Artful Deceit & Love

18. Logic versus Emotions!

"I will miss you, Mridula!" He whispered as I stared at his face and my gaze stopped at his eyes. The words reached my ears but somehow not my heart.

"What about you?" I heard him ask. I opened my lips to say something when my phone blared in my sling bag. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second in embarrassment. We moved away from each other and I took it out to find an unknown number calling me. I heard him sigh as I picked it up.

"Hello!"

"Yaar...! I forgot my phone in your car. Will you bring it to me?" Anika pleaded from the other side.

I gazed at Vaibhav who looked at his wristwatch again impatiently.

"Hmm, sure!" I whispered as I cut the call.

"I have to go now!" Vaibhav said as his car stopped in front of the cafe building. Before we could say anything else, it was his phone that interrupted us. His eyes turned stern as he glanced at the phone screen. His smile vanished and was replaced by a grim expression.

"I'll see you after a few days!" Then he hugged me and this time, I wrapped my hands around him to reciprocate it. I just couldn't answer his gestures blankly every time. His face flashed with a faint smile and then he got in and drove off.

.

As I entered the reception of the hospital, I was taken aback by the amount of security there. I waved at Kavita and Suman, who were on reception duty today and they waved back with broad smiles. Every guard was glancing around with attentive eyes. Must be some important person's surgery or something! I called back to the number that Anika had used to contact me.

"Where are you?" I asked as soon as I heard her hello.

"Fifth floor! Hurry up I have to go for a round after this! I am just outside the gynecology ward."

I hummed as I cut the call. I made my way to the elevators without any problem because almost all the guards here know me. Thanks to Anika and also partially because of my friendly nature.

The sliding double doors of the lift opened up and I gulped down hard. My senses numbed for a second but then I composed myself and entered the lift. My heart was pumping blood fast than required. I tried to act cool while I took the other corner of the lift as that was the only place that placed the most space between us. But to be honest, his height and build were making even this hospital lift feel tiny.

He was leaning against the furthest wall of it with his friend standing at his adjacent side near the button panel. He was wearing a dull color suit with a white shirt, a few buttons open. It seemed like he had just got back from an excruciatingly long meeting. His disheveled hair corroborated my point further.

His expression was of shock as he noticed me but soon changed to an impassive one and he looked away!

Two can play this game!

"Which floor?" Vedika Singhania asked politely as the doors closed on us. I had never met her in person before but I didn't live under a rock, I knew of her.

"Fifth...thank you!" I said as I leaned back in my corner. I saw her smile and nod while she pushed the desired button.

I felt like the lift was working slower than usual or maybe it is just because of the people around me. The lift stopped on the second floor and four people entered the lift forcing us two to move back. Moving back meant standing near him but I guess there wasn't much of a choice!

I walked back and stood next to him, my shoulder brushed with his upper arm once before I distanced myself from him. I saw him stand back to his full height. What is he trying to intimidate me with his height...