She was immediately hit by a blast of cold air and bright lights. It took her a moment to get her bearings. It was the oddest sort of office she had seen. In her mind an office was supposed to a dull boxed off sort of a place where everyone sat in their identical white cubicles and the only sound one heard was of the phone and the computer. Here, however, it was completely different. It was noisy and colourful, extremely colourful. From what she could tell was that the office was circular; behind the transparent wall of the semicircular receptionist desk she could make out three rooms. No, not rooms but rather stations, towards the left side there was a strange assortment of bean shaped sofas that had an attached table and light to it. On the right side there seemed to a be working station where people were busy swimming in seas of cloths, cutting, sewing and designing it; and in the middle there was a large oval table, that had the most fascinating artwork on it, it was surrounded by interesting looking chairs, each unique in their own, some short and fat, some furry, some tall and erect. In the most cuddliest looking one sat a man hunched over something on the table, he was dressed in rough jeans, a bright green shirt with some writing on it and a black blazer with red and yellow stripes near the hem, from where she stood she couldn't really tell what he looked like only he was fair with a shock of dark, messy hair.
Behind these three 'stations' was the caf, where the bulk of the employees were sat, all in casual attire. Some eating while others sipping away at tea, coffee or some other beverage and some were just sitting around talking. Towards the right side of the caf, behind the sewing station, a set of stairs led to an upper floor, which now Khushi stepping back saw the gallery of. The floor started off from above the receptions' wall and went all the way to the back, joining the back wall of the cafeteria. It was also in a circular shape and covered two halves of the three working stations, it started from the right hand side wall and came up to half-way in the third station, covering only part of the sofa-desk area. It had glass windows that made the wall for the second floor, allowing the people below to see in there and the people in there to see below. It seemed to be just one room upstairs from what she could tell, which stood out in this whole place. While the whole bottom floor had every inch of it covered in bright colours, this one above had only two, white and a deep red with a black office desk, an office chair and a desktop. It was the only room that looked like an office, which was the reason why it stood out, for the rest of the place looked like some sort of an art exhibition with all the vibrant colours. She didn't know what to make out of this place, it wasn't at all what she had expected.
'Yes? May I help you?' the receptionist's curt voice brought Khushi's attention on to her. She was a short, plump woman, with too much make-up on. She was dressed in a snappy skirt and blouse that didn't give her body a good shape, her wrists were clad with heavy bangles. She wore her hair short and out, they had golden highlights in them that served as great a contrast to her dark hair. All in all, she would have been a pretty woman if she tried not so hard to look pretty.
'Umm...yes. I am here for the job application La.A.N.K put in the newspaper.' Khushi said each letter out instead of reading it together ass a word, as she showed her, her CV.
'Its' LaANK, you say it together not each letter individually...really you should check up about a company before you come and apply there.' she scoffed at her condescendingly, unnerving Khushi. She glanced at her CV, 'You a fashion designer?' she said incredulously as she sized her up. Khushi let the comment and the tone slide as she didn't deem it necessary to defend her clothes when the slur came from a gaudy dresser herself. Seeing Khushi not rise up to the bait she continued in a sour tone, 'well you can take a seat with the rest of them, while I pass your CV on.' She jerked her head towards the right hand side of the area in front of the reception desk.
Khushi turned to see the waiting area for the first time, as before she had been captivated by what was behind the counter to have noticed what was there in front of it. The waiting area was spaciously furnished with comfortable looking sofas and coffee tables, four around each grouping of the sofas. They were magazines on the coffee table fashion and others to leaf through while one waited. There were about ten candidates here already before her, seven women and three men. They were all dressed in western attire and had lots of make-up on, the men too. Khushi gawked at them, they seemed to have walked right outside of the movie Fashion. Where the men wore eye-liner and mascara in lenient amounts, had piercings and scarves. Two of them wore sober colours, while the other wore bright ones but all of their clothes hugged them tightly and made Khushi want to avert her gaze. What happened to men dressing up in a normal suit? Just because they were designers didn't mean they had to look weird and even if they didn't wear suits they could were something a little more decent, there were many decent designs for men why did they have to choose the flashiest of them?!!
When she turned to the women, her skin further crawled. They were all in western attire, but like the men had chosen the worst of them rather than the better. All the outfits were skimpy looking and seemed two sizes smaller for their bodies. They wore metallic jewelry around there wrists and neck and had heavy make-up. Their hair was done in breath-taking styles, that she was sure had probably taken then an hour or more to do. They all looked like they came out of one the pages of the magazines they were idly flicking through. Khushi gulped a hard lump that had formed in her throat, she was completely different from them all, she stood out immensely from them, like the way she had done at that Lucknow fashion show. While her clothes were radiant as always, they were Indian and completely hid her bodice. She had applied make-up but it was in limited amounts, just a bit of kohl and mascara and a gloss on her lips. With her hair she had opted for a simple braid adorned with her signature pompoms that she put on everything. She wore matching glass bangles in one hand and a simple wrist watch in the other, while her feet supported her favourite golden nagras, which strongly contrasted from the high stiletto heels the others wore. Feeling out of place and in adequate, Khushi took her place next to the others around the coffee table, some of them gave her a snobbish look while the others didn't even bother with an upward glance at her. Nervously, she picked up the closest magazine to her and began turning the pages without paying them much attention, all the while hoping that her interviewer would not judge her on her clothes, like the receptionist and some of the candidates sitting here had done, but rather on her talent.
After what seemed to be a long wait a young man walked into the waiting area and announced, 'Alright, you all are here for the designer post, right? I'm Mihraj and I'll be your co-ordinator, follow me and you will shortly know how you will be picked for this job.' He was an easy sort of a fellow, with a welcoming smile. He was dressed in a semi-formal wear, a neat pair of jeans, a collared dull grey shirt and a sports jacket. He beckoned them to follow him and they did.
They went over to what Khushi had deemed the middle station' and he got them to sit around the oval table. Khushi picked the first chair to her left and found her self sinking into a cushioned armchair, she desperately tried to climb out of it to listen to what Mihraj was saying, but her every attempt made her sink into the chair further. it was like she was stuck in quick-sand. In her attempt to heave herself up she placed one hand on the table edge that was in front of her and the other on what she thought was the arm of her chair, only she ended up placing it on the arm of the chair next to hers, which happened to be a swivel chair. When she pushed all her weight onto her hands to haul herself up, the swivel chair slided into the one next to it causing the woman on it to fall, while Khushi herself tumbled forward out of her chair due to the sudden movement. The ruckus turned everyone's attention on to her and the other girl who had fallen. The other girl now got up and glared coldly at Khushi as she too stood up red faced to face everyone.
'What do you think you are doing?! Do you think this is some amusement park, that you can swing on the chairs?!!' admonished the girl as she brushed down her tea-pink halter-top dress.
'I like to think so.' Came an accented voice from behind Khushi. The girl looked up to give the owner of the voice a menacing look but abruptly changed it as she saw who it belonged to. Confused at the sudden change in her expression and to see who had spoken, Khushi turned around to face the person who was standing behind her. It was a man clad in scruffy jeans, a brilliant green shirt and black zip-up hoodie. It was the same man who she had seen hunching over a tablet (which she now saw were the rectangular things in front of every chair) on this table. Up close she saw his soft features and warm, playful smile. He was fair skinned, with charming brown eyes. His dark hair crowded his brow in a messy yet appealing way. He exuberated an air of enthusiasm and friendliness. As he continued on to explain his statement, something at the side of his head caught Khushi's eye, a simple diamond stud that he wore in his right ear.
'...See that is the feel I was going for, I find stuffy office cubicles don't work for me, I can never concentrate in them and so prefer a much more relaxed sort of place to do my work. Where there are colours, a buzz of noise and interesting things to look at', he said gesturing towards the chairs and the various artifacts that adorned the room. 'Plus it is my belief that creation, which this company is all about can only come about in a free, relaxed environment, hence the design of this office. Don't you agree?' he asked to no one in particular, but the all the candidates nodded, except for Khushi who just stared at him in confusion not comprehending who this man was and why they were giving him so much importance.
It was his turn to look at her now, as she hadn't nodded. She had easily stood out from the rest of them, when he had joined them, as she was the only one who was in Indian attire. However, now he understood why, it wasn't just her choice of clothes. No. But rather her individuality. She wasn't like the others, made up, trying too hard, trying desperately to look comfortable in their skin when they clearly were not. She was happy with herself and the way she looked. Comfortable in her skin. She was simple. Perfect.
A smile broke on his face as he took her in. She was beautiful, her cheeks had a natural pink flush that gave such colour to her face, that none of the product all the other women in the room had applied would ever give. She had brilliant caramel-green eyes, that held a hint of mischief in them, something he was very familiar with. Her lips were full and red and her nose, something glinted on it. Focusing he saw she had a nose-pin, a plain-simple crystal stud. 'So you don't think a relaxed environment helps bring about creation?' He asked arching his brow, but only it wasn't a question but rather an invitation for her to share her opinion. He wished to hear her voice. This his tone wasn't intimidating but encouraging.
'Umm...no. I mean yes.' Blabbed Khushi before she had thought it through, his eyebrows arched higher as he looked at her quizzically, amusement dancing in his eyes. He was taken by her, completely. 'I mean I do agree that one needs to have liberty in order to be able to create.' She explained.
'Cool. But then how come you look so confused, was it because you didn't expect this office would realize and follow that?' He asked, his voice musical.
'That and umm...well I was just trying to figure out who you are?' Khushi mumbled honestly, as heat rose in her cheeks. The others scoffed at her for being so ignorant and from behind she heard a snicker escape from the tea-pink girl. But she didn't let that waver, she kept her eyes on the man, she didn't see why she should feel ashamed if she didn't know who he was.
To her relief he didn't seem to disapprove that she didn't know him, her honesty pleased him, as his expression changed from curious to apologetic, 'Oh, my bad. I should have introduced myself before. I'm NK, as in Nand-Kishore, but I would prefer you and everyone else to call me NK.' He added with a smile.
'Ah yes, that was my duty, but I got distracted and so didn't do the formal introduction,' came Mihraj's voice adopting an air of importance, 'for those who don't know,' he continued, now with a mocking voice as if it was a shameful if one didn't even execute this much knowledge, 'this man standing before you is NK, one of the three founders of this corporation.' He ended with a pitying look at Khushi for not even knowing this much.
Now Khushi's eyes did falter as the gravity of her situation hit her. She had just asked her ultimate boss who he was. Everyone's reproachful look seemed correct for one should at least know who the head is of the institution they are applying a job for. She hadn't even stopped to check. She wanted to dig her grave right under LaANK's foundations. This job interview was not going at all as she had hoped. Oh she stood out all right, but for all the wrong reasons. She was wrongly dressed, had began the interview by creating a commotion and then had gone on to make a complete fool out of herself in front the person she had needed to impress the most. Good going Khushi Kumari Gupta. Just excellent. She rebuked herself.
'Oh no need to be so dramatic and formal Mi'raj. I don't see why anyone should have to know me, after all I'm no celebrity I'm just a co-owner of a fashion company.' Exclaimed NK in a modest yet playful tone to lighten the atmosphere and make the woman in front of him relax, as he had seen her tense up as soon as she had found out who he was. He didn't see any reason for her to be nervous or feel less than anyone just because she didn't recognize him. 'Ok so if my intro is over let's get on with it, come on everybody take a seat and settle our selves.' With that he moved forward, signaling everyone to sit as he took a seat out for himself. But as he made to sit himself he saw that Khushi had not moved, so he turned to beckon her to a chair next to him. She was shocked, along with the rest of them who didn't understand how he was willing to sit next to her when she hadn't even known who he was. Shaking, she took the seat next to him and to her horror found that she had once again sat down in the sink-hole of a sofa, causing her to cave in yet again. Mortified she groped the edges to climb out again when she heard a chuckle as a hand wrapped around her arm and helped her up and out of it, allowing her to seat herself at the edge to stop her from sinking in. 'I love that seat, isn't just wonderful? It completely engulfs you.' Said NK cheerfully.
'Eer...yeah' responded Khushi not entirely sure how else to or what to make of this man, who was her boss.
'Ok, everyone listening?' Mihraj called for everyone/s attention, 'the bosses' he paused to give NK a side glance signalling to let anyone who may still be unsure of who the boss was, 'have decided not to interview you guys in order to assess whether you are worthy of this post or not, instead you will be put through a test. Think of it as an internship where we will see you work and your designs to judge whether you are what LaANK is looking for or not. This is how it will work you will have two weeks time to design a collection and pitch it to the board, which is made up of our two founding partners and two sponsors. By the end of the two weeks you have to have made a portfolio of at least twenty designs, out of these you should make between three to five mock up pieces to model. Two weeks from tommorrow you will present your portfolio and model your five pieces in front of the panel and answer any questions they have regarding it. Once our judges have seen them all, they will let you know who will get the job. Needless to say the competition is tough, there are ten of you and only two spots to fill, so eight of you will be turned down, therefore I suggest you bring your 'A' game to the table. If you have any questions you can direct them to me, I am your supervisor, I can assist you in getting any resources you may require or any model you wish to contact to model your designs. Bear in mind that presentation and how you work with others in these two weeks will be taken into account when we make our final decision.
'Now if you follow me I will show you around the office so you can familiarize yourselves with the place.' With that he stood up and directed them towards the left side of the oblong table. Where the bean shaped chairs that had the tables attached to them were.
As Khushi got up, she found NK getting out his seat too to help her out. He gave her a friendly smile as she made to follow the crowd, but he didn't follow her for the tour, instead he took his seat at the table and went back to some work on the tablet on the table. When she joined the herd of interns she heard Mihraj telling them that, 'this is the designing area, this is where you guys will be doing majority of the work, sketching out the various outfits, we call this area the D-Squats: as in Designer's Squat. Back towards the table, this area is called the Round-table, yes, yes we know it's not a circle but NK liked the name as he is a fan of the King Arthur Legends...anyway this is a multi-purpose table, it is used for internal meetings, there is a separate and formal conference room for delegates who come to invest in the company, this one is for the employees for day to day business. It is also for research purposes as you may have noticed a tablet is embedded in the table in front of each chair that is connected to the world-wide-web therefore connecting you too.' He droned on, the earlier enthusiasm now gone. 'ok next up' he guided them to the left of the table, 'this, as you can see is the sewing area, we call it the Seam-Line, this is where the mock-ups of your pieces are made and then adjusted before they are approved and then sent to production. Now behind me you will notice the cafeteria where you can have your tea, coffee and whatever else you wish in your breaks. Lastly, if you follow me through here', he lead them through a door that Khushi had not noticed before, it was situated on the right hand wall right behind the receptionist's desk and to the side of the sewing area, hence it had not been visible before to Khushi. It was a long corridor with only two doors one on the left and the other on the right. 'This, to your right is the official conference room that I mentioned earlier, you do not need to see it as none of you have anything to do here, on your left is where you will be showcasing your work.' He opened the door on the left and let them in. It was a vast cool room. There was a lot of camera equipment here and many backgrounds stacked on one of the walls. In the center of the room was a ramp that began at the far end of the room. There was another door to the right of the ramp that had a sign which read, Back Stage/Dressing Room. Once everyone had taken in the room, Mihraj said, 'Ok so now you have seen the whole place, picture this room in your mind with bright lights and people, and you portraying your work here, as this is where you will display it. O,k now you can get going, your internship programme starts 8:30 sharp tomorrow. Be prepared when you come. Two weeks from tomorrow you will be in this room in front of the bosses fighting for your position at LaANK. All the best.' With that he abruptly shut the door and led them out to the reception area where he left them.
Instantly, the others began their excited murmurs about the next two weeks, discussing what sort of things they were already planning. Some of the pretentious ones boasted how this would be a piece of cake for them as they had already designed so many lines it was only a matter of choosing which one they decided to exhibit to LaANK, the pink-dress was among these exclaimers. Khushi listened to them nervously as sweat began to trickle down her back, they were all so prepared where as she wasn't. They were all quoting names of designers they had worked along or shows they had attended. Whereas Khushi had none of these experiences. She had done nothing in the fashion world they discussed. Apart from gate-crashing one fashion show in Lucknow she had never entered the fashion world. And that experience in Lucknow wasn't one she was willing to share, in fact that wasn't an episode she herself wanted to remember as it still brought goose bumps on her arms and legs thinking about it, especially the man in the crowd. Quietly Khushi made her way to the exit, not wanting to draw any attention to herself, she didn't want to further embarrass herself in front of these people.
She opened the door and headed out, only as luck would have it she walked right into someone's chest. Disorientated, she looked up to find herself staring at a smiling NK. 'So...is this a habit? You falling over everywhere...or just something you enjoy doing?' he teased. However, it only made Khushi redden with discomfort. 'Hey, don't take it personally I was just joking. So you ready for the 'exam' we have set you?' he asked hoping to talk about something that would cheer her up only it had the opposite effect.
'No. I don't think I will be participating in it. I have none of the experience or the qualifications the others have, I don't think I'm right for this job...' she mumbled, embarrassed.
'Nonsense, if that was that case then we would have told you to leave instead of inviting you in. And it doesn't matter whether you have experience or not all that matters is you have talent, which I am sure you do otherwise you would not have come here, don't let some pompous candidates make you feel small you have every right to be here, you like designing outfits don't you?' he asked her, she nodded. 'Then that's all that matters, when you have a passion for something be true to it, don't let it slide just because someone says you don't. Don't give up before you have even started you never know you may just end up being chosen. You owe it to yourself and to your passion to at least give it a try, if it doesn't work out it doesn't, at least you will know that you gave it a shot you won't be left with if's and buts, right?' he solicited encouragingly. This did have the intended effect, bringing the thousand dollar smile back on Khushi's face, the smile she had lost somewhere in the halls of Sheesh-Mahal. NK's little speech had found it and with it the old spark of never backing down.
As her eyes lit up and her lips broke into the most mesmerizing smile, NK was taken aback, until then he had considered her to be pretty, a little clumsy, but cute nonetheless. Now, however, he saw that she wasn't just that, she was beautiful. Her smile mesmerized him, making him completely smitten by her.
'You're right, I shouldn't back down just because I lack experience, I came here to show my talent and that is what I am going to do. Thank you, for reminding me...' then hesitatingly she added, 'And, I'm sorry about earlier...' a little blush rising in her cheeks.
'Oh don't worry about it, I wasn't looking where I was going either, so was bound to collide into something, but I'm glad it was you.' He replied, not quite out of her trance yet.
'Hunh? Oh no, I didn't mean that...although thinking about it, I am sorry for that too...but I was referring to me not knowing who you were earlier...' she clarified, now not meeting his gaze.
'Oh, that, megh no worries...like I said there is no need for one to know me, I don't see why one should, its' not like I am some celebrity so...and besides I don't know who you are either so fair and square.' He laughed, which made his Australian twang sound all the sweeter.
'Oh. I'm Khushi. Khushi Kumari Gupta.' She said, lifting her head up again and giving him her smile.
'Khushi. Nice name. I'm glad to have met you Khushi.' He said extending his hand. She looked at it for a moment and then took it in hers and just like that she knew she could trust him. That in this chaotic world of hers, which threatened to bring new tests for her every day, she knew she would be ok because she had people like him, Aakash and Payal with her. Her friends.
Behind these three 'stations' was the caf, where the bulk of the employees were sat, all in casual attire. Some eating while others sipping away at tea, coffee or some other beverage and some were just sitting around talking. Towards the right side of the caf, behind the sewing station, a set of stairs led to an upper floor, which now Khushi stepping back saw the gallery of. The floor started off from above the receptions' wall and went all the way to the back, joining the back wall of the cafeteria. It was also in a circular shape and covered two halves of the three working stations, it started from the right hand side wall and came up to half-way in the third station, covering only part of the sofa-desk area. It had glass windows that made the wall for the second floor, allowing the people below to see in there and the people in there to see below. It seemed to be just one room upstairs from what she could tell, which stood out in this whole place. While the whole bottom floor had every inch of it covered in bright colours, this one above had only two, white and a deep red with a black office desk, an office chair and a desktop. It was the only room that looked like an office, which was the reason why it stood out, for the rest of the place looked like some sort of an art exhibition with all the vibrant colours. She didn't know what to make out of this place, it wasn't at all what she had expected.
'Yes? May I help you?' the receptionist's curt voice brought Khushi's attention on to her. She was a short, plump woman, with too much make-up on. She was dressed in a snappy skirt and blouse that didn't give her body a good shape, her wrists were clad with heavy bangles. She wore her hair short and out, they had golden highlights in them that served as great a contrast to her dark hair. All in all, she would have been a pretty woman if she tried not so hard to look pretty.
'Umm...yes. I am here for the job application La.A.N.K put in the newspaper.' Khushi said each letter out instead of reading it together ass a word, as she showed her, her CV.
'Its' LaANK, you say it together not each letter individually...really you should check up about a company before you come and apply there.' she scoffed at her condescendingly, unnerving Khushi. She glanced at her CV, 'You a fashion designer?' she said incredulously as she sized her up. Khushi let the comment and the tone slide as she didn't deem it necessary to defend her clothes when the slur came from a gaudy dresser herself. Seeing Khushi not rise up to the bait she continued in a sour tone, 'well you can take a seat with the rest of them, while I pass your CV on.' She jerked her head towards the right hand side of the area in front of the reception desk.
Khushi turned to see the waiting area for the first time, as before she had been captivated by what was behind the counter to have noticed what was there in front of it. The waiting area was spaciously furnished with comfortable looking sofas and coffee tables, four around each grouping of the sofas. They were magazines on the coffee table fashion and others to leaf through while one waited. There were about ten candidates here already before her, seven women and three men. They were all dressed in western attire and had lots of make-up on, the men too. Khushi gawked at them, they seemed to have walked right outside of the movie Fashion. Where the men wore eye-liner and mascara in lenient amounts, had piercings and scarves. Two of them wore sober colours, while the other wore bright ones but all of their clothes hugged them tightly and made Khushi want to avert her gaze. What happened to men dressing up in a normal suit? Just because they were designers didn't mean they had to look weird and even if they didn't wear suits they could were something a little more decent, there were many decent designs for men why did they have to choose the flashiest of them?!!
When she turned to the women, her skin further crawled. They were all in western attire, but like the men had chosen the worst of them rather than the better. All the outfits were skimpy looking and seemed two sizes smaller for their bodies. They wore metallic jewelry around there wrists and neck and had heavy make-up. Their hair was done in breath-taking styles, that she was sure had probably taken then an hour or more to do. They all looked like they came out of one the pages of the magazines they were idly flicking through. Khushi gulped a hard lump that had formed in her throat, she was completely different from them all, she stood out immensely from them, like the way she had done at that Lucknow fashion show. While her clothes were radiant as always, they were Indian and completely hid her bodice. She had applied make-up but it was in limited amounts, just a bit of kohl and mascara and a gloss on her lips. With her hair she had opted for a simple braid adorned with her signature pompoms that she put on everything. She wore matching glass bangles in one hand and a simple wrist watch in the other, while her feet supported her favourite golden nagras, which strongly contrasted from the high stiletto heels the others wore. Feeling out of place and in adequate, Khushi took her place next to the others around the coffee table, some of them gave her a snobbish look while the others didn't even bother with an upward glance at her. Nervously, she picked up the closest magazine to her and began turning the pages without paying them much attention, all the while hoping that her interviewer would not judge her on her clothes, like the receptionist and some of the candidates sitting here had done, but rather on her talent.
After what seemed to be a long wait a young man walked into the waiting area and announced, 'Alright, you all are here for the designer post, right? I'm Mihraj and I'll be your co-ordinator, follow me and you will shortly know how you will be picked for this job.' He was an easy sort of a fellow, with a welcoming smile. He was dressed in a semi-formal wear, a neat pair of jeans, a collared dull grey shirt and a sports jacket. He beckoned them to follow him and they did.
They went over to what Khushi had deemed the middle station' and he got them to sit around the oval table. Khushi picked the first chair to her left and found her self sinking into a cushioned armchair, she desperately tried to climb out of it to listen to what Mihraj was saying, but her every attempt made her sink into the chair further. it was like she was stuck in quick-sand. In her attempt to heave herself up she placed one hand on the table edge that was in front of her and the other on what she thought was the arm of her chair, only she ended up placing it on the arm of the chair next to hers, which happened to be a swivel chair. When she pushed all her weight onto her hands to haul herself up, the swivel chair slided into the one next to it causing the woman on it to fall, while Khushi herself tumbled forward out of her chair due to the sudden movement. The ruckus turned everyone's attention on to her and the other girl who had fallen. The other girl now got up and glared coldly at Khushi as she too stood up red faced to face everyone.
'What do you think you are doing?! Do you think this is some amusement park, that you can swing on the chairs?!!' admonished the girl as she brushed down her tea-pink halter-top dress.
'I like to think so.' Came an accented voice from behind Khushi. The girl looked up to give the owner of the voice a menacing look but abruptly changed it as she saw who it belonged to. Confused at the sudden change in her expression and to see who had spoken, Khushi turned around to face the person who was standing behind her. It was a man clad in scruffy jeans, a brilliant green shirt and black zip-up hoodie. It was the same man who she had seen hunching over a tablet (which she now saw were the rectangular things in front of every chair) on this table. Up close she saw his soft features and warm, playful smile. He was fair skinned, with charming brown eyes. His dark hair crowded his brow in a messy yet appealing way. He exuberated an air of enthusiasm and friendliness. As he continued on to explain his statement, something at the side of his head caught Khushi's eye, a simple diamond stud that he wore in his right ear.
'...See that is the feel I was going for, I find stuffy office cubicles don't work for me, I can never concentrate in them and so prefer a much more relaxed sort of place to do my work. Where there are colours, a buzz of noise and interesting things to look at', he said gesturing towards the chairs and the various artifacts that adorned the room. 'Plus it is my belief that creation, which this company is all about can only come about in a free, relaxed environment, hence the design of this office. Don't you agree?' he asked to no one in particular, but the all the candidates nodded, except for Khushi who just stared at him in confusion not comprehending who this man was and why they were giving him so much importance.
It was his turn to look at her now, as she hadn't nodded. She had easily stood out from the rest of them, when he had joined them, as she was the only one who was in Indian attire. However, now he understood why, it wasn't just her choice of clothes. No. But rather her individuality. She wasn't like the others, made up, trying too hard, trying desperately to look comfortable in their skin when they clearly were not. She was happy with herself and the way she looked. Comfortable in her skin. She was simple. Perfect.
A smile broke on his face as he took her in. She was beautiful, her cheeks had a natural pink flush that gave such colour to her face, that none of the product all the other women in the room had applied would ever give. She had brilliant caramel-green eyes, that held a hint of mischief in them, something he was very familiar with. Her lips were full and red and her nose, something glinted on it. Focusing he saw she had a nose-pin, a plain-simple crystal stud. 'So you don't think a relaxed environment helps bring about creation?' He asked arching his brow, but only it wasn't a question but rather an invitation for her to share her opinion. He wished to hear her voice. This his tone wasn't intimidating but encouraging.
'Umm...no. I mean yes.' Blabbed Khushi before she had thought it through, his eyebrows arched higher as he looked at her quizzically, amusement dancing in his eyes. He was taken by her, completely. 'I mean I do agree that one needs to have liberty in order to be able to create.' She explained.
'Cool. But then how come you look so confused, was it because you didn't expect this office would realize and follow that?' He asked, his voice musical.
'That and umm...well I was just trying to figure out who you are?' Khushi mumbled honestly, as heat rose in her cheeks. The others scoffed at her for being so ignorant and from behind she heard a snicker escape from the tea-pink girl. But she didn't let that waver, she kept her eyes on the man, she didn't see why she should feel ashamed if she didn't know who he was.
To her relief he didn't seem to disapprove that she didn't know him, her honesty pleased him, as his expression changed from curious to apologetic, 'Oh, my bad. I should have introduced myself before. I'm NK, as in Nand-Kishore, but I would prefer you and everyone else to call me NK.' He added with a smile.
'Ah yes, that was my duty, but I got distracted and so didn't do the formal introduction,' came Mihraj's voice adopting an air of importance, 'for those who don't know,' he continued, now with a mocking voice as if it was a shameful if one didn't even execute this much knowledge, 'this man standing before you is NK, one of the three founders of this corporation.' He ended with a pitying look at Khushi for not even knowing this much.
Now Khushi's eyes did falter as the gravity of her situation hit her. She had just asked her ultimate boss who he was. Everyone's reproachful look seemed correct for one should at least know who the head is of the institution they are applying a job for. She hadn't even stopped to check. She wanted to dig her grave right under LaANK's foundations. This job interview was not going at all as she had hoped. Oh she stood out all right, but for all the wrong reasons. She was wrongly dressed, had began the interview by creating a commotion and then had gone on to make a complete fool out of herself in front the person she had needed to impress the most. Good going Khushi Kumari Gupta. Just excellent. She rebuked herself.
'Oh no need to be so dramatic and formal Mi'raj. I don't see why anyone should have to know me, after all I'm no celebrity I'm just a co-owner of a fashion company.' Exclaimed NK in a modest yet playful tone to lighten the atmosphere and make the woman in front of him relax, as he had seen her tense up as soon as she had found out who he was. He didn't see any reason for her to be nervous or feel less than anyone just because she didn't recognize him. 'Ok so if my intro is over let's get on with it, come on everybody take a seat and settle our selves.' With that he moved forward, signaling everyone to sit as he took a seat out for himself. But as he made to sit himself he saw that Khushi had not moved, so he turned to beckon her to a chair next to him. She was shocked, along with the rest of them who didn't understand how he was willing to sit next to her when she hadn't even known who he was. Shaking, she took the seat next to him and to her horror found that she had once again sat down in the sink-hole of a sofa, causing her to cave in yet again. Mortified she groped the edges to climb out again when she heard a chuckle as a hand wrapped around her arm and helped her up and out of it, allowing her to seat herself at the edge to stop her from sinking in. 'I love that seat, isn't just wonderful? It completely engulfs you.' Said NK cheerfully.
'Eer...yeah' responded Khushi not entirely sure how else to or what to make of this man, who was her boss.
'Ok, everyone listening?' Mihraj called for everyone/s attention, 'the bosses' he paused to give NK a side glance signalling to let anyone who may still be unsure of who the boss was, 'have decided not to interview you guys in order to assess whether you are worthy of this post or not, instead you will be put through a test. Think of it as an internship where we will see you work and your designs to judge whether you are what LaANK is looking for or not. This is how it will work you will have two weeks time to design a collection and pitch it to the board, which is made up of our two founding partners and two sponsors. By the end of the two weeks you have to have made a portfolio of at least twenty designs, out of these you should make between three to five mock up pieces to model. Two weeks from tommorrow you will present your portfolio and model your five pieces in front of the panel and answer any questions they have regarding it. Once our judges have seen them all, they will let you know who will get the job. Needless to say the competition is tough, there are ten of you and only two spots to fill, so eight of you will be turned down, therefore I suggest you bring your 'A' game to the table. If you have any questions you can direct them to me, I am your supervisor, I can assist you in getting any resources you may require or any model you wish to contact to model your designs. Bear in mind that presentation and how you work with others in these two weeks will be taken into account when we make our final decision.
'Now if you follow me I will show you around the office so you can familiarize yourselves with the place.' With that he stood up and directed them towards the left side of the oblong table. Where the bean shaped chairs that had the tables attached to them were.
As Khushi got up, she found NK getting out his seat too to help her out. He gave her a friendly smile as she made to follow the crowd, but he didn't follow her for the tour, instead he took his seat at the table and went back to some work on the tablet on the table. When she joined the herd of interns she heard Mihraj telling them that, 'this is the designing area, this is where you guys will be doing majority of the work, sketching out the various outfits, we call this area the D-Squats: as in Designer's Squat. Back towards the table, this area is called the Round-table, yes, yes we know it's not a circle but NK liked the name as he is a fan of the King Arthur Legends...anyway this is a multi-purpose table, it is used for internal meetings, there is a separate and formal conference room for delegates who come to invest in the company, this one is for the employees for day to day business. It is also for research purposes as you may have noticed a tablet is embedded in the table in front of each chair that is connected to the world-wide-web therefore connecting you too.' He droned on, the earlier enthusiasm now gone. 'ok next up' he guided them to the left of the table, 'this, as you can see is the sewing area, we call it the Seam-Line, this is where the mock-ups of your pieces are made and then adjusted before they are approved and then sent to production. Now behind me you will notice the cafeteria where you can have your tea, coffee and whatever else you wish in your breaks. Lastly, if you follow me through here', he lead them through a door that Khushi had not noticed before, it was situated on the right hand wall right behind the receptionist's desk and to the side of the sewing area, hence it had not been visible before to Khushi. It was a long corridor with only two doors one on the left and the other on the right. 'This, to your right is the official conference room that I mentioned earlier, you do not need to see it as none of you have anything to do here, on your left is where you will be showcasing your work.' He opened the door on the left and let them in. It was a vast cool room. There was a lot of camera equipment here and many backgrounds stacked on one of the walls. In the center of the room was a ramp that began at the far end of the room. There was another door to the right of the ramp that had a sign which read, Back Stage/Dressing Room. Once everyone had taken in the room, Mihraj said, 'Ok so now you have seen the whole place, picture this room in your mind with bright lights and people, and you portraying your work here, as this is where you will display it. O,k now you can get going, your internship programme starts 8:30 sharp tomorrow. Be prepared when you come. Two weeks from tomorrow you will be in this room in front of the bosses fighting for your position at LaANK. All the best.' With that he abruptly shut the door and led them out to the reception area where he left them.
Instantly, the others began their excited murmurs about the next two weeks, discussing what sort of things they were already planning. Some of the pretentious ones boasted how this would be a piece of cake for them as they had already designed so many lines it was only a matter of choosing which one they decided to exhibit to LaANK, the pink-dress was among these exclaimers. Khushi listened to them nervously as sweat began to trickle down her back, they were all so prepared where as she wasn't. They were all quoting names of designers they had worked along or shows they had attended. Whereas Khushi had none of these experiences. She had done nothing in the fashion world they discussed. Apart from gate-crashing one fashion show in Lucknow she had never entered the fashion world. And that experience in Lucknow wasn't one she was willing to share, in fact that wasn't an episode she herself wanted to remember as it still brought goose bumps on her arms and legs thinking about it, especially the man in the crowd. Quietly Khushi made her way to the exit, not wanting to draw any attention to herself, she didn't want to further embarrass herself in front of these people.
She opened the door and headed out, only as luck would have it she walked right into someone's chest. Disorientated, she looked up to find herself staring at a smiling NK. 'So...is this a habit? You falling over everywhere...or just something you enjoy doing?' he teased. However, it only made Khushi redden with discomfort. 'Hey, don't take it personally I was just joking. So you ready for the 'exam' we have set you?' he asked hoping to talk about something that would cheer her up only it had the opposite effect.
'No. I don't think I will be participating in it. I have none of the experience or the qualifications the others have, I don't think I'm right for this job...' she mumbled, embarrassed.
'Nonsense, if that was that case then we would have told you to leave instead of inviting you in. And it doesn't matter whether you have experience or not all that matters is you have talent, which I am sure you do otherwise you would not have come here, don't let some pompous candidates make you feel small you have every right to be here, you like designing outfits don't you?' he asked her, she nodded. 'Then that's all that matters, when you have a passion for something be true to it, don't let it slide just because someone says you don't. Don't give up before you have even started you never know you may just end up being chosen. You owe it to yourself and to your passion to at least give it a try, if it doesn't work out it doesn't, at least you will know that you gave it a shot you won't be left with if's and buts, right?' he solicited encouragingly. This did have the intended effect, bringing the thousand dollar smile back on Khushi's face, the smile she had lost somewhere in the halls of Sheesh-Mahal. NK's little speech had found it and with it the old spark of never backing down.
As her eyes lit up and her lips broke into the most mesmerizing smile, NK was taken aback, until then he had considered her to be pretty, a little clumsy, but cute nonetheless. Now, however, he saw that she wasn't just that, she was beautiful. Her smile mesmerized him, making him completely smitten by her.
'You're right, I shouldn't back down just because I lack experience, I came here to show my talent and that is what I am going to do. Thank you, for reminding me...' then hesitatingly she added, 'And, I'm sorry about earlier...' a little blush rising in her cheeks.
'Oh don't worry about it, I wasn't looking where I was going either, so was bound to collide into something, but I'm glad it was you.' He replied, not quite out of her trance yet.
'Hunh? Oh no, I didn't mean that...although thinking about it, I am sorry for that too...but I was referring to me not knowing who you were earlier...' she clarified, now not meeting his gaze.
'Oh, that, megh no worries...like I said there is no need for one to know me, I don't see why one should, its' not like I am some celebrity so...and besides I don't know who you are either so fair and square.' He laughed, which made his Australian twang sound all the sweeter.
'Oh. I'm Khushi. Khushi Kumari Gupta.' She said, lifting her head up again and giving him her smile.
'Khushi. Nice name. I'm glad to have met you Khushi.' He said extending his hand. She looked at it for a moment and then took it in hers and just like that she knew she could trust him. That in this chaotic world of hers, which threatened to bring new tests for her every day, she knew she would be ok because she had people like him, Aakash and Payal with her. Her friends.
*****
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