Anokhi Fitrat

Chapter 1

It's a bright sunny morning in the beautiful city of Bangalore. The sky is blue, the birds are chirping, and there's the wind that is causing the leaves to rustle on trees. It is the ideal weather that every resident in Bangalore wants and hopes for. It is not too hot and not too chilly, just a perfectly pleasant atmosphere.

There's an apartment complex called Sobha Grand, where in Apt 390, a girl is seen waking up from her bed and opening up the curtains of her window, to overlook the view of her community, revealing the said perfect weather. She smiles to herself happy that it is a good start to her day.

The girl in question is Nisha Sharma, a 27-year-old who lives with her roommate Aakansha in a 2BHK in the suburbs.

Nisha is starting her first day at work in a new company called Kin. It is a startup that develops apps for various fintech companies in the market. Her school friend Manik founded the company a few months and was in desperate need of a Product Manager, which is why he came up to her with an offer and a request. As Nisha is someone who always values her friendships, she didn't take long in saying yes to joining the company, besides she was looking for a switch after working for 5 years in her previous company.

She is excited to start work and appreciates that Bangalore weather seems to support her endeavors. Looking at her phone and seeing that it's 7.30 am already, she rushes to take a shower.

—---- BGM (Rozanna from Love Breakups Zindagi) —--

Once she's out from her shower, she quickly puts together her breakfast of bread and eggs, wolfs it down along with tea, and rushes to work.

—--------------------- Kin Office --------------------------

She walks into the office that her cab stops right in front, intrigued by the beautiful interiors. It is a quaint little space designed to fit about 30 people. She scurries past several desks trying to find the HR or Manik, so that she can get assigned her desk and equipment and start work. As she maneuvers her way to find the HR, a guy comes out of nowhere and crashes into her. A stack of papers he was holding onto flies in the air, while they both fall down on the floor. As she tries to straighten her clothes and stand up, the guy apologetically offers his hand saying, "So sorry about that, I didn't see you coming my way". Taking his hand, she stands up, nodding as a way of accepting his apology and muttering, "no problem".

"Can you please tell me where the HR's desk is?" asks Nisha finally gazing at the guy, she bumped into. He was tall and had piercingly beautiful eyes, there was something intense yet sad in them. Before she could pick up on more, he flashes her his brightest smile saying, "Sure. It's right down the corner. I am Kabir btw. Kabir Agarwal".

"Thanks, Kabir. I am Nisha and I am currently late, catch you later." rushes off in the direction he pointed, leaving him flabbergasted.

He shakes his head off smiling while staring at the cute, brunette who just whizzed past him. Snapping out of his thoughts, he makes his way into the CEO's cabin where his buddy Manik is.

"Yo Manik, aaj koi naya join karne waala tha kya?" questioned his friend, who was currently sprawled on his chair with his laptop.

"Haan join toh karni waali thi, par tu kyun pooch raha?" asks back Manik, without removing his eyes off his laptop.

"Nahi, ek ladki aayi hai, Nisha, woh HR desk dhoondh rahi thi and usse pehle yahan kabhi dekha nahi, toh I assumed she's new" said Kabir, nonchalantly taking a seat opposite Manik's desk.

"Kya, Nisha aa gayi? Oh shoot, mujhe actually usse bahar receive karna tha" picking up the phone on his desk and dialling the HR.

"Revati, Nisha aayi hai, usse mere cabin mein bhej do" orders Manik.

"Okay, par yeh Nisha hai kaun? And how come I didn't know about this hiring?" asked Kabir inquisitively.

"Arrey yaar, it was a last-minute thought. Clients ke saath kitne challenges face kar rahe the, toh socha ek strong PM chahiye hoga and I've known her from school, she's one the best in the biz" explained Manik to a curious Kabir.

Before Kabir could further argue, there was a knock on the door. "Come in" says Manik, rising from his desk and walking towards the door.

"Manik?" says Nisha, popping into the cabin, at an already approaching Manik

"Nisha!! So glad to have you here" says Manik, hugging her and greeting her. Kabir feels a tinge of something inside him, but unable to recognize it, he dismisses the feeling instantly.

"Arrey yaar, main tumhe receive karne aane waala tha but I lost track–" explains Manik.

"-Of time, Of course you did, but I can find my way around the office, you know" says Nisha, rolling her eyes, aware of Manik's behaviour.

"Ahem ahem, sorry to break up your happy reunion, par isse pehle aap log nostalgia roadtrip pe jaao, I'll just reintroduce myself, I am Kabir, CTO of this company and jitna Manik ne bataya, you are Nisha, the new PM" says Kabir, trying to snap them out of their bubble and not feel like a third wheel.

"That's right Kabir. That'd be me. It is a pleasure to meet you" said Nisha, smiling warmly making Kabir reciprocate the same, "Likewise".

"Anyway Nishu, hi hello toh baad mein hota rahega, I have a meeting in 5 with some investors, so I'll leave you to it. Revati will get you started and agar kuch bhi chahiye ho toh Kabir se pooch le, woh teri help kar dega. So sorry but I gotta rush" finishes Manik, bolting out the door with his laptop and headphones.

"No worries, I'll manage" said Nisha waving him off, shaking her head at his speedy exit, with a slight smile on her face.

"Here, let me give you a tour of the place" offers Kabir politely, holding the door open for her.

"Kabir, you don't need to. Revati was anyway gonna show me around, I am sure the CTO of the company has better things to do than show an employee around. Don't worry about it, I'll let you get back to work." answers Nisha, professionally leaving no room for any debate.

"Alright, you have a great first day. We are excited to have you" says Kabir trying to sound as genuine as possible, watching her reply back with a "thanks" and walk out of the cabin. He wonders why he felt a hint of disappointment when she refused his offer. Wouldn't most people appreciate the CTO of a company giving them a tour and jumping right at the chance? And there she was, not only refusing the offer but slyly asking him to get back to work. He was confused if he was supposed to take this optimistically or get offended.

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Fellow readers, if you have thoughts or comments on the intro, please feel free to share. This is new to me, coming up with a whole new story. So I appreciate every little feedback. Thank you for reading!