Crave

The interview

Standing outside the place she was called at, she had her palms sweating, her phone in her hands as she opened her hair, which was in a bun before. She dialed her father’s number. “Yes, Dad, I have arrived,” she called before taking a deep breath.

“Very well, Good luck, beta,” came back a rough but slightly painful voice.

“I am praying for you,” came the voice of her mother, which made her smile.

“Okay maa, Aaschi aami, “(will be back soon) with that she hung up the call, her hands felt jittery, and anxiety running in her veins did not help either.

‘It’s okay, I am fine’ she said to herself. She bit her lip, taking a deep breath in, ‘Hold, 1… 2… 3… 4… 5… exhale’ With that she looked at the white doors with blurring lines, her gaze going to the standee at the corner.

“STRAIGHTLINE”

“All over to you, Jesus, “whispering to herself. She walked inside the place with as much confidence as she could find in herself.

“Hi, my interview was at 12, for the job of receptionist,” she mentioned to the lady who was at the front desk.

“Anushka? "Okay… hand me your CV please,” the lady said before looking back at her phone. Anushka handed her the CV before they asked her to wait.

Keeping her hands in her lap, her teeth dug into her lower lip once again, and her phone buzzed again. Glancing at the number she tensed for a moment before her name was called.

“Please go to the second cabin,” Walking to the small hallway, there appeared 3 cabins appeared. She looked back at the lady for a few seconds as she pointed at the second door.

She nodded before her hands knocked against the glass door that was prohibiting her from the view of the other side of the cabin.

“Come in,” came back a rough voice that sent a shiver down her spine. Gulping down the saliva, she walked inside the cabin. There sat the guy she was seeing… no eyeing for the first time.

His piercing gaze fiercely pointed at her as her hands curled into a fist. Her eyes scanned her face, her hesitant gaze hiding behind the glasses she wore.

“Good Mor—Afternoon, I mean,” f**k, this was not the time to show her nervousness.

“Good noon, please take a seat,” he said, gesturing his hand towards the leather-embedded chair. There was a slight lack of space in the room, or perhaps it was just with his calculated gaze the room just seemed smaller.

The chair felt uncomfortably high for her frame of 5’2. She sat on the edge as the guy in front of her kept his phone to his left.

“So, Anushka… “The way he said her name felt like he was testing how it sounded from his lips. She nodded a little, her hands resting on her lap once again.

“Tell me something about yourself,” He stated the question she came prepared for.

“Well…, “she took a deep breath before her eyes met his, undeniably giving her the confidence she was looking for.

“My name is Anushka Arora Bhattacharya. I am in my final year of Business administration. My prior experience is with Sanjha Radio, where I worked as an RJ and I have completed various online internships as well, which held me responsible for hiring individuals as well. "I am looking forward to this job role now,” now that looks like a presentable answer. Perhaps it did.

‘Hell I had to a few more details, s**t I forgot, ‘she thought.

“Hmm… interesting, why leave the radio then?” he asked as she licked her lips.

“Yes, that was an internship. "I stopped because I had an accident when I was going to work, and then… COVID happened,” She replied, her calm self giving her a kind of rush.

A trust even, perhaps.

The way his shoulders were so relaxed made her want to have that kind of energy within herself, the way that white shirt was hugging around his chest, those fingers moved with the slightest ease, making the watch he wore on his right-hand shine.

“I see, why do you want to have a job? "Your degree is not even finished yet,” he questioned, ‘because my dad is bedridden? No, not that much truth,’

“Because I don’t want to confuse you in the future, most people never get themselves real job experience before they move forward with an MBA. I don’t want to regret my choices. "I want to see if I even want to continue my studies or get to work, and working as a receptionist here will give me a clear picture,”

‘f**k that sounded more like a confused person, am I going to be rejected for this answer? I hope not her thoughts were loud in her head as he took some time to look at his phone.

“You mentioned being an RJ. Can you do recordings?” he asked.

“Sure, I can,” she said, the most confident she ever was with her voice. Sanjha was not the best, but the skills she developed there were something she had as her foundation.

“Great, take a look at this script, “he handed her the phone. There was a script for STRIGHTLINE, and she instantly recognized who must have written it.

“Is this written by Sundar Sir?” She asked. Well, are you allowed to ask questions in an interview to the interviewer? Said and done already.

“This is written by Gurpreet, “he said with a knowing smile, as if he was testing something.

“Record it for me,” was he throwing a challenge at me right now? Sure he was.

“Okay,” Her hands were sweaty, but she never tried to show it. He suddenly moved out of his chair, making her look at him.

“I’ll give you the privacy to record this, take your time,” he opened the door and moved out.

“What the f**k was that?” She whispered to herself as her eyes went to his for a moment before the door separated their gaze.

Settling on the chair, she held the button on the corner of the chair to adjust the height now that she was comfortable enough. Now she was comfortable enough, she could go ahead and read that script with enthusiasm.

Trying once, she accidentally let a blow and fumbled in her words at the end, closing her eyes for a second. She tried again. This time, it was clear to perfection just needed a little bit of editing for the pitch and background noise.

“Umm…” She looked around. “Should I go call him?” She asked herself after a minute of pure silence in the room. The door opened on its own and he came in.

“Done?” He asked with a small smile that made her eyes slip to his lips for a moment. ‘Looks yummy,’

“Yeah,” she said, handing back his phone to him.

“So, Anushka, if you even get this job, how will you manage it with your college?” he asked the question. She was anticipating.

“I will give in the application as in our college they allow us to have jobs in the final year,” she answered.

“It’s just that sometimes, for the important test, I may have to go to college for 2 hours. That’s it,”

“Explaining as it is not that far from here, how will you manage your exams?” he asked. She didn’t know why he looked genuinely concerned about her studies.

“I will do half days on the days of my exams,” she said with confidence.

“And how do you look forward to receiving money from us?” he asked.

“As this is going to be my first actual job, what is mentioned in the application for the job is fine for me,” she answered. Right now any amount of money is acceptable.

“Well then great, you’re the first candidate I would give a five on five to, “he wrote something on her resume before he asked about her editing skills.

“Yes, I am familiar with audio and picture editing, but video editing is something I have not yet explored,” Her reply was laced with honesty.

“No issues, well… then, Anushka, it was a nice meeting with you, we will contact you accordingly, “he said as she nodded, ‘I don’t know if I will even receive a callback.’

“Sure, thank you,” giving him that fake smile was one thing, but the way her eyes rested on his lips again. How she wished they had shared a handshake, but they did not.

(Why did we not, hmm?)

Going off that chair, their gaze locked once again before she opened the door for herself and walked out.