Mridula unzipped her purse & took out her phone. A missed call alert! With a sigh, she typed a quick message & kept it inside. She knew it was important for her mom to know if she reached her location & on days when she was hard-pressed with time, she would quickly type a message to let her mother that she had reached her location.

“Hello, this is Aman here & I am the new cameraman. Nikhil Sir told me about the location & he shall call you soon .” She heard a voice from her behind.

Mridula looked at her watch & signaled to Aman, I just have one rule.  Be on time at the location & you are already five minutes late. Aman, let us not repeat it.  Is that clear? Well, our Netaji would be here any minute, So be ready & well… give me a minute.

Aman just nodded as Mridula took out her phone & quickly walked past Aman.  She then dialed a number.

“Boss, what is this? You should have at least given me a heads-up that Kaushik is getting replaced. I had the entire script ready with him & now suddenly, Aman… a new cameraman! How do I handle this important coverage? And we are going live in the next twenty-odd minutes as Mantri ji will be arriving shortly ?”

“ I know Mridula, it is a hassle but see  Kaushik had to be replaced and yes I should have intimated you but …. Well… I just forgot, OK do not get angry,  Next team lunch is on me !”

“ Ahhh… not this time, it can not be food all the time boss !! Increment chahiye is baar! And one more thing, why the hell is he so hot? Do I look at the camera or look into his eyes? For this trouble, you got to give me more pay this year for sure.”

And then there was laughter on both sides.

Mridula looked at Aman from a distance. His well-built torso and his chiseled face with a neatly trimmed beard made an impact on Mridula. Aman was hot but he had a charming calmness as well.

“Concentrate on the interview, Mridula! What the hell are you thinking, you dumbo!”, She thought to herself.

“Within a few minutes, Mantriji arrived & Mridula was all charged up with her mike. She signaled Aman to take up his position & while Aman adjusted the lens, she was all set to make the most of the brief moment that she had with the political candidate.”

Aman adjusted the lens and zoomed on her. She was like a tigress ready to pounce on her prey. And as the second she saw Netaji arriving, she ran towards him with the mike. Aman ran behind her too while trying carefully not to lose focus.

“Sir, I am Mridula from Galaxy News. Please tell us about your party’s strategy for the upcoming elections.”

That is a big question & I can only say, that we will soon be making some important announcements and I am sure our voters will understand that we want nothing but their upliftment.

As other reporters squeezed the already narrow space available for all to move, Mridula was barging her way through the crowd and made it a point to be closer to the political candidate.

“ By the way, what are your thoughts on the electoral bond verdict by the judiciary?”

“Well, what can I say? The Judiciary is the most coveted pillar  of democracy &  my party will always abide by the laws of the land.”

 Aman continued to capture it all. Many other reporters kept pushing each other and asking their questions as Mantri ji tactfully answered.

“One last question, Mantri ji,” Mridula said raising her hand.

“Well, what about your recent trip to Bhutan, Mantri ji? It was supposed to be a socio-political event but it seemed quite personal. We have some footage captured. Can you answer whose upliftment was your concern then?”

“What are you saying, lady? Have you forgotten your limits? Do you even realize who I am?”

“As far as I know, you are a public servant!” said Mridula as the crowd paused for a moment.

The guards pounced on Mridula and while she cried for help, Aman leaped forward. With his camera in one hand, he tactfully embraced Mridula & rescued her out of the crowd as Mantri ji made a quick departure from the venue.

“What are you doing Aman? You should have filmed it all. Why are you dragging me out? We should have captured it na! People need to know the truth behind it. Are you really insane?”

Aman did not listen to her as he continued dragging her towards his car. He opened the door and gestured for her to sit. He then bent down and poured water on her feet which had been bleeding due to the stampede that occurred as the guards pounced on Mridula.

 “What the hell? You lost the most important footage when they pushed me, Aman.”

“Shhhhh!!! Quiet. I can not see a woman being disrespected in front of me like this. I am sorry, you can report me if you want to but I cannot keep quiet when things go out of hand.”

He slowly wiped the wound with his handkerchief & applied ointment from his first aid box that was kept in the car.  He looked extra handsome while doing so. After all, men who care, are the real gems.

Mridula, closed her eyes as the medicine made her skin sensitive to the pain.  She then felt a touch. She realized that Aman was slowly tucking a strand of her hair behind her ears. And suddenly, she felt a little tingling sensation down her spine. She was not used to being treated with such softness. A woman can be strong, and resilient, ready to break all the glass ceilings but a part of her always wishes to tap into her feminity and, she does that only when she is loved in the right manner. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked at him.

 He looked like a knight in shining armor.

“I have always been your fan, Mridula, and today, when I saw you live, I just thanked God that I was selected for this project. What fearlessness! By the way, tell me where is your place? I shall drive you to your home.”

“What a gentleman !”, she thought to herself.

Mridula blushed. A phenomenon, she had forgotten for years.

 They exchanged numbers.

  *******

The next day, a message appeared on Mridula’s phone screen early in the morning.

“Hey! Good morning!  How is your wound?  How about a coffee date after work today but only if you feel better?”

“Hellooooo!  The pain has subsided a lot but wait ….Date? We just met! How cheesy is that! And how can you flirt like this with your colleague?”

Mridula smiled as she typed back the reply. It had been years since someone wished her good morning!

“Sorry, my tigress! But I just can not hide the truth. You are fabulous.”

“You can call me fatso, I can still believe that, Aman! Do not play with my heart. I warn you!”

“And with all due respect, I am in love with those curves that you flaunt. But more than that I love the spirit that makes you shine both on and off the screen.  Day one, and I am already clean-bold, Mridula! I do not play with women. That is not me. Allow me and you shall discover more of me.”

Mridula blushed a little more. She just could not understand what to do. Was it all happening so fast? Was Aman another player? Will he break her heart into pieces, just like earlier times? Is he just like other men… good at lying and then, eventually making her hate love? Did he really like her, will he continue to respect her or walk over her eventually?  Is it just the adrenalin rush or more to it?  Is Aman worth giving her heart out? Will he make her fall in love again?  Is he the prince she had been waiting to meet for so long?

A plethora of questions played havoc in her head as she typed…

“I love tea… not coffee…. & friendship should be the foundation and conversations… Chalega?”

“I can not wait for our chai date, Mridu! Chai it is!”

Love,

Chinmayee

This story is part of #Storytellersbloghop Season 4 hosted by https://auraofthoughts.com & https://mywordsmywisdom.com