One Day At A Time

Chapter 40 - Once Again..

"Mandy is one crazy girl, Arnav. And I thought there would be no one to beat Anjali in this world!" Khushi shook her head, and a huge grin split her face. "And then there is Sam, Anvita and Palash. They all are connected to the field of medicine in some way or the other."

What was meant to be a quick pit stop at the petrol station turned out to be a long one as they engaged in a lighthearted conversation, trying to skim through every event and detail worth mentioning in the last four years of their lives. Standing near the bike, Khushi talked about Mandira fondly, how she had been the log of wood which had kept her adrift while she learnt to swim in unknown waters.

Arnav smiled as he paid the attendant and walked the bike towards one side of the empty station.

"She always complains of not having had an opportunity to attend a proper Indian wedding in years." She continued in the same cheerful tone and missed the way he was looking at her. "I was hoping to bring her along, but her work commitments foiled the plan."

Finally, when she glanced at him, she saw something flash across his eyes despite the sun behind him. He pulled out his sunglasses from his pocket and took his time to clean them with the microfibre cloth from the case.

"Palash— is he a doctor?" He asked in a gruff tone and paused to watch her before pulling the sunglasses over his eyes.

"Doctor?" She looked at him in puzzled confusion. "No. He is a part of the senior research team of a big research lab in—"

"Sam then?"

Her brows knotted up as she studied him. There was a kernel of something in his voice, but she wasn't sure what to make of it. "No. Sam is into medicine sales." She paused. "Why?"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to —" He smiled. "—I assumed because you said they were associated to the medical —"

The frown left her face, and a smile bloomed. "Nah. They are, but not in a direct way. The only doctor in the group is Mir. He is a cardiac surgeon."

"Mir."

"Yes." Her smiled deepened, and she saw him look at her. "He's a gem of a guy, Arnav. Vivacious, full of life. A big movie buff, especially Bollywood! We have watched quite a lot of movies together because no one else wanted to watch a desi film!" She said fondly, the smile reaching the very depth of her eyes. "It's kind of weird that the first time I met him, he was so quiet and ...so boring, I thought he would bore for America!"

"How did you meet him?"

"He is a cousin of Palash. We met him at Palash's brother's wedding," She said as her eyes flickered over his face. "And you know the funny bit? I heard his voice before I got to meet him." She chuckled. "He was singing a Kishore Kumar song for Sangeet, and I was enthralled. He's got a beautiful voice."

Switching the ignition on, Arnav kick-started the bike. His face closed, eyes shuttered."Let's get moving." His mouth flashed a smile. "Let's talk on the way. Is that okay?"

She was watching him, taking in all the expressions flitting across his face like clouds passing over the clear blue sky. Finally, nodding blankly, she sat behind him on the bike, wondering what the hurry was all about. They rode in silence for long minutes, the brooding energy emanating from him, seemingly making the air around them grow thicker.

"Does Imran work with you?" She tried to kick up a conversation hoping he snapped out of the weird mood he had suddenly slipped into.

"No. He works for another bank. For the Treasury."

"Treasury?"

Arnav huffed out a soft laugh. "No, he doesn't sit and guard wads of cash or jewellery." He paused. "Will explain all this boring bank jargon in detail to you someday."