Ok so I'll start by thanking you all for all the love....even after what I'm doing with the characters, you guys are still showering love🌸

I will put Moran scenes too coz they are just toooooo cuuuutttee. I write about SaRan coz I love the chemistry between them. And please. I like them as friends. But don't worry! If you like them as romantic partners, I'll show some manners and HOLD THE GATES OF HELL OPEN FOR YOU AND KICK YOU-- okay. I'll stop. But you got my message. 

》》》》》

8 days later. 

Things between Karan and Sanjana had still not improved. She still respected him as a senior and followed his orders. But the usual camaraderie between them was almost dead. They no longer smiled at each other, met in after duty hours, didn't talk much during lunch breaks, only talked when there were official matters to be discussed. Karan too had suddenly increased the intensity of the recruits' training. Most of the time, the tension in the hall when Karan ordered Sanjana to do something was so much that it could have been cut with a knife.

The recruits had noticed this. Especially Monami. To say that she had no interest in talking to Shergil would be lying. In the past few months, all the recruits had come to know that outside training grounds, Karan Shergil had something like a heart, not a heart but something like that. 

Only Monami knew that he had a real heart. Many a times she had struck conversations with him, falling for him more and more each time it happened. Even if he refused to acknowledge the fact that he too was falling for her, she knew better. 

So the following evening, seeing karan drinking black coffee at 11 in the night, which he drank only when he was stressed, monami decided to talk to him. 

She walked to the side of the corridor. Before she could actually show herself, Karan had already noticed her. 

"Rani sahiba. Aap yaha?" He asked not turning back.

"Haan." She said, sitting down next to him, not too close of course...not like they were toge-- wait. Why was she even thinking that.

"Kyu?" He said, taking a sip.

"Vo...tum pichle kuch dino se kaafi stressed lag rahe ho. Kyu hua?" She asked, smiling.

"Kuch nahi." Karan replied uninterested not looking at her.

"To...tum mujhe nahi bataoge...ek minute ruko. Yahi rehna mai abhi aayi."saying that, she got up and walked to her room.

Karan looked at her going and wondered what was she up to. 

In a few seconds she came back with that potted plant of hers and sat down next to him.

"Tum mujhe nahi bataoge to ise batao. Plants are very good listeners."she said, smiling fondly and handing the plant to karan. Karan just looked at her like she had gone crazy.

"Mai...mai isse baat kyu karu..." 

"Kyuki baat karne se stress kam ho jaata hai. Try karo, come on!" 

"Okay....so...hua ye...." karan decided to just oblige, she looked too happy to disappoint.

"Hmm?"

"Ye hua ki...mera kisi se jhagda ho gaya...hum pehle kabhi nahi lade...aur ekdam se flow flow me maine kuch zyaada hi bol Diya...lekin galati uski bhi hai..family pressure me aake aisi cheez kar rahi hai ki uski life barbaad ho jaayegi. Vo family se ladne ko taiyaar bhi nahi hai...bohot zyaada hi respect karti hai unki. Lekin vaha koi usko, uski choices ko respect nahi karta. The country will lose an excellent asset."

"Uske papa bol rahe ki shaadi karni hai, kisi to duffer ko uthaane laaye hai. Vo bol raha hai shaadi karni hai fo academy aur duty chodni padegi. Jitni talented ladkiyan desh ki seva karte hue shaheed nahi hoti, utni beman ki zabardasti ki shaadiya karke andar se mar jaati hai. " Karan fumed, finally letting his anger take over, but careful not to say too much. Monami listened to him intently, impressed. 

"Karan...Sanjana ko pata hai vo kya kar rahi hai. Uski choices ko respect karo. Jo bhi vo kar rahi hai, uski duty se upar nahi rakhegi. Usse sorry boldo. Tum tension mat lo."

"Hmm...vaise tum mujhse baat karne kyu aayi?" Karan asked amazed at how light it felt talking to her and how easy it was to open up to her. And the fact that something happened in his chest everytime she smiled...ugh. Why was he even thinking that.

"Vo...mai tumhe pareshaan nahi dekh sakti.." she said quietly, getting up.

Karan was speechless. "Th--thank you..."

"Thank you to...to you too...for trusting me enough to open up..hope tum ab better feel kar rahe ho..."

"Yes...yes..I'm better than..better.." karan replied, internally screaming at himself for embarrassing himself. But he just couldn't help being stumped everytime she said something. Why was he acting like a teenager!