Chapter 7
“Should I stay or should I leave?”, Akshara wondered aloud. She had been pacing in her office for the past one hour.
She remembered his fingers brushing against her cheek triggering a rush of heat. “Stop blushing!”, she instructed herself.
What was going on? Akshara had no idea. She was shocked to know that Abhimanyu had gone above and beyond to make sure that the interview went well and he had done it for her. She wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t heard it directly from him.
Akshara was nervous about the conversation that was bound to happen between them. Was she ready for it? She always found him intimidating and difficult to handle. If someone would have asked her to describe him in a word she would called him rigid. But today she wasn’t so sure. He was still arrogant and sadu but there was a soft side to him that overwhelmed her.
Her door flew open and she skidded to a stop. Her heart was pounding and she stared at her door.
“I’m so tired!”, Aarohi grumbled and sat down. She looked at Akshara and frowned.
“What happened?”
Akshara put a hand against her chest and took a deep breath. “You scared me.”
She resumed her pacing and Aarohi watched her. “Why are you so jittery? The interview is done so why are you not going home?”
Akshara looked at her watch and came to a halt holding the back of her chair. “Where is Abhimanyu?”, she asked.
“He’s still in OT. Tujhe kya hua hai? Tu theek toh hai na Akshu?”
“Kuch bola hi nahi. Bas chala gaya. What does he want from me? What do I want from him?”, Akshara muttered to herself and continued to walk.
“Akshu?!”, Aarohi called her loudly.
“Kya hai Aaru?! Why are you shouting?!”
“What’s wrong with you?”
Akshara put her hands on her hips and said, “Nothing is wrong. Everything is peachy.”
“Shaadi is the last thing on his mind. What if he doesn’t want to get married?”, Akshara murmured.
“Kiski Shaadi?”, Aarohi asked.
Akshara glared at her. “Can you keep quiet for some time? I’m trying to think here!”
Aarohi grabbed an apple from the table starting eating. “You’re acting so weird. If this is about Aranya then you have nothing to worry about. Abhimanyu Sir has no interest in her.”
“Yeah, I know”, Akshara said dismissively and chewed on her fingernails deep in thought.
“How do you know?”, Aarohi asked suspiciously.
“I just know.”
The office door opened again startling them. Akshara stared at the new entrant and Aarohi jumped to her feet.
Abhimanyu was still dressed in his scrubs and he had come to Akshara’s office directly. He didn’t know if she had left for the day or was waiting for him and in his eagerness to check he didn’t anticipate that there would be others in her office.
He looked at Akshara and noticed that she was jumpy. He knew that her mind was racing with thoughts and he wanted to talk to her and put an end to her confusion and doubts.
Before he could walk in or say anything, Aarohi dropped the apple that she was eating and rushed to him.
“Sorry Abhimanyu Sir! I was just taking a five minute break. I swear it was just five minutes!”
Abhimanyu looked at her bemused.
“I’m going now. I’m going to the General Ward”, she said in a rush and waved at Akshara.
Akshara suppressed a giggle and Abhimanyu entered the office with a smile. The door closed with a decisive sound and it made Akshara anxious. She rubbed her hands together trying to look less edgy but she didn’t know what to say or what to do.
She thought of the way he had held her some time back and it made her pulse quicken. Would he do it again? Would he walk over and pull her into his arms or would he casually sit and watch her lose her mind? Ugh.
Abhimanyu watched a myriad of emotions pass over her face in fascination.
“It was an emergency so I had to leave. I didn’t know if you were still here so I came to check”, he explained.
“I didn’t know whether to wait or leave”, she said knotting her fingers.
“I wanted you to wait”, he said intently holding her gaze.
“I wanted to wait”, she admitted.
There was an undercurrent of awareness between them. Akshara could mouth off to him when she was upset or angry with him but she was quiet now. It was all very new and different.
He perched himself on the edge of her desk and crossed his arms. “Why are you so nervous?”
She bit her lip and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. When she looked at him, he was staring intensely at her mouth and it made her heart skip a beat. “Stop looking at me like that!”
He shifted his gaze to look into her eyes. “Sorry”, he muttered not sounding sorry at all.
“You should sit there”, Akshara pointed towards the chair opposite her.
Abhimanyu looked behind him at the chair and rose to his feet. He circled her desk and sat down.
“Better?”, he asked amusedly.
She nodded her head and sat down. The desk between them made her feel better indeed.
“I thought you hated me”, she said deciding to voice all concerns.
Abhimanyu frowned at that. “I’ve never hated you. I’ve had no reason to do so.”
“We always fight”
“We always bicker. There’s a difference. I’ve always enjoyed sparring with you”, he said with a smirk.
“Why didn’t you tell me before?”, she asked.
“Tell you what”
“That you..you know”
“That I what?”
“Stop it! You know what I’m talking about”, she glared at him.
“I have no idea”, he replied with a straight face.
“Why didn’t you tell me that you like me?”, she finally asked.
Abhimanyu smiled at that. “Like? I think it’s much more than like but fine let’s go with that for now. Why didn’t I tell you? Well, for one it’s not like I had a sudden realization that I like you. It’s been a while since I’ve known and since I’ve come to terms with it.”
He waited for her to process that before continuing, “I thought I had time. I thought I could ease you into this. I was just biding my time and it’s not like I’ve never let you know. I might not have said anything directly, but I have tried to tell you in my own way. But you’re so blind sometimes that it frustrates me and annoys me.”
Akshara thought of her college days when her friends would insist about guys liking her but she never knew and was completely oblivious about it. Maybe she was blind in the matters of the heart.
“And then I saw you at the restaurant with that guy”, he continued and Akshara focused on his words again.
He narrowed his eyes and Akshara looked away. “What were you thinking? How could you go and meet a random guy like that?”
“He was not a random guy. Bade papa knows him.”
“And you were ready to marry him after meeting him once?”, he thundered.
Akshara kept quiet as she had nothing to say in her defense.
“That’s when I realized that I had to do something. I didn’t have all time in the world and I knew that you are crazy enough to get married to that b*****d!”
“Okay”
“Okay?!”, he laughed incredulously and she shrugged.
“Are you done with your interrogation?”, he asked.
“It wasn’t an interrogation! I just wanted to know”, she said indignantly.
“Alright then. Let me drop you home. It’s late.”
Akshara got up and watched him pack her bag. She didn’t know if she was disappointed or relieved that he had made no attempt to touch her since he stepped into her office. He shut her laptop and put it inside. She made an attempt to take her bag from him but he held it away and grabbed her hand. He pulled her towards him and watched her hold on to his shoulder.
“What are you doing?”, she asked breathlessly.
“You wanted me to sit away during your questioning and now I’ve answered everything so I’m done keeping my distance.”
His thumb brushed her cheek and she could feel the color rise in her cheeks.
“What do you have to say for yourself?”, he asked and his breath brushed her face.
“What?”, she asked unable to comprehend.
“You asked me about my feelings and I told you. Now what about you? What do you feel for me?”, he asked and Akshara flushed at the question.
“I haven’t thought about it.”
“Really?”
She glanced at him. “Really.”
“When are you going to think about it?”
“Soon”, she answered mischievously.
He palmed her cheek and lifted her face towards him. “Think about it tonight. I want to know your answer first thing in the morning.”
She gripped his shirt and swallowed audibly when she saw him staring at her intently and seriously.
“Let me drop you home now”, he said and his tone made her toes curl. He was too intense and too much to take.
Her phone started ringing and they broke apart. Akshara breathed choppily and looked at her phone in surprise. She answered immediately.
“Bade papa?”
“Akshara. I had a late meeting and on my way home, I realized that I’m going to pass Birla Hospital. So, I decided to pick you up. Aarohi is still working so she can bring the car home.”
“Okay bade papa. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
She cut the call and looked at Abhimanyu. “Bade papa is here to pick me up.”
Abhimanyu nodded and handed her bag to her. She took it and her fingers brushed against his. A frisson of electricity passed between them.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye.”
He nodded at her again. He crossed his arms and leaned against her desk watching her leave. He curbed the sudden urge to call her back. He wanted to keep her close all the time but he couldn’t. Not yet, anyway. He smiled when he thought of their interaction. He didn’t know what the future held but one thing he was sure of was that life would be completely unpredictable with Akshara.
**
Akshara pushed her hair out of her face and squinted at the window through which sunlight was streaming. She rubbed her eyes and sat up quickly. She looked for her phone and scrolled through it but couldn’t find any messages or calls from Abhimanyu.
She slumped against her pillow and glowered at her phone.
“Why is he so busy?!”, she exclaimed.
“Akshu?!!”, Aarohi yelled and Akshara’s phone slipped out of her hand and she clutched it again.
“Kya hai Aaru?”, she asked holding her head.
“Abhimanyu sir’s interview is being aired. Don’t you want to watch it?”
Akshara jumped out of bed and ran downstairs. She tied her hair up and looked at the television and was surprised to see her whole family sitting in the living room.
Aarohi came behind her and grabbed her hand and they both sat down.
“Abhimanyu Sir has never given an interview. He’s being interviewed by Aranya Diwan”, Aarohi explained to everyone.
“Akshu has organized it so it will be perfect”, Mimi gushed.
“Aww thank you Mimi.”
Akshara watched in anticipation as the programme started. She wanted it to be a good episode because it was very important for Abhimanyu though he wouldn’t agree or care.
“That’s Abhimanyu Sir’s office”, Aarohi pointed out.
The interview started and Akshara heard with rapt attention. The first part of the interview was about his educational details and his work experience. She could see that Abhimanyu was comfortable answering these questions.
“He’s so good looking!”, Mimi exclaimed and Aarohi laughed.
“Mimi!”
“What? Handsome hai toh hai. And he is so accomplished and confident”, Mimi continued.
Akshara and Aarohi looked at each other and giggled.
The show resumed after a brief interval.
“This is our OT. There are multiple OTs in the left. The General Ward is on the other side”, Aarohi showed her family.
Akshara liked the way the segment was edited. It showed Abhimanyu working but the conversation flowed smoothly without a hitch. There were questions about his future career plans, plans for the hospital, plans for the Birla brand. Akshara was happy to see him stick to the answers that she had provided.
“That’s our cafeteria. That’s our conference room and those are the break rooms. They’re walking towards the garden area”, Aarohi pointed out excitedly.
“Let’s move on to some personal questions now”, Aranya said and they started walking in the garden.
Akshara crossed her fingers and waited for the questions. The first question was about Harsh and Abhimanyu breezed through it. Then he was asked about his other family members and his interests.
“Phew. Thank god. That went so well”, Akshara said in relief.
“Do you have someone special in your life?”, Aranya asked onscreen.
Akshara knew that she had given an answer for this kind of question. She waited for him to utter the prepared answer.
“Yes, there is someone in my life”, he answered and Akshara was stunned.
“Oh no! Does he have a girlfriend?”, Mimi asked disappointedly.
Akshara couldn’t look away from the screen. Why didn’t he stick to the script?
Aarohi nudged Akshara. “Did you know that Abhimanyu Sir was going to say that?”
Akshara shook her head unable to say anything else.
“Whom is he talking about?”, Aarohi asked though she looked suspiciously at Akshara.
Akshara was too lost in her thoughts to answer her. Why did he say that? Wouldn’t his family ask him questions? Did he talk to his family already? Did Harsh Sir know?
“I’m getting late. I need to get ready”, Akshara said and went to her room. She locked the door and grabbed her phone. She dialed Abhimanyu’s number and waited.
“Hello”
“It’s me”
She heard him chuckle. “I know. I have your number. So, you watched the interview?”
“Why did you say that you have someone special in your life?”, she asked.
“Did you want me to lie?”
She scoffed. “You had no problem lying about Harsh Sir.”
“I didn’t want to lie about this.”
“What if your family asks you about it? What if Harsh Sir asks?”
“I’m already at the hospital. I’m going to talk to maa tonight. I don’t have to tell anything to anyone else.”
Akshara was not convinced. “I work with Harsh Sir and –“
“He’s not going to ask me anything and I’m not going to tell him anything. He knows better than to interfere.”
Akshara kept quiet.
“Are you on your way to the hospital?”, Abhimanyu asked after a pause.
“Not yet. I’ll be there in some time.”
“I’ll be waiting for you. Remember, you have to answer an important question that I had for you?”
Akshara smiled at that. “I don’t remember that.”
“Then you also must have forgotten that you had promised todo something for me if the interview went well.”
“What do you want me to do?”, she asked.
“Come to the hospital and I’ll tell you.”
**
Akshara was just about to take the stairs when she noticed a kid slip into the elevator. She shook her head and rushed to the elevator.
“This kid!”
She hit the button and the elevator door opened. She looked at the kid sternly.
“Didn’t I tell you not to get into the elevator? Why do you do this every day?”, she asked.
The kid pouted cutely and came out. “I just wanted to play.”
“Elevator is not for playing. Come on. Let me take you back to the Children’s ward.”
Akshara held his hand and he skipped while they walked back. She opened the door and the kid slipped in.
She went to her office and was surprised to see Harsh waiting for her.
“Good Morning Sir.”
She sat down and Harsh smiled at her. “Good Morning. Did you watch the interview?”
“Yes, Sir. It was really good.”
“Let’s keep in touch with Aranya. She represented us really well. It will be beneficial to both parties.”
Akshara agreed with him. “You’re right Sir. I’ll keep in touch with her.”
“I wanted to discuss something else with you. We’re having a lot of issues with the land that I was telling you about”, Harsh said and Akshara listened intently.
**
“Bhai, really?”
Abhimanyu washed his hands and looked at Neil who stood staring at him.
“What?”, he asked picking a hand towel.
“What’s going on? Who is this special person in your life that I don’t know about?!”
Abhimanyu signed the sheet that the nurse brought him and gave further instructions before turning to Neil.
“I need to speak to maa first. Then I’ll tell you everything.”
“Not fair bhai! I tell you everything and you kept such a big secret from me!”
“It’s not a secret. Let me just talk to maa-“
The fire alarm started ringing and Abhimanyu stopped talking.
“Go and get the children from the Children’s ward first. I’ll go and check the OTs!”, Abhimanyu shouted and Neil rushed to the Children’s Ward.
Abhimanyu ran to the OTs and noticed smoke coming out in the reception area.
“There’s no one in the OT, Sir”, a nurse yelled and started coughing.
“Leave from the main entrance and wait outside”, Abhimanyu told her.
He saw Anand on the other side and ran to him.
“Tauji! We need to make sure that the oxygen supply doesn’t stop!”
“We’ll be shifting the ICU patients to the nearby hospital”, Anand said and left.
Mahima walked out a few seconds later. “Abhimanyu, the fire brigade is here”, she informed him.
“Taiji, aap bahar jaaiye. There’s too much smoke here!”
Abhimanyu held Mahima’s hand and led her to the entrance where a lot of people were standing.
“Abhimanyu! Don’t go back inside!”, Mahima pleaded.
“I’ll just check the General Ward. I’ll be back in a few minutes, I promise!”
Mahima watched Abhimanyu go inside and Aarohi came rushing out.
“Mahima ma’am?! Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Aarohi, can you please help the ICU patients there? We need to send them in the ambulances parked at the side.”
Aarohi nodded and left.
Harsh and Akshara came out and Mahima sighed in relief. “Thank God you guys are okay!”
Harsh coughed and Akshara helped him and made him sit in a chair. “Abhimanyu?”, Harsh asked.
“He went back inside. He said he’ll be back in a few minutes”, Mahima answered.
Akshara looked at the thick smoke inside the hospital and fear clawed at her. She tried to look inside but Mahima pulled her back.
“Stand right here. I want to make sure that everyone is okay.”
Harsh started coughing again and Akshara went to get some water for him. She watched Aarohi helping some patients and then she noticed Neil helping too.
She grabbed a bottle of water and went to Harsh. “Please drink some water, Sir.”
Abhimanyu came out coughing and Akshara looked at him in relief. He strode over to Mahima and spoke to her for a few moments before looking around. His eyes found Anand, Aarohi and Neil and then he turned to find Harsh and Akshara.
He stared at Akshara for a moment and she realized that he was asking her if she’s okay. She nodded and he looked like he wanted to go to her but he looked at Harsh and looked back at her.
“Does anyone need medical attention?”, Mahima shouted and Abhimanyu looked away from Akshara to see if anyone needed help.
“Let me go and talk to the fire brigade head”, Harsh said and got up.
Akshara looked at the kids from the Children’s Ward who were standing at a side and went to them.
“It’s okay. Don’t be scared”, she assured them.
She looked for the kid who was always playing in the elevator but she couldn’t find him.
“Where’s the boy who likes to play in the elevator?”, she asked.
“I think he’s still inside”, one of the girls answered.
“No, ma’am. I made sure that no one is left in the Ward”, the nurse guarding them said.
Then where was the kid? If he wasn’t here and if he wasn’t in the ward then where did he disappear?
Akshara’s eyes widened when she realized that he must be in the elevator again. She looked around for the fire brigade guys and noticed one of them going inside.
“Excuse me! Can you please check the main elevator? I think there’s a kid inside!”, she said hurriedly.
“I need to clear out the critical patients first. That’s the priority. I’ll check the elevators as soon as possible”, he assured her and left but Akshara couldn’t wait.
She knew that the kid was there and she couldn’t risk something happening to him. She covered her face with a scarf and went inside. It was dark and the smoke was too thick.
She couldn’t see where she was going but she knew that the elevator was close to the reception. She tried to feel her way and when her hand hit the edge of the stairwell, she knew that she had to go right.
Her eyes were watering and she was finding it difficult to breathe. Her leg hit the reception desk and she winced in pain. She rubbed her knee and edged towards the elevator.
She felt the door of the elevator in front of her and she banged her hand on it.
“Hello?! Koi hai?”, she shouted.
“Didi! Main hoon!”, a small voice answered.
“Okay, Don’t be scared! I’m going to get you out, okay?”, she shouted.
She looked around for help. “Please help! There’s a kid stuck here! Somebody please help!”
She didn’t hear any response and as time passed by she started getting scared. She didn’t know what condition the kid was in and she had to do something before it was too late.
She looked around for a stick or a rod to help her open the elevator door. She found a metal rod but it was too heavy. She pulled it with all her might and managed to bring it to the elevator door and pushed it between the elevator doors to try and wrench the doors open.
“I’m going to get you out soon! Keep talking to me!”, she urged the kid.
“I’m scared”, the kid said tearily and it made Akshara’s eyes well up.
“I’m right here. I’m not going to let anything happen to you! You’ll be out in five minutes!”
She pushed hard but nothing happened.
“Somebody please help!”, she screamed and continued to push the rod.
“Dammit!”, she muttered when the rod’s sharp edge sliced through her palm. She wiped the blood on her clothes and pushed the rod again.
“What’s wrong? Who’s inside?”
Akshara dropped the rod and turned around to find a firefighter and she couldn’t stop her tears anymore.
“There’s a little boy inside. The door is not opening”, she sobbed.
**
“Most of the critical patients have been shifted”, Anand said.
Harsh walked towards Anand, Mahima and Aarohi who were standing on the side.
“It was a short circuit probably. There’s minimum damage and no patient was affected”, Harsh informed them.
“Are there still some people stuck inside?”, Aarohi asked.
“The fire brigade guys are checking. I don’t think anyone is inside. We managed to evacuate everybody.”
Abhimanyu and Neil joined the group.
“We’ll have to make arrangements for the General Ward and Children’s Ward patients”, Abhimanyu said.
“I’m making the arrangements. Is all the staff okay?”, Harsh asked.
“Yes, staff is safe”, Neil replied.
Abhimanyu frowned when he couldn’t find Akshara. She was just standing here, wasn’t she?
“Akshu kaha hai?”, Aarohi asked mirroring his thoughts.
“She was right there. I told her to stand there”, Mahima pointed out.
“I also saw her there when I was talking to the Fire Brigade Head”, Harsh said.
Abhimanyu went to the spot that Mahima was showing and asked the kids standing there.
“Yaha ek didi khadi thi aapne dekha unko?”
“Ha wo andar gayi hai.”
“Andar?”
He looked inside and didn’t hesitate. He ran towards the entrance but was pulled back by Harsh.
“What are you doing?! You can’t go inside! Look at the smoke!”
Abhimanyu pulled his arm away. “I have to go!”
“Are you out of your mind?!”
Abhimanyu pushed Harsh away and ran inside. Why did she go back inside? He covered his nose with his arm. He couldn’t see much and tried to make his way towards the stairwell.
“I’m right here!”
He whipped around upon hearing the voice.
“We’ll get you out soon. Don’t be afraid, okay?!”
He could hear her voice but didn’t know where it was coming from.
“Akshara?!”, he screamed.
“Abhimanyu! I’m here! At the elevator”, she yelled back.
What the hell was she doing? He stepped away from the stairwell and managed to walk towards the elevator.
“I’m here”, he heard her say and she was hysterical.
She clutched his hand and he held her tightly before shaking her. “Why did you come back inside? What’s wrong with you?!”, he bellowed.
“There’s a kid stuck inside”, she managed to say before coughing uncontrollably.
Abhimanyu tried to lift her in his arms but she didn’t budge. “Help him”, she said weakly.
He looked at the firefighter who was trying to push the elevator doors open. He had managed to wedge a small gap and Abhimanyu aided him to open the doors further. When the gap was sufficiently big, Abhimanyu held out his arms for the kid.
“Come on, let’s get you out.”
Abhimanyu carried him and held Akshara’s hand tightly and the firefighter helped them out.
Harsh was standing at the entrance and he clutched his chest when he saw that Abhimanyu was safe and sound. He took the kid from his arms and took him to the medic treating others with mild symptoms from smoke inhalation.
Before Abhimanyu could say a word, Akshara turned and wrapped her hands around his neck and started crying. She burrowed her face into his neck and her tears socked through his shirt. Abhimanyu fisted his palms and tried to get over his anger. She had put herself at risk and it made him furious. He wanted to protect her, cherish her and guard her but she chose to do whatever she wanted to do even if it meant putting herself in danger.
“I’m sorry”, she whispered. He felt her breath hit his neck. “I asked a firefighter to go and get the kid but he said he needs to help the critical patients first.”
She waited for him to respond but he didn’t. She knew that he was angry with her but he didn’t even berate her.
She lifted her face and looked up at him. “Are you not going to hug me?”
He looked at her tear stained face and her red eyes. She looked so vulnerable at this moment. He bent his head and kissed her hair, before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.
“Don’t ever do that again!”, he warned.
“I won’t”, she sniffed and rubbed her face against his shirt. She clutched fistfuls of his shirt in her palms and felt safe.
“I’m really sorry that I scared you”, she said with fervor.
Scared was an understatement. He was frantic and a million possibilities had run through his head when he came to know that she had gone inside.
“What do I do with you?”, he asked rhetorically.
“You can’t do anything. You’re stuck with me for life.”
He chuckled and looked down at her. He held her face between his hands and stared into her eyes.
Akshara felt like she was the most precious thing in the world when he looked at her like that. She met his gaze and when she uttered the words, she felt them to be true and final.
“I think I’ve fallen in love with you.”
“There’s no think about it. You have fallen in love with me.”, he said smugly.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re so arrogant!”
“You can’t do anything about it. You’re stuck with me for life”, he repeated her own words making Akshara laugh.
They were so lost in their own little world that they didn’t realize who had surrounded them by now. Someone cleared their throat and Akshara jerked away from Abhimanyu. She looked at Harsh, Anand, Mahima, Aarohi and Neil grinning at them.
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