This is not how he had expected their second meeting to be, if they were meant to see each other ever again. This was too brutal.
Aditya thought to himself as he stood near his post the next morning.
He was determined today to clear the thick air between them and formally introduce himself, ask her for her name, and maybe then have a small conversation.
Now that she is aware of the clearance policy, he was anticipating her return, in need of some other medical supply with a clearance.
If by any chance she does not have one, he thought to himself, he will explain everything in detail and in a calm voice today.
He did see her going towards the medical camp this morning, without glancing towards the panchayat bhawan; maybe she was in a a hurry.
It was afternoon, and two people had come from the medical team asking for supplies: one, Dr.Reeta, and another, the CMO of Kendrapara. He hates to admit it, but he was getting impatient with each passing minute.
When he was patrolling the area in the jeep, he could not help himself from taking a look at the medical camp both times his jeep passed by.
By evening it was clear that she would not come; that did strike a sad chord in his heart, but he was too busy to do anything about it today.
That evening he saw her going back to her tent again,, no glance.
He wanted her eyes to land on him at least once that would give him a reason to start a conversation. He wanted to clear up the misunderstanding that had happened between them.
When he was busy following her from one side of his visual field to the end on the other side, he was unaware that three other men were staring at him. And making note of his head movements. Rawat tried to speak, but Aarav nudged him not to do so.
That day ended with Captain Aditya feeling frustrated as he could not clear up the misunderstanding and Dr. Jahnvi trying her best to speak as little as she could with anyone.
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The next morning at around 11 am, people in that makeshift army post saw Captain Aditya coming out of the storage building with a carton box. 'Medical Emergency Kits' printed on it in red.
Before he could cross the main entrance, Lt. Rhea interrupted "Sir, anyone from medical team will come and collect it, you don't have to go there."
"See,Lt. Rhea, I think I should do this. You know, it will help us strengthen understanding between our departments."
He tried to exit, but Aarav was quicker than him and blocked his way. With playful expressions and a raised eyebrow, he commented, "More like it will strengthen your relations with Pink Saree Madam."
This raised Rhea's ear.. Before she could ask something, Rawat asked her to be quiet, with what you can call I'll tell you everything later expressions.
Aditya could not counter back; he knew he was caught.
The thing was, Aarav was not his junior, so he could not dismiss him with, Why don't you go and do this work?" He was very much his batchmate. That was the tragedy of this situation.
Before Aditya could retaliate, Aarav added, "Thapa, why don't you join our Aditya?" Help him in this inter-department relation-strengthening mission."
He knew the undercurrent of spill-the-tea-when-you-are-back energy behind this command. He, however, could not say anything and decided to play along.
With that, two men were on their way to the medical camp.
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Jahnvi was busy examining a patient when she saw two pairs of boots approaching medical camp. She was not over her embarrassment in front of these men and did not have the courage to look up.
Aditya, on the other hand, was relieved to see her near the entrance; he did not have to search around and make excuses. He went straight towards her.
When Jahnvi saw those boots moving in her direction, she grew uneasy. Before she could do anything, one of them spoke. That voice. Agh"Thesese are some of the medical supplies that Dr. Reeta was in need of. I thought of handing these over to your team."
There were so many things she wanted to say.
One, it is us who is supposed to approach you.
Two, you are very well aware Reeta is the head; go to her.
Three, please maintain as much distance as you can from me.
But she decided to not say any of these.
All she said was, "Keep it there," pointing towards a plastic chair. without sparing him any glance.
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"Ah. Cold." Thapa blabbered but stopped himself when Aditya glared.
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Aditya kept it there and stared in her direction for one more second; when she did not acknowledge his presence, he decided to leave.
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Those two pairs of boots left the medical camp premises. It was then she looked up. Stared at his back for a second. Shifted her gaze to that carton. Saw it for a moment and asked a health volunteer to hand it over to Reeta. With that, she went back to her work.
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As he was walking back to his post, his thoughts were running in his brain.
He saw her clearly for the first time in Kendrapara. He noticed how she had tied her hair back. Her rectangular-shaped glasses made her eyes look sharp. He could see she was tired and exhausted. Disheveled with the heat and humidity of the place. Yet as elegant as in that corridor of Delhi.
He could not stop himself from thinking how intelligent she looked in that white coat.
That white coat, the way she wore it, screamed confidence, strength, and hard work.
Now that he has seen her working, she did carry don't mess with me when I'm working energy.
But there was something he was eager to see but could not.
Her eyes.
First time they met in corridor, he saw playfulness in them.
Second time in that cafeteria, he saw stubbornness in them.
Third time near the storage area, he saw hope in them.
Fourth time when she left with IV fluids, he saw anger in them.
This time... he was not allowed to see them at all.
And her voice. So cold.
For a woman who spoke with such fire in Delhi, her silence screamed louder than anything she'd said before.
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As Aditya and Thapa entered the camp, Rawat's eyes looked in their direction with curiosity.
Before Rawat could speak anything today, it was Thapa who nudged him not to do so.
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As he was entering the office of the building, he saw Aarav coming out of it. Stress written all over his face, he was sweating as well, urgency in his every step. He was in a hurry to go somewhere when he saw Aditya approaching; he froze. Stared at him for a sec and then said with a stern and concerned voice.
"Adi, there is something that you should look into immediately."
With that, he entered the office again, asking Aditya to follow.
With confusion creases on his forehead, Aditya followed him.
When he reached the office, Aarav pointed to his table.
There was a white envelope kept there, addressed to Captain Aditya Shukla.
Sent by the Superintendent of Police of Kendrapara district.
He opens it.
Reads it once.. There are no expressions on his face.
When he keeps it back, Aarav inquires immediately.
"Aditya....?"
Aditya doesn't react. Just says.
"Start checking the patrol logs."
With a pause, he added.
"I think we're about to be audited."
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and then Add to home screen.