Chapter 2
Thankfully Ananya found kabir alone in his cabin immersed in his work. He looked up from the laptop screen when she knocked the glass door , twice atonce,in her impatience. But as soon as his eyes identified her,his,stance hardened, his eyes flew back to the screen. '' The man is already testing my patience'',Ananya stiffened her jaw in anger. She had to decide fast. Go back and ask Ronnie for help or barge inside and deliver in one breath all she had to say. Whatever he would decide after listening, his decision. Yes, that would be good.
Ananya pushed open the glass door and went inside with determined steps.
''Sir, sorry to disturb you, but I have got a very interesting information just now. Will you please give me a few moments of your attention ?'', Ananya couldnt help being sarcastic at the end.'' The ego of the man ! He still refuses to look at me.'''' you have already decided to disturb me by coming in uninvited, miss Kashyap'', kabir's smooth baritone drawled while his fingers went on typing furiously.' ''so without wasting your time or mine further, come to the point.''
''Does he do that intentionally ? Just to get a rise out of me? So that i lose my composure and he gets the chance to lecture me about my disobedience and misbehaviour, to throw me out of his office ? No Ananya, not this time...he is waiting like a hound to sniff any hint of blood...offer him honey instead !'' With a face alert yet cordial,Ananya approached ,''you must have heard the name of budding tv journalist Purba Suri. She has been kidnapped today early morning from her studio apartment, Noida. Her elder sister called me a few minutes back and asked to meet her. She somehow doesnot want to talk in details about this over phone. She is waiting for me at Bristro,just down the main road.'' She paused and looked up to find kabir's gaze all over her, eyes blazing with intense concentration. Something ran through her spine,without filtering her thoughts,she let her emotions took over, '' will u come , Sir ? I know if you speak with Isha, you'll definitely find a lead. Your intuition never fails Sir. Seeing you work through a maze of information is perhaps more exciting and educative that a journalism Masters class level lecture'' .
Kabir raised his hand to stop Ananya's torrential flow of words that threatened to shatter his meticulously maintained stoic composure and break into a grin at her adorable innocence. The girl simply would not stop hero-worshipping him, no matter how much he had flung his harsh side on her face. She would be miffed, shout her disagreement, voice her disappointment openly but would come back with this inherent faith in him. For God's sake, he was a shrewd,calculating journalist, who had trained himself to prey upon others vulnerability, to play with others insecurity, to deal with devils all the time. He did not deserve her God like devotion. He was supposed to be feared by foes,friends,colleagues especially his juniors, not admired upon. He had to know what was cooking inside that pretty clever head of hers on that moment.
Kabir closed the computer with a slam and leant upon the desk,his elbows on either side of the laptop. Ananya felt his gaze like the focal point of a convex glass, such searing hot that it could burn a hole through her body and reach her mind.''Why asking me?'',he asked in a husky low pitch,still not breaking the eye contact. Ananya licked her bottom lip nervously.All her courage seemed to leave her ,the way kabir was staring resembled to her of a leopard eying his prey with satisfaction just before the final leap. Taking a deep breath, she began,''Because I need ur help to find her, sir. She is a dear person to me,I know her personally. We were batchmates, not only that, we were roommates too during university days. She has become quite a popular face, so it has the potential to be a sensational news. And ...'' she trailed off thinking whether it would be right for her to say what had come to the tip of her tongue. Surely she should not go that far. ''And ?''Kabir, goaded,cocking his right eyebrow.
''And I somehow managed to pique ur interest, Sir.'', Ananya finished with a calm victorious smile. ''And how would you prove it, Miss kashyap ?'',there was something lurking behind that voice, that apparent expressionless face,that pushed her to be bold. That familiar air of camaraderie that she had lost in her folly,seeped back stealthily while the glass panes glowed like firetorches in the afternoon sun.''well, you would not have wasted...''Ananya checked her watch almost theatrically,''45 mins from your invaluable time, if things are not that prospective. And going through the present scenario, nothing worth notice is happening. So, you are bored. And bored Kabir Sharma desperately needs a nice, sound lead to cheer him up.'' She tilted her head to her side as if challenging him to disagree with her while her lips flashed a playful smile. Kabir's face lit up with a sly lopsided grin.He walked out of his table and approached towards her in slow smooth steps until they were an arm's length away. Ananya dropped her gaze to the ground while her stomach fluttered uncontrollably.A heady smell of a rich cologne, peppermint mingled with something essentially masculine wafted through her nose while a throaty, deep voice whispered almost wickedly in her ear''Then why are you standing here, lost in dream, Miss Kashyap?'' Ananya nearly squeaked in sudden shock. Kabir threw her a smug look and started to pace to and fro instructing in a furious speed,''Take all necessary items. Although it is not an interview, it is definitely an unofficial interrogation.we may have to record video secretly. We will leave atonce.'' ''But sir'', ananya protested. It's just her elder sister, why harassing her with ...'' kabir cut her off, '' shut up and just do what i say. meet me downstairs in 5 mins.'' Ananya just stopped herself rolling her eyes, ''No time to waste, kabir barked. After all'', he looked straight with a strange gleam in his eyes,'' THE GAME HAS JUST BEGUN, Miss Kashyap '' and winked at her bewildered face.
... ... .to be continued...
