Head over Heels ☑️

Chapter 39 - Khushi

🎶 Passionfruit - Drake

The coffee machine groaned to life, sputtering and steaming. The scent of burnt espresso curled into the air, mingling with hints of leather satchels and dry-cleaned satin.

Heels clacked rhythmically against polished concrete, interrupted by the occasional ping of incoming messages on MSTeams and calendar alerts. Somewhere behind her, a garment rack squealed as it was wheeled past, its wheels bumping over the vinyl flooring.

But for Khushi, it was all background noise—she sat hunched at her desk, brow furrowed, fingers flying over her keyboard as she filled out the report due that afternoon.

Karthik murmured something about grabbing a drink, and Khushi nodded without looking up, still focused on her screen. They had slipped into an easy rhythm—matching pace, matching drive.

Khushi was methodical, while Karthik brought a bit of lightness to the mix with his upbeat attitude and quick thinking. He'd already earned his place by showing up—pitching in, staying light even when the work turned dull.

They worked well together. A shared desk, shared chai, shared laughs folded into long hours. It helped, knowing they weren't doing it alone.

"Khushi," called a voice over her shoulder. She looked up to find Smitha, a fellow team member, joining her at her table, eyes scanning the paperwork in her hand.

"Listen," said Smitha, adjusting her shirt with a nervous tick, her voice lowering slightly. She glanced toward Aditya's cabin, where he was pacing behind his desk, partially visible through the open slats of the venetian blinds.

"That concept board you put together the other day—the one on Aira Studios' retrofitted SS'24 capsule collection—was excellent work!" She hesitated, then added, "I'm working on a piece, but things are a bit overwhelming right now. Any chance you could pitch in?"

"Sure!" said Khushi. "What do you need me to do?"

"Here," said Smitha, handing her a few pages. They included a set of rough croquis sketches, followed by a design rationale outlining the moodboard inspiration, target demographic, and how the pieces would integrate into the upcoming Spring/Summer 2026 line sheet.

"I started drafting this last night, but could you review and finesse it? You really have the magic touch when it comes to storytelling—and feel free to tweak the silhouettes or the copy if needed."

Khushi glanced through the sheets, eyebrows lifting. "This is excellent, Smitha-ji! I mean, Smitha," she added with a sheepish smile. "I'll definitely take a look."

"You're the best," said Smitha, giving her shoulder a quick squeeze. "I've already sent over the editable files—do you have CLO or Illustrator set up on your system?"

"Oh... I don't," said Khushi. "When I requested it, I was told they're still working on getting two more licenses—one for Karthik and one for me. But it's no problem. I can make the edits by hand and scan them in.

Smitha looked visibly frustrated and sighed. "I knew the department budget was tight, but not this tight—denying interns access to standard design tools is honestly... Anyway, don't worry about redrawing if it's too much."

"That's alright," said Khushi brightly. "Sketching by hand was actually one of my favorite parts in college. Our faculty insisted on pencil-and-paper before we even touched a stylus."

Smitha smiled in relief. "Thanks again. I'll check in with you tomorrow—I'm presenting this just before the lunch review."

Khushi nodded enthusiastically. "Consider it done!" she said, already flipping through the mock-up, genuinely thrilled at the opportunity.