Chapter 8

Arjun went back to the dorms and knocked on the door. "Kon?" he heard the voice from inside. He smiled. "Mai hu Shree, Arjun," he said. ("Who?" "It's me, Shree, Arjun.")

He heard the door opening, and there stood Banishree in a white and pink salwar kameez, her hair pulled up in a ponytail. A small red bindi adorned her forehead, and the partition was filled with orange sindoor. He was captivated for a moment.

Arjun entered the room, taking a seat on the chair. Banishree, gracious and welcoming, offered him water. "Doctor Babu, paani piyenge?" she asked. ( would you like some water?)

He smiled in gratitude and replied, "Haan, Shree. Thank you," sipping the water appreciatively.
"Shree, tum ready ho toh chale?" he inquired, setting the glass aside. She nodded in acknowledgment, indicating her readiness to accompany him.

Banishree walked behind Arjun, her eyes wide as she observed the vast campus. "Doctor Babu, aapka vidyalaya toh boht bade hai," she exclaimed. ("Doctor Babu, your college is very big.")

"Haan," Arjun replied. They reached the lab, and Arjun handed the investigation papers to the nurse. He instructed Banishree to sit and asked her to raise her sleeves. As the nurse prepared a syringe, Banishree's eyes widened in fear. She jumped out of the chair, attempting to run.

Arjun, quick on his feet, held her by the waist and lifted her off the ground. “ Shree, Kahan Jaa rahe ho?” ( where are you going?) He asked.

"Doctor Babu, humka bahut te hi dar lagta h sui se. Hum Jane digiye," she pleaded with a pout. ("Doctor Babu, I'm very scared of needles. Please let me go.")

Arjun chuckled. "Arey, tumhe kuch pta bhi nhi chalega," he assured, but she squirmed in his hold. Eventually, he set her down. Everyone in the room momentarily stopped what they were doing, amused expressions on their faces.( You won't even feel a thing.)

Banishree took a moment to look at the door, calculating her next move. The nurse turned to grab an alcohol rub, and Banishree seized the opportunity, taking flight and running out of the lab.

Cursing under his breath, Arjun ran behind Banishree. Passersby stopped to look at the unusual sight of a doctor chasing a woman. He finally caught her from behind and threw her over his shoulder like a potato sack.

"Doctor Babu, hum bol rahe hai, chor dijiye humko. Warna iska parinaam accha nhi hoga," she said, trying to intimidate him. ("Doctor Babu, I am telling you, let me go. Otherwise, the consequences won't be good.")

"Parinaam toh hum tumhe dikhayenge shree. Pure hospital me hume dauda diya," he retorted. ("I'll show you the consequences, Shree. You made me run throughout the entire hospital.")

He deposited her on a chair and asked the nurse for the syringe. "Nurse, get me a new syringe. I will do it myself," he said, dragging his chair in front of her. "Nurse, please hold her down. Shree, tum dusri taraf dekho," he said seriously. ("Shree, look the other way.")

Banishree tightly closed her eyes, and the nurses held her hand. She screamed, "Aaaaaaaa." Arjun chuckled. "Are chilla Lena, syringe toh lagane do," he said. ("Come on, scream all you want, but let me administer the injection first at least .")

Bani peeked through one eye to see him still holding the syringe. "Mutthi bandho," he instructed. She looked away and did as told. ( Curl your hand in a fist)

Arjun withdrew the blood, carefully marked the sample bottle, and handed it to the nurse in charge. He then guided Banishree to the radiologist and booked an appointment for breast and abdomen ultrasound. The process took until the afternoon.

As they made their way to the mess, everyone momentarily stopped, their eyes fixed on the unexpected couple. The news of the forced marriage between the hottest resident of the college and a girl from a remote village in Bihar had spread like wildfire, and whispers filled the air.

Arjun and Banishree found a seat in a corner. "Haan toh boliye kya lengi aap?" he asked. ("So, tell me, what would you like to have?")

"Aapka dil," she whispered, leaning in. Arjun's eyes widened, and he coughed, looking everywhere but at her. "Umm... matlab kya khayengi aap," he said, clearing his throat. ("Um... I mean, what would you like to eat?")

"Aapka sexy dimaag," ( Your sexy brains) she said again, leaning in closer. "Woh kya h na, humari maami bolti h humare mein dimaag ki kami hai," she added, a mischievous smile playing on her face. ("You know, my aunt says I lack brains.")

Arjun's eyes widened even more at her unexpected remark. He started coughing. Before he could respond, a voice interrupted them. "Are you guys planning on celebrating your wedding night here itself?" another voice chimed in. "At least get a room, guys," a third voice teased. Chaman and Lola were standing there, their expressions a mix of amusement and curiosity.

Both Arjun and Banishree jerked back from each other, glancing down. Chaman took a seat next to Banishree, while Lola settled beside Arjun. "So, I am Chaman Lal," he introduced himself. Banishree nodded and greeted, "Namaste."

Lola introduced himself next. "And I am Lola Singh. You must have met brother Chola Singh in your village." Banishree nodded in acknowledgment and greeted Lola with a warm "Namaste."

Arjun, sensing Banishree's comfort level with Hindi, interjected, "Can you guys talk in Hindi while talking to her?" He made the request, keeping in mind Banishree's familiarity with day-to-day English but her hesitation in speaking the language.

As everyone was quietly eating, it suddenly seemed like every phone in the mess pinged with notifications simultaneously. The room erupted in laughter as everyone opened their phones to find a video. Chaman checked his phone, and upon seeing the caption and video, he burst out laughing uncontrollably.

Arjun, curious about the sudden hilarity, checked his phone. The caption read, "Patient aage aage, Doctor piche piche." It was a video of Arjun chasing Banishree through the corridors of the hospital. Laughter echoed around them as everyone found the video amusing.

Banishree, innocent and unaware of the content, looked around innocently. She peeked into Arjun's phone and saw the video where she was being carried like a potato sack. Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she looked down, trying to hide her embarrassment. Arjun, equally embarrassed, glanced down with pink ears, realising the unintentional spectacle they had unintentionally created.

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Hare Krishna