"Dr Sarah please can you finish up for me." Sejal said getting up from the stool pulling out the mask clinging to her buttoned nose, removing the blood stained gloves and getting out of the door she threw them into the laundry bin below the left counter for sanitizing hands before entering into the operation theater.

Tulsi followed by holding her note pad along with a beautiful fountain pen which reminded her of how fond she was of these pens when in school, collecting her phone Sejal walked into the changing cubicle.

Pushing the key into the hole of her locker she checked her phone for any notifications as it was a three hour surgery so she at least expected a Hi dropped by somebody, but instead not so surprisingly she found five missed calls of Raghav which made her give a long sigh of ominous exhaustion.

Surely this guy was in desperate need of somebody telling him to stop disturbing people attending their duty hours sincerely, for a matter of fact he would have definitely called either to ask how much salt is to be added in the rice or the name of any pleasant anesthesia so that he could easily kidnap anyone like he did last time; drugging Aryan from the gym, thankfully he wasn't persistent about knowing the back story of how did he land up in her apartment moreover on Katyusha's bed.

Coming to Raghav he should have a minimum common sense that when somebody isn't picking up the call in at least two calls, they must understand either the person is not available or doesn't want to talk at the moment. If it's an emergency they must smartly contact somebody else instead of repeatedly calling the same person who isn't attending.

Then there was a text from her dad which was quite astonishing making her wonder could a man be even more professional with their own blood daughter?

Dear,

I have made reservations at Royal Prince at 21:00 Hrs.

I don't like late comers.

Cheers,

Dr Shravan Bhattacharya.

Rolling her eyes she typed an okay but again thought of ignoring it and simply showing up at the destination, after all he was her father and could bear not receiving a reply from her. Although she highly doubted it was a message typed by his PA who most probably didn't knew it was supposed to be a warm convey to his own daughter.

Changing quickly out of her surgery robes into her casual jeans and top, she walked up to the nurse station to give her check out for the day and her foot lead to the cafeteria as her stomach was craving for the sandwich of Mrs. Tyrant, it is the favorite of Aryan and he is the reason she fell in love with the sand-witch.

On the way she saw Dr Stephen rushing up with a patient laid in a stretcher just bought into the ER, he turned to give her a little lousy smile just in a nick of time before returning back to his duties which made her frown because honestly she liked the rebellious Stephen, not the present one who was following up orders to save his doctor license.

Remembering her own rebellious self she let out a guilty breath, because maybe she didn't have any precise idea of how many lives she had supposedly sent into the dark for her own selfish motives; to save her mother was the primary one.

Deep in thoughts of her past she slammed straight into a man whose back was to her, letting out a loud grunt due the pain on her left elbow she managed to see whom she had hit; it was some random worker who was carrying a banner of Shore Foundation which was one of the leading activist groups for LGBT community.

It bought up a smile on her face that how RCSM was supporting the other gender race, because when a bigger platform supports a cause or community people show interest in mass number and this would also mean an open threat to all the narrow minded people still out there.

"Dr Seghal." It was Kiate draped neatly in a maroon sari, same like when she met her the first time at the time of interview. It always felt sweet whenever she met Kiate because she is the first person Sejal met here at RCSM, which can be easily counted on the fingers of both her hands.

Ordering her Sandwich she walked up to Kiate who wasn't alone, she was in the company of Viona which made her want to retrace her foot prints but unfortunately she was more than halfway to their table and it would be bad manners not to go and talk to somebody who just called you.

"Hi pretty ladies." Sejal said to both of them trying to be extra cheerful so that somehow Viona forgets about their last encounter at the restraint with Darshan during dessert where her head was working not so very politely.

"Hello." Kiate replied giving a pearly white smile, while Viona gave a tight lipped smile and nodded to her Hi, at that moment all she could do is curse Karma for being such a bitch!

Seeing both the ladies an idea strike up in her busy thick head, both of them has been working with Aryan since much of time so it would be a brilliant timing to know something about him as he will never tell things about himself, for example about Mahima; she teased him for about a hundred times of seeing a hot old girl friend and later it is revealed that she is his mother. It felt like gross of how bad she was at assuming things so this time instead of assuming and reaching into wrong conclusions she wanted to know facts, for that she need to crack up nut shell Viona also.

Gosh! All these hook ups only for the sake of love.

"So, how is work going today?" Sejal asked taking her sandwich order which surprisingly Mrs. Tyrant didn't come to deliver instead a under nourished slim teen boy came to do, and she was being casual with her question because she didn't wanted to give them any clues of her relationship with Aryan or else in no time it will turn out into the talk of the nation about how much of gold digger she is.

"Good." Kiate answered munching her chicken burger with all the love she could possessed, while Sejal turned to look at Viona hoping that at least she would mention Aryan but unnervingly she never did.

Ten minutes engulfed into a conversation with them made her only realize that it is a complete empty attempt to expect them talk about Aryan, so this time she very politely said them a good bye and made her foot to the Baleno, clicking the door open she knew whom exactly would tell her more about Aryan even if meant to literally suck away all her self-respect.

~

Stopping herself from doubting her bold decision she walked with confident strides into the studio meant only for celebrities without any intervention from the security, that's the perk of having a best friend in the fashion industry.

The last time she was face to face with Mahima Pandey she had called her ugly names, degraded her dead mother and this time she didn't expect anything lesser. Her main motive is to get something out of Mahima because a mother would know her son better than anybody and Sejal was desperate to know more about Aryan after learning about his pain confession and the promise he took from her wasn't letting her sleep peacefully, because she knew Aryan wouldn't do anything without a reason or for a matter of hurting fact she didn't knew Aryan at all.

"Hello Miss Pandey." Sejal said watching Mahima in some yoga clothes settled in meditating posture on the yoga mat, who seemed surprised by this unexpected visit which made Sejal chuckle to herself because after their last encounter she never thought she would meet such a nasty woman who didn't have the least bit of respect at least for the dead, but again for the sake of love she had to come.

"You must know I don't fancy seeing you Seghal, or did you also change it to Bhattacharya?"

Sejal knew Mahima is going to be a bitch so she simply ignored her bitty hello and focused on the purpose of visit.

"Miss Pandey, I just want to know few things about Dr Shetty."

That bought a villainous smile on the doll face of Mahima, keeping all personal issues aside Sejal had to admit Mahima was beautiful with pretty chocolate eyes same as Aryan, a round but straight nose and with high cheekbones her lips got an extra charm; she must be applauded for being still fit and sexy at this age.

"Why don't you ask your mother?"

This was it, Sejal was ready to slap that bitch of bringing her dead mother again in the conversation but she composed herself back because she was dreading for some answers, because Aryan was still a mystery.

"I like your sarcasm Miss Pandey, why don't you answer me quickly so that we could get rid of each other."

"I would love to say I liked your attitude woman, but I won't." Mahima said rolling in her yoga mat softly sat down at the only leather couch in the cubicle, almost making Sejal regret coming here.

"Why is Dr Shetty always in the verge of ending the world?" Sejal expected she would reply something like because he is my son but strangely Mahima voluntarily started speaking some valuable words.

"Aryan is stubborn that is the reason he doesn't allow other emotions to control him. He believes he is always right and I think that's a good quality."

Sejal was surprised to hear that answer because she actually never thought about something like this, maybe too busy in trying to know him that she terminated the matter of understanding him. Making a mental remainder of reviewing about his stubborn factor later she watched Mahima waiting for her to add something more but not getting any further explanation Sejal decided to post the next question.

"How are his relations with the family?"

"I will answer it only if you do something that I say."

Sejal contemplated for a moment but being possessed by a love deity she nodded a yes to whatever Mahima was about to ask her, this sounded better because a promise like yesterday may be worst and presently she was damn sure that Mahima is definitely mother of Aryan, as both of them asked her something in a span of finite hours; undoubtedly family trait.

"On your way back from here buy half kilogram of brown rice and another half kilogram of white rice, then put the white rice in one plate after that simply add the brown rice in it and-"

"For heaven's sake I can't cook that!" Sejal exclaimed losing her patience, because something like this was the last thing she expected from Mahima.

"Like mother like daughter, I didn't ask you to cook that. I was going to say start separating the white and brown rice respectively."

Sejal was burning in anger by the way Mahima taunted about her mother and more astonished by the task explained, she couldn't understand what bewildered her the most. She didn't want to speak up so she just stared at Mahima for the promised answer.

"The answer is with your dead mother." Mahima said with the final smirk and Sejal could only see how the mother-son pair was so similar in many things; one of the many traits being so heartless, which Aryan is not being now a days.

~

'Hello Dr Shetty where are you?'

'I am in an urgent business meeting with the panel, will talk to you later Muneca.'

The conversation was playing in her head like a never ending loop same as the infinity locket which she was caressing at the moment. Out of everything Aryan can't turn out to be a liar after everything they had done together. Everybody knew he wasn't a very expressive man about his life and doings but being in a relationship the least she could expect from him is sharing his whereabouts with her.

As she silently sipped her pineapple juice sitting along with Darshan in the café, she could only pin her eyes at Aryan who was having a pleasant time with a lady maybe in her late thirties which made her smile thinking how correct she was about Aryan having a better taste in older ladies.

She didn't want to be judgmental or anything about her Aryan and the girl, but the pain in her heart was ordering her to just show up herself in front of them catch him red handed and drench him in all the contents of the glass she was holding.

Darshan seemed to be so hyped about this place from weeks so having a free hour today he simply dragged her to this place and look at the surprise she found Aryan having his supposed panel meeting here, Darshan volunteered to kick Aryan's ass right here in the public but Sejal stopped him because she trusts Aryan and he may have his own reason; which she will prompt him to tell later and decide what to do with him.

"Let's play the finger game Beautiful." By this he meant was playing thumb fight, they were sitting in adjacent seats and Sejal decided to tune out Aryan from her head for the moment so she extended her right thumb as Darshan followed her action dramatically.

They played seven rounds of fights in which Sejal hardly managed to win two so she decided to play a trick; she started tickling him with the other hand so as to distract his focus which he fell for and the two rounds she easily won. Cherishing her win with a bright toothy smile she went for another round of tricking until somebody started shouting at their table.

"What the hell is going on here? Are you spying on me?"

For a second Sejal couldn't breathe finding Aryan staring at them with so much furiousness in his eyes that if looks would kill she would be dead deep in the ground.

"Dr Shetty." Sejal tried speaking but her gaze followed the intense stare of Aryan at her entwined hands with Darshan, which she immediately pulled off regretting the moment she agreed to come here.

"Can you please give an explanation?"

Sejal could see how furious he was, and she was taken aback by the spying word and now looking it through she felt how the situation must be for Aryan; that she was following him around!

She looked behind Aryan and the woman with whom he was talking was no more present. Before she could calm the heated situation Darshan said something immiscibly blunt.

"You better explain to Beautiful of what is going on?"

That's where the water started channeling its direction into the wrong direction; now Aryan would think that she doubted on him also.

"Dr Vyas I hope you know she is my girlfriend, and if I was in your place I wouldn't be that close around somebody else's girl." Aryan said with venom lacing his tone and Sejal should find this as a good sign that he is protective of her but this was the jealousy speaking in him not the real him; so that's a very bad thing because it may cost his friendship with Darshan.

"Dr Shetty thanks for showing again who you really are."

And that's it, no more quotes or anything typical like Darshan; he simply walked out leaving her deal with Aryan not even considering waving her a bye.

"Dr Seghal I hope you know your boundaries."

That almost brought tears to her eyes but she strongly held them back. She didn't want to show him that how hurt she was with his words, she simply wanted to show him that she isn't somebody who could be tamed, not somebody whose emotions can be controlled by him. She felt like a fool for spending too much time with Viona and Kiate to know more about him and the most hurtful thing was today she let somebody speak disgust about her dead mother only for the sake of Aryan.

Grabbing her purse she strolled off to the door not before shouting something loud enough for everybody to hear, which would at least calm her heart for the time still her tears doesn't start spilling.

"Fuck you asshole." 

.          .           .         .             .

Hello people,

Stay strong and stay indoors.

Use this time to read as many possible books you can if you are book lovers.

Don't panic, Inshallah this bad phase will pass sooner.

Send me feedback of how the story is so far(at least that will keep you guys busy for a time being ;) _)

Love,

Sana Afreen <3