Two days later.
Mess.
Pooja was rubbing her arms with a scowl on her face and grumbling under her breath about "that bloody mustache" and "dragging him with a tractor." When the rest of the group arrived, they immediately surrounded her. Pooja threw her arms around Naina's waist, burying her head against her friend's belly with a crying expression.
"I can't stand that mustache!" Pooja moaned.
Naina chuckled and hugged her back, patting her on the back in a soothing motion. "What's going on?"
"He had me cleaning his room ALL MORNING. You know how many photos that jerk has? More than all of us combined, that's for sure," Pooja griped.
Yudi and Huda stifled their laughter at Pooja's predicament, while Ali sat next to her with a sympathetic expression and began to massage her hand.
Meanwhile, Alekh wore a thoughtful expression. "Hey, let's go to the game room," he suggested.
At the mention of the game room, the group straightened up with interest. These days, they only used that room to discuss their mission, Guiding Light. If Alekh wanted to go there, he must have found something important.
The group grabbed their coffees and headed to the game room, chatting casually as they went. Despite their secretive mission, they appeared to be just a group of friends enjoying their free time together. Naina's illusion magic helped keep any faculty members from getting suspicious, although the group was unaware of this fact.
Once inside the game room, Alekh asked everyone to take a seat. "I had an idea," he began, pacing in front of the group. "What kinds of photos does Major Nair have?" he asked Pooja.
"He has all sorts of photos. Many are from various functions over the years, some are candid shots, and he even has pictures from our freshman ball," Pooja replied.
Naina immediately understood where Alekh was going with this. "Do you think he might have photos from Alumni night, where Naveen was seen with his girlfriend? That's what Suri ji told us, right?" she asked.
Huda nodded in agreement. "Yes, Suri ji did mention that he came to the Alumni night," she recalled.
"It's definitely a possibility, but we'd have to go through all of those photos to find him," Pooja pointed out.
Yudi raised a valid question. "But since we don't really know what Naveen looks like, how are we supposed to find him in those photos?" he asked.
"I'll ask Rajveer sir to point him out," Naina suggested.
"Sir could never say no to our Naina ji," Ali teased with a smirk, causing the rest of the group to chuckle.
Naina was taken aback. "Ali, you're supposed to be the good boy of our group. How could you tease me like that?" she pouted.
"Well, whether I'm a good boy or a bad boy, brothers always tease their sisters about their romantic interests," Ali replied with a grin.
Pooja expressed her admiration for Ali, "My Ranjha, I'm so proud of you. You're upgraded so much since you first arrived." They had recently revealed their feelings for each other and had become an official couple.
Blushing, Ali replied, "I've learned that achieving one's goals doesn't have to mean sacrificing the journey to get there. And after Pooja ji accepted my feelings, I realized that everyone deserves to live their own lives... especially good people like Rajveer sir and Naina ji."
"You're absolutely right, Usool," Huda added while patting his back.
"Alright, let's focus on our mission," Naina said, bringing everyone's attention back to the task at hand. "But how are we going to get those photos to examine? I doubt Nair would hand them over so easily."
"Well, he actually might," Pooja proposed. "If I tell him that I need more time to sort out his photo collection, he'll probably give them to me. He might insult me a lot, but we'll get our work done. And we can always say that I asked for your help."
"That's a fantastic idea, Pooja ji," Ali said, beaming with pride.
"Then let's get to work, everyone," Alekh said, smiling.
...-...
...-...
Entering Rajveer's room, Naina was taken aback by the sight before her. Rajveer had just emerged from the shower and looked even more appealing than she had remembered. His muscular body was coated in glistening droplets of water, and she couldn't help but notice how his toned muscles flexed as he absentmindedly rubbed the towel against his head.
Naina's thoughts wandered to inappropriate places as she took in Rajveer's well-built physique, admiring his chiseled chest and broad shoulders. It was hard to resist his hot and sexy appearance without his shirt on, and the khaki pants he was wearing only accentuated his irresistible figure. As Rajveer spoke on the phone, Naina couldn't help but stare at his body and appreciate how attractive he truly was.
Rajveer's room was hit by a sudden gust of cold wind as Naina entered, and he shivered as the droplets of water on his naked upper body reacted to the chilly air. He spun around and was taken aback by Naina's presence, who was standing with her jaw dropped, openly admiring his physique.
Rajveer, with his upper body still wet, draped the towel over his shoulder and walked towards Naina, who was standing at the doorway with her jaws dropped. He had just finished his call and was amused by Naina's obvious admiration of his body. With a playful tone, he snapped his fingers in front of her eyes and teased her by saying, "Cadet Naina, my eyes are up here. Is there a particular reason you're staring at me like that?" Rajveer's dark eyes flickered with amusement as a smirk played at the corners of his lips.
She blinked and shook her head, as if trying to snap out of her daze. "I-I... um... I came to... um..." she fumbled.
Rajveer smiled, folding his arms over his chest and asking in a flirty tone, "If you keep getting distracted by me like this, how will you be able to continue your training, Cadet?"
Naina would have blushed if she could. She cleared her throat and said, "I'm not getting distracted."
"Mmhmm... sure. So, you said you wanted to..." he trailed off, continuing to flirt with her.
"Um... I needed help with something," she finally managed to say.
Rajveer chuckled, unfolding his arms and taking a step closer to her. "Sure, I'll help you," he said, his voice low and flirtatious. "But first, let's talk about how distracted you are by my towel-clad body."
Naina rolled her eyes, but couldn't help getting more flustered. "I'm not distracted," she protested weakly.
Rajveer leaned in closer, his lips brushing against her ear. "I think you are, Naina," he whispered. "And I don't blame you. I know how irresistible I can be."
Naina felt her knees go weak at his words, but she managed to keep her composure. "Can we please focus on the matter?" she said, stepping back from him. "We can talk about... other things... later."
Rajveer smiled, noticing the pleading look on her face, and agreed not to tease her anymore, at least for the time being.
"If any of my friends ask, tell them that you gave me Naveen's photo," she urgently instructed him.
Rajveer's expression turned serious. "Why would they ask me that? And why would they think I would give you Naveen's photos? They don't know about your true identity, do they?" he asked as he pulled her inside and shut the door.
Naina grimaced. She didn't want to reveal the details of Mission 'Guiding Light.' After all, they had all made a vow not to disclose any information without the consensus of the entire team. "Please don't ask me," she pleaded.
"Naina, tell me what's going on," Rajveer insisted sternly.
"Please, Rajveer sir, don't ask me," she pleaded once again.
"Naina!" he called her name sternly.
She pouted and blurted out the first lie that came to her mind. "They wanted to compare who is more handsome between you and Naveen Bhaiya. I showed them bhaiya's photo and when they asked where I got it from, I panicked and said I got it from you."
Rajveer gaped at her in shock. "You guys discuss who is more handsome?" he exclaimed, feeling embarrassed that his cadets debated such things.
Naina gave him a sheepish smile before looking away. She would have blushed if she were still human. Seeing a man shirtless in real life was a new experience for her, and Rajveer was the man she loved, so she felt extra shy.
Rajveer teased her, "Why aren't you looking at me? Did you tell your friends how handsome you think I am?"
"Rajveer sir!" she protested bashfully. "They know or suspect that there's something between us. And your stunt at the ground that day worked as proof," she pointed out, still not looking at him.
"That's a relief then. I can openly flirt with you now," Rajveer joked.
Feeling extremely shy, Naina bid him a hurried 'goodbye' and ran out of there. Rajveer couldn't help but smile as he looked down at his own half-naked body. He found Naina's reaction to his well-built physique amusing. He chuckled softly to himself before realizing that he had been standing in front of her without a shirt for far too long. He shook his head and slapped the back of his head in a self-scolding gesture. "You fool! No wonder she was so shy and flustered. I wonder what she must be thinking of me," he mused before heading inside to put on a shirt.
...-...
...-...
...-...
Later that afternoon.
All the cadets gathered around the notice board again. A notice from Major Bhargav was posted, stating that all the mentors and their proteges would be going on a 36-hour-long camping trip. They were instructed to bring only their uniforms as all the necessary items would be provided at the camping site.
The cadets started preparing for the next day as they would be leaving the academy grounds early in the morning. As Ali was leaving, Major Bhargav arrived at his room. Bhargav shared that he used to be left-handed before injuring his hand and now, although he can write with his right hand, his handwriting has become really bad. So, he requested Ali to write a love letter on his behalf in the same handwriting style he used to have in another paper.
"Okay, sir," Ali told him hesitantly as he took the papers. Bhargav left him to it.
Ali went to the game room, where the rest of the group was waiting for him. There, he shared what had happened, and Huda and Yudi crowded him, wanting to see what Bhargav was saying to his girlfriend or lover in the love letter.
Pooja joked with Naina, "Who's the unlucky person that became that Mogambo's girlfriend?"
Naina and Alekh snickered along with her before they also gathered around Ali to see the letter. They insisted Ali write a few lines on their behalf as well. Ali scolded them at first but then agreed to do it with a slight shake of his head.
After the letter was completed, Ali went to give it to Major Bhargav while the rest of them gathered in the courtyard. Ali soon joined them, and Major Nair arrived, informing everyone that Dr. Ritu had returned to the academy and she would be Alekh's mentor for the next 36 hours as Major Bhargav had something else to do before he could join them on the camping trip.
Next morning.
All the pairs left for the camp with their mentors. Nair scolded Pooja as she had fallen down on the way. She got up, and using this opportunity, she started apologizing to him.
"Sir, oh... actually, I'm really sorry I couldn't finish the task you gave me that day," she said, making a crying face.
Nair rolled his eyes. "I have given you several tasks so far, and you have not done many of them. So, which one are you talking about now?" he asked dryly.
"The one you gave me yesterday. I couldn't completely clean your room. I found MANY photos in your room. I panicked and shoved them on top of your cupboard," she told him in a sheepish tone.
"WHAT?!" Nair exclaimed in shock. He couldn't believe how lazy these cadets are.
"Sorry, sir. I regret that. So, I'm asking for some time. I promise I'll sort them ALL out by their years for you when we get back," Pooja promised.
"Unbelievable! I wonder what bad deed I have done to get you as my protégé!" Nair cursed before going ahead. "After this camp, I'll give you only six hours to completely sort those photos," he ordered.
"Yes, sir. Sorry again, sir," Pooja told him while internally fist-pumping.
Alekh was walking ahead towards their destination, occasionally helping Dr. Ritu like a gentleman. "So Cadet Sharma, how are you?" she inquired.
"I'm good, ma'am."
"Did you bring any alcohol with you? We might need it at the camp later," Dr. Ritu Mishra asked casually.
"Sorry, ma'am, but I stopped drinking after Raksha-bandhan. This was the gift Naina had asked of me," Alekh replied.
Ritu gave him a stunned look. "You're not lying to me, right?"
Alekh stopped and gave her a stern look. "My sister's wishes matter to me more than any alcohol in this world. I don't care if you believe it or not. I'm not here to make YOU believe. As long as Naina and my new family believe in me, I couldn't care less what others think of me," he stated firmly.
Dr. Ritu was really surprised at the change and maturity in Alekh. "You've grown a lot since your arrival. Glad to see this change, cadet," she told him. Alekh nodded, and they continued their journey.
Yudi and Huda chatted with their mentors the whole way. Huda learned that Dr. Shalini got posted to the academy only three months before their batch's arrival. So, she couldn't know any information about Naveen. But Huda still asked if she knew of him. Shalini told him that she only heard the details about Naveen after her arrival at the academy. She only knew what they showed in the news during the case before arriving at KMA.
Yudi learned that Ms. Simran was there for only a few weeks as part of the mentorship program and nothing else. She never came to KMA before, so Yudi realized that she couldn't have known anything about Naveen.
Rajveer and Naina strolled towards their destination at a leisurely pace, holding hands and chatting about Major Bhargav's motives for the camping trip. They were both unable to understand what he was planning to do, but Naina warned Rajveer that Bhargav would undoubtedly do something that would cause trouble for him. She then told Rajveer about the love letter Bhargav had made Ali write on his behalf, and they made fun of Bhargav and his supposed girlfriend.
A little after sunset, all the pairs reached their destination. They all took a good look at the map provided to them before gathering their tents and bags. Pooja informed their group that she had managed to get permission to sort out the photos during the trip. All the cadets nodded in understanding. They planned to use the 36 hours to interrogate their mentors. Then, the pairs dispersed to their own locations.
... - ...
Rajveer and Naina swiftly set up their tent in just 10 to 15 minutes, and then Rajveer suggested that they start a fire to keep warm during the cold night and prepare some food. To divide the work, Naina offered to scavenge for food while Rajveer went to collect firewood. She picked up a smaller bag from their backpack and headed towards the forest, using her heightened sense of smell to gather various types of fruits that she knew her friends would have trouble finding.
She then distributed the food among her friends, surprising them all with how easily she had found something edible in the middle of the jungle. Naina chuckled and explained that she had gone camping frequently with her family, and that was why she was able to do this so effortlessly. Everyone, except for Alekh, believed her explanation.
Following Rajveer's familiar scent, Naina frowned upon realizing that Dr. Ritu's scent was also in that same direction, as if she was following him. Arriving at the spot where Rajveer was cutting wood and talking to Dr. Mishra, Dr. Ritu expressed her love for Rajveer. He smiled in response but didn't deny it. Naina closely observed the woman and saw how expertly she emotionally manipulated Rajveer.
Rajveer apologized, "Dr. Mishra, you're a friendly colleague. I won't deny that I flirted with you initially, but things changed when I got to know you personally. I was initially attracted to your saree, as it's rare to see traditional Indian wear in army academies. But I fell in love and realized that my feelings for you don't compare to what I feel for the love of my life. It's like everything else vanished, only she remained." Rajveer finished with a dreamy smile.
Dr. Ritu asked, "But what about my feelings, Captain? What about what I feel for you?" Naina noticed the desperation in her tone.
Rajveer began to reply but was interrupted.
Naina walked up to them and stated sternly, "Just because you love someone, it doesn't mean they are obligated to love you back, Ritu ma'am." Her anger was evident on her face even in the dark forest. When she stood between them, Naina approached Ritu, invading her personal space. "This man here, he's mine," she boldly declared, pointing behind her. "And he will remain mine until his last breath and even after that, he will belong to me and only me," she added with a sneer.
Dr. Ritu stumbled back, feeling uneasy. "Cadet, what are you saying? He's your teacher," she protested.
"He's mine, and that's the end of it. Stay away from what's mine, otherwise, I'll forget that you're also my teacher," Naina told her firmly. "Shall we go, sir?" she asked Rajveer, looking behind her.
"Yes, we have enough wood to last the night," Rajveer replied. He was amazed by her boldness. He had thought that they would keep their relationship a secret until she graduated, but Naina had other plans. "See you tomorrow, Doctor," he told Dr. Ritu before taking Naina's hand and walking back to their tent.
They walked to their tent in silence, but Rajveer couldn't help but find Naina's grumbling under her breath amusing. After they made the fire, he approached his angry girl, turned her around and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Do you realize what you just did back there?" he asked, a playful smile on his lips.
"I just spoke the truth. You're mine, Captain Rajveer Singh Shikhawat, and I'll fight anyone who tries to take you away from me," Naina replied with conviction.
Rajveer's smile grew wider as he reached out and twirled a strand of Naina's hair around his finger, his knuckles grazing her ear and neck. "You know, I never knew being claimed by someone could feel so good. If I had known earlier, I would've begged Naveen to take me home with him on vacations," he said in a husky voice, his lips turned up in a playful smile.
Naina relaxed as a soft smile bloomed on her face. "I would've been only 17 or 18 at the time." she reminded.
"So what? I wouldn't have minded." Rajveer gave her a rogue smile as he wiggled his eyebrows.
This made Naina burst into giggles. "You're too much!" she scolded with a smile before resting her head against his chest. Rajveer snaked his arms around her waist and hugged her back with a smile on his face.