2 Echoes of Destiny

The busy streets of Mumbai were full of people as Arjun walked through them.

He is now 28 years old.

He used to be a mechanical engineer, but now he teaches both online and offline at Elacademy for IAS aspirants. He has been working there for 5 years and had made quite a name for himself.

Tall and athletic with black hair and a strong jawline, Arjun looked confident as he headed to the academy for his offline shift.

His days were busy with making educational videos or teaching classes to students who had signed up for Elacademy, while his evenings were dedicated to the art of Muay Thai, finding peace from stress in the rhythm of punches and kicks.

Having started as a civil service coaching employee following his graduation as an engineer, his perspective of world mechanics broadened. Initially starting with mathematics, he later managed to teach history as well.

Consequently, during his downtime, he engages in self-education, delving into subjects such as history, politics, philosophy, economics, and technology specially the transmission from old to new and playing strategy games to challenge his wits.

Despite his busy schedule, Arjun's life took an unexpected turn when he found himself drawn to a colleague named Riya , a bengali beauty, who is only 4 years younger than her, whose long, dark hair and sparkling eyes captured his attention from the moment they met at the first day of her joining.

As he watched her work, a warmth spread through his chest, and he couldn't shake the feeling that she was someone special.

After maintaining a consistent and cautious approach for three months, consisting of brief greetings, he resolved to break the ice and proceed to the next level directly. Little did he imagine that his choice to confess would become the pivotal, life-altering event for him.

**14th February 2024**

Arjun felt his heart beating fast as he stood outside the doors of Elacademy, feeling nervous. Today, he planned to ask Riya out on a date. Taking a deep breath, he walked into the building and headed to her scheduled office to either make it or break it.

She was sitting at her desk, focused on her work, her long, dark hairs falling over her shoulders. Arjun walked up to her as his heart beat fast with every step he took.

"Hi, Riya," he greeted as he tried to stay calm.

Riya looked up from her work, a smile lighting up her face as she met his gaze.

"Hey, Arjun. What's up?" she replied with genuine interest.

Summoning all his courage, Arjun took a deep breath and proposed.

"Um, I was wondering if... uh... you'd like to maybe... um... go out with me somewhere? Like, on a date?"

Riya's brows furrowed in confusion for a moment as she tried to understand Arjun's hesitant words. Then, she realized what he was asking, and a playful smile appeared on her lips.

"Are you asking me out on a date, Arjun?" she asked, with a hint of amusement in her voice.

Arjun felt embarrassed as his cheeks turned red, but he nodded shyly.

"Yeah, I guess I am," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

Riya chuckled softly as her eyes twinkled with amusement. "Well, since you finally came to ask, after taking such a long time with only 'Hi' and 'Bye,' how could I say no? Let's go then," 

Arjun's eyes sparkled with hope as Riya easily accepted, his mind filled with possibilities. Maybe, just maybe, today was the day he would finally make his move and score a date with Riya.

Riya smile widened as she saw the excitement that washed over Arjun's face, who seemed to be on cloud nine with just a simple response. His facial expression resembled that of a person who had just won the lottery.

As if she understood his inner thoughts, Riya's teasing voice brought him back to reality.

"Just remember, Arjun," she continued with serious tone but mischievous eyes , "I'm not that easy. I'm only interested in young, fit, and talented co-workers for a normal get-together. No need to be so overly-excited, okay?"

Arjun cleared his throat nervously, his gaze dropping to the floor as if he feared being misunderstood for plotting something sinister, which he hadn't even attempted.

"Obviously, Riya, it's not... I mean... It's not like that," he stammered in panic.

Riya raised an eyebrow in mock indignation, her lips twitching with suppressed amusement.

"Oh, really? Then what is it like, Mr. Arjun. Please enlighten me?" she asked with feigning seriousness.

Arjun swallowed hard, his mind raced as he scrambled for an explanation.

"Well, um... You know, since you came here as a political science specialist, I was just curious why you didn't try for civil services. I mean, you're such a young and talented teacher."

Riya just blinking at his words by folding her hands ,"....."

"So, out of curiosity, I wanted to, um... get to know your plans and see how we could ... together.. for the betterment of our students, you know, like, for work-related reasons..." he rambled, his words tumbling out nervously.

'Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha!'

Riya's burst into laugher as her eyes twinkled with amusement at Arjun's flustered attempts to cover up his true intentions.

"Oh, Arjun," she chuckled, shaking her head fondly. "You're too cute when you're nervous." 

Arjun's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but he felt a sense of relief wash over him at Riya's casual response. Maybe he hadn't completely ruined his chances after all.

And with Riya's playful laughter ringing in his ears, Arjun's heart swelled with gratitude as he looked forward to the exciting possibilities that lay ahead.

Arjun's heart filled with happiness as he made plans to meet Riya later that evening near a movie theatre alley. The time seemed to pass slowly for Arjun as he couldn't wait to spend time with her outside of work and get to know her better, for the sake of work related reasons.