KaYa FF: Flames II Epi 10 - Pg 62 II *NEW* PM LATER - Page 28

Originally posted by: Manyata5

I am seriously in love with Ananya's courage!

She is so bold!

And Kabir her pillar!

It was awesome!

Continue soon

Originally posted by: Diksha_1991

waiting for update..😃

Originally posted by: nisha_hc_bs_dd

superb !!

A mother's tears can move even the coldest of hearts. It was no surprise, therefore, that Kabir's eyes were moist as he looked on at Ananya's mother holding her daughter close to her heart and sobbing uncontrollably.

Anita embraced her daughter tenderly, and planted a few kisses on her head. She tightened her grip and clung to her daughter like Ananya was all she had.

Kabir's sharp eyes narrowed on Anita's forehead and noted the missing vermilion. He then noticed that she neither wore a mangalsutra nor a shakha pola and her hands were totally bare and devoid of all adornments, so dear to a married woman. Her faded clothes suddenly made more sense.

Ananya was truly all that Anita had.

Pride swelled in his heart as he realised that Ananya was so strong despite her father's untimely death.

Sympathy wasn't even in question. Not having taken his mother's death too well, Kabir genuinely admired anyone who managed to cope with their loss.

"Di..." came a small voice from behind Ananya.

Ananya's maternal instincts surged as she pulled her baby brother into a fierce hug. He was crying profusely. "Hush Armaan! Main theek hoon. Your Di won't go anywhere... aur tu jane bhi kaha dega?" Ananya chuckled as Armaan punched her shoulder lightly, a small smile forming on his teary face.

"Shut up! Promise you won't ever leave me again!" His voice cracked, and he hugged his sister even tighter.

After their father's death, Ananya had almost taken his place for Armaan, still very young then. She had spent time with him, given him the man-to-man talk he needed, and never let him feel the absence of a strong guiding force in his life.

"Kamini... ullu ki patthi... teri..." Ronnie sweared and hugged Ananya "You killed us. K-I-L-L-E-D us! You should have told me ki marne ka plan hai, main yaha phokat mein baitha tha." Ronnie ruffled her hair affectionately and wiped away a lone tear from Ananya's cheek.

"Ab jaa... being too emotional won't be good for my reputation," he laughed, while Ananya pulled his cheeks.

It appeared almost as if Anita, Armaan and Ronnie were taking turns at hugging Ananya. Between the three of them, they ensured that Ananya wasn't free for even a moment. "I don't know about the previous attack, but by this attack, Ananya will definitely faint," Kabir cracked a small joke, hoping to lighten the atmosphere. It worked wonderfully, and everyone burst out laughing.

Ananya sought safety in her mother's arms. No words were exchanged between the two women, for they read each other's minds right from the beginning.

Khalid, Malavika, Manav and Richa came forward and expressed their congratulations and their relief at her safety.

A little while later, everyone started leaving the office, the time being close to 4AM. It had been an exhausting day and tomorrow was going to be a big day too.

As Kabir stepped out of his cabin to go home, Malvika stopped him. Standing too close for comfort, she told him that Khalid was asking for him. Distancing himself carefully from Malvika, he walked up to Khalid.

"Yes, Khalid?" Kabir said.

Khalid smiled. "Kabir, how does this sound... a one to one with a survivor? Just a thought - a half an hour special with Ananya. A survivor's tale? I think it will strike just the right chord with the audience, and rake in viewership." Khalid said animatedly, looking rather comical.

As if the pink cravat wasn't enough.

"Fine. Tomorrow half an hour of my bulletin, I'll do an overview of the entire thing, and the other half an hour will be an interview with Ananya. Though perhaps fifteen minutes may be better," Kabir mused.

~*~

Ananya looked at her sleeping mother, and turned over for the zillionth time that night. In spite of the absolutely draining day she had had, sleep just evaded her.

She struggled hard not to think about the few hours she had spent in the hotel. So many things had happened so fast, that now she felt like all that had happened eons ago.

Every inch of her body screamed of fatigue, yet she found herself unable to close her eyes and drift off, far away from having faced the harsh realities of life.

That was when she saw another person flash before her eyes.

Kabir.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she recalled him being present yet markedly absent from her.

She remembered her disappointment when he had said nothing to her, and been merely an onlooker as everyone poured in their congratulations.

Ananya shook her head. She was being utterly stupid. How did it matter whether he said something or not?

She closed her eyes and buried her head in her pillow.

Kabir didn't matter that much...or did he?

If he did... why?

~*~

Why?

Kicking off his his shoes, a worn out Kabir threw himself onto his bed. He just wasn't able to rid himself of that one question.

Why?

Why did he feel that it wasn't right on his part to say anything to Ananya?

Standing under the shower, Kabir contemplated the sudden shift of dynamics... he was no child not to realise what was going on.

There was something... but then, hadn't the wise ones said that ignorance is bliss?

Resolving to adopt the maxim, Kabir rubbed his sleep deprived eyes.

Yet, tonight, sleep was a distant dream.

~*~

"Welcome, Miss Braveheart!" Ananya read aloud with a smile. She felt overwhelmed looking at her desk filled with cards and flowers.

Sunny, Trisha, Ronnie and (surprisingly) Richa came up from behind her and yelled, "Surprise!"

Left speechless by the sudden pour of love, Ananya quickly embraced all of them, specially thanking Richa. She was touched to see Richa shed her slightly competitive streak and embrace her like a true friend.

"Thank you so much, guys" Ananya grinned. "That's it, this weekend I am taking you all out to dinner! Don't even think of paying, it's on me!"

"Thank God, free food ka idea worked!" Sunny winked, while Ananya smacked him hard on his shoulder.

"Sunny..." she stopped abruptly, perceiving Kabir standing right next to her. She felt her heart warm up instantly and fill with a strange anticipation, as she looked into his warm yet inscrutable eyes.

"Ananya, will you come with me for a minute?" he said. Everyone was surprised by his gentle tone, and Ronnie noted a hesitant look in his eyes and slightly broken words.

He never knew that a heartbreak could sting so much. He was extremely perceptive and had taken full note of this rising attraction between his best friend and his boss. He knew it was too early to tell, but there was a certain something about their conduct that told him that this attraction would only grow. It hurt, but he was certain of one thing. He wouldn't come in between them. Friendship was higher on Ronnie's priorities than love, and there was no way Ronnie would let things go ugly between them just because he wanted her.

Clearing his throat, he turned to Richa and gave her a too-bright smile. Carefully avoiding everyone's eyes, he said "Let's have brunch at canteen...What say?"

Richa was taken aback by Ronnie's sudden offer. "Sure!" she said, shrugging her shoulders casually, but was unable to restrain a smile from blossoming on her lips. It was strange... but the sudden race of heartbeats felt... good.

Ronnie took a last look at Ananya and Kabir, through the corner of his eyes. If one of them didn't reciprocate the love or if it didn't accumulate to love at all, he would be waiting.

So busy was he in his own thoughts, that he completely missed the shy smile on Richa's face, when he unknowingly held her wrist and led her to the canteen.

~*~

"How are you... Miss Braveheart?" Kabir asked, raising his eyebrow.

Ananya chuckled in response, "Yeah... they did that for me, really sweet of them." Her face lit up with a natural glow, as she thought about the wonderful surprise and all their love.

"So... kaise yaad kiya?" she asked, hoping that he wanted to enquire after her health. He looked into Ananya's eyes and the words dried on his lips. Their eyelock burned Kabir till the core, and a stitched lie fell from his lips.

"Interview," he said, at last.

A momentary flash of disappointment in Ananya's eyes did considerably boost his male ego, but her avoidance of a deeper conversation put him off again.

"Yes, of course, interview... work... of course," she said. She was unable to conceal her disappointment. Kabir looked into her eyes.

Though his mind refuted the idea vigorously, his heart sang a little in joy.

She was attracted to him.

But alas! Little are the mind and heart connected by thoughts the way they are by a bundle of nerves.

Ananya stopped her rambling abruptly, and her breath became erratic as she realized that Kabir had been looking at her without uttering a word.

"Are you fine?" he asked.

Ananya chewed her lower lip and nodded vigorously. "Of course! I have been brought up by an army man! I'm stronger than you think. I did get fever due to body fatigue but appar..." Ananya stopped, as Kabir drew closer, and looked into her eyes with a tenderness that she had never known him to possess.

One can bear the brunt of passion unflinchingly, but in the face of raw tenderness, the heart has no option but to surrender.

"You're not," he said softly. Ananya closed her eyes, lest he see her tears.

"Is it okay to admit that I was and am scared?" her voice broke, and hot tears poured down her cheeks. Yes, she had kept up a strong facade in front of everyone, and pretended as if she had forgotten the horrors of the previous night just like a nightmare.

But truth was a far cry from it.

Her reverie was broken by a rough, calloused finger caressing her cheek. She looked up to find Kabir gently wiping her tears with the utmost care. She closed her eyes again and felt his warm breath over her cheeks.

"People cry, not because they're weak. It's because they've been strong too long."

Ananya opened her eyes to find Kabir smiling at her, genuinely. For the first time, she saw him smile without any flirtatious charm or sarcasm.

Ananya's heart skipped a beat, and she looked up. Her pupils dilated as she her eyes met his darker ones. "We are proud of you, Ananya. No one expects you to be strong; no one expects you to be a super human. Being who you are is the most important thing in life, remember that."

Kabir was almost about to brush another lock of hair off her face, when his phone buzzed with an incoming text. They were both startled and uncomfortable, and looked away from each other.

Her cheeks still blazed from his touch and his fingers itched to touch her once more. Kabir wondered how he could keep himself away from her. He had thought that awareness of his plight, of being attracted to her, would reduce the intensity of his emotions... but it seemed to have done just the opposite.

"Johnny Depp." Ananya smiled.

Kabir frowned. "What?" he asked.

"The quote, people cry not because..." she said, with a smile, her voice slowly regaining its original quality.

"Ah!" Kabir chuckled slightly. "Yes... though I wish you hadn't guessed."

Ananya rolled her eyes and sniffed slightly, "Don't you forget that I am quite passionately attached to the entire film fraternity, and that includes Hollywood as well!"

Kabir laughed as he recalled the silly tiff between them during the Hridhwaan case. "We were really childish, then," he sighed. Ananya noted his indirect apology and finally, buried the hatchet.

"So..." Kabir said, after a pause. "We have an interview."

"With whom?" she asked.

"With you," said Kabir, with a smile.

"With me?" Ananya was flabbergasted.

"In my 9 PM show, I'll have a fifteen to thirty minute interview with you, regarding your account of the attack and how you survived this ordeal," he said. Looking up at her, and seeing the trauma reflect in her eyes at the mention of the attack, he wondered if it was good idea.

"But why me? Kitne aur survivors hai! Gosh... I'll make a fool of myself!" she prattled on. "In front of the camera? That too camera wala interview? I..." Kabir sat down on his chair and looked rather amused as Ananya continued to babble non-stop.

Oh, he was so sure that the interview would go perfectly!

~*~

Khalid couldn't help but clap at the end of the interview. His eyes were trained on the journalist he had mistaken for a kid.

Ananya Kashyap was an uncut diamond.

Few knew of Khalid's outstanding foresight and eye for talent. The only reason for his strong friendship with Kabir was that Khalid had spotted a spark in him at a time when no one else did. When a young man from a modest background, fresh out of journalism school, came to Mumbai fifteen years ago with a vision, no one took him seriously - except Khalid.

Today, Khalid saw the same spark in the woman next to Kabir.

Hunger was what she shared with Kabir - the hunger for news, the hunger for justice. They were definitely miles apart at the moment, but Khalid could easily envision Ananya scaling great heights.

But then, she would have to be put to test.

~*~

Ananya smiled faintly as she felt a hand reach hers from under the table. Her cheeks started regaining their colour, and she felt reassured. She knew that he would be the only one who knew of her harrowing experience recounting the tale.

She wanted to cry badly but held back her tears.

As Ronnie signaled cut, she took in a deep breath and flashed an understanding smile to Kabir.

She mouthed a silent 'Thank You' to him. Had she not been focused on his eyes, she would have missed the slight crinkle of happiness around his eyes that said 'Welcome'.

They were both silent as they packed their belongings and prepared to leave for the day.

"Goodnight?" he said, while Ananya nodded slightly.

"Goodnigh..." her voice trailed, as Kabir took her handbag and files.

"Come on..." he said.

"Aap... my bag... I mean why are you taking my bag?" Ananya asked, confused.

"Don't you know? I like your bag so much that I've decided to steal it," he said, with a deadpan expression to Ananya, who scratched her head and nodded sheepishly.

"Now come, I'll drop you," he said and Ananya paused for a minute.

She turned to Ronnie. "Ronnie, Sir will drop me today," she said, while Ronnie raised an eyebrow

"Oh-kay," he said.

"Sorry yaar..." Ananya started but Ronnie cut her off.

"No issues. Anyway, I was going to drop Richa today," Ronnie fibbed. It was Ananya's turn to raise an eyebrow

"Cool!" she said.

As they sat in the car, Kabir turned towards her. "What's between Ro..." he started.

"Best friends, fifteen years of friendship!" she paused to look into his eyes. "Nothing else."

"I didn't ask." he said, mildly embarrassed at himself, while Ananya peered into his eyes.

"Yeah, I know," she said.

"Well... thank you... like during the interview..." Ananya fumbled and played with her fingers, while Kabir shrugged his shoulders.

Ananya didn't know why she felt the need to explain.

Kabir didn't know why he felt relieved upon learning that it was just friendship between Ronnie and Ananya.

Some things just need not be explained.

~*~

"Richa, I'll drop you," said Ronnie, putting on a bright smile.

Richa looked up sharply and looked slightly uncomfortable. "Usually you drop Ananya, right?" she said, after a few seconds.

"Does that mean I can't drop you?" Ronnie asked, raising his eyebrows and leaning on her desk.

Richa was visibly flustered. "No... I... I didn't mean that," she stammered.

"Chill! Now do you want to come or not? If you don't, I'll have to take Sunny with me and trust me I don't want to reach home three hours later!" Ronnie chuckled.

"Three hours?" Richa asked, confused.

"Yeah! Sunny paji needs to stop at every corner to find the fifty fifth first love of his life!" Ronnie laughed. Richa joined in the mirth, but stopped after a moment. She was looking intently at Ronnie laughing from the bottom of his heart, with her lips curving into a beautiful smile.

It did strange things to her heart.

Very strange things.

"Now will you come or will we have Sunny's fables?" she asked and trotted forward, while Ronnie smiled.

Richa was different.

Her company lessened his pain of not having Ananya.

Richa glanced at the man beside her. She chided her mind for thinking astray! Shaking her head, she leaned back on the headrest and stared at the metropolis whirring past.

~*~

The next day was a hectic one for all of KKN. Media offices were always buzzing with activity after such disasters.

Finally, as they all found some time, the entire group sat in the canteen for dinner.

As she tugged off her irritating bun, it was only Kabir who noticed the slight shake of her fingers.

Was Ananya upset?

Her phone beeped. She looked rather confused as she checked it.

Kabir was sitting right across and was still texting her?

"You ok?"

"Thanks for asking, really... but can I ask you a q?"

"Hm."

"Why are you texting me when we are in the same room?"

"Cause there are people all around!"

"So?"

"So!"

"So? You're afraid of complimenting me in front of everybody? ;)"

Ananya giggled and felt the weight on her shoulders reduce considerably as she indulged in playful conversation with him.

Kabir raised an eyebrow and smiled to himself.

"You should know very well, Miss Kashyap, that you won't be able to handle it."

"Mr. Sharma, you should refrain from repeating dialogues."

Kabir smiled as he recalled what he told her on the very first day.

"Ah, so you remember everything I say?"

Ananya looked up to find Kabir staring at her, the tenderness in his eyes replaced by an intensity which made her toes curl.

"Leaving a question unanswered is a bad thing."

A violent crimson crept up Ananya's neck and cheeks and she looked baffled.

"How does it matter to you whether I remember or not?"

Kabir looked up to find a challenging smile on her lips.

"Leaving a question unanswered is a bad thing, Mr. Sharma."

He laughed out loud to find a few people staring at him in utter confusion. Apologizing hurriedly, he turned aside and typed furiously.

"Miss Kashyap, you should refrain from repeating dialogues."

Ananya's eyebrows shot up.

"Touche."

"Touche."

They smiled silently and resumed their dinner.

"Kabir?"

Ananya looked up sharply, as Malvika leaned a bit too closely on Kabir. The blush on Ananya's cheeks turned to a seething irritation, as Malvika clung to him.

"Khalid is calling us for a meeting," Malvika said with an alluring smile.

Ananya turned sharply away "Ronnie, can you drop me today?" she asked.

She was so focused on looking at Ronnie that she completely missed the sharp eyes trained on her.

Richa hiccuped just then and gulped water.

"Ah... woh... cool I'll drop you along with Richa..." Ronnie said, slightly hesitant.

"Oh, don't bother! I'll manage," Ananya smiled.

Manav leaned in with a sugary smile. "Don't worry, Ananya, I'll drop you," he said.

Kabir smirked and started typing again. Ananya looked sheepish and furious at the same time, as she read his text.

"You dug your own grave."

Ananya controlled her anger and quickly signaled to Sunny. "Arrey, Manav sir, I'll drop Ananya. Don't worry!" Sunny winked at Ananya who winked back.

Kabir saw that the problem was resolved but decided to play along a little more. "Really? But Sunny who will drop our new reporter, Miss Baby?" he asked, in a most innocuous tone. Ananya glared at Kabir, who looked innocently back.

"Love or friendship? Friendship will remain forever but love might slip off before it starts. Sorry, Ananya," Sunny said to himself, and looked right into Ananya's eyes which had a dare-you-say-no expression.

"Sorry, Ananya, Kabir Sir is right. Baby is new... I have to help her," Sunny said, quickly getting up, before Ananya had time to respond.

Just as Manav opened his mouth again, Malvika almost barked, "Kabir, if we're done with the who's dropping whom game, then can we head to Khalid's office?" She was irritated with all the focus on Ananya, as usual!

~*~

"Ananya! What's up?" Trisha smiled.

Ananya sighed, "Nothing, trying to find an auto..."

"I'll drop you." Kabir texted. Her lips curved into a smile.

"Kya re! Come, I'll drop you. Anyway I need to show off my fiance's Mercedes!" Trisha giggled and dragged a reluctant Ananya with her.

"Another night! Trisha literally popped in! :O"

Kabir smiled at the text and realized that Malvika and Khalid were staring at him as if he had grown horns. They weren't used to him being so generous with his smiles.

"Em... so yeah, what's the matter, Khalid?" Kabir cleared his throat and settled down on a chair.

"You know that Trisha's getting married and shifting to America, right? So we'll be short of a senior reporter, very soon..." Khalid said.

"Hmm... so?" Kabir asked.

"I took a day to review Ananya's work, and I think she's perfect to take Trisha's place." Kabir's eyebrows shot up at Khalid's words.

"Khalid, she's been with us for barely one month . Who gets a promotion in one month?" Kabir said, incredulous. Malvika smiled seeing Kabir supporting her in some way!

"That's exactly what I told Khalid! But he doesn't seem to listen to me!" Malvika said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Malvika, Kabir... hold your horses. I did a complete analysis and found out that Ananya has been instrumental in delivering over eighty percent of our big coverages this month, going by which we can safely give her a good amount of credit for our soaring TRPs over the last few weeks. Also the connections this girl has... you know gaining Hridhwaan's confidence and getting us exclusive rights for such a big story was not a piece of cake. She does have an insane talent for on field journalism. And the way she didn't even flinch while recounting her tale, even though with Kabir's support, was truly remarkable. The girl surely has some spark." Khalid smiled, and deliberately drawled on the world support.

Kabir was frowning. Ruffling the feathers, as it were, of the ever in-control Kabir Sharma was always a pleasure.

What the fu... Khalid you seriously didn't...

Khalid adjusted his cravat, and continued looking at Kabir with a smirk.

Kabir, I've known you fifteen years.

He narrowed his eyes on Kabir's hand and smiled.

I know exactly where that was during the interview, Kabir.

Kabir coughed slightly and stiffened his arms. "Well, we'll do the usual promotion check and see if Ananya is deserving enough."

Malvika started and looked at Kabir and Khalid. "Wait, am I missing something? I will do the promotion check. I'll let you guys know after a week," she said, snatching the file from Khalid and skimming through its contents.

"Malvika, we've been through all this yesterday... why are you still skimming through this file?" he said, looking exasperated. "Okay, I've an idea... let's keep this conditional, what say? If she can keep the work up for the next two months then her promotion is permanent, else... she's back to her spot." Khalid pressed his sore temples, as Malvika nodded and walked out of the cabin.

Kabir waited for Malvika to leave and said, "Anyway, just for your information, we'll have the Garewal interview within the next few weeks. There are some things to be finalized before that, which I'll do myself. You don't need to send anyone to him. Regarding Ananya, hmm... let's see if this works out, fine."

Kabir took a sip of water, and turned to Khalid again, "Khalid, even I have known you for fifteen years... I truly hope that there's no other reason for your sudden decision to promote Ananya."

"Of course not. I don't intend to hold her hand or text her frequently... nice moves Kabir. I knew she was interesting but it looks like... " Khalid replied nonchalantly.

"Khalid, with due respect, please fu** off."

"With pleasure." Khalid smiled and bowed to Kabir who generously smiled back before walking out.

Khalid eased the stiff posture of his back and glanced at his iPad. "Hmm..." he hummed as he re-read the information.

"Well, Ananya, I am sorry for not being completely honest, but then I truly hope that you excel and show your best."

A/N : So here is another long update for you! We genuinely hope you enjoy episode 7, and that it is worth the wait! The story progresses rather fast in this update, and we are sure you'll enjoy it more as it catches pace. Please do comment and give us your feedback! Your encouragement helps a lot! :)

With love,

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