"----Especially for the girls like Dr. Shraddha. She's a pretty graceful lady."
Her neck moved up in a swift motion at his sudden endearment.
Shraddha looked up at his sober face.
Advait had a small smile on his cheeks but his lips were as it is.
Shraddha couldn't stop herself from blinking her wet eyelashes at his face. Whereas Advait's calm eyes comforted her.
"You should not say that Advait okay and by the way, you guys know each other?"
Sagar asked confused staring at both of them who were having an eye slammer.
"Yes. We met the day before yesterday."
Advait replied while the intensity of their eye slammer remained unbroken.
Sagar wondered.
"Shraddha," Sagar called out for her name but no effect made her move her eyes away from his.
The right corner of Advait's lips curved up.
"Dr. Shraddha likes to stare. Just like right now."
Advait started bringing her back to reality as Shraddha composed herself blinking her eyes and caressing her forehead hair strands.
"Oh! Shraddha. Are you crying?"
Sagar showed concern.
She swallowed the bile formed in her throat adjusting the Saree hem on her wrist.
She tried smiling looking at Sagar.
"No. I'm perfectly alright."
Advait glanced at her face once again before he could say anything Netrapal came towards him.
"Sir, your mother's call is there. She wants to talk to you."
Netrapal handed Advait his phone.
Advait gestured to Sagar that he was leaving for home while attending the call and Sagar nodded.
Sagar turned to Shraddha as she turned and started to leave.
"Shraddha. Are you angry with me?"
He held her free Saree hem from behind.
Shraddha's eyes widened as she heard his apologetic voice.
She turned.
"No. I can't be mad at you. After all, I was the one who told Sir the fake story."
"Still I'm sorry"
Sagar held his ear and apologised as a smile crept onto her lips.
"It's alright Sagar. Are you leaving too?"
Sagar glanced at his wristwatch and looked for someone.
"Actually. No... but am waiting for someone. I...don't know when will she come."
Shraddha's eyes minimised confusingly.
"Who?"
"My girlfriend," Sagar said typing on his phone and Shraddha slapped his shoulder lightly.
"How many girls do you want to make your girlfriend?"
Sagar acted thumping his fist on the heart.
"For now only one is there where my heart has failed. My Shraddha."
He dreamed of looking at the sky.
Her eyes widened.
"What?"
"Tsk... Shraddha Kapoor, I'm talking about." Sagar said making her clear.
"I thought..." She stabled her breath closing her eyes and then opening again with a relieving smile.
"You thought you haan? "
Sagar laughed.
Shraddha shook her head once in a no and he teased.
"What about the girl?"
Shraddha asked searching his face.
He was desperate.
"Is that girl so important?"
Sagar negatively shook his head.
"Jealous kyon ho rhi hai nahi hai meri wali abhi koi."
He laughed making her twitch her lips.
(Why are you getting jealous that there's no girl for me right now?)
"Jealous? And that too from your girlfriend. My Fate is not blind."
Shraddha's black V-shaped brows shrugged up hysterically.
Sagar showed no heed to her taunt.
She waited for him to say something about which girl he was waiting for.
Sagar chuckled looking at her folded arms with a grim face.
"Okay okay. It's Trisha. My batchmate. She wants to discuss a manhandling case from Gurgaon as the culprit she is looking for is now in Dehradun. She wants proof against him. As he's molesting his fiancée. "
Shraddha's face showed disgust for that criminal man.
"You must be dealing with this kind of case, don't you?"
He nodded.
"What's the no. Of your cases, you've solved till now?"
Sagar laughed at her question but then his demeanour changed into a raged one.
"Tsk... Even if we file the chargesheet in the court it remains untouched for a long time. Some are unheard of for years if no proof is found against it. We have got this so-called social justice. And even the laws and acts are so draconian that the lawmakers are too busy to even think about them."
Shraddha listened to him quietly.
She never saw this raging behaviour of Sagar Verma she experienced right now.
He has become a respected man and more than a respected citizen. She admired his authenticity.
"Please inform me about this case if the innocent girl in this got justice or not."
"Pray good for her. That I get a good chance to give the perfect treatment for this criminal. I believe in the State Government's peace and justice policy. I hope we'll reach the man soon."
She gave a small smile.
They neared the corridor of the Hospital where they walked.
"Waise. Advait aur tere beech kya chal raha hai?"
He asked to which her eyes widened.
(By the way. What's going on between you and Advait?)
His brows furrowed.
"Kya matlab kya chal raha hai? Kuch nhi."
(What do you mean what's going on? Nothing)
"Kya kuch nahi? Andha nahi hoon mein. Kaise abhi usne pyaar se ek line maari aur tera rona ekdam chup."
(What nothing? I ain't blind. How just now he hit a line with love and your stifling became completely silent.)
Shraddha couldn't think straight at what rubbish he was telling.
"Kuch bhi Matlab? I wasn't crying okay?" Her face sulked.
(Means anything)
Sagar nudged her shoulder teasing her again.
"Tell me. Is there something between you two?"
Getting irritated with him she eyed him.
"We've met two days before and you are asking me this. What nonsense? He's the DM and I respect him nothing else."
Sagar formed his mouth in an o shape and asked again with mischievousness.
"Respect DM ..Hmm.Hmm?"
His brows wiggled at her and Shraddha could only laugh at the funny face.
"Stop I Sagar. I cannot like the DM he's the arrogant one and I hate people like that."
Sagar's teasing stopped as his phone pinged. He saw the message and looked up.
"Trisha will be late."
"That means you can stop some more time."
Shraddha gave a sheepish smile to which Sagar tapped her head.
"And What did you say? You hate men like Advait."
While Shraddha drank from the glass of water.
His eyes turned mischievous as he remembered.
"And What about that 46-second Eye slammer you both had?"
She choked on her water as it split out of her mouth. Sagar laughed to which she patted her back head stabilising her breath.
"Who told you about that?"
"What about that? I'm talking about the 46 seconds eye slammer you both had minutes before "
"Ohhh." She sighed smiling hiding the talk. In her mind, she wanted to punch this Sagar for making her reminisce about her stupidity of staring at Advait.
"It's nothing wo meri aankh mein kuch chala gaya tha."
(It's nothing, something had gotten in my eyes)
She said unreasonably and then chided herself for the biggest lie.
She didn't have any idea why she was looking into his eyes again and again.
"Lamest lie ever. Jhooth toh sahi se bola kar jhoothi. Kya dost banegi re tu? Apne dost ko apne crush ke baare mein nahi bata pa rahi."
(Atleast lie it the correct way liar. How would you become a friend? You're not even able to tell your friend about your crush)
She was going to drink again but stopped at his disappointment.
Why was he so stubborn to make her say yes that she liked Advait?
She felt repulsion whenever she met Advait. Liking him was far away.
"Crush? Whose? Are you mad Sagar?"
She was done with his teasing.
"You're the worst liar Shraddha."
Sagar regretted acting in a discouraged tone.
Shraddha's jaw tightened at his stupid words.
"Sagar. I don't like him. He's just a normal person like any other stranger. An infact. Instead of liking him, I would better remain celibate."
"Haaa...celibacy. May your Mahadev grace your brain And one second Shraddha. He's my friend too haan speak the right way about him."
Her brow shrunk closer.
"Your friend? Since when?"
Sagar smiled.
"Since Mussoorie. He fought for me to the department."
"If I remember correctly you were in Hyderabad."
"Tsk...Before that. I chose IAS as my preference.
But...."
He stopped in mid way.
"But-?" Her brows raised.
"I replaced the post with someone who needed and there's a long story. I will tell you someday. Leave it."
Shraddha licked her lower lip at his words.
"You always say like this, I'll tell you later." She mimicked him.
"I don't know when you later will arrive."
Sagar smiled walking with her to the lawn as he was departing.
"See you later."
He gave her a friendly hug and Shraddha smiled.
"You know you can come to my residence someday. "
Shraddha smiled, "I will see when I'm free".
Sagar noted.
"Advait lives in my colony too you know. His bungalow is adjacent to mine---"
He air quoted flipping his hair to which her smile faded.
He added.
"---In case you want to see my friend's handsome sexy face."
Shraddha tilted her neck to look back if someone was coming and then hit his head.
"Get away duffer."
"See you Shraddha."
He said sitting inside his black Mahindra Scorpio and the Driver drove.
Sagar gave a flying kiss to Shraddha to which she grabbed and laughed.
After reliving from the hospital duties in the evening Shraddha drove her scooty to the PG.
Aarohi was gone with her other friend for a casual party. Shraddha denied it as she wanted to spend some alone time to relax.
Waking up at five in the morning and then the other work has drowsed her. She wanted to sleep relaxed.
She changed into her night clothes washing her face.
Coming out of the bathroom she wiped her face and applied the night cream.
The puppy's voice gained her attention.
She smiled sitting near her and loved her affectionately.
"Did you miss me, sweet girl?"
She asked in her sweet voice and it wagged her tail.
Shraddha patted her back delighted with the beautiful gift in her life she received three days ago. As she brought milk for her.
It licked the bowl till the last drop of milk and Shraddha admired her sitting beside her on the floor.
After walking with her for half an hour it slept and Shraddha glanced at the clock which showed eight at night.
"Let's get back to study Shraddha. Otherwise, you'll fail in your exams and Sagar will have an opportunity to mock my preference of choosing MBBS instead of Civil Services."
She chided herself smiling getting on her study table and taking out her med books and the notes.
She studied for two Continuos hours and yawned at last
By the time she revised the topics, her pencil was pinned in her messy bun and the pages were spread all across the wide table.
Her specs on the laptop keys and the right chamber of the heart's diagram were zoomed in as she was drawing it.
*****
Dated: 6th April 2024