with trust, care and so much more. He sat up, looking at her in awe.
Aalekh was the farthest away from them all, sitting on top of a wooden bridge, watching everything take place. He wondered if he would've been one of these men if Neelu was here. He usually stopped himself from thinking about her too much.
Never before had love fallen on him, and even though he had experienced many aspects of life out front, this was a place of uncertainty in his mind. He didn't care about being hurt; it was hurting he was afraid of. She was his wife, true, but she hadn't seen even a fraction of life like he had; maybe that's why fate had brought them together.
~*~*~
Ashiana Restaurant: Nandini Virani & Colonel Shakti
"Sir, are you sure? I mean… this is a very important case… and I-"
"Nandini, there's no one else I would trust with this case more than you. Relax, it's already quite solid, your friend has already taken care of that. Only if they had evidence for the boss though…"
"Don't worry Sir, we'll get a lead from the Majors… no matter what we have to do. Plus, I don't think my friend would give up this easily; he's probably – uhm…" Nandini realised she had said too much. She felt like she was a cadet again, who slipped about her friend's plan to her teacher by mistake. Colonel Shakti understood it and let it go. He had learnt that trying to stop this certain batch of KMA pass-outs was a waste of time. It seemed the first year batch of KMA at present was following lead.
"I'll take you leave now, Sir. It's better to have an early start on any case."
"You're still very young you know."
"Pardon?"
"I meant it's not your age yet to only care about your job; take advantage of what you have! You're in one of the fanciest restaurants in Simla! I am having lunch here with my family, why don't you join us? Oh there's my son!"
"Oh I possibly couldn't… are you sure your family wouldn't mind?" Nandini was not among people who turned down profitable offers, even if it meant a simple meal with her boss' family. Was it only her decision, though, to stop by? No… you see, it was an invisible force called 'fate'.
~*~*~
At the riverbank: Orni, Yudi, Ali, Pooja, Aalekh, Naina & Rajveer
"Hey what's up with you guys? It's like we're all dead… wake up! It's 12:30, and to getting into town will take about half an hour, and by that time we'll be starving, so come on!" Orni rushed, waking up everyone with her sudden burst of energy. Yudi reached out his hand to help her onto the land, seeing her grace; it was something people wouldn't expect from an energetic girl like her.
"So where are we going for lunch?" Ali asked.
"If you guys want a total Indian themed meal we could go to the Amber Resto; for western interests-"
"Ashiana Restaurant!" Yudi said with a gleam in his eyes. "Is it still as fun as before?" He asked Orni, then turned to the others. "There used to be monkeys strolling about when all the food was spread about on the table… we had so much fun there the last time we went! Once…"
On their way to the Ashiana Restaurant, Yudi and Orni enthusiastically told the others of their experiences in Simla. No one even noticed that none of then had chosen their lunch destination; it seemed that 'fate' had something plans in mind.
~*~*~
Ashiana Restaurant
"Hey Aalekh, that guy looks really familiar… see over there?" Naina asked. "With his family…"
"Yeah I know what you mean, where did we see him though?" Yudi cut in.
"Maybe at KMA… many Army Officers come and go all the time, he's probably one of them. Leave it." Aalekh said indifferently. They all went in and chose a table. Only then did Colonel spot Raj.
"Ah Raj! You're still here! You didn't tell me you had a team in this mission…" Colonel Shakti said from his place, as their table was only a few metres away.
"Uh… Sir… that was – not really necessary in our case…" Raj said standing up. His blood turned cold as he spotted his friend headed towards their table with a smile.
"Raj oh my God! It's been months since we last met! Nice team you got there…" she said examining each person at the table. A thought hit Rajveer even when he was in tension; he should be thanking God that Huda wasn't there! He let out a small chuckle at this, giving everyone the wrong impression that he was laughing at her remark.
"Nandini…" Naina's mind froze for no apparent reason at hearing the name. "How did you end up in Simla? I thought you couldn't live without your Bombay lifestyle!"
"Well you couldn't live without me, either, when we were at KMA!" she teased back, not realising what effect her joke would have on the rest. Rajveer's head shot up to look at Naina, who was avoiding his gaze while Aalekh was trying to engage her into a conversation.
"When are you going to tell your parents about the case?" he asked quietly.
"Huh? Oh right… I think… I'm going to give them a call now…" she said distractedly. She excused herself from the table and went to the phone at the reception area.
Back at the table, Yudi, Ali, Pooja and Aalekh were having a difficult time with Orni.
"You two were a couple? No wonder Nai – ow!" She exclaimed as Yudi kicked her (successfully!) under the table.
"Orni, it's their business!" He said in a warning tone.
"No, it's ok… what were you going to say?" Nandini asked in an interested tone. It was as if they were in a war, caught by their enemy, and one of them was going to leak out information. Aalekh, Pooja and Yudi's hearts were beating like drum rolls and minds were racing for a way to stop Orni.
"She was going to say that… no wonder Nair hates Captain Rajveer!" Ali said before Orni could carry on. "Since he supported a female in the army…"
"Yeah… we all spent our talktime on telling her about KMA, so she knows all about it…" Pooja explained from beside Ali. She nudged Aalekh, who was on her other side, because the way he was glaring daggers at Orni was nearly going to make her cry from fear and shame. The atmosphere was so heavy with tension that it was getting difficult for Rajveer to breathe.
"Uh… You guys order, I'll go and check on Na – Cadet Singh." Rajveer stood up. Nandini caught his hand, trying to pull him back down on his chair.
"She's not a child that she'd need help with a phone call Raj! She's coming back anyway, look. Oh wait… is she…? She's Naveen's…" her expression softened as she remembered her friend's fate.
Naina, on the other hand, was in a better mood, now having talked to her parents, but deflated as soon as she saw Nandini holding Rajveer's hand. He noticed this and immediately pulled away, moving forward to talk to Naina.
"Everything OK, Cadet Naina – Ah – Singh?" He asked with a smile and his eyes got back their twinkle. She nodded with a smile. Like a gentleman, he pulled out the chair for her. The seating arrangement was like this, around a round mahogany table:
Ali – Pooja – Aalekh – Naina – Raj – Nandini – Orni – Yudi – Ali
Nandini noticed how her friend's mood lifted at the arrival of her late friend's sister, and how she looked up to meet his gaze once in a while. Suddenly realisation dawned upon her, making her feeling left out… oh… and a tiny bit of regret as well. She wouldn't let guilt about anything get anywhere near her heart, since she knew how weak it could make a person. A soldier couldn't afford to lose strength from personal feelings.
Her thoughts shifted from all this as she saw Aalekh and Pooja talking in hushed tones, sometimes stealing glances at her, Naina and Rajveer. They stopped talking and went back to normalcy when they spotted her looking at them. Now she was certain; they were obviously planning to hook up the couple beside her, and she was being a bone in the meat.
No worries though, she wanted to be a part of their planning. This meant she had to gain their trust, and she knew just the way to do so. She smiled to herself, thinking of her personal victory coming soon. It was about time she welcomed fun and mischief again!
But this isn't the only occasion 'fate' had prepared for them.
~*~*~
Outside Ashiana Restaurant: Gopal Bhatt
"Tell X that CSC & his family are at the Ashiana Restaurant now… I won't be able to stay with him for long though." His voice turned from urgency to shock and fear, though a glint in his eyes betrayed his true emotions.
"What! But it's full… what do you mean? OK I'll do it… just make sure X doesn't – yes I'll do it, I already told you that! Over and out!" He said, eyeing the young boy by Colonel Shakti Chandra's side.
What he failed to notice (which is a surprise… but people do tend to get careless when excited and focused on one job) a table with two Army Captains, five future soldiers and a civilian with knowledge of the Army a few metres away from his target.
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