CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
PART 1
Dr. Nikita Malhotra did not believe in love, thanks to her parents who fought all the time and then her best friend Armaan, who had made falling in love as fashionable as changing clothes, the amount he changed girlfriends.
"Am in love….am in loveeeeee….Oh I love the fact that I am in loveeeee" armaan sang off key in his loudest voice as he barged into Nikki's room.
"Not again" Nikita rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at the very handsome man who was standing in front of her. Handsome, her eyes focused on the specimen of the man standing in front of her.
Shaggy hair which women somehow found funky, which by the way Nikki hated as it fell into his eyes and her hands urged to chop them, blue eyes which right now were glowing with happiness which were amazing in Nikki's eyes too and flair to flirt with everything that walked by in a skirt and the best thing was that no one was immune to his charm….even Nikki.
"Hey Nikki…..stop studying yaar….lets go and play basketball yaar" Armaan hit the pillow back at her head.
"Armaan……we have a test tomorrow" she growled.
"It's a practical Nikki…..come on" he said exasperated. He loved Nikki but seriously this girl needed to lighten up a bit. So he thought that he would take this responsibility on himself and from that day onwards Operation Nikki had started.
Operation Nikki had meant change in dressing sense from boy shorts to dresses and short cropped hair to long hair.
When Nikki had entered Sanjeevani, most of the interns had fell for her but slowly they had formed into their own sweet pairs.
"No way…..not Riddhi" Nikki had laughed when Armaan had told her that they were in love.
"Why not?" a hurt Armaan had asked.
"Armaan Riddhi is the sweetest thing ever and you the biggest flirt……how can LOVE happen there ?" Nikki had asked and that had driven Armaan over the edge.
That day he decided that he would find someone for her and made sure that she fell for him, so she realized what love meant.
"Armaan come on" Riddhimma had tried to knock some sense into him but he refused to listen.
"Ridzi…..am serious……don't you think I'll be doing her a favor…….she needs to lighten up and understand love" he commented philosophically.
"Armaan you don't make anyone fall in love…..they just do….like us" she explained.
"I know Dr. Gupta……but all am going to do is give a little push….in the right direction" he smiled.
"Where will you get the guy from?" Ridzi questioned.
"I will fix her with someone in Sanjeevani" and then the hunt began.
"Who?" all the interns asked when Dr. Keerti told them that their beloved hospital was being bought out by the Modi group of Industries.
"By Gautam Modi" she told them.
"Why?" they all asked in unison.
"Sanjeevani needed to expand but the board didn't have enough and hence this decision…..but I should also add that this was in the offing for long……the Modi group has been in the market for quiet sometime now…..especially their MD" Dr. Keerti told them and they nodded.
"But Dr. Keerti……why?" everyone wanted to know.
"Look interns……they are into the Pharmaceutical business……am guessing this was their logical next step…..well tomorrow we have a meeting with their MD……Mr. Abhimanyu Modi……so I need you all to be here at 8 am sharp" she said in a dismissive tone and the interns left talking between themselves.
"I hope that Abhimanyu Modi is cute…..we need a good looking face here" Anjali said to Nikki who scoffed.
"Angie…..we don't need cute faces….we need someone who will take this hospital to a new level…..not turn it into a laboratory for their medicines….I hate this take over" Nikki replied passionately to Angie's flirtatious comment.
"Come on Nikki…..take a chill pill yaar" Muskaan jumped to her friend's defence. She was actually falling more and more in agreement to Armaan's hare brained scheme of setting up Nikki with someone. This girl needed to relax and smell the roses.
"Muski …please…..don't you think it is too convenient for them to buy Sanjeevani……well I have read the reports…..I mean the financial reports for Sanjeevani…..they really didn't need to sell but that Modi….the MD" Nikki started explaining.
"Abhimanyu" Armaan supplied.
"Yeah him….whatever……he for some reason wanted Sanjeevani for the longest time….he has been offering them an insane amount but Mr. Pandya refused to sell…..but recently he took ill and that Modi guy…..he moved in…..as he promised the rest of the board some thing about increasing Sanjeevani's voluntary aspect and that they will expand Sanjeevani and all that crap….but to be honest …I think he wants to use Sanjeevani's prestigious name and make it his personal laboratory for trying out his new medicines" Nikki took a deep breath and everyone rolled their eyes.
Armaan was right….she needed to be fixed up.
"Nikki…..come on…..he can be an honest businessman can't he?" Rahul finally spoke and Muski looked at him proudly.
"Rahul….you don't know the guy……he is vicious….he never stops…..he never listens to his father either…..his father was not interested in Sanjeevani but that that man…..he was insistent that he would buy Sanjeevani….for a whim" Nikki's beautiful dark eyes burned with passion and a flush crept up her cheeks.
"And you know this…..how?" Riddhima questioned.
"Her father works for them…..he is their accountant…..actually Vice President of accounts in the Modi Group of Industries" Armaan supplied and the gang gasped collectively.
"What……wow" Rahul whistled and started laughing.
"No wonder Nikki knows all his plans and promises" Atul smiled and that irritated Nikki.
"Well you guys don't understand how corporate work…..they simply come in and change everything…..today the board ….tomorrow us…..that Abhimanyu Modi is ruthless" she replied.
"Change isn't always bad Nikki……and at least let's wait till tomorrow…..I don't think Mr. Modi will have time to micromanage Sanjeevani….I think he will recruit someone "Ridhimma started to give her point of view and Nikki snorted.
"No….he will not do that…..he will run Sanjeevani….I know his plan" she argued back.
"Why is that a bad thing?" Muskaan asked and to that Nikki had no reply. No way was she going to ever confess to anyone till she lived that she hated Abhimanyu Modi merely because she had the biggest crush on him and knew that he was out of her league…..way out of her league and it eased the pain by hating him.
"Well….I just know it is" Nikki huffed and walked away, her heart beating fast.
Nikki was trying to start her car which had given up in the middle of the road. It was 7:45 am and she was still 15 minutes away from Sanjeevani.
"Darn it….auto" Nikki screamed in frustration.
When nothing stopped for 5 minutes, Nikki decided to hail a ride. A Mercedes passed her by spitting a roadside puddle oh her. An enraged Nikki picked up a rock and threw it at the car. The car screeched to a halt and reversed back, the same puddle again spitting on to her dress.
"You jerk" Nikki came close as the window rolled down and then her heart jumped into her mouth.
Dark eyes looked at her unblinking, "Excuse me?" a question came out of Abhimanyu Modi's mouth.
"Can't your driver see…..look what you did?" she pointed to her dress and a frown creased the handsome face.
"You look familiar" his deep voice washed over her and his black eyes looked at her slowly taking in the mud splattered skirt, those shapely legs, narrow waist , long hair and those huge eyes flashing anger.
"You do too……now I will be late for your stupid meeting and Dr. Keerti will eat me alive" Nikki started to blabber.
"Are you going to Sanjeevani…..are you a nurse there?" Abhimanyu asked. He remembered who she was now. She was Mr. Malhotra's firebrand daughter, who for some reason was rude to the hilt ….not that he cared.
"A what? Nurse?" Nikki asked angrily. This Modi….she was going to kill him today. How dare he?
"Aha……that is what I said" Abhimanyu said.
"I am a Doctor and an Intern at Sanjeevani" she supplied.
"Fine …..then get in Dr. Malhotra…..I'll give you a ride" he offered graciously and Nikki's anger bubbled.
"You know who I am?" she fumed.
"Yes…..I do…..kinda hard to miss your picture on your father's desk" he told her. "Now come on…..I don't have all day" he said. Nikki thought for a quick second and then got in. She sat down gingerly on the soft leather seats and slunk towards the door. The car smelled of his perfume.
Abhimayu ignored her obvious discomfort and concentrated on his files. The 15 minute ride was the longest in both their lives.
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
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