See You Again

Chapter 1

It was Manikarnika's first day as a fully qualified doctor at the National Medical College and Hospital. Her dream to work in the most prestigious hospital in the city was finally coming true. A wave of nervousness hit her as she stood in front of the daunting white building.

She took a look at her watch and hurried off to the Gynaecology Department on the fourth floor. She was supposed to report to room number 405, where she would be addressed by the Head of the Department and get her work schedule.

The door of the room was open and newbies like her were steaming in. She joined the crowd. Butterflies were dancing in her stomach. A slight murmur was going through the room.

"Nervous?", a pleasant voice came from the next chair.

Manikarnika turned to see, the voice belonged to a really cute guy sitting next to her.

"Hi, I'm Srijan", he said.

"Manikarnika."

"That's quite a mouthful", he grinned.

"That, it is", she laughed.

They started chatting about their respective colleges and ended up talking about their favourite literature. Manikarnika was quite surprised to find that they had a lot in common.
Usually, she was a very shy and reserved person but she enjoyed talking to Srijan. Being an introvert, she didn't have many friends, but this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

The room fell silent just as a group of senior doctors entered.

"Good morning, everyone", a deep voice greeted.

"I am Dr. Kinjal Dutta, the Head of the Department of Gynaecology."

Manikarnika's eyes widened. Dread replaced the butterflies in her stomach. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was him. Her ex boyfriend.

He was exactly as she remembered. Wavy brown hair and dark soulful eyes. A pair of spectacles perched on his perfectly straight nose. He was only two years her senior. She wondered could someone so young be the Head of the Department. She had expected someone older.

Kinjal's eyes swept over the assembly swiftly and once they reached Manikarnika, they halted. His face showed astonishment just for a moment. Then, his eyes moved away. None of them had even dreamt in their wildest dreams that they would see each other again.

No one but Srijan noticed this weird exchange between Manikarnika and the Head of the Department.

"Do you know him?", he whispered to her.

"He's an acquaintance", she whispered back, still recovering from the shock.

Kinjal introduced them to the other senior doctors and began to talk about the department. Everyone listened with rapt attention.

Kinjal and Manikarnika used to be neighbours. When she had been in the final year of her highschool, he had been in his second year in the Medical College. They had dated for two years until one day, after coming back from school she heard from her mother that Kinjal was gone. She had called him a million times,but in vain. She hadn't heard from him since.

After graduating from high school, Manikarnika went through five years of Medical training, and after topping each year, was accepted in this prestigious hospital where by a fatal coincidence, her ex turned out to be her co-worker. And not just any co-worker but the fucking Head of the Department.

After collecting her schedule, she was about to exit the room towards Emergency unit where her first shift was, when suddenly she heard a familiar voice call her.

"Dr. Roy, may I speak to you for a moment?"

"Yes, Dr. Dutta?", she turned.

His eyes examined her from head to toe. It gave her a feeling of being x-rayed.

"I wonder how much you had to pay to get a job in this hospital", he said.

It was a punch in the gut. She couldn't believe that after five years of zero contact, his first words to her would be these. This was definitely not the Kinjal she had known, or she thought she had known.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Funnily enough, when I heard you introducing yourself as the HOD, it made me wonder the exact same thing."

"Manikarnika, may I remind you that while you are working here, I am your superior", his tone was acrid. "You will not take advantage of our personal relationship."

Her eyebrows rose.

"I don't know, sir , what personal relationship you are talking about. We are merely acquaintances. The only relationship between us is the professional one. Now if you'll excuse me, duty calls."

With that, she exited the room and made her way towards the Emergency Unit. If she was being entirely honest with herself, it hurt a little to get that treatment. Somewhere deep down, an incredibly stupid part of her had hoped, that maybe he would be remorseful and apologize for five years ago.

Clearly, she had been wrong.