“Ma’am, Nikhil Sir from Paediatrics has come to meet you”, Pallavi tells me when I’m in the OT(Operation Theatre).
“Now?”, I mumble to myself.
It’s been a few days since that day, the day we’ve mutually decided to not talk about via telepathy.
Things are back to normal.
“What are you doing here?”, I ask Nikhil, pulling my mask down as I see him just outside the OT.
“It’s lunch time, Sandy”, he deadpans.
“You know I have OT on Thursdays.”
“And I also know you skip lunch on Thursdays.”
I raise an eyebrow, “Your point?”
“I brought lunch for you”, he grins, pointing towards a Tupperware box.
A smile spreads on my face, “What are you waiting for then? I have ten minutes to spare at least, till the patient is shifted. Let’s go “, We walk to the room next to the OT, usually used as Pantry on OT days.
“You didn’t make this. Did you?”, I ask, spooning Paneer into my mouth.
“No”, he rolls his eyes, “Ananya did.”
“You’re so lucky to have such a sweet sister.”
He raises his eyebrow, “Sure.”
I pause midchew, “Am I eating your lunch?”
Nikhil shrugs uneasily, “I’ll have something in the canteen.”
“You could just bought something for me from the canteen then”, I mumble.
The reason I skip food on busy days is because of the long distance I’ve to walk to the canteen. I am used to skipping lunch every now and then.
“Are you complaining? “, Nikhil teases, eyeing the Paneer rice I was gobbling.
“Not at all”, I grin, “Thank Anu on my behalf, will you?”
“I will”, Nikhil’s face splits into a wide grin.
I’m awkward for a second that I had addressed his sister as Anu, but let it go, as Nikhil didn’t seem to mind all that much.
“You don’t want to eat?”, I spoon some rice, pointing to him.
Nikhil raises an eyebrow, smiling softly, “No Sandy. I don’t.”
“Your loss”, I shrug, finishing my lunch.
“I should probably wash it”, I mumble when Nikhil takes the box from my hand.
“No worries”, he laughs.
My smile falters when Nikhil leans towards me, crowding my space.
Out of all the places he could get, it had to be the hospital?
I sit rooted on my chair, my eyes following his motion as he raises his hand, disappearing behind my head.
I hold my breath when I feel a touch on my neck.
I stare at him, wondering what he was doing.
“Your cap is loose”, Nikhil mumbles, holding the strings of my cap.
“Oh”, I kick myself inwardly when I feel him tying the knot of my cap, tightening it around my head as the knot sits on the junction of my head and neck.
I shiver when I feel him stroking my neck softly, willing my eyes to be open.
We only stare at each other, inches apart, our breaths almost mingling.
I find my gaze drawn to his lips, finding them inviting for some reason.
The moment breaks when Nikhil clears his throat, moving away.
“Sandy, I-”
I’m relieved when his mobile rings, sighing.
He sees the caller ID, clenching his jaw.”I’ll see you later”, he says, leaving me alone.
I sat there, puzzled about why I wanted him to do something, and most importantly why I felt disappointed when he pulled away.
Bad idea Sandy. Bad idea. I scold myself, forgetting about Nikhil for the time being as I busy myself with my work.
***
“Uggh, I’m not getting it.”
“It’s very easy Sandy”, Nikhil teases, whistling again.
“Oh please. Wait for a few minutes. I’ll whistle better than you”, I place my thumb and index finger between my lips and blow air.
We’re sitting on the stairs, chilling at the basketball ground of our college.
“How long are these people going to take?”, I whine, “I’m hungry.”
“They just left ten minutes back, Sandy”, Nikhil deadpans, referring to Anshu and Avyukth.
“Whatever”, I try whistling again.
I’m so going to do it and then rub it in his face.
“It’s not so hard Sandy”, Nikhil grins, “Here, place your elbow almost parallel to the ground level and blow air through your fingers”, he demonstrates, placing a hand on my forearm.
I try to play it off, concentrating on his words when I feel his breath on my neck. I try my best to breath normally, trying to be casual.
But there’s only so much I can do when Nikhil grabs the back of neck, pressing his lips to mine.
My mind goes blank as I try to fathom what’s going on, unable to respond.
Approximately 0. 01 seconds later, my hands hook around his neck, moving my lips against his.
I strangled moan escapes my lips when Nikhil gently nibbles on my lower lip, opening my mouth.
I feel a warm gush course my body when his tongue meets mine, gently stroking against each other at a leisure pace. A whimper escapes my lips when Nikhil presses himself harder against me, one hand cupping my head and the other stroking the skin of my neck.
I release a shaky breath, not getting any time to decipher things when I feel soft kisses peppered across my jaw, along my mouth. I shut my eyes when another wet kiss lands on my lips, my hold on his shirt tightening.
Our eyes snap open, looking at each other with wide eyed when footsteps approach us, as we distance from each other.
“Sandy, I -”
“Hey Anshu”, my voice is high pitched.
My best friend is startled at my wish, glancing at me and Nikhil suspiciously.
I want to kick myself when a slow grin spreads across her face.
“Avyukth”, she turns to her boyfriend, “I forgot to get KitKat. Come with me”, she pulls her boyfriend’s hand.
Nikhil sighs, “Sandy. Listen to-”
“Anshu”, I jump to my best friend, “I remembered something. Wait. I’m coming with you too. Bye Nikhil”, I say, hurriedly walking away, refusing to look back.
***
“East or West? Anshu”, I ask when we’re back to my room.
“What?”
“East or West ?”, I point to the directions.
Anshu blinked, “Did you hit your head somewhere when Ehm ehm happened?”
“Shut up”, I scowl, throwing a pillow on her head, “Just answer. East or West?”
“Um. East”, Anshu says, confused, “Why?”
“But I don’t want to confront him”, I cry, “Why didn’t you pick West Anshu? “, I glare at my best friend.
“Meet whom?”, Anshu frowns, “A psychiatrist?”
“Shut up”, I snap, “Last chance. North or South?”
“Sandy, are you unwell?”
“I’m picking options”, I exclaim, “You know, how they used to show index finger and middle finger in school.”
“So you thought of improvising it?”
“Yes”, I say, annoyed, “Now hurry.”
“North”, Anshu grins.
I glare at her, “You’re crap at this. Keep your suggestions to yourself. I will ask Avyukth.”
Anshu smirks at me, “Whose confrontation are you talking about?”
“Best friends shouldn’t be so annoying.”
“Admit it”, Anshu grins, “You don’t have the balls to talk to Nikhil.”
I glare at her. How dare she…
Be right?
“I’m not scared”, I blatantly lie, “I just don’t want to complicate things.”
“Uh huh.”
“Seriously”, I press, “Why would I be scared to confront him? It’s him running away.”
“He ran away? Sandy, anyone can say that if anyone is running away from the situation, it’s you, not him”, Anshu says, smug.
“He ran away in the afternoon?””, I offer meekly.
“So you decide to do the same in the evening?”, Anshu rolls her eyes, “He had a valid reason. He got a call, and he left.”
“Ugghh”, I groan, “What do I do Anshu?”, I ask, helpless, “Nikhil is confusing the heck out me.”
“There’s nothing to be confused about. You kissed. Twice”, she gives me a suggestive look.
“How did you guess we kissed?”
“A child could say. You had to see your face”, she bursts out laughing.
I glare at her, getting up to walk out of her room.
“Okay okay, I’m Sorry”, she mumbles, “I didn’t get why you ran away like that.”
“I don’t know either, man. I just didn’t know how to react.”
Anshu sighs, ” Did you enjoy ?”, she smirks.
“I’m going to strangle if you continue to talk nonsense.”
“Ooh. You did “, she grins, “On a scale of one to ten, how much did you-oof”, she rubs her face, where I smacked her with the pillow.
“What do I do, Anshu?”
“You liked it that much?”
“Anshu!, Can you concentrate?”
“Answer my question”, she shrugs.
“It was fine”, I glare at her.
“Ehem ehem.”
“Stop it”, I snap.
“Look. The solution is very simple”, Anshu declares, blowing her nails, as if she was the villain in a daily soap.
“What is the solution?”, I narrow my eyes.
“Simple. You answer my question, and there’s your solution”, she grins, clapping her hands, “So, Sandy. Do you like Nikhil?”
I freeze, “What?”
“Do you like Nikhil?”, she repeats slowly this time.
“I heard you the first time.”
“So?”
I keep mum.
Do I like Nikhil? Like that?
I haven’t even thought about him like that, till recently.
But liking him?
“Okay wait. I’ll make it easier for you”, Anshu rubs her hands, “Are you attracted to him?”
My cheeks turn a deep shade involuntarily, making the loon in front of me grin harder.
She claps her hands, “There is your answer.”
“I didn’t even say anything.”
“But I understood alright”, Anshu gives me a suggestive look, “Sandy and Nikhil, sitting on a tree K-I-S-”
“Okay shut up”, I hiss, cupping her mouth.
The red hue in my cheeks is a mere coincidence.
Oh, to heck with it.
Since when did Nikhil have me acting in such a manner?