Verse 1

Sanjay Mehta waited patiently before the operation theatre.

Time and again, staffs, fellow anxious family members, nurses, even doctors who passed by, requested for selfies with him.

Though not in a tinge bit of elation, he could never say no to his fans. He was instead, forever grateful to them for gifting him everything he possesed today. Name, fame, stardom, and most importantly.... love.

He thus, smiled, and posed for them.

And grew equally anguished again, when they walked away, trying to get a sight into the OT complex through the flickering doors.

His mother was undergoing a cholesystecomy. Everything was under control. He had admitted her into the best hospital in town, had assured every proceeding that could make it the least painful for her. Yet, like every child to a parent, he stood anxiously before the operation theatre.
As meekly as everyone else did, whose loved ones lay inside, dressed in green, on trolleys, to be dissected anytime soon. No stardom worked, in this hour of utmost anxiety.

His phone buzzed.
He grumped at the name. It was his nagging manager again.

" Rohan, I told you in the morning, I'll be there at the Drug Abuse seminar within six thirty. Why don't you understand when I say it once? "
He dropped the call immediately.

The door to the OT complex was pushed open from the inside. Creating a slight buzz in the corridor.

A lady, in blue uniform, walked  towards him.

" Mr Sanjay Mehta? "

" Yes... " , he straightened.

" Actually, I need...your mother's...  reports... to the recently done... thyroid function tests. Somehow, I don't find... them in the..... "

The lady did not finish.

Because, in a flash of second, causing a roll in the corridor, she collapsed on the ground, before his eyes.

Sanjay was so extremely stunned at the suddenness of the incident, that he stood like a stone, while others ran in for help.

A group of ward boys rushed in and pulled the unconscious doctor up on a trolley. While, other people dressed in similar blue uniforms walked out of the OT complex.

Sanjay stared at them, horrified. They checked on her pulse and spoke within themselves.

Sanjay's inquisitive self could gather a little. And whatever he heard, left him utterly shocked.

She was taken inside the OT complex. While the two doctors stood outside, mumbling within themselves.

Sanjay walked towards them.
" Excuse me Sir, I think she was asking for my mom's reports. It's Ragini Mehta... "

" Oh yeah, the thyroid profiles. " , one of them smiled.

Sanjay handed him the reports. And then, unable to contain his query, asked,
" What did.. exactly... happen to her? "

The two exchanged looks, and uttered almost together,
" Hypoglycemia, it is. "

Sanjay nodded silently. They walked back inside the OT complex.

However, he knew they had lied.

Because he had definitely heard them say something else while they checked on her.

Something in the lines of...
" She'll soon be in big trouble, if she doesn't stop abusing anesthetics.
I'm tired of warning her time and again. " " So am I. "

Sanjay Mehta stood in a pool of confusion.

He had, never in his life, come across... an insanely beautiful, drug abusing doctor.

Verse Two

Sanjay stood at one corner of the banquet, seeping in orange juice.
His friend, Rudra stood beside him with a glass of wine.

" You are too boring, Sanjay!! Who doesn't taste alcohol....at least for once in life? " , he said.

It was Rukmini's ( Rudra's sister) birthday bash. She was a gynaecologist. However, she took extreme interest in her brother's showbiz career, and was introduced well to almost everyone in the industry who were her brother's friends.

" I don't like illusory pleasures. In fact I hate them. That's the reason of me being actively involved in anti drug abuse campaigns. You know it, don't you? " , Sanjay shrugged.

" I know, I know my friend. You are the cleanest superstar Bollywood has ever come across. I know very well. But sometimes, you should just give a try... as to...you know.. what is in it that saves so many people at the end of the day. " , Rudra chuckled.

" I can't follow suit knowing how it ruins so many people too...at the end of the day. " , Sanjay smiled.

Roaming around through the huge banquet, exchanging smiles with knowns and unknowns, Sanjay stopped at the bar counter. An unlikely place for him to halt at, but he had to. Because, his eyes caught a woman sitting alone at the counter, gulping in shots...

That face...

The face had etched in his mind, even when the interaction was extremely short lasting.

Not just because it was beautiful, very beautiful indeed, but because it pooled all his interests and concerns for a very different reason.

He walked towards her.
She was asking for a refill. And she didn't look much disoriented either.

" Hello... Madam... " , Sanjay talked.

She threw a glance at him. And smiled. The smile could turn multiple heads, and rend multiple hearts.

" I'm... "

" Sanjay Mehta.. Who doesn't know you? " , she said, her speech a bit slurred.

" Humbled. But, we have met before.  Remember? "

She smiled wide.
" Of course I do. How's your mom? The surgery was successful I heard...
From my colleagues... "

" Yeah, she's fine. Will go for a follow up next week. By the way, how's you? " , he cleared his throat.

She gave away an embarrassed expression to this.
" Aah... Yeah.. I suddenly collapsed that day.. I was...err...

This never happens to me, but.. "

She took up a glass. 

He watched her carefully. She was probably in her late twenties. Was dressed in a sleeveless black velvet blouse, and a yellow shifon. A series of golden bangles tinkled along both her wrists. A matching black clutch lay on the counter. She was...quite a looker. A head turner.

" But? "

She threw a glance at him.
" I skipped my breakfast that morning.

You won't know, the surgeons are always so badly after the anaesthetists!

We can't get a minute late into the OT, they'll start howling...." , she fidgeted with the glass.

" But madam, I overheard a conversation between your colleagues. And they were concerned about your habit of drugging yourself using anesthetics."
Sanjay had this habit. He did not take long to come to the point.

She now stared at him, for a very long moment. The smile that had disappeared for a second, returned.

" I'm impressed. You are so on point! " , she giggled.

" I don't find this funny, though. " , he however smiled as well.

" Listen. The colleagues you heard discussing me, too abuse anesthetics.

It's common.

And I never drug myself on duty. That day was unlucky.
I had forgotten to wash the kerchief I snorted with, the previous night. I sneezed pressing it, just while coming out of the OT. And it did its job.

So embarrassing! " , she giggled again.

" But, they said ...they had warned you several times. That you'd be in big trouble soon. " , Sanjay was not in a position to give up that easily.

" Ohh, they are overconcerned.
As if!! 

Okay, I accept they do drugs lesser than I do. But everyone does. Anaesthesia is fun that way. " , she grinned.

" And you drink as well. That too, in major amounts. Why all these illusory pleasures?
Isn't life beautiful in itself? " , Sanjay looked into her eyes.

She stared back again, her deep eyes highly intoxicating. She took another long moment, finished two more shots in between.

" Life? And beautiful?

Are you one of those lucky men, who love, and get the love back?

I see.... I see...

Cause, life might be beautiful...only to them.

Not to those souls, who loved each and everyone till the last drop, and got back not an ounce in return.

Hence, they befriend illusion. Something, that no one else has a right on. Not even, as a medium to hurt them. "

Sanjay, the ever so eloquent heart throb of the nation, who could take the world at grasp in just a few words, sat speechless, as she got down the seat, threw another smile at him, and walked away, balancing herself.

He jumped down as well in a moment, and followed her.

She took a sidewalk, and entered the women's washroom.

Sanjay halted.
Something in her was so alluring, that he did not take a moment to decide whether or not he would entangle himself into her life.

Into, her loveless life.

Almost ten minutes went by.

He stood dumb before the washroom, greeting known and unknown faces that crossed paths.

He did not know what he was doing there exactly.
He could not decide if he should leave her at that, get her whereabouts from Rukmini instead.
But something gripped him from below it seemed, sticking his feet to the ground.

Half an hour passed by. He didn't believe that he, the superstar Sanjay Mehta, waited outside the washroom, for a stranger whose name itself he did not know yet.

The area was deserted. And he was growingly impatient now. Something struck. A bad instinct.

He slowly pushed open the door to the washroom. The empty hallway had no cleaner as well. He slipped in. And began knocking on every door, his heart beating fast.
Each one of them opened without resistance, ensuring vacancy.
Except one.

He knocked,
" Excuse me!!
Are you there? "

No one replied back.
He knocked louder. And raised his voice. In vain.

A sweeper walked in, was startled seeing him. But smiled instead.

" Err.. I'm extremely sorry, but I guess someone's inside, and she needs help.
She was drunk, and she's not responding. "

The woman, mostly used to such incidents, took out a spare key from the vault and clicked open the door.

Sanjay pressed his temple.

There, she lay in one corner of the washroom, hugging her knees, completely zoned out.

The sweeper nodded indifferently.
" Why do they drink even, when they cannot handle! 
Shall I help, sir, or you'll take her out? "

Sanjay didn't know why, but he took up the entire responsibility.

The sweeper walked away.

And immediately, he picked up the thing at her feet that mostly the sweeper had failed to notice, fortunately.

A vial of something called Ketamine.
Empty.

He searched for a syringe. But didn't find any. Thrashing the vial inside the comod, and flushing it after several attempts, he held her by the arms, pulled her up from the ground with effort.

She plunged her entire weight onto him. He took her up in his arms.
Did not however get, why he was doing all these, when he could easily call Rukmini and Rudra instead.

However, in no time he found himself dumping her into the backseat of his limousine, sneaking out without informing a single soul, using the staff elevator on the exit side of the building..

As the driver keyed the engine, Sanjay sat beside the unconscious soul, with a face of an angel, with resorts he hated the most, and with a life, that she claimed to be loveless.

His lips curved into a smile.

There was no way out now, than tag along this strange combination of a woman.. into his life. And he knew, he could happily do that.

Though, she was still, a stranger to him.

A nameless, stranger.

______

A plot that suddenly struck me when I landed in a beautiful place for a vacation. I will take two more updates to finish it, at the most.
But, I do need your reviews to continue. Because I'm not sure if this was interesting enough.
If I don't get convincing comments,  that's at least fifty, or at least twenty votes, I won't continue this. 😂😂