Let's keep it simple

part 12

She turns the wrapper in her palm. Having no idea why and since when she has been holding that wrapper in her hand...Its like she has won some lottery and she cant let go of the ticket now. For someone that wrapper is just another piece of garbage but for her that wrapper is of great value. Why? She has no idea....

Perhaps she has. Perhaps she knows why this small wrapper is so close to her heart. Why she is spending some great amount examining it in middle of night.

Rajveer sir.... who else! He had sneaked her this chocolate. She ate that chocolate but her heart couldnt let her throw the wrapper. She wonders what she would do with this wrapper. May be fold it nicely and keep it somewhere private.

"Jaadu seekh reli he kya?" A sudden intruding voice alerts her. She gets startled. There is alekh standing at a little distance. Looks like his mentor has sent him on some night patrolling and he ended up here..

"Abhi is se kabootar nikalegi ya dusri chocolate?" Alekh smirks. She blushes a little. But composes herself. She hides the wrapper at once.

"Tu yaha kya kar rha he?"

"Rat me bhoot dhundhne nikla hu. Tu apna bata. Hath me kya liye baithi thi! Jaadu seekh rahi he kya? Rajveer sir ne nayi trick sikhayi he?"

"Shut up Alekh."

"Did you thank him?" His knowing eyes read everything and he pops up the question. Naina looks at him with questioning eyes.

"Come on Naina. Its obvious he gave you a chocolate. Otherwise what the reason would be that you are holding this wrapper as if it's power of attorney! Did you thank him? Like a proper thank?"

She shakes her head.

"To kab karegi? Tere ko ye sab bhi apun hi bataye? Apun kis angle se love guru lagta he?"

"Kya bak raha he tu? And I did say that it was an oasis in desert." She tries to hide her embarrassment.

"Naina....Thank you is a different word. As far as we know Rajveer sir wo tujhse kuch expect bhi nahi karte he. But thank you, I believe you, I miss you...these are not mere words. If you tell him that you missed him he'd feel elated. For him these words are no less than elixir. So thank him."

She nods in understanding. A funny thing that Alekh is lecturing her how to express gratitude. The person who himself tries not to express a lot.

"What about you? You never say thank you. Dont you think we all deserve at least a little gratitude?" She pops the question.

"I am a man of less words." And he signs off with his signature style leaving her smiling. Naina pulls out the wrapper again. Indeed he did a great job. Breaking a small rule when you have been following them your whole life....this is no less. She tears the wrapper in half. Folding the other half in a cute flower shape she writes a small thank you in empty space. She holds the messily done origami in her palm. Flower is all messed up. But it does look like a flower. She had picked this trick on you tube one day. However she didnt practice a lot. Bit somehow the half wrapper had been used.

Its after some time that Captain Rajveer appears. Her heart blooms looking at him. No matter how bad she is feeling a single glance at him aand she feels fresh. She gives him a warm smile. Something in her tells to stand up and go and hug him. She gets surprised at audacity of her own thoughts.

"Hi. What' up? Cadet Singh."

She shakes her head. She puts some more twigs in fire. A sudden flame eruots and he leaps to her.

"Careful. Cadet. It might be dangerous"

"Aap ho na. Sir." Their eyes meet and she can swear she has seen ocean of emotions in his eyes.

He sits next to her. She fidgets as how to hand him over that messy stunt she pulled. She gaters all the courage and spreads it on her palm with eyes closed.

"Thank you for the chocolate."

Rajveer sees the messy flower. He picks it up.

"This is so cute. Cadet. Kaun kahega tumhe ye sab bhi aata he?" He is mesmerized with the small flower. He flips it over. The small thank you reaches his eyes. For a second his heart stops.....
For a moment he forgot that how much damaged and broken he is.....
He feels overwhelmed. It's not a big deal but at the same it is huge. He carefully puts the flower in his pocket.

"Thank you for the beautiful flower."

Their eyes meet and a small smile is exchanged. . Naina feels a strange calm. Praying for the moment to stop she wonders Rajveer sir to do same.

As they sat beside the stream after a heavy day of tasks and drills....
Their pinky fingers got settled on the rock just a slight brush....
And neither of them tried to pull back the hand....
They ignored it....

-------------

As they were returning back from the drill in bus....
She can't help but analyse yet another incident....

With some mushroom 's allergic reaction
She started throwing up .... By the midnight
And there he was holding her hairs back, patting her back....
Helping her wash....

She even told him to not witness it...
But it was not at all gross for him....
He even offered her to clean her clothes while she rested..... wearing his jacket as it was chilling....

She can always depend on him
He is always there ....
It's funny how people say they will always be around but seldom are....
He never made any promise but here he is abiding to it....

The kinship she has started feeling with him
The warm she feels with him
She never had any feeling so comforting...
She was now and then glancing at him
Sitting in second row with abhimanyu
Talking,smiling and she got zone out....
It's a comfort to just watch his face....

And then suddenly she did metacognition and caught herself obsessing over him again.
Something which she is doing very often.
Is it normal to think so much about your teacher, mentor.

The thought made her worry
"What is happening to me " she wondered