She was embarassed....
She was so perplexed waking up in his room on his bed
While poor him was struggling on the marble floor.....

It took a minute for her to reboot
Before she can understand how this happened.

She felt like flushing herself down the drain...
It was almost dawn
She got down and once again saw towards him

He was fast asleep but was shrinking with cold
She snatched  the blanket and kneeled down to cover him .

She wanted to leave as. Soon as possible before the army quarters wake up..
So that when she heads towards her room, it doesn't look like walk of shame.

But she got hooked
She remembered the moment they shared last night.

His feel his warmth, him being there for her .

A smile spread on her face ...
She was feeling happy to get reconcile with him...

She felt like ruffling his hairs before she leaves , but she resisted the feeling and got up and left.

Little she knew that he was pretending to sleep
He had woken up with the blanket wrap
But he didn't wanted to get up and make this situation more awkward than it already is....

________

Sitting on the coffee table with abhimanyu and alekh
They barely made any conversation

"We have three testimonies against major nair."
Abhimanyu said with excitement

"Yeah but he is not ready to open his mouth "
Rajveer said lost looking at the whirlpool he created in his coffee mug.

While Naina was concentrating on her tea.

"Main to bola mere sath usko ek kamre mein ek ghante kke liyee chod do...
Barobar mun kholega wo."

The three sniggerd
They are aware of the fact that major nair had given him a hard time.

________

Just a few accidental eye contact now and then
Once they were alone after lunch in the mess

She decided to talk to him....

"I am sorry for last night...."

She gave a start and he stopped fidgeting withh his phone....
She sat in front of him and he sat straight

"I was so overwhelmed and""

"It's completely fine
You don't have to give any explanation...
I am glad I was there for you..."

"You have always been there for me... I am the one who messed things up...
Rajveer sir I am....."

"Woa ..... Here comes the speech"
He smirked while she while she narrowed her eyebrows
He wanted to lighten the air between them....
Just like old times
When they usse to pal around

"Please  let me say it"
She tried again

"Naina
Tumhaara behaviour tumhaara reaction it was justified...."

"Apko shoot karna to justified nahi tha naa...
I am ashamed "

He almost spring on his chair looking on his shoulders .....

"Naina sshhhh"
He got alarmed leaving her astonished

"Ek kam karte hai let's settle the score
You want to repent right"?

He asked playfully.....

"You can give me a treat.....
I can use a pizza or two "

She was soo confused

"Pizza"?
She repeated

"Cheese burst "
He added

She nodded her head in disbelief while he chuckled.

"You need to relax...Naina
We are good "

Now she smiled with all her heart and he grinned himself

"But I am serious about that pizza"

"Definately sir..... I will work on it immediately"
She was feeling light as feather
They exchanged honest smiles

Everything had fallen into places.
It was like they were never apart.

After this they easily slipped back into their former selves around eachother

Later that afternoon
They submitted their final report and waited for the committee to give their final verdict.....

Now this change in the air wasn't unnoticed by abhimanyu and alekh too...

+------------

It was around evening whe she showed up on his door step. With a large box of pizza

She could have included alekh and abhimanyu
But she didn't wanted to share his time...

It's been 4 days

And she can't help but find excuses to be with.
Reaching out to him whenever she can.
Engaging in deep conversations and sometimes just some silly banter

"Apko kuch batana tha"
She said as she took a bite of her slice

While he was already hogging on his piece

"Han bolo"

"It's weird"

And he gave her a signal to continue

"Maa baba had approached  captain abhimanyu with my marriage proposal."

He started chocking on his bread and coughed

"Are you fine "

She grabbed a bottle for him and he took few steps...

"I am ok"
He clearly wasn't

"To phir "
He asked almost petrified to hear the answer

"Phir kya
Obviously I discarded the idea. And abhimanyu sir denied too....
He said that he sees me more like his sister "

He took a sigh of relief
But masked it well.

He took a bite or two and saw towards her
How come chauhan never told me this he wondered.

"So your parents are actively searching for your suiter."

"Wo to wo salon se kar rahe hai...
But I am stubborn
What about you
Are you seeing someone "?
She put that out as a general wondering

"Nope
Jab se meri x girlfriend ne mujhe hospital mein scissors se stab karne ki koshish ki hai
I have become a little paranoid "

He said with a fake sadness making her laugh so hard that she choked this time

He patted her to sooth her and she continued to giggle

He felt happiness filling his heart......
He use to love having this effect on her.
He use to make her laugh....when no one else could

"Hasti Hui achchi lagti ho...
Stop being so hard on yourself"
He said suddenly with a serious intense and eyes....

And she saw him
He certainly took some liberty with words.

She can see something in his eyes
The way he looks at her

She recognises this emotion which emerges on his face sometimes and like a bubble gets disappear behind formality

She combed her hairs back from her face and tired them up with clutch.
To do something while she push down back that weird feeling in her stomach....

He observed it keenly

For a moment he felt like telling  her to open her hairs again
He likes it that way

But then he was shocked with this sentence he just formed in his head...

It's none of his business how she keeps her hairs...

____________

The four sitting on dinner table
It was their last night together
Next morning they were supposed to leave for their respective stations

Naina was extremely disappointed
To get away from him again
From last one week they were practically hanging out together  day and night
Work , no work.....
They were finding excuses , managing their schedule for eachother

Coffee. , Maggie, pizza , chai.....
Evening walks , morning jogs

Abhimanyu and alekh were surprised that they were not even being subtle about it....
Obviously they were happy about their friends.

"What's with you and Naina"
Abhimanyu slipped it in between some random conversation
Catching him off gaurd...

"What "?
Rajveer couldn't think of an answer.

"Nahi matlab
Both of you resolved your conflicts
It's nice"

Rajveer was unable to comprehend his intentions

Rajveer was looking sharply towards abhimanyu as he asked

"Why didn't you told me that Naina 's parents offered you her proposal"
Offence is the best part of defence
He thought

"Because it wasn't relevant
And besides, that i would have never done that to you"
He mocked him with a  devilish smile and went straight for the washroom

While Rajveer sat their with stunned face watching him go...