Her black tresses were gracefully dancing to the silent rhythms of the evening breeze while her dark black eyes were deeply drowned into the mysterious book that she was reading. Her rosy lips occasionally curves into smile which he appreciated the author for having wooed her with his creation. The park was crowded yet First Officer Ananya Raawat was immersed in her own world. A soft nudge of his mobile vibration brought him back to reality. Aakash didn't realize how long he was standing there admiring her which made him smile at his foolishness for behaving like an infatuated teenager. He knew she was also on a stopover break but he didn't bump into her during meals or their hangout sessions. He thanked his luck for stumbling upon her during his evening jog. He hasn't had the chance to catch up with her after their Bhopal flight.
Aakash decided to sacrifice his jog for his "Rules ki Devi", so he walked over to the bench where Ananya was engrossed in her book. He hasn't come across anyone who is so covert even with the book that they are reading. First Officer Ananya Raawat enthrall him as much as the book that she is reading. "X-rated book hain kya?" he whispered slowly at her ears. Ananya's body jerked in shock. She didn't know whether it was the question or the proximity of the intruder made her jump. "Capt Aakash!" She gasped in disbelieve. "Worried that I caught you red-handed?" Aakash plastered a straight look as he replied. "What! Capt Aakash, aap yahan. I have no idea what are you talking about" Ananya quizzed him. "Really First Officer?" Aakash smirked at her as Ananya shot him a confused look. "Ok, let me explain." Aakash replied as he settled down comfortable next to Ananya enjoying seeing Ananya being so clueless. "Why would you wrap your book, seclude yourself and smile to yourself as you read this book? Now you are turning red because I caught you in action! First Officer Raawat, you never fail to surprise me." Aakash replied while suppressing his laughter. Ananya was lost for words for a moment, her clueless expression gradually faded when she finally saw the impish smile slowly creeping into Capt Aakash's face.
"Capt, I'm impressed with the height of your imagination. I can also turn red when I'm angry" Ananya replied. "Yeh koi X-rated book nahi. I just prefer to keep my preference private and also it also helps to keeping unwanted attention away." she added. "Unfortunately it didn't work for him" she thought to herself silently. Aakash slowly leaned towards her and whispered softly "Ek baat batou, yeh koi rules ki kitaab nahi right?" Aakash's question managed to crack her up, Ananya burst out laughing and Aakash enjoyed the lovely sight of her laughing. "Here, take a look at it yourself Capt" she passed the book to Aakash. "Look Officer, I'm a very straight guy who don't read X-rated stuffs and I have allergic towards rules and manuals" he joked. "Capt, it is none of the both. Take a look at it yourself rather than torturing me with your wild imagination." she replied as she playfully shoved the book on his hand.
Just as Aakash was about to open the book, they both heard a soft cry. A small girl fell on the ground as she was trying to run after her kite. Before Aakash could get up, Ananya rushed to the kid. He saw how she knelt next to the little girl and tenderly examine her injuries. He wanted to help but he realized that she was capable of managing it. Aakash decided to check out the book that was keeping Aanaya intrigued. She was reading Dan Brown's Inferno and he was impressed with her choice. He felt her phone that she left on the bench vibrating as he was scanning through the pages. He decided not to disturb Ananya as she was having fun teaching the little girl on how to fly the kite. The phone kept on vibrating and "Home" flashed on the screen. Hesitantly, he picked up the phone to inform the caller Ananya will return their call once she is bac.
Before he could even speak, the lady on the line immediately hurled at Ananya with accusations. "Ananya, have you forgotten that the whole family is at stake along with your job. We didn't mortgage our house and used our life savings on your studies so that you can go around helping strangers and lose your job. Kya zarurat thi tumara pilot association ka order koh overrule karna. Us aurat ka family bajkiya magar hamara family ko kiya hoga? Tumara behen ka London admissions koh hum kya karega?" Aakash was stunned, he knew Ananya was striving to prove herself at work but little did he know that she had her own set of challenges at home. "Ananya, have you lost your voice or what? Answer me?" the lady snapped. "Ma'am, this is Capt Aakash. Mein Ananya ki Sr pilot. She has stepped out for awhile. " Aakash replied. He heard a heavy sigh over the line then a response came after a long pause "So all this while I was talking to you?" The lady asked. "Yes ma'am, her phone was ringing continuously so I thought it was an emergency. That is why I decided to answer to inform you that First Officer has stepped out but you didn't give me a chance to speak. " Aakash replied curtly. The irritation and anger in his voice was very evident. "Ek aur baat, I was the pilot in command when we flew against the pilot association orders. First Officer Raawat was merely following my orders as the Capt as per protocol. First Officer Raawat's job is not at stake and if they need to fire anyone then it will be would be mine Ma'am. What Ananya deserve is appreciation for her courage and dedication not taunting ma'am. As her senior, it is my request that you drop this issue and not confront Ananya on this matter. I'm not trying to interfere in your family matters but just ensuring that my co-pilot is not disturbed by trivial issues when she is flying. I give you my personal assurance that neither the warning letter she received nor the scheduled association meeting will jeopardize her job. On a personal note, First Officer Ananya is an excellent asset to Inde Airs and every penny you spend on her will not be futile" he gave her a piece of his mind while still maintaining his professionalism. "Mera matlab woh nahi ta Capt" she stumbled for words when someone snatched the phone from her. A young bubbly voice interrupted "Di, you don't worry about a thing ma said. We all know that you always do the right thing and no matter what, I love you di & you will always be my hero..." She said. "Di, are you still on the line" she checked when there was no response. Aakash smiled and replied "I will pass the message to your Di. This is Capt Aakash, your sister has stepped out for awhile." "You mean Capt Aakash Saluja?" came the next question with full astonishment in the voice. "Yes, it is indeed Capt Aakash Saluja. The person who spoke to me earlier seemed to be pretty distressed about the warning letter from the association so I was just assuring her that everything will be fine" Aakash replied. "Oh that was my mum, sorry to barge into the conversation because I thought she talking to Di" she apologized. "Btw Capt Aakash, where is Di? I mean everything is fine na?" her sister inquired.
Aakash sensed the concern in her voice, so he decided to share with her on Ananya's whereabouts "There is no need to worry, your Di is busy teaching a little girl how to fly a kite in the park while I'm safe guarding her belongings here." "Why am I not surprised! Everyone is dying party at Goa and here she is dating with her book at the park. Anyways thanks for the update Capt Aakash" she thanked him before disconnecting the call. Ananya was so immersed with the girl that she lost track of time. She only realized it when the girl's brother came to get her back. Ananya rushed back to the bench and sighed in relief when she saw Capt Aakash was patiently waiting for her. "Hogaya tumara flying lessons?" he joked. "I'm sorry Capt for keeping you waiting, I just lost track of time." she apologized. "Chalo, here is your book and mobile. I guess we should be heading back to the hotel" he suggested and Ananya nodded in agreement. "Dinner ka kya plan?" he asked as they walked back. "Nothing much, will get room service and finish my book Capt. I have morning flight to catch" she replied."Then I shall see you at 8 Ms Rawaat?" he told her as they walked. "8 pm? Kyu Capt?" she was puzzled. "Your sister feels that you should stop dating your book and go around Goa. I will take the privilege of showing you around Goa." he explained. "You spoke to my sister? When and how Capt?" she bombarded him with questions. "Chill Officer, there were several calls from your home, I tried to call you but you were too engrossed with your flying lesson so I decided to take the answer the call on your behalf. Your sister said she will speak to you later." he explained. "Oh ok. Thanks for the invite Capt, but you don't have take Sheyfoo's ramblings seriously." She politely declined dinner.
"Mein tumara waja Capt Rathore se panga lei sakthi aur tum mere liya ek deen tumara book ki saath date cancel nahi kar sakthi? Tumse yeh umeed nahi ta" he shot her a disappointed look."It's not that Capt..." she racked her brain for words. Ananya was in a fix, it was a great chance to escape the boring hotel food but she wanted to avoid getting herself entangled between Aakash and Natasha. Capt Aakash has grown to be good friend and a senior that she can look up to besides Capt Verma but she doesn't want her actions to stir-up his personal relationships. Ananya's dilemma was evident on her face, she was indeed an open book when it came to her expression but closed one when it comes to understanding her. "Is it Natasha?" he finally broke the silence that was engulfing both of them. She didn't answer but her eyes gave away the answer that he needed. Ananya was lousy when it came to lying; Aakash was sharp enough to catch it. If she admits that it was indeed due to Natasha, then she will be forced to reveal their confrontation which may create more tension between Aakash and Natasha. "Actually Capt, I don't think Natasha is really fond of me and don't think she would approve of me joining you for dinner." she replied carefully avoiding his eyes but his expression told her that she has just open the floodgate.
"What makes you think that I need to seek Natasha's approval, First Officer?" he questioned her. He was still calm but she could sense the irritation in his voice. "I just thought..." she stumbled for words again. Ananya mentally smacked her brain for deceiving her when she needed it the most. "You just thought what, Officer?" he probed her. "Let me guess, you thought that I was in a relationship with Natasha? After she confronted you, you just concluded your assumption. Am I right?" he finished the sentence for her. Ananya gasped in shock, she felt as if he just hit the bull's eye with his respond. "How did you know about the confrontation between us?" Ananya was curious because she knew Natasha wouldn't have told him about it. "It wasn't rocket science" came his curt reply. His I-Just-Know-It reply didn't fascinate her this time, "I know it is not rocket science Capt but I also know that you didn't just get clairvoyance about what happened between us. I think I deserve to know." she demanded for an answer. "Very well First Officer, I happen to see both of you having coffee together couple of days back which was indeed out of place especially knowing Natasha and her "affection" towards you. So I decided to hang around to make sure everything was fine but gauging by both your expression I could deduce what would have transpired. Despite telling her that I don't regard her anything more than a friend, she still insists on marking her territory around me eliminating competition in case I change my mind. Unlike you, most of the crew members are forced to obey her as they don't want to be in their senior's bad books. I never thought Natasha's words would have any impact on you because you had a mind of your own but looks like I was wrong" he replied. For the first time, Ananya felt like a complete jerk in front of Capt Aakash. "Capt, her words didn't have any effect on me but you were right about the assumption that I made. I just didn't want to cause any strains in your relationship, my apologies Capt." Ananya apologized.
"Woh woh... Did I just hear an apology from you First Officer?" Aakash teased her to light up the tension that was brewing ever since Natasha's name came up. "Capt, I have no issues in apologizing for my mistakes but not to please others" she replied with a smirk. As Aakash was heading towards his room, he heard Ananya calling him from the walkway. "Capt, I hope casual is fine for dinner?" she asked him. "That will be perfect... Just Aakash when we are off-duty would be good because I don't want to be abiding to protocols during dinner." he winked. "Let's make that mutual Capt... Opps Aakash" she smiled and headed back to her room.
Advocate Anjali Awasthi
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