Abhira FF : Worth the trouble : Chapter 8 Page 41 - Page 16

Pls update yaar...it's been more then 7 days!

Pls update the next chapter 🙏😁💖

Hello everybody,

I'm so sorry for the delay. I'm going to update now.

I'm not able to reply to each comment today but please do leave a comment with your feedback on the new update.

Originally posted by: olsen_124

Does Abhimanyu secretly like Akshara ? His behaviour atleast indicates so.

Please update soon....loved it

Please update soon,...... desperately waiting for it....

Chapter 5

Neil looked at Aarohi in disbelief. “Bhai?”

She nodded her head eagerly.

“And Akshu?”

She nodded her head again. Neil burst out laughing. “No way! What are you even saying Aaru? Bhai and Akshu?!”

Aarohi pulled on his sleeve to make him look at her. “I’m serious! Everybody is talking about it! They were holding hands!”

“Dr. Aarohi Goenka”

Aarohi whirled around and gulped nervously. “Abhimanyu Sir”

“You were supposed to come to my office with the latest reports.”

“I was just about to-“

Abhimanyu took the reports from her hand and scanned through them. He started walking and Aarohi followed him.

They walked into his office and Aarohi took a seat and waited for Abhimanyu to sit.

“Akshu said you were at the same restaurant where she was having lunch today”, she said crossing her fingers. She didn’t know if he wanted to talk about it, but she wanted to know what was going on.

“Yeah, I was having lunch with some friends”, he replied without looking up.

“Akshu went to meet a guy there. He is Bade Papa’s friend’s grandson”, she continued hesitantly. She was prepared to be rebuked by him, but Abhimanyu kept quiet and she wondered if he was really focusing on the report or waiting for her to give him more information.

“I never thought Akshu would go for an arranged marriage. Not that there’s anything wrong with an arranged marriage but I always thought that she would find someone likeminded and fall in love with him. But she thinks it’s time to get serious about marriage and she has decided to take this route.”

Aarohi waited for some indication, some hint that he was listening to her but he didn’t give her any. Disappointment coursed through her and she got up. “I’ll let you work on it”, she said quietly and turned to leave.

“Dr. Aarohi”

She turned to him with a hopeful look.

“Did you check the cardiac axis in this report? There is some left axis deviation.”

Sadu and Akdu were words that Akshara often used to describe Abhimanyu but till today Aarohi had never thought of him that way. But looking at the stubborn set of his chin, she realized that her sister was right. He was sadu, akdu, chidku and more.

“Yes Sir. There are some heart conduction abnormalities”, she said and they went on to discuss the report further.

**

“Abhimanyu is not going to agree to that”, Harsh said shaking his head.

“It’s the best way to counter the negative news Sir.”

“Nobody can convince him. Think of something else.”

“Sir, maybe Mahima ma’am or Anand Sir can talk to him. They said they had a couple of consultations today where the patients were wary of all the news that is circulating around.”

Harsh rubbed his eyes tiredly. “He’s not going to listen to them. Not in this matter.”

Why was Abhimanyu so obstinate about media interaction and why was he so distrustful about everything related to news and media? Akshara often wondered about it but she felt it was too intrusive to ask Harsh about it.

“But Sir-“

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. Abhimanyu popped his head in and asked, “Can I come in?”

“Abhimanyu, what are you doing here?”, Harsh asked with a frown.

“I’m here to discuss the plan that you’ve made for the so called PR disaster made by me”, he said casually and sat down at the table.

Harsh gaped at him for a second. “Really? And you want us to believe that.”

Abhimanyu shrugged and said, “You can believe whatever you want to. We can either waste time or get on with it.”

Harsh’s phone rang and he sighed. “I need to leave for my meeting. Akshara, why don’t you explain the plan to Abhimanyu? I’m sure he’s not going to agree. So, please think of something else and let me know in the morning.”

Harsh looked at Abhimanyu warily and grabbed his things before leaving.

Abhimanyu looked at Akshara and said, “You don’t have to sit here. You can move back to your office.”

He tried to reach for the papers in front of her but she pulled them back. “Stop it! You don’t care about the plan. I’m not an idiot.J ust say what you want to say and leave.”

“Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it”, Abhimanyu replied calmly.

She looked at him suspiciously.

He tapped his watch. “We’re losing precious time. What’s the plan?”

She turned her laptop towards him. “Fine. I’ll play along. You have to do an exclusive interview with Channel 9.”

She watched him closely and waited for him to scoff and ridicule the plan.

“What kind of questions will they ask?”

She shook her head and laughed lightly. “You didn’t want to read from the statement that I prepared for the press conference. You couldn’t even say a few words and end the press meet on a good note. And today you’re ready to do a full fledged interview where you could be asked any kind of professional or personal questions!”

“I have my own reasons for doing it. I’m sure you’re not interested in knowing them. Just help me prepare for the interview.”

He raised his eyebrows when she continued to stare at him.

“You can’t get upset and you can’t leave midway. You can’t mock the questions or answer the questions sarcastically”, she warned him.

“I know that.”

“No! You don’t know anything. You get mad about the smallest of things. But if you want this interview to go well then you’ll have to smile even if you’re asked about your favorite color or favorite cuisine!”

Abhimanyu looked at her and said, “I know how ridiculous the questions can be. I know what I’m getting into.”

Akshara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she found him looking at her amusedly.

“Are you doing this for fun? Aren’t you the busiest person in the world? Why do you have so much time to spare for this?”

“You’re right. I don’t have time for this. But like I said I’m doing it for my own reasons. Don’t worry about it. I won’t let you down this time. But there is a condition that I have that needs to be met if you want me to do this.”

Akshara narrowed her eyes at him. “What condition?”

He crossed his hands and bent forward. “You’ll have to do something for me if the interview goes well and this so called PR disaster gets sorted out.”

“What do I have to do?”

“I’ll tell you after the interview.”

“No, tell me now”, she said firmly.

He shook his head and stood up. “Nope. I’ll tell you after the interview. Let’s go now.”

“Where are you going? We’re supposed to prepare for the interview”, Akshara said and tried to make sense of the situation. She didn’t understand why he was doing this. She didn’t know what he wanted from her.

“I need to get some files from home. I have a surgery in a couple of hours. We can discuss on the way and at home. When it’s time to comeback to the hospital, I’ll drop you home”, he explained.

Before she could say anything he started helping her pack. They took their bags and walked out.

“Call Dr. Aarohi and give her your car keys”, he suggested.

Akshara called Aarohi and asked her to come to the hospital entrance. They reached the parking lot and Abhimanyu got on his bike.

“We can take my car”, Akshara said eyeing the bike uncertainly.

“I need to come back to the hospital”, Abhimanyu replied and gestured her to sit on the bike.

She put her hand on his shoulder and sat on the back seat.

“Ready?”

“Yes”

He drove to the hospital entrance where Aarohi was waiting for them. Akshara gave her the car keys and widened her eyes to keep Aarohi from saying anything.

“He needs to get something from his house and we need to discuss about an interview so I’m going with him”, she clarified.

“Take the car home. He said he’ll drive me home.”

“Is this really happening or am I dreaming?”, Aarohi whispered and pinched herself and winced.

Abhimanyu hid his smile and Akshara smacked Aarohi on the hand. “Bye!”, she said loudly.

“You’ll have to shift closer and hold on to me if you don’t want to end up falling and hurting yourself”, he said loudly.

She shifted closer and held him. She bent forward and asked, “How are we going to discuss the interview? I thought we were going to go home by car.”

He turned his face and found her inches away. “I can hear you. Just stay close and give me all the gyaan that I need.”

Akshara lowered her gaze and decided to just focus on he rtask. “Let’s start off with the easy part. You don’t have to answer everything. We can negotiate with the channel and give them a few questions that they cannot ask. I know that you don’t want to put on a persona or act like a different person but sometimes it’s important to put on a front. It will shield you and help you. Smile and be polite no matter what. Even when the questions make you uncomfortable. When you smile, it will make them think that you’re okay answering them and they’ll move on. If you get angry then they’ll continue to needle you on the same topic. Don’t give them that opportunity.”

“Okay, understood”, he said simply.

“But I don’t have any list of questions that I don’t want them to ask. Give them a free reign”, he continued.

Akshara moved closer and said, “There could be questions about your relationship with your father and your love life. You’ve never talked about all that. So, we can skip those. Don’t give them a free reign.”

“I can handle them. Let them ask me anything.”

“I’ve seen how well you handle questions! What will you say if they ask you these questions?!”

“I’ll say I have a great relationship with my father and I don’t have to exhibit it to the world. We respect each other and we both have the same vision for the future of the hospital.”

Akshara looked surprised at his answer. Abhimanyu glanced at her and smiled. “I told you I know how to handle it. But what do you want me to say if they ask me about my love life?”

“How would I know? Just handle it like the Harsh Sir related question”, she sputtered.

He laughed and she changed the topic, “There could be questions about the hospital’s future or about Birla Hospital’s upcoming branches in the country or elsewhere. Your answers need to be short and precise. If they ask you about your work then don’t use too many medical terms. It’s not about making it interesting, everybody needs to understand what you’re saying. All kinds of people watch the news so you need to keep your answers simple.”

“Got it. Just show me what you’ve prepared once we reach home.”

“Okay”

“I have a question. What would your wallpaper guy think if he saw you with me right now?”, Abhimanyu asked her suddenly.

Akshara tried to move away but he pulled her close again. “I’m just joking. Stop moving around. You’ll fall.”

“I don’t want to talk about Arun. I already told you that I’m going to marry him”, she said firmly.

“Oh yeah you did say that. How long have you known him?”, he asked.

“That’s none of your business!”

“It’s a simple question”

“I don’t want to talk about him. It’s my personal life and we’re working right now. We’ll only talk about work.”

They reached Abhimanyu’s home and Akshara got off his bike and waited for Abhimanyu to park.

“Come on”, he said and Akshara followed him inside.

“Akshara!”, Nishtha yelled and came to hug her. “What a surprise!”

“Of course, you’re surprised. Generally, you guys meet only at midnight when everybody is asleep and you sneak her into the house”, Abhimanyu said with a smirk.

Nishtha looked at Akshara and Akshara assured her that it’s okay. “I only sneaked into your house once and Nishtha was only trying to help.”

“Yeah right. No more sneaking in. You and your sister need to stop roaming around on the streets at night.”

He walked in and Akshara made a face at him. “Why is he like this?”

Nishtha giggled and took her inside.

Abhimanyu saw his mother chopping vegetables at the dining table and went to sit beside her.

“Abhi! Itni jaldi ghar aagaye aaj?”

“I have to go back maa. I just came for some work.”

Manjari saw Akshara and looked at Abhimanyu in surprise. “Who is this?”

“Akshara Goenka. She works with Sir. She’s helping me prepare for something.”

“Hello Aunty!”, Akshara said and Nishtha pulled her to sit beside her at the table.

“Akshara? Harsh ji speaks a lot about you. He’s very happy with your work beta”, Manjari said and Akshara smiled happily. She was glad that Harsh appreciated her efforts.

Abhimanyu’s phone started to ring and he answered it. “Yes, Dr. Aarohi.”

He got up and left and Akshara looked around awkwardly.

“Aarohi is your sister, right?”, Manjari asked.

“Yes aunty. We both work at Birla Hospital.”

Manjari asked her about her family and Akshara answered feeling better and at ease.

“Do you help your badi mummy in the kitchen?”

Akshara lowered her gaze guiltily and said, “No. Kairav bhaiyya and Vansh bhaiyya cook very well so they help badi mummy. I’m not good at it at all.”

“What do you do for fun? Or are you also a workaholic like Harsh ji?”

Akshara didn’t want to admit that she was exactly like Harsh. “I like to sing aunty. I used to play the guitar in college but now I don’t get time at all.”

“I used to sing too! I learned music for so many years. Why don’t you get your guitar some day? We’ll sing together!”

Akshara laughed at her excitement and agreed. “Sure aunty.”

“What are you and Abhi working on?”

“I’m helping him prepare for an interview. He has agreed to give an exclusive interview.”

Manjari stopped chopping and looked shocked. Akshara bit back a giggle looking at Manjari’s face.

“Really?”

“Yes aunty”

“How did this miracle happen?”, Manjari asked in awe.

Akshara simply shrugged not knowing what to say. Something passed between Nishtha and Manjari and Akshara wondered why they were looking at each other like that.

“I think I should meet your mimi and badi mummy”, Manjari said sneakily and Nishtha laughed.

Akshara looked at both of them bemused and nodded her head unable to say anything else.

“Let me teach you how to make bhindi ki sabzi. It’s my Abhi’s favorite”, Manjari said and pushed the tray of chopped bhindi towards Akshara who looked overwhelmed.

Manjari handed her the knife and Akshara started chopping slowly.

“Everybody should know how to cook. It’s a life skill.”

Akshara looked around for Abhimanyu but he was not around and she assumed that he was still on call with Aarohi.

Once she was done chopping, Manjari took the tray from her and held out her hand. “Come on. I’ll teach you a basic stir fry.”

Akshara held Manjari’s hand and went into the kitchen. Nishtha showed her a thumbs up and started to leave. Akshara tried to call her back but she slipped out.

“Don’t worry. It’s very easy. You can go home and surprise your family with this recipe. They’ll be very happy.”

Akshara followed Manjari’s instructions and added the ingredients.

“That’s too much haldi Akshara!”

Akshara reduced the quantity and showed her. “Yeah that’s enough. So, you can use this recipe for any kind of a stir fry.”

Akshara gave it a final mix and held it out for inspection. “Hmm. That looks yummy. I’m sure Abhi will like it. I’ll tell him that you made it.”

“Made what?”

Manjari turned and looked at Abhimanyu who was standing at the entrance of the kitchen.

“Akshara made this bhindi ki sabzi.”

Abhimanyu looked at Akshara and for some reason unknown to her she felt flustered.

“Thanks for teaching me aunty.”

“Anytime beta.”

“I’m sorry. I had to help Aarohi with some urgent work. Is it too late for you? We can discuss the interview tomorrow”, Abhimanyu said and looked at the time. It was 9pm.

“No, it’s better if we finish it today”, Akshara said.

“Why don’t you both have dinner first?”, Manjari interrupted

“No maa. We don’t have time. I have to discuss with her, drop her home and then go back to the hospital. Just pack some dinner for me please”, Abhimanyu told his mother.

“I need to go home aunty. Bade papa must be waiting for me. I’ll just finish my work and leave. Sorry.”

Manjari touched her shoulder and said, “It’s okay Akshara. You can have dinner with us some other time.”

Manjari watched Akshara and Abhimanyu leave and smiled.

**

“This is my home office”, Abhimanyu walked into the room and sat down. Akshara looked around and took a seat.

“Now you’ve seen all my personal spaces”, he said making her blush.

She didn’t want to talk about their encounter in his bedroom.

“I’m sending you the list of possible questions and answers. You can make changes if you want but if you’re not sure of anything please ask me.”

“Okay. Where are we going to do the interview?”, he asked.

“I was thinking that we should do it in your office. At the hospital. It will make the audience feel like they’re getting an inside view of your world. It will add a personal touch.”

“That makes sense.”

Abhimanyu could see why she was good at this. She knew what would work and what could create maximum impact.

“You will have to mention Mahima ma’am and Anand Sir’s names when you talk about the hospital and when you talk about your personal life. But you’ll also have to talk about Harsh Sir.”

Abhimanyu sighed loudly. “Alright. I’ll mention him.”

“It was highly disrespectful of you to skip his name in front of the whole staff. Don’t do that in the interview. You’ll have to mention him and you’ll also have to talk about his contribution to the success of the hospital.”

“Fine! If I can lie about my relationship with him being perfect then I can also lie about his contribution to the hospital. Anything else?”

Akshara rechecked the list and said, “That’s all. I’ll leave now. You don’t have to drop me. You can go back to the hospital directly.”

“You really look up to my father, don’t you?”, Abhimanyu asked seriously.

His question made her sit up straight. “Yes. I do. I respect him a lot. Do you have a problem with it?”, she challenged.

“Just wondering what you see in him.”

Akshara stood up and got ready to leave. “Well I wonder too. I wonder why you treat him so badly.”

“He did something unforgivable.”

“I need to go”, Akshara said and walked out of the room.

She opened her phone and tried to book a cab but Abhimanyu pulled her phone away.

“I said I’ll drop you.”

“Give me my phone back!”

Manjari stepped out of the kitchen and looked at them worriedly. “What happened? What are you both arguing about?”

“She wants to take a cab.”

Manjari held a bag and walked towards them. “Abhi will drop you Akshara. It’s too late in the night.”

Manjari gave the bag to Abhimanyu. “Don’t forget to have your dinner before the surgery. I’ve packed the sabzi made by Akshara.”

Abhimanyu took the bag and Akshara pulled her phone away from his hand. “Okay aunty. I’ll go with Abhimanyu. Thanks again for teaching me the stir fry recipe.”

“You’re welcome. Thanks for coming beta.”

“Bye Aunty”

“Bye. Goodnight.”

They got on to the bike and Abhimanyu drove out of the gate.

“Why did you cook for me?”, Abhimanyu asked breaking the silence.

“I didn’t cook for you. Your mom decided to teach me after I told her that I don’t have any cooking skills.”

Abhimanyu pulled her hand and wrapped it around him. “You need to hold on to me if you want to avoid falling.”

“What did you tell your mom about us?”, Akshara asked. “She was talking about meeting my mimi and badi mummy.”

“I didn’t tell her anything.”

“Yet”

“What is that supposed to mean?”, she asked.

“Why didn’t you show maa your phone wallpaper? She would have stopped talking about meeting your mimi and badi mummy then.”

“Ha Ha. You think you’re so funny.”

They reached Akshara’s home and she got off his bike. “Thanks for dropping me.”

Abhimanyu nodded his head and waited for her to go inside before driving away.

**

Akshara entered her house and found her whole family sitting in the living room.

Aarohi grabbed her hand as soon as she entered and tried to pull her towards their room but Akshara stopped her.

“Bade papa, Badi mummy, mimi I want to tell you something important.”

Everybody looked at her curiously. “Kya hua Akshu?”, Mimi asked.

“I met Arun for lunch today. He seems nice. I’m ready to marry him. Aap unko haa kardo.”

Aarohi pulled Akshara closer and whispered harshly. “Are you out of your mind Akshu?!”

Akshara pulled away and looked at Manish and Swarna. She thought they would be jumping with joy at her words but they were looking at each other awkwardly.

“Akshara, my friend called some time back. He told me that Arun met you for lunch”, Manish said.

Akshara looked at him in confusion. “Aur kya kaha bade papa?”

“He also said that Arun felt that you’re too ambitious and he needs someone who is more family oriented.”

Akshara looked at Manish in shock while Aarohi slumped beside her and started laughing uncontrollably.

“He rejected me?”, Akshara asked.

Kairav held Aarohi and looked at her sternly. “What are you laughing about? Akshara is already so upset.”

“He’s working day and night for his start up and that’s alright! I can’t call him too ambitious but because I like my work and I’m passionate about it he has a problem!”, Akshara raged.

“You deserve better Akshu. We don’t need to have any ties with regressive people like them”, Swarna said.

“I agree with Swarna. Don’t be upset Akshu. You’ll marry someone who respects you and your work”, Mimi added.

Akshara went to her room and Aarohi followed her.

“Can you believe that guy Aaru?”, Akshara asked furiously.

Aarohi shut the door and turned to Akshara.

“Tumhare phone ka wallpaper change karna padega Akshu”, she said and slumped against the door laughing.

Originally posted by: Carpe_diem

Chapter 5

Neil looked at Aarohi in disbelief. “Bhai?”

She nodded her head eagerly.

“And Akshu?”

She nodded her head again. Neil burst out laughing. “No way! What are you even saying Aaru? Bhai and Akshu?!”

Aarohi pulled on his sleeve to make him look at her. “I’m serious! Everybody is talking about it! They were holding hands!”

“Dr. Aarohi Goenka”

Aarohi whirled around and gulped nervously. “Abhimanyu Sir”

“You were supposed to come to my office with the latest reports.”

“I was just about to-“

Abhimanyu took the reports from her hand and scanned through them. He started walking and Aarohi followed him.

They walked into his office and Aarohi took a seat and waited for Abhimanyu to sit.

“Akshu said you were at the same restaurant where she was having lunch today”, she said crossing her fingers. She didn’t know if he wanted to talk about it, but she wanted to know what was going on.

“Yeah, I was having lunch with some friends”, he replied without looking up.

“Akshu went to meet a guy there. He is Bade Papa’s friend’s grandson”, she continued hesitantly. She was prepared to be rebuked by him, but Abhimanyu kept quiet and she wondered if he was really focusing on the report or waiting for her to give him more information.

“I never thought Akshu would go for an arranged marriage. Not that there’s anything wrong with an arranged marriage but I always thought that she would find someone likeminded and fall in love with him. But she thinks it’s time to get serious about marriage and she has decided to take this route.”

Aarohi waited for some indication, some hint that he was listening to her but he didn’t give her any. Disappointment coursed through her and she got up. “I’ll let you work on it”, she said quietly and turned to leave.

“Dr. Aarohi”

She turned to him with a hopeful look.

“Did you check the cardiac axis in this report? There is some left axis deviation.”

Sadu and Akdu were words that Akshara often used to describe Abhimanyu but till today Aarohi had never thought of him that way. But looking at the stubborn set of his chin, she realized that her sister was right. He was sadu, akdu, chidku and more.

“Yes Sir. There are some heart conduction abnormalities”, she said and they went on to discuss the report further.

**

“Abhimanyu is not going to agree to that”, Harsh said shaking his head.

“It’s the best way to counter the negative news Sir.”

“Nobody can convince him. Think of something else.”

“Sir, maybe Mahima ma’am or Anand Sir can talk to him. They said they had a couple of consultations today where the patients were wary of all the news that is circulating around.”

Harsh rubbed his eyes tiredly. “He’s not going to listen to them. Not in this matter.”

Why was Abhimanyu so obstinate about media interaction and why was he so distrustful about everything related to news and media? Akshara often wondered about it but she felt it was too intrusive to ask Harsh about it.

“But Sir-“

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. Abhimanyu popped his head in and asked, “Can I come in?”

“Abhimanyu, what are you doing here?”, Harsh asked with a frown.

“I’m here to discuss the plan that you’ve made for the so called PR disaster made by me”, he said casually and sat down at the table.

Harsh gaped at him for a second. “Really? And you want us to believe that.”

Abhimanyu shrugged and said, “You can believe whatever you want to. We can either waste time or get on with it.”

Harsh’s phone rang and he sighed. “I need to leave for my meeting. Akshara, why don’t you explain the plan to Abhimanyu? I’m sure he’s not going to agree. So, please think of something else and let me know in the morning.”

Harsh looked at Abhimanyu warily and grabbed his things before leaving.

Abhimanyu looked at Akshara and said, “You don’t have to sit here. You can move back to your office.”

He tried to reach for the papers in front of her but she pulled them back. “Stop it! You don’t care about the plan. I’m not an idiot.J ust say what you want to say and leave.”

“Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it”, Abhimanyu replied calmly.

She looked at him suspiciously.

He tapped his watch. “We’re losing precious time. What’s the plan?”

She turned her laptop towards him. “Fine. I’ll play along. You have to do an exclusive interview with Channel 9.”

She watched him closely and waited for him to scoff and ridicule the plan.

“What kind of questions will they ask?”

She shook her head and laughed lightly. “You didn’t want to read from the statement that I prepared for the press conference. You couldn’t even say a few words and end the press meet on a good note. And today you’re ready to do a full fledged interview where you could be asked any kind of professional or personal questions!”

“I have my own reasons for doing it. I’m sure you’re not interested in knowing them. Just help me prepare for the interview.”

He raised his eyebrows when she continued to stare at him.

“You can’t get upset and you can’t leave midway. You can’t mock the questions or answer the questions sarcastically”, she warned him.

“I know that.”

“No! You don’t know anything. You get mad about the smallest of things. But if you want this interview to go well then you’ll have to smile even if you’re asked about your favorite color or favorite cuisine!”

Abhimanyu looked at her and said, “I know how ridiculous the questions can be. I know what I’m getting into.”

Akshara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she found him looking at her amusedly.

“Are you doing this for fun? Aren’t you the busiest person in the world? Why do you have so much time to spare for this?”

“You’re right. I don’t have time for this. But like I said I’m doing it for my own reasons. Don’t worry about it. I won’t let you down this time. But there is a condition that I have that needs to be met if you want me to do this.”

Akshara narrowed her eyes at him. “What condition?”

He crossed his hands and bent forward. “You’ll have to do something for me if the interview goes well and this so called PR disaster gets sorted out.”

“What do I have to do?”

“I’ll tell you after the interview.”

“No, tell me now”, she said firmly.

He shook his head and stood up. “Nope. I’ll tell you after the interview. Let’s go now.”

“Where are you going? We’re supposed to prepare for the interview”, Akshara said and tried to make sense of the situation. She didn’t understand why he was doing this. She didn’t know what he wanted from her.

“I need to get some files from home. I have a surgery in a couple of hours. We can discuss on the way and at home. When it’s time to comeback to the hospital, I’ll drop you home”, he explained.

Before she could say anything he started helping her pack. They took their bags and walked out.

“Call Dr. Aarohi and give her your car keys”, he suggested.

Akshara called Aarohi and asked her to come to the hospital entrance. They reached the parking lot and Abhimanyu got on his bike.

“We can take my car”, Akshara said eyeing the bike uncertainly.

“I need to come back to the hospital”, Abhimanyu replied and gestured her to sit on the bike.

She put her hand on his shoulder and sat on the back seat.

“Ready?”

“Yes”

He drove to the hospital entrance where Aarohi was waiting for them. Akshara gave her the car keys and widened her eyes to keep Aarohi from saying anything.

“He needs to get something from his house and we need to discuss about an interview so I’m going with him”, she clarified.

“Take the car home. He said he’ll drive me home.”

“Is this really happening or am I dreaming?”, Aarohi whispered and pinched herself and winced.

Abhimanyu hid his smile and Akshara smacked Aarohi on the hand. “Bye!”, she said loudly.

“You’ll have to shift closer and hold on to me if you don’t want to end up falling and hurting yourself”, he said loudly.

She shifted closer and held him. She bent forward and asked, “How are we going to discuss the interview? I thought we were going to go home by car.”

He turned his face and found her inches away. “I can hear you. Just stay close and give me all the gyaan that I need.”

Akshara lowered her gaze and decided to just focus on he rtask. “Let’s start off with the easy part. You don’t have to answer everything. We can negotiate with the channel and give them a few questions that they cannot ask. I know that you don’t want to put on a persona or act like a different person but sometimes it’s important to put on a front. It will shield you and help you. Smile and be polite no matter what. Even when the questions make you uncomfortable. When you smile, it will make them think that you’re okay answering them and they’ll move on. If you get angry then they’ll continue to needle you on the same topic. Don’t give them that opportunity.”

“Okay, understood”, he said simply.

“But I don’t have any list of questions that I don’t want them to ask. Give them a free reign”, he continued.

Akshara moved closer and said, “There could be questions about your relationship with your father and your love life. You’ve never talked about all that. So, we can skip those. Don’t give them a free reign.”

“I can handle them. Let them ask me anything.”

“I’ve seen how well you handle questions! What will you say if they ask you these questions?!”

“I’ll say I have a great relationship with my father and I don’t have to exhibit it to the world. We respect each other and we both have the same vision for the future of the hospital.”

Akshara looked surprised at his answer. Abhimanyu glanced at her and smiled. “I told you I know how to handle it. But what do you want me to say if they ask me about my love life?”

“How would I know? Just handle it like the Harsh Sir related question”, she sputtered.

He laughed and she changed the topic, “There could be questions about the hospital’s future or about Birla Hospital’s upcoming branches in the country or elsewhere. Your answers need to be short and precise. If they ask you about your work then don’t use too many medical terms. It’s not about making it interesting, everybody needs to understand what you’re saying. All kinds of people watch the news so you need to keep your answers simple.”

“Got it. Just show me what you’ve prepared once we reach home.”

“Okay”

“I have a question. What would your wallpaper guy think if he saw you with me right now?”, Abhimanyu asked her suddenly.

Akshara tried to move away but he pulled her close again. “I’m just joking. Stop moving around. You’ll fall.”

“I don’t want to talk about Arun. I already told you that I’m going to marry him”, she said firmly.

“Oh yeah you did say that. How long have you known him?”, he asked.

“That’s none of your business!”

“It’s a simple question”

“I don’t want to talk about him. It’s my personal life and we’re working right now. We’ll only talk about work.”

They reached Abhimanyu’s home and Akshara got off his bike and waited for Abhimanyu to park.

“Come on”, he said and Akshara followed him inside.

“Akshara!”, Nishtha yelled and came to hug her. “What a surprise!”

“Of course, you’re surprised. Generally, you guys meet only at midnight when everybody is asleep and you sneak her into the house”, Abhimanyu said with a smirk.

Nishtha looked at Akshara and Akshara assured her that it’s okay. “I only sneaked into your house once and Nishtha was only trying to help.”

“Yeah right. No more sneaking in. You and your sister need to stop roaming around on the streets at night.”

He walked in and Akshara made a face at him. “Why is he like this?”

Nishtha giggled and took her inside.

Abhimanyu saw his mother chopping vegetables at the dining table and went to sit beside her.

“Abhi! Itni jaldi ghar aagaye aaj?”

“I have to go back maa. I just came for some work.”

Manjari saw Akshara and looked at Abhimanyu in surprise. “Who is this?”

“Akshara Goenka. She works with Sir. She’s helping me prepare for something.”

“Hello Aunty!”, Akshara said and Nishtha pulled her to sit beside her at the table.

“Akshara? Harsh ji speaks a lot about you. He’s very happy with your work beta”, Manjari said and Akshara smiled happily. She was glad that Harsh appreciated her efforts.

Abhimanyu’s phone started to ring and he answered it. “Yes, Dr. Aarohi.”

He got up and left and Akshara looked around awkwardly.

“Aarohi is your sister, right?”, Manjari asked.

“Yes aunty. We both work at Birla Hospital.”

Manjari asked her about her family and Akshara answered feeling better and at ease.

“Do you help your badi mummy in the kitchen?”

Akshara lowered her gaze guiltily and said, “No. Kairav bhaiyya and Vansh bhaiyya cook very well so they help badi mummy. I’m not good at it at all.”

“What do you do for fun? Or are you also a workaholic like Harsh ji?”

Akshara didn’t want to admit that she was exactly like Harsh. “I like to sing aunty. I used to play the guitar in college but now I don’t get time at all.”

“I used to sing too! I learned music for so many years. Why don’t you get your guitar some day? We’ll sing together!”

Akshara laughed at her excitement and agreed. “Sure aunty.”

“What are you and Abhi working on?”

“I’m helping him prepare for an interview. He has agreed to give an exclusive interview.”

Manjari stopped chopping and looked shocked. Akshara bit back a giggle looking at Manjari’s face.

“Really?”

“Yes aunty”

“How did this miracle happen?”, Manjari asked in awe.

Akshara simply shrugged not knowing what to say. Something passed between Nishtha and Manjari and Akshara wondered why they were looking at each other like that.

“I think I should meet your mimi and badi mummy”, Manjari said sneakily and Nishtha laughed.

Akshara looked at both of them bemused and nodded her head unable to say anything else.

“Let me teach you how to make bhindi ki sabzi. It’s my Abhi’s favorite”, Manjari said and pushed the tray of chopped bhindi towards Akshara who looked overwhelmed.

Manjari handed her the knife and Akshara started chopping slowly.

“Everybody should know how to cook. It’s a life skill.”

Akshara looked around for Abhimanyu but he was not around and she assumed that he was still on call with Aarohi.

Once she was done chopping, Manjari took the tray from her and held out her hand. “Come on. I’ll teach you a basic stir fry.”

Akshara held Manjari’s hand and went into the kitchen. Nishtha showed her a thumbs up and started to leave. Akshara tried to call her back but she slipped out.

“Don’t worry. It’s very easy. You can go home and surprise your family with this recipe. They’ll be very happy.”

Akshara followed Manjari’s instructions and added the ingredients.

“That’s too much haldi Akshara!”

Akshara reduced the quantity and showed her. “Yeah that’s enough. So, you can use this recipe for any kind of a stir fry.”

Akshara gave it a final mix and held it out for inspection. “Hmm. That looks yummy. I’m sure Abhi will like it. I’ll tell him that you made it.”

“Made what?”

Manjari turned and looked at Abhimanyu who was standing at the entrance of the kitchen.

“Akshara made this bhindi ki sabzi.”

Abhimanyu looked at Akshara and for some reason unknown to her she felt flustered.

“Thanks for teaching me aunty.”

“Anytime beta.”

“I’m sorry. I had to help Aarohi with some urgent work. Is it too late for you? We can discuss the interview tomorrow”, Abhimanyu said and looked at the time. It was 9pm.

“No, it’s better if we finish it today”, Akshara said.

“Why don’t you both have dinner first?”, Manjari interrupted

“No maa. We don’t have time. I have to discuss with her, drop her home and then go back to the hospital. Just pack some dinner for me please”, Abhimanyu told his mother.

“I need to go home aunty. Bade papa must be waiting for me. I’ll just finish my work and leave. Sorry.”

Manjari touched her shoulder and said, “It’s okay Akshara. You can have dinner with us some other time.”

Manjari watched Akshara and Abhimanyu leave and smiled.

**

“This is my home office”, Abhimanyu walked into the room and sat down. Akshara looked around and took a seat.

“Now you’ve seen all my personal spaces”, he said making her blush.

She didn’t want to talk about their encounter in his bedroom.

“I’m sending you the list of possible questions and answers. You can make changes if you want but if you’re not sure of anything please ask me.”

“Okay. Where are we going to do the interview?”, he asked.

“I was thinking that we should do it in your office. At the hospital. It will make the audience feel like they’re getting an inside view of your world. It will add a personal touch.”

“That makes sense.”

Abhimanyu could see why she was good at this. She knew what would work and what could create maximum impact.

“You will have to mention Mahima ma’am and Anand Sir’s names when you talk about the hospital and when you talk about your personal life. But you’ll also have to talk about Harsh Sir.”

Abhimanyu sighed loudly. “Alright. I’ll mention him.”

“It was highly disrespectful of you to skip his name in front of the whole staff. Don’t do that in the interview. You’ll have to mention him and you’ll also have to talk about his contribution to the success of the hospital.”

“Fine! If I can lie about my relationship with him being perfect then I can also lie about his contribution to the hospital. Anything else?”

Akshara rechecked the list and said, “That’s all. I’ll leave now. You don’t have to drop me. You can go back to the hospital directly.”

“You really look up to my father, don’t you?”, Abhimanyu asked seriously.

His question made her sit up straight. “Yes. I do. I respect him a lot. Do you have a problem with it?”, she challenged.

“Just wondering what you see in him.”

Akshara stood up and got ready to leave. “Well I wonder too. I wonder why you treat him so badly.”

“He did something unforgivable.”

“I need to go”, Akshara said and walked out of the room.

She opened her phone and tried to book a cab but Abhimanyu pulled her phone away.

“I said I’ll drop you.”

“Give me my phone back!”

Manjari stepped out of the kitchen and looked at them worriedly. “What happened? What are you both arguing about?”

“She wants to take a cab.”

Manjari held a bag and walked towards them. “Abhi will drop you Akshara. It’s too late in the night.”

Manjari gave the bag to Abhimanyu. “Don’t forget to have your dinner before the surgery. I’ve packed the sabzi made by Akshara.”

Abhimanyu took the bag and Akshara pulled her phone away from his hand. “Okay aunty. I’ll go with Abhimanyu. Thanks again for teaching me the stir fry recipe.”

“You’re welcome. Thanks for coming beta.”

“Bye Aunty”

“Bye. Goodnight.”

They got on to the bike and Abhimanyu drove out of the gate.

“Why did you cook for me?”, Abhimanyu asked breaking the silence.

“I didn’t cook for you. Your mom decided to teach me after I told her that I don’t have any cooking skills.”

Abhimanyu pulled her hand and wrapped it around him. “You need to hold on to me if you want to avoid falling.”

“What did you tell your mom about us?”, Akshara asked. “She was talking about meeting my mimi and badi mummy.”

“I didn’t tell her anything.”

“Yet”

“What is that supposed to mean?”, she asked.

“Why didn’t you show maa your phone wallpaper? She would have stopped talking about meeting your mimi and badi mummy then.”

“Ha Ha. You think you’re so funny.”

They reached Akshara’s home and she got off his bike. “Thanks for dropping me.”

Abhimanyu nodded his head and waited for her to go inside before driving away.

**

Akshara entered her house and found her whole family sitting in the living room.

Aarohi grabbed her hand as soon as she entered and tried to pull her towards their room but Akshara stopped her.

“Bade papa, Badi mummy, mimi I want to tell you something important.”

Everybody looked at her curiously. “Kya hua Akshu?”, Mimi asked.

“I met Arun for lunch today. He seems nice. I’m ready to marry him. Aap unko haa kardo.”

Aarohi pulled Akshara closer and whispered harshly. “Are you out of your mind Akshu?!”

Akshara pulled away and looked at Manish and Swarna. She thought they would be jumping with joy at her words but they were looking at each other awkwardly.

“Akshara, my friend called some time back. He told me that Arun met you for lunch”, Manish said.

Akshara looked at him in confusion. “Aur kya kaha bade papa?”

“He also said that Arun felt that you’re too ambitious and he needs someone who is more family oriented.”

Akshara looked at Manish in shock while Aarohi slumped beside her and started laughing uncontrollably.

“He rejected me?”, Akshara asked.

Kairav held Aarohi and looked at her sternly. “What are you laughing about? Akshara is already so upset.”

“He’s working day and night for his start up and that’s alright! I can’t call him too ambitious but because I like my work and I’m passionate about it he has a problem!”, Akshara raged.

“You deserve better Akshu. We don’t need to have any ties with regressive people like them”, Swarna said.

“I agree with Swarna. Don’t be upset Akshu. You’ll marry someone who respects you and your work”, Mimi added.

Akshara went to her room and Aarohi followed her.

“Can you believe that guy Aaru?”, Akshara asked furiously.

Aarohi shut the door and turned to Akshara.

“Tumhare phone ka wallpaper change karna padega Akshu”, she said and slumped against the door laughing.

Loved it..read it in one go !!!!

Is he going to ask her out after the interview ??

Hmmm hmmm so something is going in Abhi's head and he is jealous...no doubt😆

He agreed for interview.. Is he trying to impress her??

I enjoyed reading this chapter

Families will surely do something

And last part cracked me up... Aarohi was me 🤣

That guy rejected Akshu seriously and she so confidently told Abhi that she is going to marry that guy

I think in next update we will get pissed off Akshu and happy Abhi

Continue soon ❤

He rejected her🤣🤣 abhi would be on cloud nine would love him to tease her for that🤣