LovE @ OfficE

People argue when I tell them that I’m a night person.

‘Working in night shifts doesn’t make you a night person.’ They would say. I agree. In a country like India thousands of people work in night shifts and for many such people their job is unpleasant. It Sucks! But I don’t become a night person when I started to work in night. I always was! I don’t like getting up early. I never woke up early in morning to prepare for exams. I always used to miss early morning classes in college. Moreover my productivity decreases exponentially in daytime and increases manifolds at night.

‘I love working in night’ I said and sat on the sofa.

‘I don’t have an issue either’ Febin said.

It was midnight. We were at the cafeteria on a coffee break. As it was a Friday night, most of the employees were relaxed. Cafeteria was unusually crowded. Four more hours and weekend would kick off. Soon we finished our coffee and unhappily got up from the sofa. As we were moving towards the lift I saw Febin’s eyes flickered back and forth. I looked in the direction he was looking. I saw a girl. She was talking on mobile.

‘DHOOMM’ a sound came. I turned back but Febin was missing. I rotated my head 360 degrees but couldn’t find him.

‘Rahul!’ I heard a voice.

‘Febin?’ I said as I looked at the floor. Febin was lying on the floor facedown. He had struck in the glass door head on.

‘Are you ok?’ I asked him. Still on the floor he looked at me gawkily. A sparse crowd gathered around him. I lend him my hand. He got up quickly and we moved back to our floor.

Over the next few days there was a strange change in Febin. It was a welcome change though. He looked blissful. He even started to spend more time at office.   

‘What you up to these days?’ I asked him as we entered the lift.

‘Nothing much.’ He shrugged his shoulders and turned his face in other direction. I didn’t bother to say anything after that. It was a tiring day at office. I wanted to go back home. My bed is waiting for me. However, few seconds later I realised lift was not moving. Febin had not pressed the Button.

‘What is wrong with you? Why didn’t you press the button?’ I screamed as I pressed the button.

‘I’m sorry! I was thinking about her.’ He sighed.

What were you thinking? What is there to think? Have you ever spoken to her? I wanted to ask him.

Lift again stopped, at the third floor this time.

‘Now face the consequences. It will stop at every floor.’ I said. Febin gave me a dirty look. He didn’t look happy. However, his eyes lightened as soon as lift opened. It was the same girl.

‘I’m in the lift. I will call back in five minutes’ she hung the phone and smiled. Ahh.. she looks cute.  Not difficult to fall in love with her.

I looked at Febin. He looked anxious. He was sweating. He kept his one hand on his heart and looked at me.

‘Dude!’ He whispered.

‘What?’ I asked.

He gave me a disappointed look and didn’t say anything. Soon we reached the ground floor.

‘Did you see?’ He asked animatedly.

‘What?’

‘She smiled!’ He exclaimed.

‘She was talking on phone’ I said. He didn’t like the response. He was disappointed.

‘I wish I could talk to her, she looks like a cute Malyali girl. My heart always skips a beat when I see her. She is the kind of girl whom I would like to take home and introduce to my mother. I don’t know her relationship status. I don’t care. I just wish to talk to her at least once.’ He said emotionally. His heart was in right place.

‘She is Punjabi.’ I said immediately and again disappointed him.

‘How do you know?’ He questioned.

‘Check with AGDB’ I said and start the bike.

‘What is AGDB?’

‘Alok Girl’s DataBase.’ Everything about every girl, Alok knows it. From the name to the address, he will tell you. It is hard to believe that he joined the company barely six months back.

Her name was Preeti. She was from Delhi. She joined the company only a month back. She was staying in HSR layout. Bingo! Febin too stays near HSR. I told you, he is a database.

Being in love is such an amazing feeling. World around us becomes beautiful. Heart beats becomes faster on a mere sight of the person you love. A mere thought about that person would make you feel high. Heart take over the control of mind. Thousands of beautiful thoughts popped in at the same time. You start to live in an imaginary world and you don’t want to come out of it.

It was same for Febin. Over next few days, he did everything to grab her attention. He followed her everywhere (in the office). By now, he knew her complete time table. The time she would come to office, the time she would leave and even the time she would go for a break and he had changed his timings accordingly. Love can make you crazy.

‘Talk to her!’ I said.

‘How could I? She is not even on our floor, forget about the team.’ He said frustratingly.

‘There is no girl on our floor, forget about the team.’ I was more frustrated.

It was end of another week at office. Weekend had finally come. We signed in the attendance register and came out of the office. A month end meeting made us late that day. First rays of Sun had just touched the earth’s surface. Cool breeze was blowing. It was unaffected by early morning Sunrays. A smell of fresh aroma of tea crossed the threshold of my nose. After so many days I had seen the Sunrise. It looked beautiful. I cursed myself for being a night person. I realised what I was missing all these days. I got lost in it.

I got my senses back when Febin shook my shoulders. ‘Look there.’ He gesticulates towards a girl. She was talking on phone. She was Preeti! How much she pays for her phone bill? She was standing alone. I turned back towards at Febin. He was agitated.

He broke out in a cold sweat when she moved in our direction.

‘Relax! She is not going to play hell with you.’ I said and pat on his back.

‘You stay in HSR noe? Could you drop me there? I missed my cab.’  She said to Febin.

P.S. Characters in this story are REAL and ALIVE! It is loosely based on Febin’s (My colleague) encounter with LOVE.

P.S.S. Febin, I hope you like it J J