Chipkali and Chamgadar
"One thing, I told you one thing and this is what you do?" His cries were echoing throughout the entire room. He was pointedly looking up, his stern gaze and his frustrated sigh didn't go unheard. "You don't love me, do you? I mean, hadd hoti hai yaar mazak ki bhi. How could you put me in this situation? And why?" Neil tsked, disappointed as he held his head, his eyes shutting in both anger and betrayal.
What was he doing, Aarohi thought, as she with the most confused face, wondered what that weirdo was doing by pointing at the ceiling and talking aloud? Until now, she thought that Neil was the most dramatic person she had met, but now, he was also crazy.
"Tum upar dekh ke kis se baat kar rahe ho?" Her voice held so much contempt and disregard. She even looked up at the same direction he was looking, trying to understand the most dramatic guy she had come across.
"Bhagwan se," Neil said, gritting his teeth, and Aarohi controlled her urge to bang her head on the wall.
It had been only ten minutes since they both were stuck in a room, but honestly it was the worst and the most dramatic ten minutes of her life. Aarohi never thought her first day of her internship at Birla Hospital would mean being stuck in a store room with a man child. She should have listened to Bade Papa and not have joined this hospital, although working under Dr. Abhimanyu's guidance would be a bliss, but this batshit idiot was not worth it.
Aarohi or Dr. Aarohi Goenka had topped the state in her final medical exams but she was more happy when she got selected for her internship in Birla Hospital. There were only two reason she was on cloud nine for this internship.
1. Dr. Abhimanyu Birla
2. Have you read point 1?
However, what she did not expect was to get a crazy and dramatic 25 year old brother of his who just always stepped on her nerves. The first time she met him, or rather, dashed into him, he dropped cold coffee on her top. Not only did he ruin her clothes, he ruined her mood too by not apologizing and instead argued that she was walking blindly.
Ever since, Aarohi and Neil were always at loggerheads. They had also met on a roadside market once, and their fight had escalated so much that people had gathered to see their bull fight.
The topic of their fight was their nicknames. Neil was angry on she calling him a chamgadar and started chanting aloud that she was a chipkali and if it wasn't for Kairav and Vansh, these two were gonna pounce at each other.
And now, trapped in the hospital's store room, Aarohi was counting each second she was here, with this idiot who was praying to God.
"Stop cursing God, and do something you idiot." Aarohi rolled her eyes, walking towards the door and trying her best to knock and ask for help.
Neil leaned against the wall, watching Aarohi struggle to get out. "Tum ho chipkali ke size ki, tumhe lagta hai ki darwaza khol logi?"
"Atleast I'm not looking up at the ceiling and talking to God who I'm very sure has no time for your stupid complaints!" Aarohi snapped at him, and Neil gave her the most smug smile ever.
"This isn't a cardboard door and I'm not Daya." Neil chuckled when Aarohi clenched her jaw, and she angrily banged her hand over the wall only to hiss in pain.
Neil sniggered at her and stepped back, he found a small table and sat on it. The room they were locked in, was the farthest on the floor and almost a store room with the dumped and dusty belongings.
He looked at the poised girl, he hated her guts and her aura of pretence. Every time she crossed his path, bad luck followed him everywhere and her hisses were a proven fact that she was a black cat. In fact black cat were more blessed than she. She acted like she owned the world, and Neil disliked people who thought so little about others.
"Kya hai yaar," Aarohi groaned in pain, eyeing her reddened hand. "Why is it so dark here?" She asked aloud.
"Because ye theatre hai, chalo movie dekhti hai." Neil commented and she glared at his taunt. He had no mobile on him, and all be hoped was his brother to notice his absence and come find him in the store room.
Meanwhile Aarohi messaged her sister, how Akshara could come here all the way from home and help her, she didn't know but something had to be done. Unfortunately, the text couldn't go through because of lack of network and Aarohi sighed, stepping back.
The room was dark, she could only make faint outlines of the room and she rolled her eyes when she saw Neil laying on the hospital bed.
"Why are you so dramatic, geez."
"Abh maine kya kiya meri maa!"
"Why are you laying down like this, do something dude. Just..." She was about to shake him off the bed but Neil's confused statement stopped her.
"Laying down?" He asked, trying to make out what this idiotic girl was saying, "listen, I'm seated here." He could see Aarohi looking down at the bed and talking while he was behind her.
"Toh... Ye kaun... Ye kya hai?" Aarohi's eyes widened in shock as Neil tip toed towards her, the darkness of the room was slowly fading and he could see a figure laying on the bed and the surprised girl ahead of him.
"Ye morgue toh nahi?" He whispered in her ear, scaring her as she screamed, leaving the dead person's arm she was touching and turned to hug Neil who was standing behind.
Aarohi was trembling, this wasn't what she expected on her first day and this wasn't what she wanted. She chanted words of assurance and Neil contemplated whether or not to hold the girl. But he decided he'd just laugh aloud and Aarohi met his eyes, confused.
"Ye koi dead body nahi hai, pagal." Neil laughed, his insulting laughter made Aarohi to take a step back and Neil picked the figure laying on the bed. The way he picked it up indicated how light the figure was, "Meet Hema. Humari Hospital ki CPR doll hai." He couldn't stop laughing as he said that and Aarohi stomped her feet in anger.
To her surprise, he had also found a light switch that brightened the room a little and she could clearly see the plastic doll on the bed.
"You knew it?"
"Of course," he laughed, pausing for a quick breathing break. "Hema meri pehli pyaar jo hai." He joked around and Aarohi once again, shut her eyes and took a deep breath.
This guy was legit too much.
"And aren't you a doctor? Dead plastic body se darr gayi?" He teased her, sitting on the bed with Hema besides.
"Excuse me," Aarohi pointed her finger at him, angry by the second. "I am here for my internship, and I'm learning. Plus, I didn't know it was a plastic doll."
"Sure sure, chipkali, maan lete hai." Neil commented, wrapping his arm around the doll and Aarohi gritted her teeth.
But before she could retaliate, something fell on Neil's shoulder from above and Aarohi zoomed on the creature and her eyes widened again.
That thing was the size of her finger and it was crawling on his sleeve, she pointed at it and whispered. "Chipkali..."
Neil tilted his head, still smiling, "wow, tumne apne aap ko chipkali maan hi liya finally.'
Aarohi shook her head, taking a step back. If she disliked anyone more than this guy, it was those crawling weird things. Everytime she looked at those creatures, she felt they were walking on her.
"Why are you stepping back? Hema kuch nahi karegi."
"There's a lizard on your arm."
Neil felt his heart stop beating for one second, but then he shook his head, smiling. "I know you're trying to humiliate me, pranking me. But, I ain't trusting you."
Aarohi had already reached the other end of the room, shaking her head, looking at the creature crawling under his sleeve now and her eyes widened. Neil who was carefree until now, felt his heart racing when he felt the crawling on his arm.
"Ye mere haath... haath pe... kya..." He hesitated, looking at Aarohi for help. "kya?"
"Chipkali..." She whispered and Neil looked down at his arm to see a small lizard crawling down, he immediately screamed and shook his hand vigorously, patting his arm and literally jumping around.
He ran towards Aarohi, who was trying to keep him apart but he was still on his toes, trying to get rid of the lizard and he caged Aarohi between the wall and himself.
"What are you doing here!" She screamed, squatting him away, "khud maroge muje bhi marvaoge!"
"Please please, remove it. Remove it." Neil chanted, eyes shut as he stretched his arm towards her and she etched far from it, scared. "Please Aarohi, you must have dissected a lizard right, isse nikalo."
"Lizard nahi, frog. Aur I can't tolerate lizards." She said, inching farther away.
"Aarohi please, tum hatao isse. Tumhari khandan ki hai yaar. Baat karlo."
However, Neil kept patting his arm, moving it around and she saw the lizard drop down and quickly move towards another corner.
She contemplated on telling him that, but remembered how he teased her before and she smirked.
"Woh dekho, it's going down your neck!" She yelled and Neil screamed in horror, shaking his head and unbuttoned his shirt. He was literally dancing as he got rid off the cloth and patted his neck and his chest, and asked Aarohi about the lizard.
"Gayi kya?" He asked, eyes still shut and Aarohi still pinned to the wall by him.
"Your hair?" She pointed and he quickly ruffled his hair, shaking his head and trying his best to get rid of the imaginary lizard and when Aarohi pointed at his foot, he jiggled his right leg and fell down with a thud, groaning in pain.
Aarohi who was watching him squeal like a kid couldn't control her laughter anymore and she burst out aloud, laughing and pointing at Neil who was semi naked on the floor with hair messed up and heartbeats racing. She laughed and laughed till tears welled in her eyes, and she teased the poor man.
At first Neil was annoyed, but when he saw the girl laughing like a small kid and actually looking like a normal person, he smiled. Aarohi took a break from her laughing streak and helped him up while Neil buttoned his shirt.
"Very not funny." Neil said, feigning disappointment.
"Really?" She eyed him, with a funny grin. "Kaise nach rahe the tum, bilkul aise." She acted like him, dancing around, shaking her arm, juggling on one leg and Neil laughed too.
Both of them shared the next couple of minutes just laughing at the turn of events and before they knew the door was opened and Dr. Abhimanyu entered, concerned and surprised to see them laughing like this.
Apparently, the text did reach Akshara and the latter had informed Abhi immediately owing which Abhi found them.
"Kya hua?" Abhi asked, looking at Neil and Aarohi who were grinning and giggling.
They looked at each other and shook their heads, smiling and laughing still.
"Kuch nahi."
It definitely was a start of something new.
_
A/N
I know it's not as good as the amazing writers on this platform, but I tried. And some of you write so well, I legit envy you guys.
Also, I love nok jhok couples more than anything and thought about this after today's episode! Let me know if we need more Neil Aarohi one shots.
Shiv Shakti
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
1