#1 [AR+D3] Sajda (FF) Chapters 1-4 - Page 60

Karan entered the headquarters and everyone saluted. He was surprised. At first, he looked around, thinking they were saluting someone that was behind him. When he turned, he found no one there.

Enjoying the attention, he walked to the room he was directed towards and turned the T.V. on. Rajveer said, "Don't be too excited. They're following my orders. From now, you'll be in charge there till the end of this mission. But you are still under me."

"How can I forget that?!" he scoffed back.

Both of them were the best of friends at time and the worst enemies when they felt like it. Rajveer had climbed the ladder but it wouldn't have been possible without Karan. Karan was the best man they had next to Rajveer. Rajveer only worked from the insides now and the practical all came to Karan.

"I will never let you." He replied back with the same scoff in his tone and then winked as he shut the camera.

Karan turned to the desk and looked at all the work that was ready for him to do. He just had to check them and sign it so they can be sent to the college. He looked outside the glass doors of his cabin to find one person he could trust with the papers. Everyone was trust worthy as they all belonged to the same department. Still, he wanted someone in particular.

Before he could overlook at everyone's work to decide the best amongst them, a person blocked his view. The outfit was a stroll, and a bright red salwar suit. His eyes stopped at the red color to begin with. His favorite color! Next, he was eager to know the person as everyone around the place was wearing business type clothes; everyone except her. His eyes traveled from her feet perfectly fit in her heels to her slim waist and on to her hair around her shoulder. Perfectly straight hair blew as the fan turned towards her.

Seeing the face in front of her, he now knew why his heart was doing somersaults the minute his eyes had landed on the girls outline. He didn't know whether he should be happy, mad, or sad to see her.

He only clutched the file in his hand and exhaled out, "YOU!"

***

As the cab passed the suburbs of the city and entered the quiet area, Kriya looked out to see the stalls. She was already very excited seeing the movement and asked the driver to stop when she saw a particular stall. She loved cold cocoa and couldn't control herself from stopping to have a glass.

It was a very quiet place and the noise of a group of kids didn't go unnoticed by her. She disliked such noisy sort of groups but nevertheless, walked up to the stall and ordered one cold cocoa. She could hear the boys giggling behind her. One of them even passed a comment on her clothes; a flirtious one at that. She simply rolled her eyes and ignored them.

One of the many things she had learned in training was how to always look attractive and presentable even if you've just woken up from deep slumber. And the type of clothes she wore always attracted attention; whether she asked for it or not. She didn't mind though as long as she was comfortable in the clothes she wore. This was her usual sense of dressing style. She would usually throw on a pair of shorts and a tank top with some matching bracelets, earrings and perfectly combed hair.

At the moment to be precise, she was wearing free, short jeans and a tank top with few bracelets to go with it; a watch on the other hand and a ring on her right hand, third finger.

Focusing on the boys behind her, she heard one of them go, "Come on Vicky. Stop it already. Or should I tell about this to Neha tomorrow?"

"So the boy who had first passed the comment is Vicky' and Neha, most probably his girlfriend as they're giving a threat of telling her." She said to herself in her mind. It was one of the things they were taught to do. Keep a tab on surroundings. You never know when it comes to your benefit.

The same person, meaning Vicky, replied with a hint of worry in his voice, "Oh Rey. Please don't; you'll have me killed or what?"

Rey! The name caught her attention to being with. To go in details, her heart almost skipped a beat as well. She turned to look at them but couldn't see the person who was supposed to be Rey. The boys around him kept him well hidden from her view. She ignored it. There possibly can't be only one Rey in this whole city. She told herself for being silly to be eager to meet Rey. She didn't know why her heart had given that sort of a reaction by simply hearing the name.

Another boy went, "He has Neha. But I don't. You can't threaten me. Now watch and learn fellas."

A new voice added, "Please Nil. Why are you inviting trouble for her? She's new to town, can't you see?" The reasonable person had to be Swayam - the one who notices everything.

Kriya was impressed with the guy for noticing. The thing he missed to see was that she wasn't new to town; but new to the country as a whole. She had never in her life been to India. She was born and had lived her whole life in U.K. itself. But Karan had made sure to give her knowledge on all the culture and traditions of India as best as he could.

She had learned to sense motion in her training. That came to aid at the moment as she couldn't turn around to see the boy coming towards her. She smirked as she sensed him only a foot behind her. She turned with the cold cocoa in her hand and very smartly, dropped it on him, making it seem like an accident.

She faked sympathy and added acting innocent. "OMG! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there. I hope you're alright?" Her voice had a heavy British accent to it. She spoke in all English and that gave her away.

His friends laughed at the 'incident' as they walked up to them and Nilesh clenched his teeth as he replied, "Not a problem. It's fine."

Swayam replied, "I'm sorry on behalf on my friend here. He had a bit too much soda I think."

Kriya smiled and replied, "It happens. No worries."

"You have a British accent. You're new here?" Swayam asked.

"Yeah; actually just landed. India's so fast and different than U.K.!" she replied enthusiastically. So far, she was doing well with blending in.

"You'll love it in few days for sure. By the way, I'm Swayam." Swayam replied.

"Don't worry about that. I already am loving it. And nice to meet you" she replied with a smile.

Vicky replied, "Well, don't let us hold you back. Hope to see you around."

"Oh why? Bored with your girlfriend, Neha?" she asked teasingly.

"You've been overhearing our conversation?" a new voice asked. He emerged from behind them and she turned to see him standing there. She recognized him instantly. It was Rey. The same Rey she was here for in the first place. This time, her heart made sure to really skip a beat when her eyes landed on him.

"Uh yea. I know it's rude but not when your friends here are passing comments." she replied confidently in a way that it embarrassed Nilesh and Vicky.

She continued, "Don't let me come between your night out. See you around hopefully"

Saying so, she left but stopped realizing she was missing something. She checked her possessions and realized that she left her cell phone on the counter of the stall. She turned to go back but what she saw surprised her. She hadn't seen that coming!

***

"Yes me. Why? Any problem? Can I not be here?" the young lady asked back.

"Of course you can be. Have I ever been able to stop you Shilpa?" Karan asked back, getting up from his chair and walked up to her.

"No' you haven't." she paused when he reached her. She hesitated for a second and so did he. Neither of them knew if it would be the right thing to do. But then, Shilpa couldn't control her temptation.

She flung her hands around her neck and gave him a tight hug. "I've missed you loads Karan."

Karan hesitated once again and took a minute to regain his emotions before moving his hands around her back and replied to the hug. "Same here."

After parting, they stood there silent for a second. Then Karan offered, "Have a seat na." he went back to his chair and she took the chair on the other side of the desk.

"So, another mission?" she asked after sitting down.

"I'm here. That should speak for itself."

"Of course. Or else you wouldn't come back to India. Right?" she replied with another question.

"You remember, then." He replied with a pinch of harshness in his tone.

She bit back the pain that came from the tone. "You shouldn't doubt that at all Karan. At that time, situation demanded that from me. But you should know me better than myself."

"Oh yes. And don't worry; I won't be a thorn in your way now. I'm here but I promise to not come in your way. If that makes you happy'"

"It doesn't." she replies straight away. It had been years of hiding now.

His head flinched at the reply. He hadn't expected that reply to come. She continued, "I mean it won't make me happy. Because whether you like it or not, I'm going to be teaching Kriya the dance she needs to know."

Karan received another shock. "You're the dance teacher'?"

"I am the best; they say." She replied.

He simply nodded not wanting to reply back what he really wanted to say. From what he had grasped on, they were going to work together on the mission now. He was angry at Rajveer for choosing her. He, from all people, knew the reason and even after that, he made Shilpa work on the mission with him?! But now he had no option. If not personally, then professionally, he'd have to be nice to her.

***

Some goons were attacking the boys and had caught them off guard. She didn't care about her cell anymore. She jumped in to try and save them. Her first priority was Rey. He saw her run to him and thought she was nuts for thinking she can fight. She looked as delicate as a rose petal to him. He gritted, struggling through the hold of the goon behind him, "What are you doing? Go! We'll fight them off."

"I can see how well you and your friends are doing!" she replied back with sarcasm. As it was, Nilesh and Vicky were completely in shock to fight back. Swayam was fighting but still struggling. She had to blend in and couldn't blow her cover in front of Rey. If she was someplace else where he wasn't present, she would have kicked some ***. She would have enjoyed teaching the bad guys a lesson.

But here, she had to think of a new way to save them and the situation demanded that. She looked at the stall and saw the deep spatula used for pouring the coco in the glasses. To the owner, she said, "Hope you don't mind," and took it out of the big jar. The owner nodded, fright written all over his face, not worrying about the spatula but about him getting home alive.

The goons were dragging the boys away but Kriya ran a bit and hit the one who was holding Rey on the back of his head. A spatula would do no harm, but she had learnt to hit with force with even the smallest object available. Moreover, they were taught to hit at the points where pain can make the person suffer through deadliest of all pains.

It left a dent on the person's head. As a result, the person left Rey and caressed his wound. Rey stumbled forward, gasping for air.

"Nice shot!" he complimented when he regained his breath, surprised that that small of a thing can hurt. What surprised him more was that a girl could hit that hard.

"Thanks!" she replied with a smile. The smile wiped off her face and instantly pushed him to the floor.

"Rude!" he was about to say when he understood why she did that. Another person was about to attack him from behind. The person's judgment missed and he stumbled over Rey and onto Kriya. Even though Rey didn't know Kriya at all, he didn't like the sight of a person on top of Kriya.

Kriya pushed him away touching his neck pulse very smoothly. It was yet another trick she had learnt. It instantly blocked the person's cranial nerve, forcing the person to gasp for air as his blood pressure increased rapidly. He was running short on oxygen and he fell down unconscious. Others looked with horror thinking he's dead.

"Oh please. He's just unconscious." She told the rest but that didn't help. It aroused more questions. "How did you'?" Swayam started to ask. But the next thing he knew, she grabbed his arm and pulled him behind her. The third goon was proceeding with a knife in his hand and was aiming for Swayam.

She had saved him, but unluckily for her, the knife slashed her upper arm. A shot of pain went through her. It wasn't that deep, but deep enough for blood to instantly start coming out. She shut her eyes tight for a blink of a second before re-opening them to give the person who cut her a cold glare.

Swayam wanted to yell out her name, but it was then he realized that none of them knew her name, and nothing about her either and there she was' saving them from some goons!

"I'm fine." She replied, knowing what they were all thinking. Ignoring the pain, she kicked the person in his softest place. The well-built man immediately fell on his knees. She had given him more pain than what he gave her.

There was only one more goon left. Seeing his mates in pain, one wounded in head, another unconscious and the other struggling to get up, he took off running before Kriya could even give him a piece of his own method.

Rey got up and went straight to Kriya. She was standing there with a smile and murmuring insults to those goons. "You guys are a black spot on the name of goons! Good for nothing. At least be a smart goon if you're going to be one!"

He grabbed her arm and pulled her to face him. The smile vanished from her face, seeing the worry on his face and the closed space between their bodies. It was the first time she had seen someone worrying for her. It had only been Karan before. Seeing the same yet different sort of worry in someone else's eyes for her, both surprised and worried her. The space between them didn't bother her after seeing the deep worry in his eyes.

***

Thank you so much everyone for liking this different concept!! Hope I don't disappoint anyone 😳 Though frankly, I had thought I would receive just as amazing of a response that I had for IJD once upon a time... 😕 Nevertheless, hope you guys liked this chapter!! Me waiting for your comments and likes 😃 They do mean a lot to me and encourages me to continue writing 😳

Next update will be next week for sure if things go as planned 😃

New readers: Please add --silvermist-- as your buddy to receive pms :D

-Khushi.

Next: Chapter 3 Page 106