"Where is Vini now?" he asked me in that same deep, commanding base voice.
"Ca-ca-canteen, sir," I stammered, my voice trembling with fear.
"Let's go," he said, opening the door and walking out with a serious, fast-paced stride. Is he crazy? I asked for permission to go, and he's telling me to follow him? Thinking this to myself, I followed that Monster, taking tiny, hurried steps behind him. Shri Sir followed us as well.
Finally, we entered the canteen. When we reached Vini, she was still in the same state. Looking at her, the Monster asked me, "What exactly happened? Vini was fine since morning. A while ago, she was talking on the phone for hours like some great tragedy had struck. What happened so suddenly?"
I wanted to say: "Well, just like how you are stuck to me like gum, some 'lover boy' got stuck to her. Thinking he was soft, she played around with him without thinking of the consequences—just like I do. But seeing his 'psycho' side and frustration, she got terrified—just like I do!"
But knowing that words wouldn't even come out of my mouth looking at this madman, I simply said, "She got scared after seeing a strange person's bizarre behavior, sir."
"Tell me the truth... is that 'strange person' you?" he asked me with a cunning smile.
My blood pressure shot up instantly. "Sir! What do you take me for? Am I some freakish exhibit in a museum?" I snapped, washing him down with my words.
"Wow, how accurately you described yourself!" Jay thought to himself. Aloud, he said with that same smirk, "Oh hello, that's why I named you 'brain less' girl.' It wasn't for nothing. Your non-stop chattering probably scared your poor friend into this state."
"You rascal! You dare say that to me? Just wait for your day. If I don't make you throw your own 'psycho' brain into the Musi River, my name isn't Hasini!" I cursed him in my head. But outwardly, I acted innocent and said, "What can I do, sir? No one can tolerate my mischief like she does. Since I couldn't find anyone else, I've been eating her brain."
"Exactly, that's what I said. But don't eat her up so much. One day, unable to bear your madness, your best friend Vini might run away from the city at midnight without telling you. Be careful," Jay said stylishly with that irritating smile.
"You idiot ! No matter how many names I call you ? , it's not enough. I feel like taking you to a mutton shop, mincing you into keema, and feeding you to the crows and eagles for free!" I fumed internally.
Instead, I smiled innocently and replied, "Thanks for the future prediction, sir. But what you don't know is that not just Vini, but my family, colleagues, fans, and even my roommate Arvi love my mischief. They will bear it no matter what. So, please take your prediction back."
"Once I give something to someone, I don't take it back. How did you think I'd take back a free suggestion?" Jay asked me .
"If you don't want it, fine! I also don't need your free astrology," I said, pouting and turning my face away. He wasn't any less—his ego follows him like 24-hour Wi-Fi. He also turned his face away, thinking it was a waste of time to talk to me.
Shri Sir's expression was priceless. He sat there like he was watching a movie in a theater, hands on his cheeks, frozen like a statue in curiosity, watching our conversation.
A silence followed. After a few minutes, a lady doctor in a white coat arrived to break the silence. I asked Shri Sir who called the doctor sir ? .
"I don't know, Hasini," he replied.
"I only called her," Jay said in his base voice, sitting stylishly with his legs crossed, looking at his phone.
"Why trouble the doctor, sir? I would have taken Vini to the hospital myself if you had just given me permission to leave for a while," I told him.
"Why? So you could escape using the doctor's name, brain less ?" he asked, glancing at me before returning to his phone.
"What? Why would I run away? And that too, being scared of you? No chance!" I said, defiantly raising my eyebrows.
"Every day won't be the same. The reason I selected you as my 'girlfriend' is to torture you. I will show you stars day and night. If I don't make you regret the moment you hit me, my name isn't Jai Dev Varma," Jay thought. Aloud, he coolly said, "Well, you never know who changes when. That's why I called the doctor here."
"Wait, does this psycho actually have a caring side?" I thought. "Thank you, sir," I whispered.
"This is my company. Every employee here is like my own family member. Without employees, a company has no status or growth; the government wouldn't even recognize it. From the security guard at the gate to the peons and employees—everyone is equal to me. If my family member is in trouble, how can I just watch? I did my part," the Monster said seriously, like a "good boy."
I felt that maybe he wasn't such a demon after all. Treating all workers equally is a great quality. I remained silent, resisting the urge to praise him.
Jay asked the doctor to check Vini. After checking and giving an injection to vini , the doctor turned to Jay. "She went into shock, sir. Don't worry, she is fine now. I've given her an injection; she'll regain consciousness soon."
"You heard that, right? At least now stop 'deep-frying' your friend. Otherwise, I'll have to move your seat to the storeroom. Don't worry, you'll have two friends there—Dust and Dirt. You can live happily with them," the monster said with a cunning smile.
"You idiot ! I just praised you in my mind as 'great' and 'top notch,' and you immediately showed your true colors? You'll never change!" I cursed him with every word possible in my head, but like a "good girl," I simply said, "Okay, sir."
"Okay, once your friend is awake, have lunch and start working," Jay said in a serious tone and left. "Take care of her, Hasini," Shri Sir added before following him.
"Oh God! Why do you hate me so much? I asked you to introduce me to people with good brains, but you gave me the job of painting a 'strange sculpture' that's like a pit of fire!" I looked at the ceiling, venting my grief to the heavens.
Just then, Vini opened her eyes and sat up. "Thank God! You're awake! Do you know how worried I was?" I gestured for her to drink the water I held to her lips. She took a sip and said, "That's enough, Hasini."
I set the glass down and opened our lunch boxes. "Shall we eat? I'm starving—it feels like rats are racing in my stomach," I said, patting my stomach . Vini finally laughed and agreed.
"Phew, you laughed! I don't know who that guy was, but because of him, I saw 'Chandramukh i' in you today. But wait... the way you scolded him was exactly how I would. It felt like I was looking at myself," I said, confused.
Vini laughed. " They say if you spend six months with someone, you become like them. Spending time with you, even our strict CEO sir is bound to become like you!"
"Why you bring him up now? Eat first. It's already 3:00 PM and we have work," I said, internally cursing the Monster. We finished our lunch and headed back to our desks to started working.