“Ye kya bachpana hai Kabir? Ye aise challenges par news thode hi na chalta hai.” Malviaka said when Kabir returned to his cabin.

“Malvika. You can’t really think ki main uske bharose apna bulletin prepare karoonga. Ye to bas aise hi… Spark hai uske andar. Thode maturity aa jayegi to achchhi journalist banegi. Isliye challenge kar diya maine.”

He looked out and saw Ananya surrounded by her friends. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he smiled at their camaraderie.

“Ye teri clip thi, Ananya?” Richa asked her.

She nodded.

“Sahi hai, yaar. Naye boss ka pahla bulletin. Aur bulletin ka star tera footage. Kamaal kar diya.”

“To ab to boss khadoos nahin lag rahe tujhe?” Ronnie chipped in.

“Khadoos to hain,” Ananya grinned, “But itne bure nahin jitna maine socha tha.”

“She will never be pleased. But ye challenge kya le liya? Ab twenty-four hours mein story kahan se layegi? Koi lead hai?”

Her face fell and she shook her head.

“Phir?”

“Phir? Dekha jayega. Ronnie chal yaar, chai peete hain, aur kuchh sochte hain. Mujhe drop bhi kar dena. Mera scooter servicing ke liye gaya hua hai.”

“Chal! Richa? Tere paas car hai?”

“Haan. Tum log niklo. Maine washroom ja kar phir nikloongi.”

“Kabir!” Malvika’s voice brought him back to himself.

“Malvika.”

“Dinner?”

“I am really sorry, Malvika, lekin aaj mujhe ghar jaana bahut zaroori hai. Later? Please?”

“You are a difficult man, Kabir Sharma.”

“That’s why you are mad after me, aren’t you?” he closed in on her and winked. He knew he had succeeded in offering her just the right amount of flirting to keep her happy for now.

Richa, who was coming back from the washroom, witnessed this and shook her head.

—

“Woh koi drug dealer ki story thi na?” Ronnie asked after ordering tea at their favorite road-side stall.

“Abhi tak koi major contact nahin mila hai, Ronnie.”

“Aur woh toll waala scam?”

“Contact dar gaya hai. Phir se kaam chalu karna hoga.”

“Tu kissi ka depressed kutta hi dhoondh le!”

“Yaar Ronnie. Abhi mazaak mat kar. Itna bada challenge kar aayi hoon. Depressed kutta dhoondh loon, agar mujhe bhi koi PK mil jaye.”

“Ye le chai aa gayi. Pahle chai pi, phir kuchh sochna.”

“Ab abhi to ja kar sone waali hoon,” she said taking the first sip, “Thank gai hoon. Aaj din bhar live reporting ki hai.”

“Ye bhi achchha idea hai!”

“Neend aa rahi hai to sula doon?” A lecherous, drunken voice drew their attention. A man was gaping at her.

Seeing her grinding her teeth, Ronnie tried to calm her down, “Chhod de use, Ananya.”

“Chhod mat. Pakad le,” the lout was not backing down.

“Pakad loon?” Ananya got up, “Bata. Kya pakadna hai. Kaise pakadna hai.” Before he could fathom what was happening she threw the hot cupful of tea on his crotch and he screamed in agony.

Even Ronnie could not suppress his laughter, but he grabbed Ananya by hand and took her away immediately. He didn’t want that guy recovering and creating more trouble.

—

The next day Ananya reached office to find her last night’s deed on screen being telecasted under the heading “raat ke romeo ko sabak”. Her face was not visible in the hastily shot mobile clip.

“Ronnie!” she ran to her friend’s desk, “Ye kya hai? Tune ise shoot kiya tha?”

“Ab itna mazedaar tamasha tha yaar. Thoda bahut to reporters ke beech rah kar main bhi seekh hi gaya hoon. Waise don’t worry. Tera chehra nahin dikh raha hai. I was careful.”

“But ye TV par kyon hai?”

“Main Richa, Sunny aur Trisha ko dikha raha tha. Tabhi Kabir wahan aa gaya. Use pasand aa gaya. Usne hi ye heading di hai – raat ke romeo ko sabak – kaafi catchy hai, nahin?”

“Ajeeb museebat hai,” she muttered and made way to her desk. She bumped into Kabir on her way back.

“Steady, Ms. Kashyap.”

“Sorry Sir.”

“Kya baat hai? Abhi tak gusse mein hain aap?”

“Ji?”

His eyes turned towards the screen for a moment which was still playing her clip, then he gave her a knowing smile.

“Gussa kaafi khatarnaak hai aapka. Sambhal ke rahna hoga.”

Ronnie and Ananya stared at each other. Ronnie ran after Kabir to his cabin. “Sir, aapko kaise pata chala ki video mein kaun hai?”

He wriggled his wrist as the two friends stared.

“Wrist se?” Ronnie muttered when he came back to Ananya, “Tere bracelet se?”

“Bracelet se!” Ananya was also taken aback.

“Waise teri story ka kya hua?”

“Kuchh nahin hua hai yaar. Abhi Tinu se mil kar aa rahi hoon. Shayad drug waali story par… Khair. Dekhti hoon. Tu apna kaam kar.”

“Main bataun tujhe kya breaking story karni chahiye?” Richa whispered to her conspiratorially when she came to her desk.

“Kya?”

“Ki KKN ka saara management kitna amorous hai.”

“Huh?”

“Abhi tak Manav Sir aur Malvika ka chakkar chal raha tha. Ab hamare naye editor-in-chief Malvika ke saath flirt kar rahe hain. And she seems quiet happy about it.”

“Really?”

“Haan yaar. Maine khud dekha kar raat.”

“Kaash! Lekin trust me. Agar maine ye sting operation successfully kar bhi liya, to hamare editor-in-chief ise air nahin karenge. Tu to jaanti hai na, political pressure etc. etc.”

The two of them broke into a laughter, then bit their lips realizing that they were in the office.

—

“Didi,” Armaan called her at lunch time, “Tum thodee der ke liye office se nikal sakti ho kya?”

“Kya hua Armaan?”

“Chinta ki baat nahin hai, Didi. But tumhari help chahiye.”

“Tu kahan hai abhi?”

“Main fifteen minutes mein tumhare office ke bahar tumse mil sakta hoon.”

“Theek hai. Pahunch kar phone kar.”

Armaan was with one of his friends, Varun. He explained his problem. Varun was a good cricket player, and his performance should have guaranteed him a position in the state’s junior cricket team. But the selector was demanding money to include him in the list.

“Poora system corrupt hai, Didi. Ab iske paas itne paise nahin hain. Hum log soch rahe the ki ek pradarshan karein. But agar media mein kuchh coverage mil jaati to…”

“Pradarshan? Junior team ke liye… Thoda mushkil hai attention dilana, Armaan. Lekin shayad hum koi contacts dhoondh sakein. Kab hone waala hai selection.”

“Aaj hi list announce honi hai.”

“Aaj?”

“Haan.”

“Kahan?”

“Tumhare hi channel par.”

“TV par announce kar rahe hain?”

“Haan Didi.”

“Kab?”

“six ‘o clock.”

Ananya thoght for a while and suddenly an idea struck her.

“Armaan, Varun. Dekho ye pradarshan karne ke liye thoda late ho chuka hai. Mere paas ek idea hai. Thoda risky hai. Guarantee nahin hai ki kaam karega. Lekin agar kar gaya to…”

“Kya idea hai, Didi?”

Varun got a cold feet when she explained it to them.

“Didi. Mujhse nahin hoga. Mujhe bahut dar lag raha hai. Koi aur nahin kar sakta kya? Somebody who is a good actor?”

“Karna to tumhein hi padega, Varun. Kyonki wahan kissi aise bande ko bhejna zaroori hai jise selector expect kar raha ho. Otherwise to woh is trap mein nahin phansega na.”

After some more coaxing by Armaan and Ananya, Varun gave in. Armaan took his leave, while Varun went to her office with Ananya.

—

To be continued