Chapter 2

𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 💗

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❦ 𝑴𝒂𝒂𝒉𝒊𝒓'𝒔 𝑷𝒐𝒗

The military camp was exactly how I had imagined it disciplined and organized.

Every soldier moved with purpose and orders echoed through the training grounds while military vehicles moved in and out of the compound.

The sight felt familiar ,comforting ,this was where I belonged.

After completing the necessary formalities, I was finally shown to the barracks where I would be staying.

I dropped my duffel bag beside the assigned bunk which was simple and neat just the way I liked it.

Unfortunately, peace never lasts long.

"Lieutenant Maahir Malhotra"I looked up.

A soldier stood near the doorway.

Tall with messy hair and a grin that immediately looked suspicious,the kind of grin that usually meant trouble.

"Yes?"The soldier's smile widened.

"Finally!"before I could react, he walked forward and dramatically placed a hand over his heart.

"Lieutenant Shaurya Rathore."Pause.

"Professional soldier" then he took another pause.

"Part-time nuisance."i thought

I stared at him he stared at me neither of us spoke.

"You're supposed to introduce yourself too," he said.

"I already know who I am."

For a second there was silence then Shaurya burst out laughing.

"Oh, you're one of those."

"One of what?"

"The serious ones."

"I am serious."

"Exactly my point."

I was already developing a headache.

Shaurya dropped his bag onto the bunk opposite mine.

"So, NDA?"

"Yes."

"Three years?"

"Yes."

"First posting?"

"Yes."

He squinted at me.

"Do you only answer in one word sentences?"

"Mostly."

"Interesting."

"No."

"See? There you go again."

I sighed this man talked too much! Hey bhagwan

Meanwhile Shaurya appeared completely unbothered he casually sat down on his bunk.

"You know what my first impression of you is?"

"I don't."

"Human version of a military rulebook."

I looked at him.

"You formed that opinion in less than two minutes?"

"Actually thirty seconds."

I shook my head ,he was surely unbelievable but interesting

Shaurya pointed toward my bag.

"Anything interesting in there?"

"No."

"Secret documents?"

"No."

"Classified mission details?"

"No."

"A girlfriend?"

"No."

The answer came automatically,a mischievous grin spread across his face.

"A little too fast, Lieutenant Sahab"

I ignored him , I think i made a big mistake because ignoring Shaurya only seemed to encourage him.

The next ten minutes consisted of him talking continuously while I silently unpacked my belongings.

According to him:

He hated early mornings and loved chai.

he ad failed cooking attempts on at least fifteen occasions and once accidentally got locked inside a supply room for three hours.

I wasn't entirely sure how half of that information was relevant yet somehow he kept talking.

"And then," Shaurya continued dramatically, "the cook found me sleeping beside the rice sacks."

I paused against my better judgment.

"You slept?"

"Obviously."

"Inside a locked room?"

"What else was I supposed to do? Panic?"

For the first time, the corner of my mouth twitched slightly,shaurya immediately pointed at me.

"There!"

I frowned.

"There what?"

"That."

"What?"

"That almost smile."

"It wasn't a smile."

"It was."

"It wasn't."

"You smiled."

"I didn't."

"You did."

I picked up a pillow, shaurya wisely stopped talking.

For approximately seven seconds then he grinned again! oh god lagta hai iske toothpaste me namak or chini dono hai

"Good. At least now I know you're human."

I looked away, shaking my head for someone who had known me less than half an hour, Shaurya Rathore was already dangerously comfortable and somehow i had a feeling he was about to become a permanent headache in my life.

The day had passed in a blur of briefings, paperwork, introductions, and familiar military routines by the time evening arrived, the entire camp had settled into its usual rhythm.

Soldiers moved between buildings, vehicles returned from patrol routes and orders echoed across the grounds.

The cool night breeze carried the faint scent of dust and earth through the camp.

Maahir stood near the training area, reviewing a few documents under the yellow glow of a floodlight.

Peaceful and quiet exactly how he preferred things but unfortunately, Shaurya Rathore existed.

"Maahir"

Maahir didn't look up.

"Hm."

"I have important information."

"No."

"Arey yaar you haven't even heard yet."

"I don't need to."

Shaurya placed a dramatic hand on his chest.

"That hurts."

"I'll survive."

"Heartless."

Maahir continued reading , a few moments later he realized something unusual.

Shaurya had gone no wait suspiciously quiet he finally looked up only to find Shaurya staring in one direction.

Grinning like an idiot, Maahir followed his gaze.

A woman was walking across the grounds in army uniform with confident posture and sharp eyes.

Authority practically radiating from every step she took ,several soldiers immediately straightened the moment she passed.

"Who is that?" Maahir asked.

Shaurya looked offended.

"WHO IS THAT?"

Maahir instantly regretted asking.

"Lieutenant," Shaurya whispered dramatically.

"Allow me to introduce the most beautiful woman ever created."

"Oh no."

"Captain Syra Kapoor."

Maahir closed his eyes.

Of course yeah of course this fool had a crush.

"I respect her deeply."

"Sure."

"I admire her leadership."

"Mm."

"I value her professionalism."

"Shaurya."

"Okay fine, I'm completely in love with her."

"There it is."

Before Maahir could say anything else, Captain Syra walked toward them.

The closer she got, the straighter everyone stood ,even the over dramatic Shaurya.

Although his grin remained firmly in place.

"Lieutenants."

Her voice was calm and professional.

both men immediately stood at attention.

"Good evening, ma'am."

She nodded.

"Good evening."

Her eyes landed on Shaurya ghe grin somehow widened , a dangerous development to mankind

"Lieutenant Rathore."

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Why are you smiling?"

Maahir nearly choked ,the grin disappeared instantly.

"Ma'am?"

"You've been smiling for the last thirty seconds."

"Have I?"

"Yes."

"I wasn't aware."

"You should be."

Maahir looked away for his own safety.

because laughing would be a terrible career decision.

Captain Syra handed over a file.

"Report at 0600 tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And don't be late."

"Kabhi nahi mam"

She raised an eyebrow ,the kind of eyebrow that clearly suggested she did not believe him at all.

"That's what you said last week."

Shaurya immediately pointed at the sky.

"Mam unfortunately meri murgi ki mrityu hogyi"

There was a brief silence.

Captain Syra stared at him unimpressed.

wait entirely unimpressed then she turned toward Maahir.

"Lieutenant Malhotra"

"Ma'am."

"I hope you're settling in well."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good."

A simple exchange ekdam professional.

and efficient exactly how military conversations were supposed to be unlike certain people.

Captain Syra gave them one final nod before continuing across the grounds.

The moment she disappeared from sight

shaurya sighed dreamily Maahir already knew what was coming.

"Did you see that?"

"No."

"She spoke to me."

"She's your senior officer."

"She noticed my smile."

"Because you were grinning like a idiot"

"She remembers me."

"Because you're a problem."

"She worries about me."

"She gets irritated by you."

Shaurya gaspedby the betrayal and the the audacity oh yeah ofcourse the lack of support.

Maahir shook his head,reality and Shaurya Rathore clearly lived in two completely different worlds.

Meanwhile somewhere across the camp, Captain Syra Kapoor was probably wondering why she had to deal with him on a daily basis and somehow. Shaurya had interpreted that irritation as affection.

An impressive level of delusion even by his standards.

"I think she likes me."

Maahir looked at him.

Then at the direction Syra had disappeared then back at him.

"No."

"You're just jealous."

"I promise you I'm not."

"One day you'll see."

Maahir sighed looking up at the night sky his first day at camp wasn't even over yet and somehow he had already acquired a chaotic best friend wait jabardasti ka bestfriend has an impossible crush on his senior officer.

This posting was going to be a long one for sure

❦ 𝑺𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒉'𝒔 𝑷𝒐𝒗

By the time I returned home, my social battery had officially died completely.

After dinner, I escaped to my room before anyone could start another discussion about marriage, relatives, or how "girls my age" should behave.

I changed into my pajamas, tied my hair into a messy bun, and flopped onto my bed.

What a day classes,assignments and the library!

Oh wait how can i forgot almost falling into the Ganga.

Meeting a stranger and then meeting the same stranger again and somehow surviving all of it.

A miracle, honestly with a tired sigh, I got up and reached for my bag.

I needed my diary writing always helped me clear my thoughts but when I opened my bag the smile on my face disappeared.

My hand froze, i looked inside again then again ,nothing my diary wasn't there.

For a moment, my brain simply refused to process the information then panic arrived.

"Oh no."

I emptied the entire bag onto my bed books ,pens,headphones ,notes even a

half eaten chocolate everything was there except the diary.

My eyes widened.

"No no no no no."

This couldn't be happening not the diary please anything but the diary that thing contained years of embarrassing thoughts.

Poems,cringe entries random observations and a seven page rant about a professor who looked like an angry pigeon.

If someone read it, I would have to leave the country,immediately.I sat on the floor, holding my head trying to remember where I had last seen it.

The ghat or the rickshaw oh God maybe the rickshaw.

My soul practically left my body what if someone found it? or worse what if they read it? What if-I gasped.

The stranger, the thought appeared out of nowhere the same stranger who had saved me twice in a day

What if he had found it?I stared at the wall thinking then suddenly another thought entered my mind.

A much more dangerous one, i remembered his eyes.

Hazel eyes

The kind that looked like they carried a thousand untold stories,immediately I sat upright.

"No."absolutely not,we were not doing this not today.

I pointed at myself dramatically.

"Sarah Sharma."

I narrowed my eyes."What are you doing?"

Why was I thinking about him?we had exchanged, what?Five sentences?maximum.

I didn't even know his name yet somehow my brain had decided to replay today's events like a Bollywood montage.

Ridiculous, i grabbed a pillow and hugged it then another horrifying possibility appeared.

Wait.

What if he was my soulmate? the thought lingered for exactly three seconds then I smacked myself with the pillow.

"No." a dramatic pause.

"Absolutely not."if he were my soulmate, things would've happened differently.

That's how movies worked there would've been signs.

A bell would've rung,the wind would've started blowing dramatically,flowers would've floated through the air for absolutely no reason clouds would've parted background music would've started playing and the universe would've sent a notification.

Instead, I almost fell into a river,very romantic i rolled my eyes at myself

Thankgod! Koi hamare man ki baat sun nahi sakta varna mera kya hota?

Oh wait my diary honestly, the only thing fate had done today was steal my diary and potentially ruin my life.

With a groan, I collapsed onto the bed.

Tomorrow I would figure everything out because tomorrow I had to leave early.

A family havan was being organized in our ancestral village, and the entire family was expected to attend which meant waking up before sunrise,which should honestly be illegal.

I pulled the blanket over myself the room slowly grew quiet my thoughts became heavier yet despite all my efforts, one final image appeared before sleep finally claimed me.

Hazel eyes again

I immediately buried my face deeper into the pillow.

"Nope."

Then, a few minutes later I was asleep finally.

❦ 𝑺𝒚𝒓𝒂'𝒔 𝑷𝑶𝑽

Captain Syra Kapoor had long stopped expecting peaceful days.

At twenty-five years old, she had already learned that life in the Army came with responsibility, pressure, and endless paperwork that nobody ever warned you about.

Most people imagined soldiers spending their days doing heroic things.

Reality? half the time she was chasing reports the other half she was chasing Lieutenants who forgot deadlines.

Specifically one Lieutenant -Lieutenant Shaurya Rathore.

Twenty four years old talented and capable and unfortunately extremely annoying.

Every single day he found a new way to test her patience today was no different.

Syra parked her vehicle outside the officers' quarters and stepped out.

The sky above Banaras had turned dark, and the cool evening breeze offered a welcome break after a long day.

The moment she opened the door, chaos greeted her not military chaos.

worse the family chaos.

Music blasted from somewhere inside the house ,high heels clicked against the floor and someone was dramatically announcing something.

"I'd like to thank my future fans for believing in me."

Syra closed her eyes - Pihu of course.

her younger sister 𝑷𝒊𝒉𝒖 𝑲𝒂𝒑𝒐𝒐𝒓

Twenty years old Final year B.A. student.

A Dreamer and drama queen ,future self proclaimed international supermodel.

but current full time headache.

Syra stepped into the living room there she was walking across the room with a book balanced on her head lne hand on her waist and the other dramatically waving at imaginary photographers.

"Thank you, thank you."Pihu blew imaginary kisses.

"Miss World 2030 appreciates your support."

Syra dropped her bag onto the sofa.

"Pihu."without missing a beat, Pihu pointed forward.

"No autographs today."

"Pihu."

"Security, remove this woman."

"Pihu Kapoor."

Pihu finally looked up.

"Oh."

A grin spread across her face.

"Didi!"

Before Syra could react, Pihu launched herself onto the sofa beside her.

"You're home."

"Barely."

"Bad day?"

"No."

"Then why do you look like you want to arrest someone?"

Syra immediately thought of Shaurya.

"Pihu."

"Hm?"

"Have you ever met someone whose entire existence feels like a personal attack?"

Pihu gasped dramatically.

"Shaurya?"

Syra froze slowly.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Fass gyi pyari"

"No."

"Didi."

"No."

"The one who stares at you like a golden retriever who just discovered happiness?"

"Pihu."

"The smiling one."

"Pihu."

"The annoying one."

"Pihu!"

Pihu burst out laughing.

"Oh my God, it is him."

Syra rubbed her forehead,this was exactly why she avoided these conversations unfortunately her sister possessed investigative skills that should honestly be illegal.

"You know," Pihu continued, "I think he likes you."

"He does not."

"He definitely does."

"He absolutely does not."

"He smiles whenever you enter a room."

"That's because he's planning something stupid."

Pihu laughed even harder meanwhile Syra silently wondered how her life had come to this she spent her days commanding soldiers making difficult decisions ,handling responsibilities and every evening she returned home to a twenty year old aspiring model analyzing her nonexistent love life.

Speaking of which Pihu suddenly stood up.

"Didi, look."before Syra could stop her, Pihu struck a dramatic pose then another.

"What do you think?"

"I think you're going to break your ankle."

"I'm practicing."

"For?"

"Miss India."

Syra blinked.

"Miss India?"

"Then Miss World."

"Pihu."

"Then international campaigns."

"Pihu."

"Then global fame."

"Pihu."

"Then private jets."

"Pihu."

"Fine."

Pihu collapsed onto the sofa dramatically.

"Nobody supports my dreams."

Syra couldn't help smiling just a little.

despite all her theatrics, Pihu was determined and fearlessly ambitious and completely convinced she would conquer the world one runway at a time.

Maybe she would ,the two sisters sat together for a few moments.

One dressed in Army fatigues after a long day of duty and the other watching beauty pageant videos while dreaming about future crowns.

Two completely different worlds yet somehow they worked.

As Pihu continued talking excitedly about modeling competitions, Syra leaned back against the sofa,for the first time all day, she felt herself relax.

Tomorrow would bring more duties and more responsibilities and undoubtedly more chaos from Lieutenant Shaurya Rathore , whom she was handling since a year but for now.

She was simply Syra an elder sister at home with family and honestly that was enough.

But you know The truth was, Captain Syra Kapoor wasn't born strong.

Life had forced her to become strong.

At fifteen years old, she had lost both her parents one day she had a complete family and the next day, she had responsibilities.

A frightened little sister and a future that suddenly felt uncertain,most people would have broken under that weight.

Syra didn't ,she couldn't afford to.

While other teenagers worried about school trips and crushes, Syra learned how to manage bills, responsibilities, and a household.

She studied harder, worked harder and dreamed bigger not because she wanted to because she had to and somehow she made it.

Today, at twenty five years old, Captain Syra Kapoor was one of the youngest officers in her unit.

A self made woman,everything she had achieved belonged entirely to her own hard work and if there was one thing she was most proud of it wasn't the rank on her shoulders.

It was Pihu her little sister.

The same little girl who used to cry herself to sleep after their parents passed away,the same girl Syra had practically raised herself.

Pihu Kapoor was the exact opposite of her sister where Syra was discipline

Pihu was chaos where Syra followed schedules pihu followed vibes,where Syra preferred silence pihu could hold conversations with walls if necessary.

She dreamed of becoming India's biggest model one day ,winning pageants ,walking international runways and being featured on magazine covers.

And honestly?the confidence with which she spoke about it almost made it sound possible.

Sometimes Syra wondered if Pihu was secretly powered by unlimited energy because normal humans certainly weren't like that.

A small smile appeared on Syra's face as she remembered the dramatic fashion show Pihu had conducted in the living room earlier.

The smile lasted exactly three seconds because another person entered her thoughts.

Lieutenant Shaurya Rathore immediately the smile vanished a headache replaced it.

One year for an entire year she had worked with that man and somehow every day felt like an adventure she never signed up for.

The first time they met, he had accidentally saluted with a coffee cup in his hand.

Three months later he had convinced half the unit that she secretly smiled at his jokes.

A complete lie she absolutely did not.

Then there was the incident involving a training exercise.

To this day Syra had no idea how Shaurya managed to get mud all over his uniform within fifteen minutes.

The mission had gone perfectly the Lieutenant had not.

Another time he had shown up five minutes late to a briefing.

When asked for an explanation, he had confidently blamed traffic.

Inside a military camp she had nearly court martialed him on principle qnd yet despite everything he somehow managed to do his work perfectly.

That was the annoying part he was competent and reliable which meant she couldn't even stay angry for long.

The man simply had too much life inside him too much energy and too many unnecessary words ,he laughed loudly

talked endlessly made friends with everyone and somehow walked through life as if the world was meant to be enjoyed rather than survived.

The complete opposite of Syra sometimes she genuinely wondered how someone could smile so much then she remembered he smiled even during punishments.

A psychopath that was the only explanation, a complete psychopath the corner of her lips twitched despite herself then she immediately frowned.

No ,absolutely not ,she refused to find Lieutenant Shaurya Rathore amusing tomorrow she would see him again.

and he would probably annoy her again ofcourse tomorrow she would once again question why the Army allowed people like him to exist.

With that final thought, Syra switched off the bedside lamp across the hall, Pihu was probably still watching beauty pageant videos instead of sleeping.

Some things never changed and honestly Syra wouldn't have it any other way.

- 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝 -

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