Eclipse of Heart

11 | Aira

Disagreements are still a constant in our dynamic.

I stare at him with a blank expression, "Every room here has the same bed." Folding my arms, I watch as he emits an agreeing hum before closing his eyes.

The simplicity of our exchange reflects the odd camaraderie we've developed amid our unconventional collaboration.

As much as I hate that guy by default, I like our little collaboration, which I will never admit to him by the way.

"No, no, no," Karthik says, wagging his finger at me as he sits up. "Your bed is clean, unlike mine," he adds before flopping back onto the bed. I express my frustration by throwing a water bottle from the desk at him, but he catches it effortlessly keeping it beside him with a victory grin which makes me roll my eyes.

My phone vibrates, and I answer the call without checking who it is. It's Raj sir, so I turn on the video and take a seat at my desk. Karthik peeks over my shoulder coming behind me, and in response, I hit him with my elbow in the stomach. "Are you serious?" he protests, crunching over and rubbing the spot. I bat my eyes at him innocently, saying, "Sorry," before turning my attention back to the video. Raj sir seems amused by our banter. "I know you are not sorry," he comments as he comes behind me, keeping a safe distance this time. I smirk at him before focusing on the call. "Samai," Raj sir warns, and I straighten up.

"I just want to let you guys know that Abhishek is going to visit someone in a bar tomorrow at around 9 in the evening," Raj sir informs us, then picks up a photo beside him. "This is the man he is meeting." Karthik and I observe the photo closely, and the man, with a turban and a lot of beard, makes me snort. "He looks like Jay," Karthik comments, earning a smile from Raj sir. "Yes. Good observation Karthik. Tomorrow we will swap him with Jay," Raj sir says, his voice turning serious.

"How?" Karthik wastes no time in asking. "We will have some police people put in disguise, placing them in the same location as you. They will help you swap places with Jay." We both stare at him, absorbing the information.

"Are we sure this is a legitimate police? Because the last one turned out to be a traitor," Karthik speaks up. I don't know what he is talking about, so I keep quiet. "This one is legitimate, Karthik. He is also as eager as you all. Two men will be arriving," Raj sir looks at his watch. "Their plane would have just landed. They will take the same hotel as you. But this one is from the department, so try to cooperate with them."

"What about Jay, Zia, and this one?" Karthik asks. I narrow my eyes at him, not understanding his reference to 'this one.' "Zia will be your technical support, I don't want to put her in any uncomfortable situation. Jay and you, along with the other two, will be involved in abducting the man, Shakib, before 8. Samaira will be by Jay's side as his... like his muse, wife, dancer maybe or I don't know. Figure it out with him." Raj sir trails off shrugging. I nod stiffly at that.

"And chances are Amaira might be coming," he adds, capturing my attention. "It's just intel. We're not sure. So if you're going to do the role, make sure you look nothing like her," Raj sir advises. I scoff at the suggestion, aware that looking different from my identical twin is easier said than done. "That's not easy. We're identical twins," I protest.

"But we can try. Maybe you dress up like the Arab dancer you did on your annual day. It's safe, and you will have a mask. Maybe add contact lenses to make your eyes look different that will do for the look you will be going with," he suggests.

My eyes narrow in disbelief, "How did you know?" as I lean forward questioning him. He raises his hand in mock surrender. "Zia showed me a pic from the dance video." I purse my lips. "I apologise for the lack of agent you will have for tomorrow, Sir," I comment as I get up from the call and head to Jay's room where Zia is hanging out because she was bored of my company.