I sat on a couch which was placed in the middle of the lobby and glanced the surrounding, same off-white wall, many framed pictures. Then I looked out of the glass pane of the fancy sky-scraper I was sitting in. It was the 54th floor out of all the freaking 75 floors plus a big terrace which had a helipad. I realised how cool it would be to work in this tech-tower.

At the same time, I let a long sigh escape my mouth as it occured to my mind that how thin my chances were to get into this programme at all. I recalled my funny and odd and irresponsible interview, wondering if I could have done it any better?

"How bad can it be?"
A clear voice spoke to me, I swiftly turned to my left and saw the man, whom I saw coming out of the room a few minutes ago.

His auburn curls waved in gentle breeze, his shirt blue and stiff but hugged him in all right places.
He placed his elbows supporting on to his knees and bent forward cupping his chin.

Boy his biceps though! They appeared as if they were about to pop out of the blue cotton fabric, but didn't of course.

"You alright?" He asked again, his ocean blue eyes poured into my jet black ones, one of his brows was scrunched up smoothly.

I stiffened and cleared my throat, wondering at how badly I had embarrassed myself thrice already: once in the waiting hall,
next in the interview.
And yet again, once more, now.
"It's...uh..." I scanned my watch and said, "it's twelve noon!"

His other eye brow shot up to match the first one and he moved back sliding his hands on his khaki trousers, and smirked with some sarcastic manner which I probably didn't figure out why so?
Then again, a dimple on his left cheek made me even more dizzy. Well, it wasn't my fault, was it?

"Excuse me, did I say something wrong?"

Soon it dawned on me that I probably did. No. Definitely!

"Sorry, what did you ask?"

"Never mind!" He grinned shaking his head, and rings of his curls danced even more.

"No...please tell me!" I squeezed my eyes, as if the question he had asked was some sort of riddle that I had to and had to solve in order to save the dooming world.

"I just asked, how did it go?"
He smiled, like not smirk or anything, but he did really smile deepening his pretty little dimple even more.
But for some reason, it felt like I was in deja-vu. 'Cause, I had seen the same combination of icy-blue eyes and a solitary dimple somewhere, but I couldn't put my finger on to where, exactly.

"Ohh..that. That went quite bad, like really-really bad!" I agreed.
"How was yours?"

He just let out a small sigh and spoke. "Okay-ish, I suppose?" He squinted his eyes and shook his hand in a so-so manner and then went on to extend it towards me,
"I am Peter J Nolan, by the way."

"Oh, I am Leela Das, totally forgot that part!" I smiled. "Call me 'Lee'."

"Pete it is then," he said as he leaned back, tapping his fingers on his thighs and glanced around the lobby. There seemed nobody present other than the lady wearing a same tasteless uniform of some sort that I saw on the curly haired receptionist inside the waiting hall.

We sat there in silence for 'eternal' half an hour, as people who finished their part of interviews joined in with us.
Soon the lobby turned chaotic and the hustle bustle of the crowd and the heat almost made me breathless and dizzy.

Before I could pass out, the lady who interviewed us with sleek high pony tail came in as if on cue, cluttering her inches high stilettos and the room went silent for once in that entire two hours. Every one straightened their backs and those who stood in corners due to lack of space came in to join us near the couch.

"Ladies and gentlemen!"
She continued after taking in a long breath of fake excitement.
"This part is the hardest one for me every year, because it's the happiest and the saddest at the same time. I am Emily and I want to thank all of you, for your patience. Hope we didn't make you wait that long, did we?"

I could hear the erratic flutters of my heart echoing in my ears, so loud that I couldn't concentrate on what she actually stated. My mind went blank with a siren in my ears, I shook my head and squeezed my lids to concentrate back again. But it was still difficult.

"Now, Nova-Gen has always helped budding-minds, irrespective of whether they are genius or not, brilliant or not. But if you have enough passion, it is certain that you can achieve any thing, isn't it?"
She paused glancing all of our frantic faces, and raised her eye brows, as if she was expecting some sort of epic response.

Seriously ? Who is this lady?
Our futures were dangling with a mere thin strip of hope, there she was, with all her Barbie doll make-up and some fake scripted-speech.

A wave of claps started from -I don't know where- but soon it became so loud and I had to join in as I struggled to clap with my hands, which were reluctant enough to even raise.

I glanced at Pete over my shoulders, he wasn't even clapping. He sat there, with fists covering his lips and his elbows supported onto his knees, his tall figure was almost arched and slouchy.
Sure he seemed more annoyed than I was, but I wondered why he had such a passion for this internship though.
As far as I knew, a handsome and fit guy like him was probably supposed to be playing soccer or any other sport of that sort. Well, at least that's how it was in my school. But my thoughts were soon interrupted by the lady's voice again.

"And now comes the exciting part. Whoo!" She almost jumped raising her hand.
"Now the names I call out are the ones who have been selected for the prestigious internship, and others...don't be disheartened. You can attempt again, okay?"

"Whoo!"
The crowd echoed and clapped for a brief amount of time and then there was that ghostly, scary pin- drop silence, that haunted my senses. My already sweaty palms trembled and vision got completely blurred as faint tears kept collecting behind my eyes and then she announced it. Yes, she did it, but was I ready?

"Well, here it goes then. Our first intern of this year would be
Ms. Donna Miller. Give her a big hand everybody."

My heart almost came to my mouth, and I think I gulped it back.
Raising my head and after seeing a lean shy girl with pixie cut hair - wearing a pastel Cardigan and a skirt emerge from behind- I clapped to encourage her like others, of which some were genuinely appreciative and some, vexing their eyes in jealousy.

"And the second one is... should I say?" Emily squealed, "pfft! I should. So, the next one is..."

I looked towards Pete once again; for some reason I wanted it to be me or at least him, his glimmering ocean eyes glanced at me and our gazes locked for only a split of a second. Then he slightly nodded, as if he was assuring me for some reason.

At the end of the day, we still were competitors. There was no place for concern towards each other, no matter what, until and unless and only by some miraculous reason if we both got selected, which for me appeared remotely possible.
In return I too nodded, for the sake of it. But he and I both knew, in and in, that we were enemies, not like blood-for-blood enemies, but still something like that.

"Mr. Peter J Nolan!" I heard the name, yes, as cliché as it sounds, I heard his name.
He sprung upright still scanning my face, but his softened look had it's own charms that made me soften a bit and I started applauding with the crowd.

He bent down in a mock salute and scanned me just before he sat and I couldn't help but smile at him.
Was it fake? Maybe, was it pushy? Definitely yes. But that's what I was expecting, and it's the same that happened.

My body tensed and my lungs sucked in one last breath and toes curled and my fingers clawed into each other, my butt clenched, as there remained only one last spot, it was like that 'do-or-die' or 'now-or-never' kind of situations.
I closed my eyes and prayed for no particular god, all that appeared was eternal darkness in front and all I needed was a ray of light.