Armed Forces in Love ✔

✩✩ 4 ✩✩

The plane took off smoothly after an hour delay and they were cruising at 36,000 feet high in the sky. The fluffy clouds blushed in orange hue as the sun rise, a tiny indication that the time is nearing for him. A tingling feeling spread through him as he remembered, the girl who has a craze for everything orange. He sighed at the view and turn to look ahead at nothing in particular. 

Despite having his heart in lock and key, Jagdish knew the avoided feeling had sneaked in through the keyhole to his heart. 'This is not at all a good sign', he mumbled within though a part of him did enjoyed. He knew the pain that would follow, he had witnessed it and it still hurts to even think about what the pain had done to his dear friend many years ago. Squeezing his eyes tight, he shook his head chasing the thought away.

Raj's bulky muscular leg knocked Jagdish's as the former tried to shift in his seat for a comfortable position. Jagdish was forcefully pushed to the middle seat of three, sandwiched between Aarifa, next to the window and Raj, on the aisle seat. While Salim and Raghav were seated right behind them, chatting non-stop. God knows what werr they chatting about.

He exhaled, the lack of sleep and sitting idle on a five-hour flight from Vizag to Jodhpur, Jagdish's eye lids grew heavy with every passing minute, eventually giving up his fight with sleep. Even then, in his sleep the only face that kept flashing was the lady's, for who he was flying to Jodhpur. Totally the opposite to what he used to do.

----

A soft knock on the door woke him up from his nap. He still had light fever that followed after drenching in rain three days ago. The remedy Yashodha had shared indeed helped with his flu. Feeling much active than he did when he was sick, Jagdish had joined immediately the next day for duty. It's quite expensive to not attend his classes even for a day. 

Though officer Yashodha had insist him to take another day off to rest, he had denied. He wasn't in a position to take many days off, Jagdish was in his prime stage, attending classes for regimental history, customs, traditions and regimental language of the troops he commands, and by and large prepare himself to take on larger responsibilities. In short, attending classes to become a Captain. 

Another couple of knocks landed on the door softly. He mildly guessed who it could be, "coming, in a minute" he yelled. 

"Hi!" the pretty lady with the most beautiful brown eyes, beamed. "Made this super hot & spicy pepper soup. Thought to share. It will make you feel better. Here," she said and extended a small carrier filled with soup. 

"Thank you very much. Such a sweetheart," he took the carrier, opening it on his way inside inhaling the strong aroma. "Smells delicious!"

Yashodha only smiled to his compliment. 

"You shouldn't have to take trouble to come all the way up to give this, you know"

"Yeah. But who cares. You are the only person I consider as a friend here and this is little I can do, you know.

Alright, getting late for duty. Catch you up later" she waved at him and disappeared down the stairway next to his room. Leaving him wonder, out of so many people out there, she considered him as a friend. 

And it felt great in a way. 

--

Jagdish had been frequently seen around the medical domain during his off time visiting one of the seamen who had an accident three weeks ago while line handling. However, talks going on were linked to something else. 

As expected but he wasn't really bothered about it. 

"Jagdish Sir, you don't have to take the hassle to visit me every three days once. You should take rest during your off day. I'll be fine. The doctors are taking good care here" shunned Abraham, the seaman.