Intricacies of Love

Chapter-13

Oh God! It's so late. I hope Pia is alright with Surbhi- Saumya thought.

"Good evening, Ma'am," greeted Pihu.

"Good evening, Pihu. It's quite late already. You should get going." She continued, "Please tell your friend to let me know about the patient's vitals. I should go now."

Nodding, Pihu said, "Sure, Ma'am."

Pihu went out of the cabin after collecting all the necessary files. Picking her bag, Saumya followed suit.

Nodding politely at all the paramedics and nurses who greeted her, she finally reached the parking lot. The sky, with its low ceiling, greeted the tired girl.

Sighing, she said, "Finally, the day's over. Today was so tiring. I wish I could just go and lie down."

She turned around only to bump into someone. Her head was throbbing with pain and her eyes were tightly shut. Her forehead seemed to be lined with numerous folds. She opened her eyes only to come face to face with Akshit. He didn't seem affected by the sudden blow. Instead, he was staring at her. She couldn't stop herself from staring at him.

His eyes were tinged with a slight amber hue at the periphery. The soft skin around his eyes had turned dark. His hair was unkempt. A few brown strands rested on his forehead. His tie hung loosely around his neck. The sky blue shirt he was wearing, had a few buttons open. He didn't, however, seem to mind that.

He was unable to restrain himself from staring at her beautiful face. As always, her face wasn't covered with makeup. Her eyes were looking at him in a curious fashion. Her lips were mildly pink. It was evident that the dust and soil of work had made the lipstick fade. Her hair was tied in a messy bun. A few lose strands fell near her ears, framing her face. The beautiful diamond earrings she wore, were casting their twinkling light in the sapphire atmosphere. Her thick eyebrows shot up, clearly perplexed. Her long eyelashes only contributed to her beauty. Her eyes, with a reddish tinge, seemed to be adamant on making him lost.

     All of a sudden, she felt a certain wetness on her head. Blinking, she was brought out of her trance. She looked up only to find that it had started drizzling. Until few years ago, she would have started singing at such an occasion. However, she couldn't bring herself to do it now.

Shifting awkwardly on her heels, she said, "Has Aunty gone already?"

Suddenly brought out of his reverie, he replied, "Yeah her flight was scheduled at 2 this afternoon."

"Do you know how to cook?" she enquired.

He only smiled sheepishly at her, clearly debating.

"It's alright, I understand. Come over for dinner, okay?"

"Uh you don't have to do this Saumya. I..."

"Come on. It's not a problem."

Why am I suddenly so worried about him? Talk about after effects of insomnia.

Smiling a little, she went towards her car. He stood there staring at her dark silhouette till it was reduced to a small dot.

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It was already five-and- twenty past 9. Saumya was staring at the clock in the living room. Her eyelids were heavy. She was sure that soon enough her eyes would droop shut. Pia had already slept in her room after having dinner. Even though Saumya should have regretted her decision, she could not bring herself to relent about her invitation.

The doorbell rang breaking the silence of the house. Shutting her eyes closed, Saumya willed herself to muster all the strength and go to open the door. Trudging along, she reached the door and opened it. There stood Akshit, a bouquet in hand, smiling.