Part 9 Capability
"Are you Khushi's previous birth husband?" NK asked.
"Did that crazy girl say so?" Arnav asked.
"Who?" Aman asked.
"The new girl... Khushi aka Indhu" NK said.
"Shut up," Arnav said.
"But, I heard she is IIT Topper... so, she can't be CRAZY" Aman smiled.
"How do you know about her?" Arnav asked
"Bhashyam sir is proudly doing propaganda about her..." Aman chuckled.
Yes, Bhashyam did that. So that Khushi would be respected in the office.
"I don't believe it. She says I'm her husband in the previous birth, we got married and someone burnt us alive"
"Just because you don't remember anything, how could you say she is lying?" NK asked.
"I don't believe in rebirth stories," Arnav said.
"I too don't believe..." Aman said.
"Don't play with a young girl's life, Aman... don't fill his ear..." NK said.
"Arrey, who is playing? If she loves him, she could propose to him without the rebirth story..." Aman said.
"This sounds good," NK said.
"Will you guys please shut up?" Arnav said.
"Aman, if he doesn't like her, leave it. You try her. She looks so beautiful" NK said.
"Is it?"
"Yeah... she smiles cutely"
"It seems you have forgotten Lavanya" Arnav teased.
"No way... I just admired her, just like admiring a kid. There are a lot of differences in it. Mind it" NK talked logically.
"Oh... then how would you admire Lavanya?" Aman asked.
"I can't even tell that in open man..." NK blushed.
Arnav and Aman rolled their eyes.
"Jokes apart, what's the matter, ASR? Who is the girl?"
"Yesterday, I banged on her while coming to the office. She looked at me and said, I'm her husband, We loved each other, got married and someone burnt us together in our previous birth"
"Don't you trust her?" NK asked.
"How could I? It sounds so silly"
"But, she came to our office, finding you. Still, do you think it's silly?" NK asked.
"Why are you advocating her?" Arnav asked.
"She looks so genuine yaar... I don't think she lies. Just talk to her. Get to know about her. If you like her, accept her. if you don't like her, just ignore"
Arnav leaned on the seat.
"Why should I give her hope?"
"Ok, then tell her your stand... explain to her"
"I just did... but she is not in the sense to listen to me"
"That was why you sent her to the second floor?"
Arnav was silent.
"She is our section... she should be with us, ASR"
"I don't want her to be with me," Arnav said.
"I think Nannav is scared to handle her"
Arnav glared at him.
"Don't glare at me... then why did you send her away from you?"
"There is no table on the first floor. That's why I sent her" Arnav said.
"He may be right, NK. The girl was appointed suddenly. So, the HR team could not have made any arrangements for her." Aman said.
"Poor girl... she is already lean. She will become more lean climbing the stairs again and again" NK said sadly.
"Shut up and do your work. If you don't finish it before lunch, you won't go for lunch" Arnav warned.
"Hitler Kahika... my math teacher is ten times better than you" NK went to his desk.
Arnav looked at the computer screen smiling. His smile faded when he saw Khushi standing with a smile. She came to him, all the way looking at him smiling. Arnav suffocated to face her. Aman understood who the girl was.
"Could you explain the program structure, Arjun?" She asked.
"I'm not Arjun..." Arnav said.
"Ok... Arnav..." She shrugged her shoulders.
"Aman, explain her..." Arnav said.
"You are the one who should explain me... didn't the CEO ask you to guide me?" She demanded.
"Is it?" Aman asked.
Khushi nodded yes.
"Then you should obey the order..."
Aman stood up chuckling.
"Take your seat miss, Indhu" Aman intentionally called her Indhu.
Khushi smiled brightly.
"Thank you, Mr...."
"Aman... Aman Mathur"
"Thank you, Aman Sir"
"Just Aman is enough"
"You are so sweet... just like Arjun" She smiled at Arnav who rolled his eyes.
"You carry on, Ms. Indhu" Aman left the place smiling at Arnav teasingly.
Khushi extended the file to Arnav. Taking it from her, Arnav explained it. Khushi wondered. What NK said was true. Anyone would understand the program structure easily in the way he explained it. But Khushi didn't have to listen to it as she already understood it. What she did was admire her man. Arnav looked at her raising her eyelashes and shrank his eyes, seeing her smiling at him.
"Tell me what I just said..." He asked.
Khushi said more than what he explained. Arnav bit the corner of his lip. He understood her capability. She was there to meet him in the pretext of clearing doubts. Khushi looked at him making an infant face. Arnav closed the file and kept it on the table.
"Look, Khushi... this is a reputed company. Our Boss trusts us. We should understand that"
Khushi nodded ok like a good girl.
"We are working on a huge project. We have to submit it in a week. Try to be part of it if you can"
Khushi nodded ok cheerfully. Arnav took a file from his table drawer and kept it on the table.
"This is our previous project program file. Go through it and submit a report on it in two days. You can ask me if you have any doubts"
"I will surely have doubts," She said seriously.
Arnav looked at her contently.
"Can I get your phone number?" She asked.
Arnav shrank his eyes.
"Just to ask you doubt. You see, how can I come here again and again?" She asked making a face.
"Note it down, Indhu" Came from the opposite table. NK was sitting there.
"Tell me" Khushi smiled.
"909 458****," NK said not looking at Arnav who was glaring at him.
Khushi nodded ok.
"Didn't you note it down?"
"Just did..." She touched the corner of her forehead.
Arnav closed his eyes and sighed.
"Thank you, Nanne"
"You are welcome" NK smiled.
Khushi left the place all smiling.
"Why the hell did you give her my number?"
"What's the big deal, Nannav? Everyone in our company has your number. And, she is a programmer under your crew. Why are you reacting like I have snatched your lunch box?"
Arnav heard a few chuckles around him. He hit his forehead and continued his work.
..........
Khushi came to her desk and went through the file with concentration. She closed the file after an hour.
"Did you understand anything?" Lavanya asked.
Khushi nodded yes.
"By the way, what section you are in?" Khushi asked.
"Marketing"
"Oh, that's good"
That was when Khushi got a call on her mobile. It was from Garima. Khushi bit her tongue and attended it.
"Khushi, where are you?" Garima asked as if she didn't know anything about her job.
"Mom, I got bored, sitting at home. So, I came to give an interview and got a job"
"Is it?"
"Yes, Mom"
"What Job?"
"Programmer"
"Wow... that's so nice to hear..."
Khushi huffed in relief as Garima didn't scold her for leaving the house unannounced.
"Will come home in the evening, Mom"
"Ok, Beta... does your office have a canteen?"
"Yeah, it has"
"Eat something... don't be starving"
"Sure Mom"
Khushi disconnected the call in relief.
Lunch break
"Did you bring lunch, Khushi?"
"No... In fact, I didn't know I would get a job. I just came to give it a try"
"Did you inform your mom?"
"Yeah, I did"
"Ok, let's go to the canteen"
"Will Arjun come?"
"Mmm..." Lavanya said.
"Let's go then..." Khushi stood up taking her sling bag.
They came to the canteen. Lavanya brought her tiffin box.
"What would you like to have, Khushi?"
"Curd rice is enough for me"
"Our canteen curd rice tastes so good"
"Is it?"
"Yeah, let me bring it for you"
"No... you stay. I will bring it"
Khushi went to the counter to get curd rice. She waited for her turn. That was when someone said,
"Hi..."
She looked behind and found a guy smiling at her.
"You are Khushi Gupta, an IIT topper, right?"
Khushi nodded yes plainly.
"I'm Ranjith... Your senior"
"Hello, sir" She smiled slightly.
"You can ask me if you have any doubts"
Khushi nodded ok with an awkward smile. Here, she was searching for a chance to get close to Arnav in the excuse of clearing doubts. In between them, who was this joker?
Getting the curd rice, Khushi walked to Lavanya.
"What did Ranjith say, Khushi?"
"He said, he would clear my doubts"
"He is also your section..."
"He told me"
"He is senior to Arnav but still next to him in the position"
"Oh..."
"You can never see such a jealous personality"
"Is he jealous Arjun?"
"A lot... having more experience than Arnav, he could not reach his level. So, he hates him"
"Haann...??? How dare he hate my Arjun..." Khushi gritted her teeth.
"He does..."
"If he wants to reach his level, then he should work hard instead of getting jealous"
"A maximum of people do the same because getting jealous is easier than working hard," Lavanya said sarcastically.
Khushi saw Ranjith glaring at Arnav who entered the canteen with Aman.
Her concentration got diverted, hearing Lavanya's ringtone.
*Inkem inkem inkem kavale.... Chale idhi chale...*
Lavanya attended the call and it was from the wrong number. She disconnected it.
"The song is so sweet..." Khushi said.
"Yeah, I like the song very much"
"Isn't the girl in the song look so cute?" Khushi said.
"Yeah... is not Vijay Devarakonda looks so handsome?" Lavanya asked smiling.
"Yeah... but not more than my Arjun..." Khushi said and Lavanya rolled her eyes high.
NK who was listening to them from the next table went to the table where Arnav and Aman sitting.
"This is too much..." NK said.
"What's too much?" Aman asked.
"Does this face look more handsome than Vijay Devarakonda?" he asked holding Arnav's jaws, making him frown.
"When did I say so?" Aman asked.
"It's not you but Khushi..." NK said.
Arnav was stunned hearing that. He shrugged NK's hand and said,
"This is why I said, she is crazy..."
"By the way, how do you know that? Are you stalking her?" Aman asked.
"Why would I stalk her? I stalk Lavanya" NK said blushing.
"There is a famous saying... 'if you love the person truly, he/she would be more beautiful in your eyes than anyone in the world' I think this is what happens here" Aman smiled making Arnav suffocate.
"I can't tolerate this... how could she be so sweet?" NK wiped his tearless cheek.
"Why are you torturing us? Go and ask her if you have any doubt..." Arnav continued eating.
"Yes, that's a good idea. I should ask her"
NK again walked to their table, making Arnav shocked.
"NK... don't..." he said but NK didn't give heed to him.
To be continued...