Evening time, at Kaushal Bhavan.
Ruhani and Aakriti were over joyed about their new joint Instagram ID idea. Later, they joined the others in the drawing room for tea. Mrs. Aabha and Mr. Alok were thrilled to see Ruhani regaining her former self.
Naina arrived, having returned from her friend's house after school. As she picked up her tea cup, she exclaimed, "Aakriti didi and Ruhani didi, you're both home early today, despite being late!"
Mrs. Aabha clarified, "No, dear, they took the day off from work."
Naina teased, "Mom, you don't let me take a day off when I'm late, but you're lenient with didi! That's not fair."
Mrs. Aabha replied, "Next year, you have your board exams."
Naina persisted, "But that's next year, mom! Not now."
Glancing at Aakriti and Ruhani, Naina asked, "What were you both doing last night? The noise from your room was really loud."
Aakriti tensed up, and Ruhani began patting her back reassuringly. Naina's room was directly below Ruhani's, so she had heard the commotion and music coming from upstairs late at night.
Ruhani quickly fabricated, "We were watching movies late into the night."
Aakriti nodded in agreement, her eyes still wide with anxiety, and Naina dropped the subject.
After a while, Aakriti bid farewell and left for her own house.
Next day morning, in Chandni Chowk metro station.
As Ruhani arrived at the metro station, she boarded the train to head to her office. Finding an empty seat, she settled in and pulled out her phone to check her notifications.
Among the messages, she saw good morning wishes from Aakriti and, surprisingly, Raj - someone she hadn't heard from in a while.
Ruhani replied to both with a warm "Good morning."
Next, she tackled her office and client messages, responding to the urgent ones from her office and deciding to address the client messages once she arrived at work.
Ruhani then checked the notifications from "The 90s Girls"
Instagram ID, which she and Aakriti had created together just the previous day. She was thrilled to see that some private accounts they had followed had accepted their follow requests, and a few had even followed them back.
Excited by this progress, Ruhani quickly messaged Aakriti on Whats App: "Have you checked The 90s Girls' ID? We've got some followers!"
But Aakriti remained silent. After scrolling through her followers' posts for a while, Ruhani checked Whats App again, awaiting Aakriti's response.
The silence was starting to intrigue her. Ruhani checked her phone again, still no message from Aakriti.
She sent another message - "Hello!!! Where are you busy?"
Aakriti replied instantly - "Yeah, I just checked, we already have 15 followers."
Ruhani responded enthusiastically - "Great! Listen, I'll follow some more accounts from my end, and you do the same. That way, our follower count will increase, okay?"
Aakriti agreed, and they both got to work. Next, Ruhani selected a photo of herself and Aakriti from her gallery and set it as the profile picture for "The 90s Girls"
Instagram account. As soon as Aakriti saw the new DP, she messaged - "You've chosen the perfect DP, Ruhani!"
Ruhani replied with a winking emoji - "I know, I know."
On the other hand, in Ruhani's office.
After reaching her office, Ruhani dove into her work, checking all her emails and responding to client messages.
Just then, Langgam Sir emerged from his cabin and approached her desk. "How are you, Ruhan'i?" he asked. "We'll be leaving a bit late today, okay?"
Ruhani's expression turned puzzled, unsure what Langgam Sir meant.
Noticing her confusion, Langgam Sir glanced at Aaina and said, "Aaina, didn't you tell Ruhani?"
Aaina hesitated, her eyes darting between Langgam Sir and Ruhani. "I-I'm sorry, sir,"
Aaina stammered. "I forgot to inform her. Actually, we decided on a team lunch today, and I forgot to tell her yesterday."
Ruhani smiled and said, "It's okay, Aaina. But I've already brought my lunch. What do I do with it now?"
Langgam Sir chuckled. "Girls! Be ready at 12:50. And don't worry, Ruhani, we'll help you finish your lunch."
Ruhani and Aaina exchanged amused glances. Despite being their senior, Langgam Sir had a kind heart and treated them like friends, making their work environment warm and welcoming.
*******
What happens next?
Will Ruhani join her office colleagues for team lunch?
Will "The 90s Girls" account gain more followers, or will Ruhani and Aakriti's efforts to follow others go in vain?
Why did Raj suddenly message Ruhani?
Has Naina discovered Ruhani and Aakriti's drinking plans?
Let me know in the comments and likes below!
Stay tuned for the next chapter of
'Chat By Fate' exclusively on Web Novel.
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