Chapter 6

ARYAMAN'S POV

As I knocked and entered my father's cabin, I was greeted by a rare warmth in his gaze, his eyes softening as he looked up.

"Ah, you're here," he said, a hint of a smile touching his face.

"Yes, Dad," I replied firmly, taking a seat across from him.

He paused, taking a sip of water, and I sensed a weight to his words.

"I called the Mehta's about the proposal. They're ready to move forward with it."

I hesitated, my mind flashing to the girl I couldn't stop thinking about, even though we'd only met twice.It had been exactly

7 hours, 24 minutes, and 45 seconds.

since I last saw her, yet she hadn't left my thoughts for a second.

Her gentle kindness, the way she helped those kids, how I'd caught her when she nearly fell- Everything about her had started carving a place in my heart.

"Arya, are you listening? We're meeting the family tomorrow," he said, gathering his stethoscope as he prepared for his rounds.

"Yes, Dad," I answered, my voice tinged with reluctance as I stood to leave the cabin.

Just then, a nurse called out behind me. "Dr. Shekhawat?"

I turned to face her. "Yes?"

"There's an emergency case-an urgent patient waiting for you," she said, looking anxious.

The word "emergency" snapped me into action, and I quickened my pace to the operating room.

-----❁❁❁❁❁❁----

Hours later, the surgery was complete, but the patient showed no signs of recovery, almost as if he'd lost his will to live.
We'd done our best, and all we could do was wait.

Exhausted, I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed to the terrace for a breath of fresh air.

This spot was my refuge - my place to clear my head, whether I felt low, happy, lost or in thousands of thoughts.

Today, a flood of thoughts rushed through my mind, and I messaged Shubh to join me.
Only he knew about this terrace hideaway.

As I leaned against the railing, I sensed someone behind me. Just as I moved to the side, Shubh stumbled forward, narrowly missing me.

"Abey, why'd you move?" he grumbled, rubbing a scratch on his hand.

"And who sneaks up behind people like that?"
I shot back, half-smiling.

"Just thought I'd scare you and capture it all on my phone," he replied, holding up his mobile with a grin.

I rolled my eyes. "Great job. Now eat your protein bar and stop with your childish pranks."

"Fine, bhai," he said, taking a dramatic sip. "Being a 'child' and doing "pranks"is my job not like you - being serious all the time ."

The Shubh sitting beside me now was worlds apart from the shy, nerdy guy I'd met on our first day of college.

Somewhere along the way, he'd transformed into a total goofball, especially after becoming a psychiatrist he became a patient (psycho).

"I need to talk to you," I admitted, shoving my hands into my pockets and setting my coffee down.

"Oh?" he replied, opening a chocolate bar, clearly intrigued.

"My father is arranging my marriage, but--"

Before I could finish, he burst into a song.

"Oho! Mere bhai ki shaadi hai, mere bhai ki shaadi hai!"

( It's a song - it's my brother's wedding )

He did a little dance, still clutching his chocolate.

"Will you listen first?" I tried to calm him, pushing his hand down.

"What's there to hear? Just don't tell me tu mujhse shadi karna chahta hai , I know I am handsome but-FYI-I'm Straight. With a capital S."

(FYI - For Your Information)

"Stop joking around, will you?" I said seriously, feeling the weight of the conversation.

Shubh finally got the hint, raising a finger to his lips in mock silence. "Okay, sorry. I'm listening."

"There's this girl I like. She works at our hospital," I confessed, the words coming out with surprising vulnerability.

"Oh, so it's mutual? And now you're telling me you two want to get married?" he raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"I mean, I like her... but I have no idea how she feels."

"Then call her. Ask her out," he shrugged.

"I can't. I don't even have her number."

"So meet her in the hospital," he suggested.

"I don't know her department either," I admitted sheepishly.

Shubh's jaw dropped. "You like this girl and don't even know her department?"

"Fine, at least tell me her name," he sighed, exasperated.

I looked away. "I don't know her name either."

Shubh gave me a piercing glare but held back from lecturing me. "Bhabhi invisible toh nahi ? Ya bhoot matlab mere bhai , tujhe pataa kya hain ?"

I stayed quiet. All I knew was her angelic face. Each time I'd seen her, I'd been so mesmerized that I forgot to ask her name.

"Alright," Shubh said, sighing. "Mission 'Find Bhabhi' it is."

"But... how?" I asked, feeling both hopeful and clueless.

He thought for a moment, then suddenly lit up. "Got it! Let's stage a fire drill. Everyone will evacuate, and then you can look for her."

I folded my arms, unamused. "That's ridiculous. What if she gets hurt?"

"Already protective, huh?" he teased. I just shrugged, hiding a smile.

After a pause, I suggested, "How about an impromptu seminar? I'll call all the junior staff, students and she's bound to show up."

"Brilliant!" he said, practically bouncing with excitement. "Operation 'Finding Bhabhi' is officially on."

"Wait, why're you calling her 'Bhabhi' already?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you have the confidence to make her yours?"

I smirked. "I do. She'll be Mine Mrs. Shekhawat soon enough."

Key word: Mine

"Alright, let's get the plan in motion then."

------❁❁❁❁❁❁-----

Shubh texted that everything was in place, and the juniors were gathering in the seminar hall.

Taking a deep breath, I left my cabin, still nervous about how she might react.

As I walked, adjusting my clothes and lost in thought, I accidentally bumped into someone.

Her hair caught on my shirt button, and she wobbled, almost losing her balance.

Instinctively, I held her steady, pressing her gently against the wall to keep us both from falling.

And there she was.

My girl!

Standing so gorgeously close to me.

The space between us felt electric, creating a tension that pulled us into our own world, ignoring everything around us.

My heart pounded so loudly I was sure she could hear it. I glanced down and her hair was caught on the button of my shirt.

It must be painful for her, but I didn't want to let go. I want her close to me .

I felt this protective surge rise in me; if I'm here, nothing will harm her. Not even this tiny discomfort.

I raised my eyes to meet hers, hoping she'd notice.

She looked up, her gaze meeting mine, but still didn't understand. I raised my eyebrows again, trying to hint about her hair.
She only looked at me, a little confused.

Finally, I broke the silence, with my voice soft.

"Um... your hair. It's... stuck."

She stood still, her face turning slightly pink as she processed what I'd said. So I tried again, gently, with a hint of a smile.

"Your hair-it must be painful."

This time, she met my eyes, her own widening in realization.

"Let me help you,"

I said softly, reaching up with care.

My fingers worked gently to free the strand of hair from my button, feeling her close to me in a way that made my heart race even more.

She winced slightly, and I slowed, my touch even softer, not wanting to cause her any discomfort.

The moment seemed to stretch on forever.

Finally, the strand came free, and she let out a relieved breath. "Sorry," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, clearly embarrassed.

"I was walking backward."

I couldn't help but smile at her nervousness. "It's okay. I was... a little lost in my thoughts, too." My voice was low, just for her, and my gaze lingered, savoring the moment.

Inside, I felt this quiet happiness, like a secret between us, something so rare and tender. I didn't want to say anything else-I wanted this silence to last just a little longer.

Before I could respond, a friend of hers approached, calling her away. She stole one last glance at me before leaving.

Ohh my heart I know you are not mine anymore.

Shubh's call pulled me back to reality. "Where are you, Mr. Romeo? This swayambiwi ka samaroh won't wait forever!"

"What... what did you just say?" I asked, laughing.

"Abey! Like a 'swayamvar,' only you're the dulha here, so I'm calling it swayambiwi."

"On my way," I replied shortly, grinning, as I ended the call.

In the seminar, I found her sitting in the middle row. I started my talk, occasionally glancing in her direction, catching her eye with a smile.

"Hey, listen buddy" I nudged Shubh beside me. "There she is, middle row, open hair."

Shubh scanned the crowd.trying to locate her between the crowd.

"Oh... so that's her?" He raised an eyebrow. "I expected a shy, soft-spoken type, not... well, her."

"What do you mean?"

"She called me a lizard yesterday and punctured my bike's tires."

I burst into laughter controlling to keep it low . "Seriously?"

"Then I think you're talking about someone else because she's not like that."

"What?" Shubh looked confused.

"You're talking about the girl with glasses, right? The one with her hair down, sitting in the middle row?"

"No, Mr. Lizard!" I chuckled, shaking my head.

"I'm talking about the girl without glasses, sitting on her right."

"Ohhh! Wait!" His eyes widened as he finally realized who I meant.

"She's pretty, yeah, but the one next to her? She's a total chudail," he said with an exaggerated scrunch of his nose, like the mere thought of her was distasteful.

"I know, I know." I smirked. "But listen closely right to your chudail is your future bhabhi."

"Bhabhi? The one whose name we still don't even know?" Shubh threw his hands up dramatically. "Great right ?."

"Damn it," I muttered, suddenly realizing. "I forgot to ask her name again!"

Shubh shook his head, sighing deeply.

"Dhanya ho aap, Prabhu," he said with mock reverence, placing his hands together like he was praying for my enlightenment.
( Ohh God )

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, whatever. I'll figure it out myself. And if you're so familiar with the girl sitting next to her, why don't you ask her the information for me?"

Shubh gasped, recoiling in horror. "Chhi chhi! No way. I'm not doing that-especially not going anywhere near that chudail."

Just then, the seminar wrapped up, and students started heading back to their classes, the room buzzing with movement as we laughed and shook our heads at each other's ridiculousness.

After the seminar, I noticed Shubh approach her friend, only to return after what looked like a mini argument.

-----❁❁❁❁❁❁----

My brother had somehow found out my girl's name but, of course, wouldn't spill a single detail.

"Bhai, naam bata raha hai ki nahi?" I asked, trying to sound calm but clearly impatient.

("Bro, are you going to tell me the name or not?" )

"First, let me enjoy this juice." He smirked, taking his time with the mosambi juice that-of course-he bought with my money. It seemed he'd been repeating the same line since he got here:

"Juice pilado mosambi ka! Mood off hai mera."

( It was trending meme that time - "Give me some mosambi juice! My mood is off.")

I was done with this. Rolling my eyes, I snapped, "Ab toh 2 glass pee gaya, ab toh bol de?"

He smirked, not budging. "Property mein hissa dega tabhi, bhai. Because I spent a whole hour fighting with that girl for you."

("He'll give a share in the property, only then, bro.")

I scoffed. "Arre, itna toh tu kar hi sakta hai mere liye!"

("Hey, you can definitely do this much for me!" )

He leaned back with a smug look.

"Toh tu bhi mere naam par property likh sakta hai. Imagine how perfect it'll look-Shubh Diwan, owner."
( "Then you can also write the property in my name. Imagine how perfect it'll look-Shubh Diwan, owner!")

He closed his eyes as if already seeing his name in lights.

"Bas! Zyada ho raha hai. Fine, don't tell me-I'll find her myself." I feigned frustration, stepping towards the door. "I'll just check the office records. Her file has to be there, and I'll sit for hours if I have to, but I'll get her name."

( "Enough! This is too much. Fine, don't tell me...I'll find her myself.")

Sighing in a mock defeat, Shubh finally muttered, "Drishti. Department: Pediatrics."

I stopped in my tracks, grinning. "See, how easy was that? You just made me do all this drama for nothing."

"Right." Shubh chuckled.

"But wait, should I tell Aunty how much her darling son is harassing me for a girl? You know she loves me more than you," he teased, grinning as he finally left my cabin.

I laughed to myself, shaking my head. Finally, I had her name-Drishti. And somehow, it sounded as perfect as she looked.

Her name was beautiful. "Drishti," I whispered, savoring it.

Then, as luck would have it, I spotted her near the office department. Without a second thought, I approached her.

"Hi," I greeted her.

"Hello, Sir," she replied, a slight blush dusting her cheeks.

"You here for something?"

"Oh, I'm submitting a leave application," she replied, looking down.

"Is everything alright? You're not sick, are you?"

"No, just some personal work," she explained.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a message from Dad: "Tomorrow, we're meeting the family. Wear something presentable, and be home soon. Smiling emoji ."

The reminder hit me hard, and I quickly said goodbye to Drishti, hoping I'd see her again soon.

Because I know the girl I'm supposed to meet tomorrow won't be my Drishti-the one I'm drawn to with every fiber of my being.

The feelings I have for her, the spark between us... I know that I won't be there with anyone else.

Meeting someone else would be unfair, to her and to myself.

I can't lead someone on, pretending to feel something I don't. So, I've decided-I'll call off this meeting. I owe it to her, to Drishti, and to myself to be honest.

----❁❁❁❁❁❁----

Back at home, I made a beeline for Dad's study.

"Dad, can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Yes, speak. I'm listening," he said, setting his glasses down on the study table, his gaze steady and calm, though his eyes seemed to search mine.

Taking a deep breath, I looked down for a moment before speaking, the words tumbling out before I could second-guess myself.

"I'm really sorry, Dad... but I like someone."

His expression shifted-subtle, yet unmistakable. His eyebrows lifted slightly, and he stood up slowly, his posture straightening.

"Why so suddenly? I've already told the other family, and they must be prepared by now."

There was a trace of disappointment, maybe even frustration in his tone.

I swallowed, feeling the weight of his gaze and the tension in the room. But I held my ground.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I truly am. But Dad. I don't want to marry the girl you chose for me."

***************

(2000+ words)

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