The flight to Singapore had gone smoothly, and the crew was set for a 24 hour layover in the vibrant city. As the team gathered in the hotel lobby, Sidharth appeared with his signature carefree grin, already dressed in a casual shirt and jeans.

"Kya plan hai, team? Marina Bay dekhe ya Gardens by the Bay?" he asked enthusiastically.

Most of the crew was tired and opted to rest, leaving only a handful interested in exploring. Shehnaaz was among those staying back.

"Ms. Grumpy Gill, aap nahi chal rahi?" Sidharth asked, genuinely surprised.

"Excuse me?" Shehnaaz asked, dressed in a crisp shirt and trousers, was scrolling through her planner.

"Hehe main to mazak kar raha tha, wese chalein?."

"I have a lot to catch up on emails, some reading, and my meal prep. Thanks, but no thanks."

Sidharth shook his head. "Arre, emails aur reading toh roz hoti hai. Singapore ek baar aate hain! Chaliye na."

Shehnaaz glanced up, unimpressed. "Some of us take our responsibilities seriously, Captain Shukla."

"Responsibilities ke saath thoda masti zaroori hai, Ms. G.G" Sidharth quipped. "Ek chance dijiye. Promise, no shayari, no bakwas."

After a few minutes of back and forth and some light teasing from the crew Shehnaaz reluctantly agreed.

______________________________

The group split up, and soon it was just Sidharth and Shehnaaz walking through the Marina Bay Sands promenade. The evening lights reflected beautifully on the water, but Shehnaaz's focus remained on her watch.

"It’s already 7 PM. We should head back by 9. Flights have to be managed tomorrow," she reminded him.

"Relax, Ms. G.G." Sidharth said, pointing to a food truck nearby. "Chaat ka stall hai. Singapore me desi chaat miss karne ka plan hai kya?"

Shehnaaz hesitated but followed him. Watching Sidharth order enthusiastically, she could not help but crack a tiny smile.

"You are really something, Captain," she said as they ate. "How do you take everything so lightly?"

Sidharth leaned back on the bench, looking at her seriously for the first time. "Main har cheez lightly nahi leta. Zindagi mein bohot kuch dekha hai, G.G. Jab samjha ki kuch cheeze hamare haath mein nahi hoti, tab se maine khud ko tension dena band kar diya."

His candidness caught her off guard. "I did not expect you to say that," she admitted softly.

"Expectations ke bina zindagi aur bhi interesting hoti hai," he said with a wink, lightening the mood again.

As they wandered further, Sidharth insisted on taking a shortcut back to the hotel through a local marketplace. But his shortcut soon had them completely lost.

"Great," Shehnaaz muttered, her hands on her hips. "This is why I stick to my plans."

"Arey, chill, Ms. G.G  Adventure ka maza lo!" Sidharth said, pulling out his phone for directions.

"Stop calling me G.G okay." She said angrily. 

"Ye to impossible hai My Ms. G.G but i promise jis din aap smile karengi us din se aapka naam hoga Umm." He started to think for her new name. "Chhordho tab ka tab dekhenge."

"Aapki bakwas ho gai ho to please raasta check kijiye, mera schedule bigad raha hai." Shehnaaz said sternly tapping her foot on the road impatiently.

"Of course when Captain is here why fear." He said confidently and pulled out his phone. But unfortunately, his battery died mid search. "Iski maka saki naka isko bhi abhi marna tha." He murmured under his breath.

Shehnaaz groaned. "Of course."

"Trust me, hum nikal jaayenge," he said confidently.

"I trusted you the first time, Captain Shukla," she replied sharply. "Now we are stuck in a foreign city at night."

Seeing her genuinely stressed, Sidharth softened. "Okay, meri galti hai. Sorry, Ms. G.G. Main promise karta hoon, 20 minutes mein hum hotel pohoch jaayenge."

Surprisingly, he kept his word. After a mix of asking locals and using his charm to get help, they were finally back at the hotel.

_____________________________

Outside the hotel, Shehnaaz paused. "Thanks for getting us back," she said, her tone softer than before.

"Arre, aapka trust jeetna zaroori tha," Sidharth replied, grinning.

She rolled her eyes but smiled faintly. "Maybe you are not as irresponsible as I thought."

"Progress!" Sidharth said dramatically.

Before they parted ways, he added, "Aapko lagta hai, aaj ka din pura waste hua?"

Shehnaaz thought for a moment and shook her head. "No. It was… different."

Sidharth beamed. "Aapka smile jeetne ka mission successful ho raha hai, Ms. Future S.G."

"Future S.G?"

He shrugged off his shoulders and said. ,"Future Sunshine Gill."

Shehnaaz turned to leave, but not before saying, "Don't get used to it, Captain Shukla."

As she walked away, Sidharth watched her, smiling to himself. For all their differences, he felt he was finally breaking through her walls, one playful moment at a time.

________________________________

The next morning, Sidharth woke up early something unheard of for him. He decided to surprise Shehnaaz and the crew with breakfast at the hotel's café.

Carrying a tray of coffee and croissants, he spotted Shehnaaz sitting alone in the corner, reading a book while nibbling on an apple. Her hair was tied in a neat ponytail, and she looked as poised as ever.

Sidharth approached her with a grin. "Good morning, Ms. G.G! Book ke saath breakfast boring lag raha hai. Coffee aur croissant ka intezam kar diya hai maine."

Shehnaaz glanced up, surprised. "Aap itni subah uthe kaise?"

"Motivation aap ho," he quipped, pulling out the chair opposite her.

She rolled her eyes but did not refuse the coffee. "Thanks. But I prefer starting my day quietly."

"Quietly toh har din hota hoga. Kabhi kabhi thoda hungama zaroori hai, aur is naacheez ko bhi moka dijiye khatirdari ka" he said, breaking a piece of his croissant.

As they ate, Sidharth pointed to her book. "Yeh kya pad rahi ho?"

"Self-development. Atomic Habits," she replied.

"BC ye to Fictions bhi nahi padhti ab impress kese karu? Aur ye Atomic Habits kya hota hai atomic to bomb hota hai na?" He thought than said.

"Self-development? Aapko kya zarurat hai? Aap toh already Ms. Perfect ho," he said sincerely.

Shehnaaz laughed lightly a sound Sidharth hadn't heard before but it was not like actually laughing. "Perfect? Aapko nahi pata, mujhe kitni cheezein improve karni hain."

"Improve karne ke chakkar me apni khushiyan to bhool rahi ho?" he asked, his tone unusually serious.

Shehnaaz looked at him, her expression softening. "Kabhi kabhi lagta hai… haan, bhool rahi hoon."

Sidharth smiled. "Toh shuru karo. Aaj se. Ek din mein ek chhoti si khushi."

She nodded, holding his gaze for a moment longer than usual.

Later that day, the crew decided to explore Chinatown together. As they wandered through colorful stalls, Sidharth and Shehnaaz naturally paired off.

Sidharth picked up a traditional silk scarf and held it up. "Yeh aap par perfect lagega."

Shehnaaz smirked. "Aur main iss scarf ke saath kya karungi, Captain?"

"Style karna seekho, Ms. G.G" he teased, draping it around her neck.

Shehnaaz shook her head but didn't remove it. "Thoda loud hai, but it's nice."

For the first time, she felt herself relaxing around him. His energy was infectious, and she found herself more than she had in months.

That evening, the crew gathered at the rooftop pool. Sidharth and Shehnaaz ended up sitting on a quiet corner of the deck, looking out at the city lights.

"You know," Sidharth said, breaking the silence, "Aapke saath waqt guzarna achha lagta hai. Aap baaki logo se alag ho"

Shehnaaz raised an eyebrow. "Alag kaise?"

"Aap focused ho, disciplined ho, aur phir bhi… aapke andar ek masoomiyat hai jo baaki log nahi dekhte," he said sincerely.

Shehnaaz was taken aback by his words. "Mujhe lagta tha, aap mujhe sirf boring maante ho."

"Bilkul nahi. Aap impressive ho. Shayad isliye aapko irritate karne ka maza aata hai," he joked.

Shehnaaz smiled softly, her defenses lowering. "Mujhe laga hi tha, aapke shabdon ke peeche kuch baat hoti hai."

Sidharth leaned closer. "Aur aapke muskaan ke peeche bhi ek kahaani hai. Share karna chahogi?"

For a moment, Shehnaaz hesitated, but then she opened up. "Pata hai, mujhe disciplined rehna kyun pasand hai? Kyunki meri life hamesha unpredictable thi. Childhood se. Discipline mujhe control ka ehsaas deta hai."

Sidharth nodded, listening intently. "Aur control chhod diya toh?"

Shehnaaz sighed. "Phir sab bikhar jaayega."

Sidharth smiled gently. "Kabhi kabhi bikhre bina, nayi cheezein ban hi nahi sakti, Shehnaaz."

The way he said her name without the formal "Ms. Gill or Ms. G.G made her heart skip a beat. For the first time, she felt like she could trust him.

______________________________

The next morning, as they prepared to board their flight back to Mumbai, Sidharth handed her a small note before they went to their respective stations.

She opened it to find a simple message:
"Har din ek chhoti si khushi mujhe bhi include karna mat bhoolna."

Shehnaaz smiled to herself, tucking the note into her pocket.

As the plane soared into the sky, she felt something shift inside her. For the first time in a long time, she was not just flying a route, she was starting a new journey, with Sidharth by her side.

_____________________________

That is it for today.

Hope you all like it.

Thanks for reading.