***Author's P.O.V***

So it's finally MONDAY.....the day that our nerd-who-was-preparing-for-her-first-day-at-another-office-like-she-was-giving-an-entrance-exam Sahana and asshole-who-made-his-friend-ditch-his-girlfriend-and-listen-to-his-introvert-problems Arush had been dreading, from the past 2 days.

{No I wasn't waiting till Monday to update this chapter... I had exams so I was busy reading textbooks like Sahana....not the same text book! Thank God for that! Had enough of Proakis and Simon Haykin to last a life time! :P}

Sahana woke up early {around 5:30 am} and after completing her morning chores, wore her jogging clothes with shoes and went to the park to jog, plugging in her headphone to her iPhone X and listening to her jogging music. 

Jogging helps increase oxygen flow to the brain, and with a nervous day ahead, Sahana desperately needed her brain to obey her commands today - and not do a brain fart!

'Oh, angel sent from up above

You know you make my world light up
When I was down, when I was hurt
You came to lift me up
Life is a drink and love's a drug
Oh, now I think I must be miles up
When I was a river dried up
You came to rain a flood '

Chris Martin sang through her iPhone and in her mind, Sahana sang along {she thought that the crows in the park would peck her to death if she started singing in her tuneless voice, because according to her, even the crowing of crows is much more melodious than her singing voice - she's as realistic as it get guys!}

Sahana ran 5 laps around her usual park with Chris Martin, Enrique Iglesias, Sia and Arijit Singh giving her company {via her iTunes} before turning back home to get ready for the day.

***

Our granite {stone...cold...geddit?} Arush on the other hand woke up at 6am as usual, and wore his workout clothes and went to his home gym to do his usual workout, plugging in his headphones to his iPhone X.

'Til I hit the dance floor
Hit the dance floor
I got all I need
No I ain't got cash
I ain't got cash
But I got you babyBaby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills!)
Baby I don't need dollar bills to have fun tonight
(I love cheap thrills!)
But I don't need no money
As long as I can feel the beat
I don't need no money
As long as I keep dancing'

Sia sang while he chuckled thinking 'well who would want cheap thrills when you can go have luxurious fun using money? Don't tell me money don't matter! No BABY can fill the place of money! You DO need dollars and bills to pay your bills lady!' but sang along with her under his breath.

He'd sing it out loud, except that his voice would come out as grunts when he's doing such heavy cardio, and he'd have to waste extra energy to sing loudly, which he didn't want to!

After an intense workout session, Arush headed back to his room to get ready for the day - dreading the team meeting of the day.

***

After her bath, Sahana wore a monotone deep-red chudidhar with short-sleeves and silk beige colored duppatta, leaving her waist-length jet-black hair in a nice plait. Clapping a metal watch on her left hand, Sahana wore tiny jhumkas to complement her Indian formal look. She never wore any make-up, except perhaps kohl/eyeliner and a tinted lip balm/ lipstick.

Wanting to create a good first-impression, Sahana wore eye-liner, tinted red lip-balm, and completed her look with a small black bindi between her eyebrows.

Happy with her look, Sahana opened her email again, probably for the nth time since it arrived on Friday, to look at her reporting timing and venue, along with her new boss's name. Grabbing her purse with her iPhone and after making sure that all the necessities were in her bag, Sahana rushed downstairs to have her breakfast with her family.

***

Arush looked at himself via the mirror - dressed in a maroon shirt and grey suit paired with a grey colored tie, he looked like a model who'd just walked out of the front cover of a fashion magazine. Smirking to himself, Arush set his jet-black hair using a generous amount of hair gel and sprayed his woody perfume.

Usually, Arush wouldn't spend so much time in front of the mirror {like a bride waiting to see her groom} but today he wanted to look his best - look intimidating and powerful.... he wanted to scare his new subordinates just by his looks {it seams *author face-palms herself at Arush's thinking*}

"Tab se dekh rahi hu bhai...aine k samne khade ho! Kya baat hai?" Ahana asked, wriggling her eyebrow and making Arush jump {literally}

{Translation - I've been watching you for quite some time now and you've been standing in front of the mirror...what's up?}

"Ahana! When the hell did you enter my room? And why the hell didn't you knock on the door and enter?" he asked, placing his hand over his chest to calm his erratically beating heart.

"Ohoo bhai...did I scare you?" Ahana asked, giggling.

"Of course! I didn't even hear you entering the room!" Arush mumbled, turning back to face the mirror and run a comb over his already set hair.

"Jitna bhi ready ho jao bhai, ap to hummesha bandar ki hi tarah dikhoge" Ahana said, and lapsed into a round of giggling while Arush scowled at her.

{Translation - No matter what you do, you'll always look like a monkey}

Placing all his necessities for the day in his office bag, Arush turned to face Ahana and asked "Now tell me why are you here?" in a business like tone.

"You're looking hot bhai...trying to impress someone are we?" Ahana asked, winking at Arush, who just rolled his eyes, wearing a scowl.

"I'm just nervous betu.... looking good will just improve my confidence" Arush mumbled, walking towards Ahana, his office bag in his hand.

"You'll rock bhai...as always. I have full faith in you. I'll kick some ass if any girl even looks at you" Ahana said seriously, a fire blazing in her hazel orbs.

Arush smiled before pulling his sister into a hug - she'd made him smile despite how nervous he felt - she could always make him smile, afterall, she loved him so much!

Chirping as usual, Ahana pulled Arush with her to the dining hall for breakfast.

***

"Haye meri beti kitna pyari lag rahi hai...kissi ki nazar na lage" Renuka {Sahana and Reyansh's mom} said happily, running her finger over her kohl and placing it behind Sahana's ear.

{Translation - Oh..my daughter looks so pretty! Let no evil come near her!}

Sahana blushed before hugging her mom and dad.

"Bhai ko hug nahi karogi?" Reyansh asked, wiping away fake tears and pouting.

{Translation - Won't hug your brother?}

Chuckling, Sahana hugged him and kissed his forehead, making Reyansh grin from ear-to-ear.

"Ma I'm getting late I'll just have juice" Sahana said, looking at the wall clock ahead and grabbing the glass of juice at the table.

"No can do baby doll! First breakfast, then office. I thought you were supposed to report at 9am?" Amit {Sahana and Reyansh's dad; Renuka's husband} asked, looking from his daughter to the wall clock ahead of Sahana.

"Han na pappa, but abhi to late hogaya?! I want to create a really good first-impression! What if there's traffic and I reach late? You know how I prefer to be punctual?!" Sahana said shaking her head in denial and  pushing the plate of aloo poha aside, which her dad had just pushed towards her, gesturing her to eat.

{Translation - Yes dad, but what if it gets late somehow?}

"Sonu... I'll be personally dropping you! It's just 7:30 am right now! Are you planning on taking up the job of watchman as well? To go so early and open the doors in your office?" Reyansh asked, chuckling at his own joke.

Sahana glared at him, while her parents chuckled along with Reyansh.

"What if there's traffic? What if your bike won't start and I have to take an auto or bus and that too breaks down at the middle of the road?" Sahana asked, a horrified expression on her face, as though it had really happened now!

"Your new office is like 3kms away from here Sonu! Even if you walk from here, you'll reach aaram se by 8:30" Reyansh said, rolling his eyes.

"We have a bike her and a car and papa's scooty...so if the bike won't start which I highly doubt, then I can drop you by our car or papa's scooty! Now if by some hypothetical situation created by an insane person like you occurs because of which even the car gives way, you can depend on the very frequent public transport which would take you to your office in like 10 minutes max!" he added, chuckling. 

Sahana opened her mouth to argue back, but Reyansh cut her in as he added - "And about breaking down of public transport and getting stranded in the middle of road - yeah that's plausible, seeing that there's only one auto and only one bus in this metropolitan city which can take you to your office which is located at the center of the city" sarcastically.

Fuming, Sahana tuck in a spoon to her plate of poha with such vigor that Reyansh spoke again - "Oh and your driver aka me is damn hungry so he won't be able to drop you without first filling his poor tummy" and pouted.

Finally, Sahana chuckled at her brother's joke, making Reyansh smile - he'd do anything to keep his sister happy.

***

"Morning mom...dad" Arush said, smiling at his parents as he sat on his usual seat at the dining table, while Ahana took the seat next to him.

"Morning beta. Achche se soya? Bohot tension mein tha na kal tu?" Gayatri {Arush and Ahana's mom} asked Arush in concern.

"Ghode bheej ke so raha tha bhai...itna kharrate le raha tha...mein toh puri rath theek se nahi soyi" Ahana whined, earning a smack on her head from Arush, while their parents chuckled.

"Jhut bol rahi hai yeh... mein kharrate nahi leta" Arush said indignantly, tucking into his favorite chole bhature which Gayatri had prepared for breakfast.

"Yeh kitna cosmetics use karta hai tu! Isse achcha toh naryal ka teel hai....baal ghane hojayenge usse...smell bhi achcha karta hai" Gayatri said, pointing to Arush's well set gelled hair.

While Ahana and Gautam {Ahana and Arush's dad; Gayatri's husband} chuckled, Arush whined "mom" but didn't say anything.

"Hello aunty ji...uncle ji....Ahana" Kabir said, entering the dining room and sitting across Arush and grabbing a plate of the breakfast for himself.

While everyone else returned Kabir's hello with a smile and hello, Arush glared at him and said "Hello to you too" in a mocking tone.

"Hello Mr. Grumpy" Kabir said, chuckling at Arush.

"You're early" Arush said sarcastically, as he finished his breakfast.

"I was stuck up with some personal work" Kabir mumbled, his cheeks showing a tinge of pink, but not saying anything else.

Arush looked curiously at his friend, who mouthed Riya to him and dug into his breakfast with a moan of delight.

Rolling his eyes, Arush went to wash his hands.

***

"Chalooooo chalo bhai please" Sahana whined, literally dragging Reyansh with her down the stairs, who was still trying to button his shirt.

"Arre oh meri maa....jaa k baith neeche! 5 minute mein ata hu" Reyansh said, finally freeing himself from Sahana's vice-like-grip and rushing back to his room to get dressed.

10 minutes later, a very angry Sahana was seated behind a cool Reyansh on his Royal Enfield bike, both of them ready to start their new day of the week.

***

"Shall we?" Arush asked 5 minutes later, standing fully dressed near the front door, carrying his office bag and tapping his foot impatiently.

"Arre oh watchman! Abhi sirf 7:45 hua hai....tera office toh 9 baje shuru hota hai?! It hardly takes 30 minutes from here bro chill" Kabir said, slowly walking towards where Arush was standing, who just rolled his eyes at him.

"Han beta...chai to peete jao" Gayatri added, bringing a tray of tea along with her. Sighing impatiently, Arush sat back on the sofa to finish his tea along with Kabir, before they set off to office together.

To be continued...

A/n - so? How was it? Don't forget to vote, share and comment!

Cheers!

-M