Entrenous : EARTH : Part 1

"Hi I'm Deepthi. You can call me Dee. A chennaite through and through. After having rendered my services to the previous organization for ten years I decided I should move. After all, I should give the other companies some opportunity too..." a light chuckle spread around the team as she delivered her first words at St Gobain India inside the project management office. He looked at her without a wink unable to hide his appreciation for the sheer cheek of hers. How could one describe her looks. Thin. Frail was more like it. Her face was filled with dried remains from her teenage. The ill fitting ten pocketed khakhi shirt and the gray cargo pants suited her well. Her complexion was medium. She was not at all good looking. But there was something mysteriously attractive about her. Perhaps did her self confidence trigger the butterflies in his stomach? He was not sure. He jumped from the meeting room table so his safety shoes made a loud thud on the tiled floor and walked to her. "Welcome to our team Dee" and shook her hands. Rough from the ten previous blue collared years but warm.
"Oh my God would this guy let my arm go or not?" She scowled in her mind. He was her boss. Krishna. Youngest vice president at SGI. Tall, fair, wavy hair, uniform altered to flaunt his well groomed physique. He was good looking no doubt but there would be a lot of arrogance to accompany it. She should be careful with him. Although this took over most of her judgement of him she simply couldn't resist his eyes. They were not of a fancy color but they were sharp. And piercing. Thankful that he finally let go of her hands, she picked her notes and walked to her seat. She immediately switched her laptop on, switched her BlackBerry to silent and oriented herself into the dozen task requedts she'd received.
He looked at her from a distance. He knew her bio data by heart now. She lost her dad when she was five. Her mother struggled and made her an engineer and died eight years back. Since then Deepthi has been by herself. There comes her aura of independence he thought. He was independent too. His parents, both doctors had moved to the US right after he graduated. He simply refused to move with them. His thoughts came back to work and immediately he became engrossed. He picked his BlackBerry and walked towards the water filter checking the new emails that came in the last minute. He picked the paper cup without removing his eyes from the screen. Something was holding the cup. He looked up and it was Deepthi who was staring at him inside out. If only looks could burn he would have been a heap of ash by now he mused to himself. What was it that was attractive about her? He failed to find an answer still digging deep into his thoughts. "I think we're paid to work not play tug of war with paper cups" she said. "I will let you win Dee" and he let go. She placed back the cup in the filter and gave him a stern look. "I like to play to win not to be let to win" and walked away.