Code name: Ishq

The mess hall buzzed with Sunday morning energy, a welcome reprieve from the week's rigid military schedule. Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting golden patches across the wooden tables where soldiers and medical personnel mingled over breakfast. The atmosphere was relaxed, conversations flowing freely between bites of parathas and sips of chai.

Dr. Yamini Singh sat with her four friends at their usual table, but true to form, she had already managed to engage half the mess hall in conversation. Her voice carried across the room as she gestured dramatically with her fork, a piece of scrambled egg threatening to launch itself into orbit.

"No, no, listen to me," Yamini was saying to the table of soldiers beside them, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "I'm being completely serious about this epidemic."

Dr. Aditya Kapoor paused mid-bite, his expression shifting to one of professional concern. "What epidemic? Yamini, if there's a medical situation you haven't reported—"

"The epidemic of terrible chai in military establishments," Yamini continued without missing a beat. "It's a national crisis. Someone needs to file a complaint with the Defence Ministry immediately."

Captain Asif Khan, a communications officer at the neighboring table, nearly choked on his tea. "Doctor sahib, that's practically treason. You can't just attack military chai like that."

"Oh, I absolutely can," Yamini replied with mock seriousness. "I've taken an oath to do no harm, and serving this chai to unsuspecting soldiers definitely qualifies as harm. This isn't chai, it's liquid disappointment with a side of crushed dreams."

The mess hall erupted in laughter, several soldiers raising their cups in mock salute. At the far end of the room, Major Mayank Kashyap looked up from the official documents he was reviewing, a barely perceptible smile tugging at his lips as he watched Yamini hold court.

Princess Buttercup, the small black kitten with luminous yellow eyes, chose that moment to make her dramatic entrance. She darted across the floor with the determination of a tiny panther, leaping onto Mayank's table and directly onto his classified reports.

"Princess Buttercup, no!" Yamini called out, pushing back from her chair. "Sorry, sorry, I'll get her."

She hurried over to Mayank's table, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. The kitten had settled herself directly on top of what appeared to be important military correspondence, purring contentedly as if she owned the place.

"I'm so sorry, Major," Yamini said, reaching for the kitten. "She's been obsessed with you ever since the rescue. I think she's imprinted on you or something."

Mayank looked down at the kitten, his expression carefully neutral, but his hand moved almost unconsciously to scratch behind her ears. Princess Buttercup's purr increased in volume, a small engine of contentment.

"She's fine," he said quietly, his fingers gentle against the kitten's fur. "Just tell her to stop bothering me during work."

The contradiction between his words and actions wasn't lost on anyone watching. Yamini bit back a smile as she carefully lifted the kitten, who immediately began protesting the separation with tiny, indignant mews.

"She says she's sorry but she doesn't speak Hindi, only fluent in Adorable and Mischief," Yamini translated solemnly. "Also, she wants to know if you have any tuna."

"I don't carry military-grade tuna," Mayank replied, his tone dry but his eyes amused.

As Yamini returned to her table with the protesting kitten, Captain Asif Khan grinned at her. "Doctor sahib, you've got quite the problem there. That cat clearly has better taste in men than most humans."