Riddhima sat on one of the benches in the locker room, looking thoroughly exasperated as she watched Armaan pace the length of the room and the other interns watched in amusement.
"Armaan…don't you think you're overdoing it?" Anjali smirked and Muskaan sniggered shamelessly beside her only to receive a glare from Armaan.
"Overdoing it!" he burst. "She's my friend…my best friend…what if…what if something happens to her?"
"Armaan, for the last time, they are going to work together!" Riddhima sighed.
"I don't trust that Modi!" pat came the reply coupled with a disgusted look on his face.
"It was my mistake, I accept it…I shouldn't have opened my big mouth in front of you", she said dejectedly.
"No Basket! I should thank you…you told me about that dinner", Armaan started pacing again. "I should make sure nothing happens to her…poor Nikki…" he started muttering darkly under his breath, possibly making plans to murder his boss.
"Armaan…you won't do anything", Riddhima warned him in a low voice.
"But-"
"I told you na, you will not do anything", Riddhima glowered at him.
"Who's planning to do what?" a cheerful voice interrupted them, and they all turned to see Akash walking towards them, Shehnaz in tow.
Seeing Shehnaz, Armaan immediately plastered a look of innocence on his face.
"Hello guys! What's up?" she smiled at them.
"Err…nothing! Absolutely nothing…we're fine!" Armaan flashed a grin in her direction, and she raised her eyebrows at his overly-innocent face, and sat down beside Riddhima.
"You can tell us!" Akash asked Armaan enthusiastically.
"Erm…"
"Armaan is trying to save Nikki from Dr. Modi", Anjali answered sceptically before Armaan could say anything else.
At this, Shehnaz's eyebrows rose even higher. "Save Nikki? That too from Abhi? Why?" her suspicious glance didn't go unnoticed by Riddhima.
"Yeah…I too don't get it", Akash looked properly confused and looked to Armaan for an explanation. "Dr. Modi seems nice…"
"He is nice. What's to save from him?" Shehnaz sounded really offended, and Armaan faltered.
"No, I-"
"He thinks Dr. Modi is trying to use Nikki…" Atul informed her, and four pairs of incredulous eyes glared meaningfully at him.
"What Anjali? Did I say anything wrong?" Atul asked her sweetly, and got a light punch on his arm from her.
"Use? Abhi would never use anyone!" Shehnaz scowled at Armaan.
"I…I know that", Armaan tried to cover Atul's slip up. "I'm just worried for my best friend."
"But still…you shouldn't jump to conclusions like that", Akash told him reasonably.
Armaan looked visibly embarrassed and nodded sheepishly when he saw Shehnaz looking daggers at him.
"Sorry…" his feebly apology was met with another glare from her and a satisfied smirk from Riddhima.
*****
Nikita practically danced into her room in the evening and opened her wardrobe to choose a dress to wear for dinner. Her eyes focused on Abhi's jacket, which he had draped around her yesterday.
She slowly took it down from its hanger and smelled it. It was his scent…and she loved it. She held it close to her chest and heaved a sigh, remembering the happenings of the previous night. A deep blush crept up her cheeks, and she smiled shyly.
Unable to resist, she wore the jacket, savouring the scent. It was a heady fragrance, and she felt slightly intoxicated. Her arms were lost somewhere in the long ones of the jacket, and she had to fold them many a time to expose her hands.
She grinned at her reflection in the mirror, the deep blush on her face grabbing her attention.
Finally, she reluctantly took off the jacket and started searching for proper clothes to wear. A nice salwar-kameez? No…maybe an off-shoulder dress…No…that'd be too flashy. It was a date with her boss, after all…a dinner with her boss, she corrected herself.
Finally she decided on a dusty pink blouse and a black short skirt. No harm in keeping him a little distracted, she smirked. He's my boss, though. Should I be this excited about dinner with him? It's unhealthy… Her mind scolded her disapprovingly. But he's so good-looking…and he smells fabulous! Her heart sang.
Trying her best to shut her brain up, she changed and applied minimal make-up. Deciding against tying her hair, she quickly made her way to her car when she realised she was going to be late.
Finally she reached Abhimanyu's house and found herself standing at the front door, extremely nervous. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand and rang the bell, waiting for him to open the door.
***
Abhimanyu showered quickly when he reached home and put on a casual white shirt and light blue faded jeans. Deciding to leave the first 4 buttons open, he walked over to the dressing table to comb his hair.
Nikki's piece of jewellery from Armaan and Riddhima's roka caught his eye, and he lovingly picked it up. He remembered how he had picked it up when it fell while she was dancing. She had looked so beautiful when she danced.
Giving it once last fond smile, he set it down inside a drawer and walked downstairs when he heard the bell.
***
He opened the door to see her biting her lip slightly, looking quite nervous.
He moved aside to allow her some space. "Come in."
She gave him a small smile and walked inside. He had a beautiful house…she had come here before to drop him home after the Valentine's Day fiasco.
Remembering what she had done after that night made her blush a deep crimson, not going unnoticed by him. He gave her a small smile, and offered her a seat on the couch.
Abhimanyu watched her fidget on the couch, a beautiful blush on her cheeks. She looked really pretty when she blushed, and he found her adorable.
Under his intense scrutiny, she could still feel the remnants of the blush burning her cheeks. And the fact that his shirt was more unbuttoned than normal did not help at all.
He cleared his throat to grab her attention. "Nikki…"
"Huh?" she blinked.
"We should work…you know…" he trailed away.
"Yeah, yeah. We should work", she nodded vigorously.
He gathered the few files they would need and settled comfortably on the couch beside her.
They worked for some time, enjoying the other's presence very much. After some time, they took a break and Abhimanyu brought two steaming cups of coffee for them.
As they were drinking, he watched her. She was looking very pretty in her pink blouse, and her dark hair flew about, the strands tickling her face.
Unintentionally, his hand rose up to brush a strand away from her eyes, and she looked up when he tucked it behind her ear.
His dark eyes bore into hers, and she shivered slightly when he lazily caressed her cheek. She set her coffee mug down on the table before them, afraid of dropping it.
He slowly moved closer, and she turned slightly in the couch so that she was almost facing him. His face came closer till her mind once again went blank with his scent.
"You're looking beautiful tonight, Nikki", his husky voice sounded irresistible.
"Th…thank you", she managed to whisper before he brushed his lips softly on hers.
She couldn't even close her eyes properly before the moment was gone. He moved away, his eyes dark and desirous, and his lips hovered a few inches away from hers.
Wanting to kiss him again, she slowly, and carefully, bunched his shirt in her hand and pulled him closer, inviting him in for another kiss. He obliged obediently, placing his lips on hers once more, slowly deepening the kiss, his hands moving to her waist, while her arms twisted around his neck.
After a few moments, they broke apart, still holding the other close, not wanting to let go. Nikki looked softly up at him, and he planted a small kiss on the corner of her mouth.
They forgot completely about work, and sat there in each other's arms, looking fondly into the other's eyes. It was much later that they realised Nikki was again sitting on Abhi's lap.
After what seemed like hours, Abhi whispered, "Dinner?"
She nodded a reply, and he led her by the hand to the dining table. They ate in silence, stealing secret glances at the other and then immediately looking away when caught.
After dinner, they walked back to the couch, and sat there in silence, wondering what to say, all work forgotten.
She didn't fail to notice that he was sitting as far away from her as possible on the couch. Maybe he feels guilty.
He watched her dart glances at him from the corner of her eye, and deliberated slightly, thinking what to say. They had been kissing again…this was becoming more of a habit than accident. Yet her response was encouraging. She never shied away from his touch, and he liked it. He liked her…a lot.
He was about to say something when his phone rang, and reluctantly he picked it up while Nikki watched him silently.
He didn't talk much, but his face soon turned pale. He had a stricken look on his face, and stared right ahead with wide eyes while his breathing deepened into heavy anxious gasps.
Nikki looked at him worriedly, when he slowly whispered into the speaker, "How critical is he?"
His agonised voice hurt her as well. A few minutes later, he cut the phone, and sat as still as a statue, still breathing heavily, with a blank look on his face.
Worried for him, she shifted closer and placed her hand on his, squeezing it gently. He refused to acknowledge her presence.
"Abhi…" her concerned voice broke through his thoughts, and he turned to face her.
His face was very pale, and he looked extremely worried. She placed her other hand on his shoulder and softly asked him, "Abhi, what happened?"
He didn't answer.
She stroked the back of his hand with her finger and soothed again, "Abhi…you can tell me."
"My…my friend, Vishal…" his voice sounded unnaturally weak. It was shaking.
"Yes…what happened to him?" she questioned.
He gripped her hand tightly and whispered, "He had an accident…they – they thought he was dead at first, but then…" he faltered, hints of tears appearing in his eyes, and he turned his face away.
She touched his face and turned it to her, but he refused to look at her, keeping his eyes down. Cupping his cheek, she tried her best to make him look into her eyes, but he avoided them.
"Abhi…he'll be fine", she said softly, holding his face in her hands.
"He's…he's critical, Nikki…the ambulance that came…it took him away…they said he might not survive…I...I don't know…he's my childhood friend, I'm very worried…Nikki I…" he spluttered anxiously. He finally looked at her, and she noticed his eyes were glistening with tears which he tried furiously to blink away unsuccessfully.
Her own heart ached for him. She held his face and kissed his forehead. "He'll be fine, Abhi. You have to be strong."
"But…but what if something happens to him…he's in a terrible condition…my best friend…I don't know what to do, I'm so worried…Nikki…" his voice was trembling, and she could understand the amount of effort it took him to keep himself from breaking down.
"He'll be okay Abhi, he'll recover…don't worry", she pulled him into a hug, and he held on tight to her, burying his face in her shoulder.
She stroked his hair, trying to calm him down. Suddenly she felt him shake slightly, and she realised he was crying. She held him even more tightly, and let him cry. His tears pained her, and she felt her own eyes well up with tears, but she blinked them away.
As his tears began to noiselessly wet her shoulder, his words echoed in her mind…"they said he might not survive"…Abhi needed her right now.
She had to stay with him and be there for him now. She had never seen him so vulnerable…forget crying, she had never even heard his voice tremble like that. "He's my childhood friend"…
After a while, she could feel that his tears had stopped. But he still held on to her, his face in her shoulder, unmoving. It pained her to see him hurt. She held him for a long time…she felt that he might have fallen asleep, he was so still.
"Abhi?" she softly uttered his name, not knowing if it was the right thing to do at the time.
He didn't reply, but slowly moved, lifting his face. She could see his tear streaked face, and though he was avoiding her gaze, she knew his eyes were red from crying.
"I'm sorry", he said in a broken voice, looking downwards.
"Why are you apologising?" she was puzzled.
He made his discomfort no secret, and she understood that he was embarrassed for crying. With a pained smile which looked more like a grimace, she lifted his chin to make him look at her.
"It's okay…it's very natural", she told him soothingly, not wishing to embarrass him further.
He didn't reply, but just looked at her with a mixture of pain and gratefulness in his eyes.
"Abhi…do you want me to stay?" she offered quietly. She knew he needed someone right now. He wasn't one to break down like that, and she had understood the moment he had shed those precious tears that this friend was very special to him. "My best friend", he had said.
He observed her with an unreadable expression. Heaving a sigh, he shook his head in the negative. "No…no, don't stay."
"I could stay if you want me to", she whispered softly.
"No…I…I'll manage. You go home. It's very late, Nikki. You should go home", he said dejectedly, and she understood that somewhere deep inside, he wanted her to stay. Yet she also knew that he would never let her take care of him in his stubbornness. And maybe he just needed some time alone.
She decided to let him be. "Okay then. You take care of yourself."
He nodded quietly, and she suspected he might have lost his voice. "He'll be fine…I promise", she assured him and squeezed his hand.
He gave her a small smile which didn't reach his eyes.
She got up to leave, and he caught her hand from behind. She turned around, and he asked worriedly, "Will you be able to go home alone? I mean…it's very late…almost 11:30…"
"I have my car Abhi. I'll make it. Don't worry", she said, and he appeared slightly relieved.
"Nikki…" he called her again as she was about to leave. "Thank you", he looked genuinely grateful.
At her confused look, he explained softly, "For being there…" he blushed slightly, and she was glad to see come colour return to his pale cheeks.
Giving him one last small smile, she walked away with a sigh.
Geet - Hui Sabse Parayee
Bade Achche Lagte Hain Naya Season
15