Rest of the day

As soon as Karan left the meeting room, people began filing out one by one. Within minutes, only Harsha and Jasmine remained.
Harsha let out a long breath, dramatically slumping into her chair. “Ohhh, I am so relieved that everything went smoothly. For a second, I thought the devil was coming for me next!"
Jasmine shot her a warning look. "You should be more careful with your words in the office. Otherwise, you’ll land yourself in serious trouble someday."
Harsha waved a hand dismissively. “Come on, everyone’s talking about him anyway. Besides, do you really think someone is going to snitch on me for calling him a devil?”
Jasmine didn’t return the smile. Instead, she lowered her voice, glancing around as if making sure no one else could hear. “You’re new to this industry, that’s why you’re saying this so casually. You don’t know how brutal office politics can be.”
Harsha’s amusement faded. She leaned in slightly. “What do you mean by that?”
Jasmine hesitated. "You have Karan’s file, right?"
Harsha’s fingers tightened around the folder in her lap. "Yes... why?" Her voice was cautious now, her earlier ease replaced with growing curiosity.
Jasmine exhaled, looking as if she was about to say something important. "The reason—"

She stopped mid-sentence.
Harsha frowned. "The reason for what?" she pressed.
Jasmine hesitated for a second too long, then shook her head. "Forget it. This is your first job—you don’t need to get caught up in things like this." She checked her wristwatch, her expression shifting as if suddenly remembering something. "Anyway, I’ve got something to take care of."
She turned, already walking away.
"Hey, wait!" Harsha called after her, but Jasmine didn’t stop.
Harsha stood frozen for a moment, watching Jasmine disappear down the hallway. What was she trying to tell me about Karan? And why did she stop herself?

With a sigh, she shook her head and headed back to her desk, the question nagging at her the entire way.
She dropped into her chair with an annoyed sigh, drumming her fingers against the desk. "Why is everyone in this office so cryptic? Can’t people just act normal for once?" She leaned back, crossing her arms, irritation flickering across her face.
She was still lost in thought when she heard approaching footsteps. Looking up, she spotted a familiar face—Gauri, her friend and fellow intern, flashing a bright smile.

For a moment, Harsha squinted as Gauri stepped closer, the overhead lights making her vision blur."Oh wow, what a glow! Do you have a ring light following you around?" she teased.
"And you didnt get rest for days," Gauri shot back with a playful smirk.
Harsha shook her head, grinning despite herself. "So, what brings you here?"
"It’s almost lunch, and I’m starving!" Gauri groaned dramatically, clutching her stomach like she hadn’t eaten in days.
Harsha chuckled. "Just a minute. Let me quickly finish uploading these minutes to the server, then we can go for lunch." She turned back to her screen, typing away.
Gauri gasped loudly. "Can’t you do that after lunch? If I don’t eat something soon, I might die of starvation!" She hunched over, holding her stomach as if she was in unbearable pain.

Harsha didn’t even look up. "No one’s buying that, drama queen."
“I’m serious! Can’t you see?” Gauri huffed, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"And... finished!" Harsha finally hit submit and shut her laptop.
“Are you even listening?!” Gauri asked, clearly exasperated.
Harsha grabbed her lunchbox. "Yes! Now, shall we go?" She was already walking toward the cafeteria.
"You are heartless," Gauri grumbled, dramatically dragging her feet behind her. "I nearly died of hunger, and you didn’t even flinch."Harsha laughed, nudging her lightly. "You’ll survive."

As they talked, neither of them noticed when they reached the cafeteria. It was as lively as ever, filled with the clatter of trays, murmured conversations, and the aroma of fresh coffee. But because they had arrived late, almost every seat was taken.
"See? Because of you, we’re late, and now there’s no empty seating in here," Gauri complained.
"Go order your food," Harsha said, scanning the cafeteria for a spot. "I’ll find us a table."
“You better find one before I get back,” Gauri warned before heading to the counter.
“Just go already,” Harsha said, giving Gauri a gentle push toward the counter. As Gauri walked away, Harsha scanned the cafeteria, finally spotting an empty table near the corner. She quickly grabbed the seat before someone else could take it.

A few minutes later, Gauri returned with a plate, her eyes darting around the packed cafeteria. She turned left, then right, frustration creeping onto her face as she searched for Harsha in the sea of people. Harsha spotted her first and waved eagerly. “Gauri! Over here!”

Gauri sighed dramatically as she reached the table, plopping down onto the chair. “It’s way too crowded today.”
"Yeah, we should start coming for lunch earlier," Harsha said, unwrapping her food.
“These words don’t make sense coming from you,” Gauri shot back.
"Please! I’m not the one who always makes us late," Harsha retorted.
"Look who’s talking," Gauri teased.
Harsha rolled her eyes. "I think we should finish eating first and complain later."
As they ate, Harsha asked, "By the way, how was your day?"
"Same old, nothing too eventful," Gauri said with a shrug. "But… there is something weird. After the project managers’ meeting, our superior has been working like a madman. I’ve never seen him so focused before."
"Your superior… you mean Vikram?" Harsha asked, setting her spoon down.
"Yeah," Gauri nodded. "I heard you were at that meeting too?"
"More like I was dragged into it," Harsha sighed.\
"So, what happened? Did he threaten all the project heads with ‘no bonuses’ or layoffs?" Gauri’s mind was racing, already imagining worst-case scenarios.

Harsha shook her head. "You’re overreacting. Nothing like that happened. I mean, Karan was tough, but—"
"Then why is Vikram acting so weird after the meeting?" Gauri asked, brows furrowing.
Harsha hesitated. "Was Vikram working on an unauthorized project?"

"For a little while, yeah," Gauri admitted. "But he never told me much about it. He only worked on it after office hours, so I never got the chance to ask. Is it about that project?"
"Apparently," Harsha said, pushing her tray aside. "Day after tomorrow, he has to present the status report on it. Based on that, Karan will decide whether to approve the project or scrap it entirely."
Gauri let out a low whistle. "That explains a lot."
Before they could continue, the cafeteria clock struck 2:00 PM—lunch break was over. Quickly finishing their meals, they hurried back to their desks.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully. As evening rolled in, the office buzzed with the usual end-of-day routine—laptops shutting, chairs scraping, quiet conversations about weekend plans.

Harsha packed her things, stretching slightly before slinging her bag over her shoulder. Another day down.