rajveer naina - fated

chapter 8

Chapter Eight:

"I can't believe it's only three months until we finish our training,"she had remarked, a spark in her eyes,
"Just imagine, three months and we'll finally be proper soldiers, ready to begin our duties."

"I'm sure that's not the only reason you're waiting to finish the academy,"her friend had joked,
"After that, your line will be clear for making a new connection."And she had blushed,

"Tu bhi na, Pooja…that wasn't what I meant, you know that there's not…that we're not…"Pooja had smiled affectionately, and hugged her.

"You don't have to pretend with me, dost, I know whose messages are in the inbox of your heart. Just wait and see, as soon as you're finished in the academy, he'll be sending his signal loud and clear.

"There had only been three months to go…and at that time, she had honestly believed that she would have the rest of her life ahead of her, that there would be plenty of time to tell him how she felt…

But fate had had other plans./

Asha had been in a bad mood all morning. In fact she had been in a bad mood since the day before yesterday when she had arrived back on base to be informed she would be having a visitor on her day off.

"Don't worry, I'll find some way to get you away so that you don't have to spend too much time with him." Amiya tells her as they walk into the mess in the morning. "I'll come and tell you you're needed somewhere."

"He'll just get suspicious about that," Asha sighs, "Especiallysince it's the second time it's happening. It won't work."

"Well then… I'll send Hussein to tell you that you're needed somewhere!" Amiya suggests, spotting the young man at a nearby table, bent over a sheet of paper.

"He'll do it for us!" Hussein had only been on base for a couple of weeks, but both of the girls had grown attached to him in that time. Ashe was a few months younger than them, Amiya was constantly joking that since she was like his elder sister and that he should listen to her.

Sighing, Asha slumps into a seat opposite Hussein and then on seeing him in front of her suddenly remembers something."You know I had a dream about somebody called Pooja last night." She tells him,

"I think your story really affected me too much."For a moment Hussein's eyes register shock until he gets himself under control, calming his emotions.

"So what was the dream about?" he asks her."I think we were in an academy together…" Asha tells him,"But it definitely wasn't my academy… anyway we were talking about how there was only a few months to go until graduation and…
"But Amiya, who has been peering over Hussein's shoulder at the sheet of paper by his hand, suddenly interrupts.

"Who are you writing to?" she asks him curiously, and Hussein hurriedly covers the sheet of paper, folding it over."Nobody." He tells her, "Actually… to my parents."

"You are not," Amiya tells him, "Hardly anyone bothers writing with pen and paper anymore when they could just as easily email them. Admit it, you've got a girlfriend and you're writing to her." She grins, proud at herself for figuring it out."Amiya, stop being so nosy," Asha tells her, "Hussein can write to whoever he likes and he doesn't have to tell us about it."

"Yes he does, he's our friend now." Amiya protests, "And therefore we deserve to know about his girlfriend."Asha can't help laughing at that, momentarily distracted from the idea of Rajesh coming to visit today.

Hussein looks terribly embarrassed, and Asha can swear that he's even blushing a little."Fine," he admits, "I am writing to my girlfriend."

"Oooo, seedha saadha Hussein Baig has a girlfriend." Amiya teases him, "Well come on, what's her name, where did you meet, how long have you been going out for?""We've known each other for a long time, been going out for about a year now and I'm not telling you her name." Hussein replies, a smirk on his face."Oh come on, why not?" Asha asks him,