Danny Rathod!

The moment the name entered Zen’s ears, he sprang up from his chair like the seat was on fire.

Nodding his head to the HR personnel for a successful candidate hunt, Zen left the conference room in two big hasty steps after murmuring a unseeing ‘Congratulations’ towards the generic area where Danny Rathod was sitting!

Mrs.Lobo hot on his heels, ran in all her 65 years old glory behind her for-the-first-time-ever dazed boss.

Miraculously arriving unscathed in his cabin, Zen immediately collapsed on his chair.

But he immediately sprang back up before promptly sitting back down and then standing back up again.

He paced a bit, messed up his crew cut, and then plopped down on the poor chair again!

He then proceeded to sprawl his upper body on his large mahogany desk in complete disregard of his image and station.

Putting his head face-down on his dramatically stretched arms he began a long wail of “why, why, oh why?”, followed by an incomprehensible mumble of, “Zen Kohli, how could you be so stupid?”

And then he proceeded to call himself other colorful names in the multitude of languages he was fluent in, intercepted by mild head bangning.

Mrs.Lobo was watching the Jr.Kohli’s meltdown from the sidelines with immense glee! She had known Zen since long before his birth and this was the first time she was having so much fun because of him.

She and Zen’s grandmom, Rinku Kohli, were chuddy buddies. She was also a part of Érevna Laboratories Worldwide since its inception, when Rinku and her late husband had started the lab.

That is why she wasn’t only privy to the workings of the Érevna Laboratories Worldwide but the Kohli household as well.

In the official capacity she was Prakash Kohli, Zen’s dad, administrative assistant and beyond office working hours she was his honorary aunt and Zen’s grandma.

Since Prakash suffered a heart attack 3 months ago and Zen took over the responsibility of the lab, she had been helping and guiding Zen around.

The poor boy was stretched too thin, considering they had just won the government contract when the Kohlis faced such tragedy.

Mrs.Lobo had been trying her best to assist him during this transition. But Zen and she both knew that she wasn’t that sprightly anymore and hence needed a helping hand, hence the search for a perfect Personal Assistant for Zen.

The plan was to recruit the person as a project manager reporting exclusively to Zen. He or she would be Zen’s eyes and ears on the ground while also assisting Mrs.Lobo, whenever wherever.

Mrs.Lobo knew how dejected Zen had been feeling everytime they faced failure in selecting the right person for the job.

She knew how seriously Zen had assumed the responsibility for this project and his family’s hard work and reputation.

That’s why she had been surprised seeing Zen’s actions today.

For the boy whom she had practically raised, she knew what the world thought of him and who he actually was.

She knew how undisturbed he was with that assumption and perception.

He had such a tight rein on his emotions and thoughts that no one could ever discern what he was thinking.

His true real self came out only in front of his trusted circle of family and friends.

No one beside them knew how childish and funny the real Zen was and how dedicated towards his loved one he really was.

She also knew that if his family weren’t facing such extenuating circumstances now, no one in the company would have ever discovered how intelligent and hardworking Zen actually was.

Zen and his family had worked too hard for too long to hide this truth from the outside world.

Considering how always in control he was, her surprise at his recent behaviour was more than a shocked amusement. She was perplexed and entertained in equal measures by the sight of this anxious Zen.

Since Zen was busy being Bollywood style overdramatic, Mrs.Lobo decided to recap today’s incident in her mind so that she could recount everything exactly to Rinku later on, without missing anything!

1. Zen entered the conference room with confidence.

2. He then suddenly walked towards the candidates as if in a trance.

3. Him then tripping on the clearly visible wires.

4. One of the candidates then jumped up and saved Zen from falling flat on his face.

5. Zen’s saviour is a 20 year old Danny Rathod.

6. Slender and beautiful looking Danny looks like the slightest of wind will blow him away, but he not only stopped Zen’s fall but held him up without breaking a single sweat.

7. Zen’s fall and Danny’s twirl and catch were so filmy and then the intense eye-lock between the two was so damn breath-hitching that….

Mrs.Lobo jolted back to reality!

What the hell was she thinking? Where did her thoughts run to?

Zen and Danny...no no no, no ways!

Both were guys, there was nothing ambiguous between them, of course not! It was just the circumstances.

Zen had always been into girls. The entire world knew that. So how could such a thought enter her head?

It was just an accident that caught the two boys unaware. They just reacted by instinct, there was nothing extra to it.

They were both fine after that.

Zen might seem a bit out of it for now but he too will reach the same conclusion soon. That danny was not in the least affected. He was talking comfortably after the incident and even asked all those questions from Zen.

This shows only they were overthinking the whole thing, while the other party, Danny, was completely fine because for him it was nothing important.

Mrs.Lobo decided to escape to her own cabin and cease her unnecessary chain of thoughts immediately.

Even after the adrenaline from his hasty escape subsided, Zen kept lying on the table silently & pondered over his encounter with Danny Rathod!

He didn’t know what was happening and why! In all his 27 years, he had never felt anything like this before. That too for a guy!

He had loads of guy friends, hell he worked with so many guys, but never had he ever reacted like this on seeing a guy! Reacted, he scoffed to himself, he had practically made a fool of himself in front of Danny & his dad’s senior management team!

But Danny…..why him and why now….

There had to be a reason and for the life of him Zen couldn’t figure that out! And that is what was agitating him so much.

He was Zen Kohli, a Special Forces commander, performing his tasks while keeping his identity a secret from the rest of the world for years.

And yet, a 20 year old boy had him on his toes.

His nerves were shot and his insides were ziplining from his throat to his stomach at the speed of light!

He was a mess and didn’t even know why!

He knew his reactions to the guy were too sudden and too much, but what confused him even more was the why….why this guy and why particularly now?

What was about this guy, this Danny that drew such an overreaction from him?

While his insides were all twisting into a knot, that Danny looked entirely too composed for his liking.

He had even asked Zen a question, which Zen had flunked spectacularly and in front of such prominent people too!

Just thinking about it made Zen cringe. He felt acute second-hand embarrassment at his own actions.

The overload of emotions and confusion made Zen suddenly feel too tired.

“Maybe”, he wondered, “it is possible that dire exhaustion could probably somehow alter one's sexual preferences…”

He let that thought hang for a second before humphing at his own ridiculous logic.

But he wasn’t Zen Kohli for nothing!

If there was a problem, there has to be a solution as well. If his thinking alone wasn’t bringing him the answers then he will go out and get an expert opinion to solve his dilemma.

And the expert he was seeking today was none other than his bff since their college days and comrades-in-arm, Tarun.

Tarun was an actual ladies man!

While this was a facade which a relationship-virgin Zen maintained, for Tarun it was a lifestyle!

If anybody could give him a straight answer it would be Tarun.

So that’s where Zen went to test out his theory!

He has to solve the puzzle that this Danny Rathod had become for him. He has to find out, one way or another, what was about this boy that knocked at his subconscious and drew such a reaction from him.

He just has to!