Two days later, Tiwari took the newbies to the testing room. Besides Pallavi and Tulsi, there was a new guy named Ashwin who had joined in place of Umang- the one who left abruptly. The girls even talked to Ashwin a few times. Unlike Umang, who seemed serious and reserved, Ashwin was joyful and outgoing. He openly admitted he didn't know anything about this job and had no idea why he came here.

'Everything is time pass,' he concluded.

Ironically, Tiwari seemed to be in a jolly mood today. He explained the first part of an experiment called 'pumpkin' without scolding anyone. Pallavi wondered why it was called pumpkin when there weren't any pumpkins involved. Instead, you had to cut a tiny part of a mobile hard cover in the shape of a rectangle and dip it with a sticky solution in a cap like container. Pour a limited amount of water and let it rest for two hours.

Two hours later, the three of them came to take out the cap. The solution had hardened enough to take the shape of the cap itself. The quantity of the solution and the water had to be such that the rectangular piece inside had to look almost transparent, otherwise it was no use. Pallavi was happy- this was one job she had done perfectly. Tulsi's piece was okay too, while Ashwin had to do it all over again.

And now came the second part of the experiment.

You must be wondering why I'm explaining this science practical nonsense to you. Just wait and read, you fools.

After taking the mould out of the can, they had to be rubbed and softened against a series of sand disks. These sand disks were kept in a dial. It looked like a vinyl player without the music. At first glance, these disks seemed similar but on a closer look, they were of a different thickness and material. There was a meter attached to the dial that determined the number of rotations per minute. Apparently they had to reach till 400 rpm to flatten the surface of the carrom shaped like piece. This process was called brushing.

Tiwari demonstrated it with his perfect piece first. One could witness the friction between the edge of the carrom-like piece and the disk. The force of the rotation also caused his fingers to vibrate. He had to hold the piece in such a way that it didn't let his fingers touch the disk, lest it would hurt. He warned them to hold it carefully.

Ashwin was the first one to brush off the piece against the dial. He kept the speed low at first then increased it little by little. Within ten minutes, he was able to bring the rpm to 400 and beyond. It was that easy. Then, Tiwari changed the disks. There were four. The current one looked even more rough which made the task a bit more difficult. It certainly looked terrifying.

Let me put it again-- It looked terrifying to Pallavi. The piece was freaking small to hold. What if the finger got hit against the rotating surface. What drastic things would happen, then? Why was nobody thinking about that? Those were the kind of thoughts running through Pallavi's head.

She deliberately let Tulsi go next. Tiwari was also gone by then. Just as she hoped to escape, Adhvik entered the scene. He gave the instructions that was required to give but didn't leave. He was already teasing Pallavi with her supposedly inability to do household chores. What did household chores had to do with this experiment?

"Did anyone get injured during brushing?" Pallavi asked anyway.

"Not really..." Adhvik trailed off, tapping his chin. "Although I do recall someone getting their forefinger skin scrapped out when it touched the rotating disk at 300. You remember that, Harshit?"

"Like it happened yesterday," Harshit replied nostalgically. "Poor guy had his finger bandaged for weeks. Scary as F, man."

"Thanks for the glaring info. It was definitely needed," Tulsi intervened, sarcasm dripping off each word. She turned to Pallavi. "Don't listen to them, okay. That was just one guy. Which means others got it right. It's like plane crashes. How often does that happen, right?"

"Got it, um..." Pallavi smiled nervously, taking a step back from the others. "I'll just go to the toilet and return soon, okay."

And dashed off.

Eventually the rest of the department volunteered for the brushing process or to put in Ashwini's words- do more timepass. There were many hardened pieces from the first part of the experiment. Pallavi returned as well. Somehow watching multiple people holding the piece with ease against the disk garnered enough confidence for Pallavi to try. She had to be assured by almost everyone that it was safe before she actually tried it out.

And although others easily got it above four hundred, Pallavi never went beyond two hundred rpm. She was able to control her hand against the rotation but she was playing it safe. The goal of the experiment was to scrap out the extra unwanted layer off the cylindrical piece and scrap it close enough to the cover piece stuck inside. More visibility equalled more accurate microscopic reading. Two hundred rpm couldn't achieve that.

Pallavi knew that. She even tried leveling up but would withdraw her hand as soon as it started vibrating a little more. By the time others tried with five different disks, it was almost evening.

"Come on, Pallavi. You can do it. Just speed up a little more." Tulsi tried to convince her one last time, waving her hands in exasperation as Pallavi withdrew the mould from the disk.

"It's okay. This is not my whole job anyway. Some other time maybe." Pallavi shrugged. She hardly cared anymore. She glanced at the meter one more time. It displayed 240 rpm. She sighed, giving up.

Or atleast she thought she was.

"What are you...?" Pallavi asked, startled, looking at Adhvik who appeared out of nowhere to stand beside her. Unknown to her, he had been watching her for quite a while. Moreover, he took hold of her hand.

"Now hold it like... this," Adhvik instructed, arranging her fingers for her to hold the mould firmly. The tips of his fingers touched hers and she suddenly forgot why he was here in the first place. Not to mention the lack of distance between them as the equipment itself was kept in the corner. She could feel his shoulder bumping against hers. He, however kept his composure. "I'm starting now."

It was only after he left her hand to start the equipment did Pallavi revert back to reality. She exchanged glances between the speedometer and Adhvik with panic written all over her face.

"Nononoo, please no!"

His eyes fell on hers, with a small smile. "I'm here, alright."

"But..."

"Do you trust me?"

"... Yes."

"Then, trust me. I won't let anything happen to you, okay."

No words were needed after that. More like, Pallavi was too stunned to make any. She just got swept away with the flow. So much so that she almost didn't notice when he increased the speed to 280 rpm. He sped up little by little till 300 but then, slowed down immediately when he noticed her fingers shake. She was probably self conscious of that number.

Again he increased the speed slowly and managed to bring it upto 310 rpm. Pallavi couldn't believe it. Tulsi couldn't believe it either. She finally managed to do it. There was nothing to fear about. It was all in her head. She glimpsed back at Adhvik in wonder and let her gaze remain there. He let it remain there as well while the background ceased to exist. Was it possible to smile with your eyes? It was as if he said 'See, I told you so.'

She trusted him.

Now that Pallavi could handle the speed, Adhvik left her on her own. She wished he would have stayed a bit more longer. 'I won't let anything happen to you. Trust me on this.' She couldn't get his words out of her head. It sounded like the kind of words one would say in a fictional drama. Who said that these days? But she couldn't help not minding it.

* * *

A day later.

It was 10:30 in the morning. Tiwari left the office for some work. Pallavi who went to drink water was about to settle down in her seat when she saw Adhvik waving his hand to grab her attention.

She raised her hand in question, "What?"

To this, Adhvik raised his hand revealing a lunch box. He pointed his finger to the testing room, probably telling her to head there. A second later, he took the lunch box to the testing room and she followed. A lunch box? At this time? Pallavi thought.

And why the hell were they talking in sign language?

Oddly enough, it was just her and Adhvik in the testing room, although the buzzing sounds of the machines didn't make it feel like it. Pallavi approached the table where Adhvik had placed the lunchbox.

"For you, ma'am." Adhvik bowed with his arms spread lowly in a gentlemanly way.

"For me? Really?" Pallavi eyed the lunch as if it were gold. Closely enough the dish was in yellow called Poha.

"Yes. You were saying the other day about the promise I made to you to make something after Diwali. I almost forgot about it but here it is. It's all yours."

They say food was the way to a girl's heart and to Pallavi, it really was. She was so touched she could cry. No guy ever had prepared food for her and they weren't even lovers. Maybe she was finally given the green light by the Gods.

Pallavi scooped a spoonful of poha into her mouth. It was spicy delicious. Seemed like he was a fan of the spices. She stole a glance at Adhvik who was clearly waiting for her approval. 'Delish,' she replied with her mouth full and made a gesture by raising three fingers. The gleam on his eyes matched the grin on his lips, like a child getting approved for his drawing.

She gladly dug on the food for as long as she could. Of course she asked Adhvik to have it but he refused her twice. Almost as if he was content enough by watching her. Seriously, did it matter that much? Why so, she wanted to ask.

Alas, their private time was interrupted by Harshit and Rohan who shamelessly took a mouthful of poha without asking. Pallavi stepped aside and let them be. She had enough already. She thanked Adhvik and left smiling with another thought in mind.

A task to prepare breakfast for him sometime.

***

A couple of days passed in preparing the documents, reports and work guides. Everyone was busy holding their fort at work. And it was at this crucial time that Pallavi parents decided to travel to Jammu. Religious people often made a bet- sorry, pact with God. If their certain wish came true, they would do a certain thing in return. Pallavi's father had been struggling with a delicate problem in his job for a long time. They prayed that if it were resolved they would offer their gratitude at the famous Vaishno devi temple, located at the mountains in Jammu.

Pallavi understood the significance very well. She even told her parents to go without her. But Papa had prayed for the entire family to go. To make it easier, they would have to go on the weekend. So Pallavi only had to convince the office to take two days holidays.

As suggested by Adhvik, Pallavi took leave from the HR first, then approached the manager. Hyoung paused for a bit as he contemplated but eventually granted her permission. That's what it meant by being just a graduate engineer trainee. You didn't hold the weight on your shoulders. The team would survive mighty fine without you.

* *

"A question." Tulsi asked Pallavi all of a sudden. The wall mirror in the women's washroom reflected their actions as they adjusted their hair and clothes. "By now you know most of the guys from our department and few from others. I know there isn't a fine catch here but is there anyone you would like to date or perhaps go for coffee with? Yeah, yeah, don't give me that look. Adhvik already asked you this question once."

Twice, Pallavi wanted to correct her but let it be. She raised a suspicious brow at her friend. "You tell me. Is there someone you would like to go with?"

"W- why? You think I have hots for someone?" Tulsi retorted, looking elsewhere.

Pallavi smirked. "I know, okay. You just want to make sure that my man of interest, if any, is not Rohan."

"What, no! I just... fine, you got me!" Tulsi sighed in defeat. She turned to Pallavi, smiling timidly her way before turning to the sink. "I don't know why but... when I talk to him, I feel this vibe, you know. This strange pull between us. Like I'm in a floaty space. Just me and him. But he pulls my leg too much. I'm not fond of that..."

As Tulsi described her newfound feelings, Pallavi couldn't help but put herself and Adhvik in Tulsi and Rohan's shoes. It was a revelation in itself. As if all the pieces had finally fallen in place. She could relate to everything Tulsi said. Almost as if she was talking about Pallavi.

Underneath all those lovely smiles and flirtations, there was a spark. A spark Pallavi wanted to ignite. She just didn't know how.

"So there's no one who demands your attention?" Tulsi brought up the topic again after sometime.

"Well... I suppose... there is one." Pallavi admitted, fidgeting with her fingers.

Tulsi's eyes popped wide "What, really? Who?... Come on, you gotta tell me."

Pallavi thought the answer was obvious since she mostly talked to him besides Tulsi. How come she didn't figure it out? Was she that oblivious to her surroundings? Tulsi being Tulsi started to name the guys in the office including Adhvik but Pallavi remained mum. He wasn't smart looking, he recited lame jokes. What would Tulsi think if she told her?

"Oh, come on, Pallavi! I thought we were close enough to share these things. I won't tell anyone."

At this point, Pallavi was basically admitting she had a crush on him. It was something she had never admitted to herself, forget someone else. With great courage, she voiced out meekly while closing her eyes. "The one who asked this kind of question in the first place."

"The one who.... Oh my God! Adhvik!" Tulsi raised her hands to her mouth dramatically while Pallavi shushed her down, despite being alone in the washroom.

"It- it's just a stupid crush you know. Who knows how long it will last. But..." Pallavi laughed nervously, trying to defend herself. But then, her resistance subsided and she admitted what she truly wanted ever since Adhvik started 'who would you date?' questionnaire with her.

"I would like to go on a date with him."

"I think you have a greater chance of that happening than me. He already seems to be into you." Tulsi told her as they exited the washroom.

Pallavi scoffed. "You think so?"

"Yup," Tulsi replied, popping the p. She looked ahead in the direction of their office. "You see Adhvik sitting there? Let's see which girl he looks at first."

Now that seemed stupid to Pallavi. What if he looked at Tulsi first? That would be hilarious. Unfortunately, he ended up looking at no one since he was already engrossed to his work. This was an office, not a dating site.

* * *

Eventually it was Thursday. Pallavi wrapped her work and was ready to leave in the afternoon itself to catch the train in the evening.

"Here," Adhvik said, giving her a two small packets of cream biscuits from his desk drawer. He already had them for days. "Eat this on your way."

"And remember me is basically what he's saying." Tulsi completed the sentence for him, wriggling her eyebrows mischievously. Great, just great. Now that Pallavi told Tulsi about her supposedly crush, Tulsi left no stone unturned on teasing Adhvik. Was it supposed to help her out? Pallavi didn't know.

"Yeah, whatever," Adhvik said, dismissing his hand with it. Pallavi almost cringed when Tulsi teased him about missing Pallavi in her absence. Although Adhvik didn't confirm but he didn't deny it either. Would he really miss her, then?

Unfortunately, Adhvik wasn't there to let her find out as he soon left to visit Mi office in Gurgaon. It took about thirty minutes to reach there. Pallavi and the rest ended up having lunch without him.

Why today? Pallavi thought as she stole a glance at the exit route of their office in disappointment. Then, there was the issue of informing Hyoung Lee about the half day she was about to take. 'Just go with it' Tulsi motivated her.

At two past thirty, she received calls from her parents to come home. The driver had already come to pick her up. That made her glance at the corridor once again. Still no signs of Adhvik. Dejected, she bid him a farewell message on WhatsApp.

She was arranging her desk when her phone pinged. It was reply from Adhvik.

Wait.
I'm combing.

*coming.

Now that wasn't something Pallavi was expecting. The fact that he wanted to see her off made her giddy. She called the family driver, telling him to wait for some time.

Five minutes passed. Then another five. She received another call from her mother asking what was taking her so long. Now she couldn't stall her family because of a man. She realized she had to go. She bid goodbye to Tulsi and picked her handbag. With deep regret, she typed to Adhvik.

I have to go now. It's
getting late.

It was just a matter of three days.

Wait, I've almost
reached now.

What? Just what was with him all of a sudden? He wasn't willing to let her go. Soon Pallavi walked out of the office. Placing a hand above her forehead to cover the sun, she peered over the distant gate in search for a familiar face. A black motorbike could be seen heading towards the gate. Two guys were riding on it. The one sitting on the back undid his helmet to reveal Adhvik with his messy hair. He headed towards her. Her delight knew no bounds as she smiled widely but then restrained to avoid looking like a fool.

"Hi..."

"Hello... "

Silence. They stood at the expanse of the roadway behind them.

"So you got everything?" Adhvik asked formally, glancing over the permission application she held in her hand.

"Yes, sir. Although Hyoung was reluctant at giving half day at first." Pallavi shrugged.

"But he granted you permission right? That's all it matters." Adhvik waved a dismissive hand. There was a brief pause as he held his gaze on her and smiled, extending his hand.

"Okay so take care, and all the best- wait, what am I saying?" He muttered more to himself, averting his eyes for a second before regaining his composure. "I mean, happy journey and have a good time."

Pallavi who was watching him closely, suddenly realised she had to shake hands. "Oh, yeah, thank you. Thank you!" She thanked more confidently the second time.

They probably must have continued to shake their hands. Probably held onto each other's gazes too. Or probably it was all inside Pallavi's head. Regardless, the rose tinted glass broke to reveal the filter- less reality as they smiled before departing to their destinations. In that reality, Pallavi sat down the car and gazed up the sky in wonder.

Her smile knew no bounds.

And how would she? Especially after receiving a new message before reaching home.

"Don't worry about
Sir Hyoung, alright.
Just enjoy ur journey. 😇😇"

Her crush was turning out to be less crushed and more of something else. She wondered what else was in store for her with him. She couldn't wait to find out. She couldn't wait to see him again.

* * * *

These are not the exact images of the rotating disk but close enough. (they don't create an electric spark like friction in the first image). The second image with the sand disk is more similar. Except it's more bigger and wider.

So how was the chapter? Pallavi is now off to Jammu. Let's see what happens afterwards. My favorite chapter is almost here. Look forward to it.

Vote and comment. ⭐💬