âAnd he didnât even remember it,â I muttered, more to myself than Gauri.
She shrugged. âBoys can be clueless like that. But if itâs bothering you, maybe itâs time to figure out what you really feel about him.â
I didnât respond. Because deep down, I wasnât sure I wanted to know.
âCee, there is a new cafe, I am dying to visit it. Let's go, what do you think ?â Gauri has a unique interest in rampaging the city just to find something new and unique everyday, and I mean everyday.
"I swear, Siya, those pastries and chai will change your life!" she said, grinning widely as we strolled along, deep in conversation.
âWell my honour, can I get to know the name of this dreamy cafe ? I nudged.
âChai-Sutta Barâ, she grinned. âWell obviously we are not going to do sutta but let's just focus on our chai insteadâ.
I chuckled, keeping pace with her. "You always say that about pastries and chai. Iâm starting to think youâre secretly promoting âchai par charchaâ, are youâ.
She laughed loudly, nudging me with her elbow. "Oh please, those charchas are very personal. Hmm, Iâd be getting a bucket of popcorn every time. But seriously, you're in for a treat!"
As we rode around, chatting about everything from classic memories to our current favorite Kdrama, neither of us noticed the car coming from the opposite direction. It suddenly swerved to avoid another vehicle, and before either of us could react, Gauri tripped and both of us tumbled onto the sidewalk.
"Oof! My leg hurts, YOU ASSHOLE BUY A NEW PAIR OF GLASSES. What is this, GTA IRL?! This is not the glamorous city stroll I imagined!" as usual my little Gauri yelped, rubbing her elbow, which had scraped against the pavement.
I immediately knelt beside her. "Gauri! Can you move your arm? Does it hurt a lot?â
"I'm fine! Iâm just building character with this scrape," she quipped, rolling her eyes dramatically. "But I swear, I think that car targeted me. This is an assassination attemptâ. This girl never gets serious until chai or Kdramas are involved.
âYeah, yeah. It was Vincenzo getting you, isn't it ?â.
Luckily a kind passerby rushed over to help us. "Are you girls alright? Is it bleeding too much? ".
I literally started panicking now, because getting scolded by her mom is the last thing we want. I glanced at her arm, which was already bruised. "I think we should get to a hospital just to be sure."
"Oh, come on! Itâs just a little scrape! You make it sound like Iâm dying," she groaned. "But sure, letâs go to the hospital. Maybe they can prescribe me a lifetime supply of pastries to make up for this." This girl, ISTG.
With the help of the friendly strangers, we hailed a cab and were on our way to the nearest hospital.
As fate would have it, it was the very same hospital where Raghav worked.
When we arrived at the hospital, Gauri was still joking about her "near-death experience," but her arm was starting to throb, and she unsurely allowed herself to be checked in.
I glanced around the reception area, still a little shaken by the accident, when my eyes saw a familiar face. It was Raghav, standing behind the desk, his focus on the computer in front of him.
"Raghav?" I cannot shout here, can I ?! But he still saw us.
He looked up and froze when he saw us. A moment passed, and then he smiled, a little awkwardly. "Siya, I didnât expect to see you here."
"Yeah, well," Gauri piped up with a dramatic flair, "I wouldnât expect to see you either after almost being run over by that car." Raghav being an airhead thought if he he had ever met her. She winced slightly at the pain in her arm. "And now Iâm here, getting VIP treatment at Dr. Desaiâs hospital. Lucky day, Lucky me." Right after saying this she glared at me. I know what you are doing.
Raghav chuckled, though it was a bit forced. "Iâm not the one treating you, but Iâll make sure you're looked at by the best." He gestured for them to follow his best friend Rudra Ahuja, who was waiting nearby.
Gauri got instantly mesmerized by Rudra and might be vice versa but still gave Raghav a quick wink. "Are you really sure about that? Youâre not going to start a âDr. Desaiâ fan club without me, are you?"
Raghav shook his head, trying to hide the embarrassment. "Letâs start with my friend and get you checked out first." Gauri banters always made moments easy. It always comforted me. She has been my rock since the start. As they correctly say, âIntroverts don't get friends, they get adopted by extrovertsâ. She did adopt me and am glad she did.
Meanwhile, in the Emergency Ward
As Gauri was hurried in the emergency room, she was a bit surprised to find herself face-to-face with Rudra. Even she gets a little shy.
Rudra was standing just outside, looking a little out of place, his eyes scanning the injuries. When he saw Gauri, he smiled softly.
"Hey there, Gauri," Rudra said, giving a casual yet friendly grin. "Iâm Rudra, your doctor. Iâm just here to make sure you get checked out properly."
Gauri raised an eyebrow, looking him up and down. "Ah, so youâre the backup doctor in case Dr. Desai gets too busy saving lives?" she teased.
He laughed, clearly not expecting that. "I wouldnât say backup. More like an assistant for the day?", and motioned for her to sit on the examination bed. "But, yeah. Iâm just here to make sure you donât turn into a superwoman with those scars."
âI pretty much would like to be Tsunade, Yosh!!â, she smiles, while getting handled.
âSo you are an anime fan, rare to see a girl being into animeâ, Rudra remarked.
"Wow, I didnât know doctors were so charming, biased and judgemental nowadays."
Rudraâs grin grew wider. "Itâs not like that I was kidding, obviously," he joked. "But youâre not a fan of that, I see."
She shook her head dramatically. "Look, if youâre going to flirt with me, at least wait until Iâm not on a hospital bed. Itâs not fair."
Rudra chuckled, and a bit of awkward silence settled between them before he quickly moved to check her injuries.
Meanwhile, me and Raghav stood across from each other, the silence thick with the tension of unsaid words.
He was glancing at the chart in his hands, but every time he looked up, his gaze briefly met mine before he quickly looked away.
I couldn't handle it anymore, so I decided to break the silence. "Well, youâre not going to mention how we randomly run into each other, particularly at a hospital?", trying to lighten the mood.
He gave a small, forced laugh. "Guess we just have a knack for weird timing," he said, but his tone was softer than heâd intended.
"Thatâs one way to put it. I guess youâve been busy, huh?"
He nodded, though his smile faltered. "Yeah. It's been a lot... but you know how it is."
I couldn't help but notice how he looked like he hadnât slept in days. His shirt was slightly wrinkled, and there was a faint crease between his brows as if he was carrying the weight of the world. And yet, he still managed to smile, even if it didnât quite reach his eyes.
There was another long silence, this time more comfortable, as if we were both trying to adjust to this unexpected encounter.
"Well, Iâm glad we ran into you," breaking the silence with a soft smile. "Even if it's in a hospital."
He smiled back, slightly hesitant. "Yeah, me too."
As the nurse entered to check on Gauri, Siya stood up to leave, she caught Raghav's gaze for just a second, and this time, neither of them looked away.