Second Chance (Vol.1) Squandered

63: Arjun on Noor's New job

Back in his cabin Arjun could not focus on his files...

Arjun had heard of TK Advertising before. Where! It had a familiar ring to it. Definitely not from Noor. They had not got down to meeting at all after she took up this new job.

Arjun paced up and down in his cabin like the sorry lion in the queen's zoo. He sat down and wracked his brains. Switched from coffee to green tea and back to coffee. Paced all over the entire top floor and car park, scrolling through all his contacts on all the SM sites he had signed up on. Just as he picked his ninth cup of coffee... Yes! His school friend was heading some tech team there.

Arjun found the girls number and met her for lunch at that same horrible café where Noor had kept him waiting. The staff gave him funny looks. He remembered he had been impatient and rude on his last visit.

Arjun had made discreet enquiries over the hour long lunch. What he gathered had luckily not been scary. Tanuj Kapoor aka TikTok as per the girls in TK Advertising was the only irritant else the company was doing good. Yes. His friend knew Noor. The whole office knew Noor. She was new, a fresher but she was smart and a fighter.

The girls in the office looked out for each other and the news was Noor knew how to stand for herself. TikTok had been TikTok with Noor on her very first day at work. But Noor had not given him a chance to take any undue advantages. In fact she had almost quit.

Also her teammate who had worked with Noor unofficially had declared that Noor was good. They had tried to transfer Noor to her department or even borrow her on occasion. But TK had declined their request. It was common knowledge that TK misused female employees who desperately needed the job.

Arjun wondered why Noor had entered the desperate category. He had urged his friend to keep trying to pull Noor out of TKs department. He had pressed this idea subtly without attracting attention to himself; in the guise of generally protecting and encouraging good work and good people.

Arjun had to ask more stuff about other people between his Noor enquiries just so that his interest in Noor was not obvious.

When he had walked into Zoya's cabin later in the evening a happy looking Noor was hugging Zoya.

Zoya: (happily announced to him) Noor has been transferred to her dream team at work.

Noor had beamed at him. He had not seen Noor this pleased for a long long time.

Articles on Zoya's desk caught Arjun's eye. 2 new articles had joined the yellow box on her desk.

The yellow box. Arjun had often wondered what priceless treasure or talisman was locked in that yellow box.

Arjun had often seen Zoya with that box clasped in her hands; sometimes simply pacing her cabin, thinking; sometimes seated on the couch, holding the box to her forehead, thinking. He had seen her reach out and place her palm on it in times of distress, joy; when the phone rang with bad or good news. It was her stress buster of sorts.

Arjun just prayed it was not a Pandora's box and when he got the chance to peek inside someday; he did not unleash more chaos in their lives.

One of the new additions on Zoya's desk was a basket filled with colorfully wrapped candies. There were 2 soft-toy-kittens also in the basket and a note with just 1 word SORRY in huge bold red letters. Arjun suspected it was from Noor and wondered what Noor had done now.

The second new addition was a snow globe with a cute boy and girl inside. Arjun was sure this must be a gift from Arshad. He wanted to pick it and smash it to the floor. But that would be too dramatic. A better idea would be to make it appear as an accident. He reached out for a candy and had a good mind to sweep the snow globe off Zoya's desk. What was wrong with him! Some Noorishness had rubbed off on him.

Zoya: Arjun. Did you pick Arshad or do we have to pick him en route?

Arjun: (startled, as if caught red handed trying to damage the snow globe) Yes. He is outside.

Zoya: Oh! Lets not keep him waiting.

Zoya had hurried to gather the bags.

Noor and Arjun had both slipped into a foul mood the instant Zoya mentioned Arshad.