𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐡𝐢'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕

It was a bright, warm morning. Stretching my arms, I blindly searched for my phone, which was ringing non-stop. Groggily, I answered,

"Kya hai??"

"Uth ja meri maa, aaj bhi soti rahegi kya!"

I frowned, still half-asleep.

"Aaj aisa kya hai??"

"You can't be serious, Aarohi!!" Armaan practically shouted through the phone.

It took me a second or two to process what he meant. I glanced at the calendar on my bedside table.

23rd.

My eyes widened.

Today, Ruchi's family was coming over to finalize the engagement date. Of course! He was getting married.

I quickly sat up and cleared my throat.

"Arre bhai, mazak kar rahi hoon! Obviously yaad hai aaj kya hai. And by the way, doesn't the groom have anything better to do than wake up his best friend this early?" I said, trying to cover up.

He chuckled on the other end and replied,

"Ek hi toh family hai meri tu. Tujhe kaise bhool jaun? Now quickly get ready and come to the hospital-we have our round duty today."

And just like that, he ended the call.

I felt a sudden wave of emotion wash over me. We've known each other for almost twenty years now-always together, through thick and thin.

Armaan and I met when we were just four years old. His parents passed away when he was six, and my parents brought him into our home. He stayed with us for fifteen years. We're practically siblings.

He moved out four years ago. My parents tried convincing him to stay, but he insisted on living independently and building a life of his own.

As I walked through the corridor, I passed by his old room.

God, I miss him.

Downstairs, I saw Mumma doing her morning puja, while Papa was busy making breakfast. I quickly climbed onto the chair across the breakfast counter and reached out for a sandwich-only to have my hand lightly slapped away.

"Arey, Papa..." I whined.

He narrowed his eyes playfully and said,

"Go take a bath first! We have to do aarti together, remember?"

And just then, it hit me-it's Sunday.

Of course, we had to do aarti together. All three of us have hectic schedules. Mumma is the HOD of her department, Papa runs his silk factories, and I practically live at the hospital. Sunday mornings are our sacred family time-our little ritual to stay connected. And yes, being a typical Brahmin family with deep-rooted values, we don't eat before the puja. I actually love that about us.

Sighing, I got up from the chair and made my way to my room. On the way, I noticed that my younger sister's room door was open.

Wasn't she out last night?

Curious, I peeked in. The room was neat and everything was in its place-suspiciously clean. Then I heard the sound of running water coming from her washroom.

Guess she's back.

Knowing she'd be joining us for the aarti made me smile. I hurried into my room, grabbed my clothes from the cupboard, and headed for a shower.

»--•--«

HER OUTFIT



Descending the stairs, I noticed everyone was already gathered. I picked up my pace and quietly slid beside my sister, Aanchal. She gave me a cheeky wink, and I couldn't help but smile.

Mom began the aarti, and we all joined in, our voices blending in devotion. As the hymn flowed through the room, I slowly opened my eyes, just for a moment, and looked around.

Everyone looked so happy. So peaceful.

This-this is what I've always wanted.

To be together.

To have these simple moments filled with love, warmth, and togetherness.

To see their smiles and know they're truly happy.

That's all I've ever wished for.

Sunday was, without a doubt, my favorite day of the week.

With that thought warming my heart, I closed my eyes again, a soft smile tugging at my lips.

»--•--«

I was riding my scooty on my way to the hospital when I noticed a crowd gathered at the corner of the street. Curiosity mixed with concern as I quickly parked my scooty and made my way through the group.

And then I froze.

An old man lay on the ground, bleeding. His head was severely injured, blood pooling beneath him. Without thinking twice, I rushed to him. Removing my stole, I pressed it gently against his wound to slow the bleeding. I checked his pulse-he was breathing, but barely.

With trembling fingers, I pulled out my phone and dialed Armaan.

No answer.

Damn it, Armaan!

The one time I really needed him, he was nowhere to be found. I tried calling the hospital too. No response.

I glanced down at the man in my lap, his blood staining my clothes, his condition worsening with every second. My hands were shaking as I tried again-called, texted, everything I could think of-panic rising like a tide inside me.

And then a loud voice snapped me out of it.

"What the heck do you think you all are doing?!"

A man barked, stepping into the circle.

"What?!" I looked up, confused and irritated.

"Step away from the man, young lady," he said firmly.

"I won't," I replied, equally firm. "Can't you see his condition?"

"That's for me to handle. Not you."

"It is for me to handle in every possible way," I shot back.

"And how's that?" he asked, folding his arms.

"Because I'm a doctor, and I know exactly what I'm doing. So back off, mister," I said loudly, making sure everyone around heard me loud and clear.

He opened his mouth, probably to argue again, but then his phone rang. His expression shifted-subtle but noticeable, though it was hard to read behind those dark sunglasses.

"Yes, sir. Okay, sir," he said on the call.

It must've been someone superior-maybe his boss. He ended the call and slid his phone back into his pocket without another word.

Before I could say anything, a loud siren pierced through the tension.

The ambulance. Finally.

I turned to see Armaan jumping out. His eyes immediately found me.

"Hey, you okay?! I saw your texts and got here as fast as I could," he said, clearly worried.

"I'm fine. But he needs treatment ASAP," I said, gesturing toward the injured man.

Armaan nodded and quickly assessed the situation as the nurses and ward boys rushed in with a stretcher. Once the man was safely loaded, Armaan looked at me and said, "Come with us."

"My scooty is parked-"

"I'll ask someone to bring it to the hospital," he interrupted gently.

I didn't argue.

I just followed him.

╰► Time skip



𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕

Aarohi stood in the washroom, quietly scrubbing the bloodstains from her arms. The crimson smudges on her clothes were nothing new-just another day in a doctor's life. She had become used to this, to the chaos, to the urgency that came with her profession. It didn't faze her anymore.

But what did bother her... was that man.

How could someone be so heartless? So cruel? He hadn't even spared a glance at the old man bleeding out on the ground. His coldness gnawed at her thoughts as she rinsed the last traces of blood from her hands.

Shaking the thought away, Aarohi opened the small cupboard in her office and pulled out the spare clothes she always kept there-just in case. Once changed, she stood before the mirror and took a deep breath. Her reflection stared back at her-calm, collected, determined.

She slipped into her white coat, draped her stethoscope around her neck, and straightened her posture.

The doctor was ready to return.

With a steady breath and a storm brewing quietly beneath her composed exterior, she walked out of the room.

Her outfit.



"Hey Aarohi !" said Nyra.

" Hey Nyra, how are you???" She said,

" Do you know about a new patient, an old man mid fifties, having a head injury admitted a while ago," she asked.

After thinking fot a while, Nyra said "Yes yes , he's in OT he had to get some stitches. He'll be fine. What's wrong, you look irritated."

"Nothing, it's just I met this patient on the road, and there was this man who was arguing about I don't know what not. He literally didn't want me to take the old man. Dude, seriously, such people exist. I just think if he's like that, then how will his boss be. Huhh !!!" said Aarohi.

"Oooh...girl, I'm wanna know more about this man who got you so high." Nyra said, laughing.

"Trust me, you are better off if you haven't met such people," said Aarohi.

Both of them walked down the corridors moving to the OPD(outdoor patients department), they checked up on all the patients. While coming out the OPD they both were talking to each other and as Aarohi walked down the corridor, the familiar scent of antiseptic filled her nostrils, mingling with the tension that always lingered in the hospital corridors. Her steps faltered as she caught a glimpse of someone in the distance, a figure she never thought she would encounter again. It was him-the person from her past who had haunted her for years, whose mere presence sent shivers down her spine.

Her heart clenched with panic, and for a moment, she felt as though she were transported back in time, reliving the nightmare she thought she had escaped. Every instinct screamed at her to turn and flee, to run as far away as possible from the source of her torment. But her feet remained rooted to the ground, as if held in place by an invisible force.

»--•--«

A figure from her past-one she had buried deep, locked away in the dark corners of her memory. Her breath hitched. Her heart clenched.

He was here.

Her entire body froze. In that moment, it felt like time had rewound, dragging her back to a version of herself she'd fought to leave behind. Panic surged. Her vision blurred. Every cell screamed run, but she couldn't move. Her feet felt like they were cemented to the ground.

He passed by, unaware of her presence. His eyes were focused somewhere ahead, but just for a heartbeat, their eyes met.

She watched in silent dread as he passed by, oblivious to her presence, his gaze fixed on something in the distance. His face was a blur of memories and emotions-fear, anger, and a deep-seated desire to forget. Aarohi's breath caught in her throat as their eyes briefly met, and in that fleeting moment, she saw the reflection of her own anguish mirrored in his gaze.

Though he didn't see her, the mere sight of him sent her spiraling into a whirlwind of emotions-fear, regret, and a haunting sense of déjà vu. As he disappeared around the corner, Aarohi was left standing alone in the empty corridor, her mind reeling with memories she had long tried to bury.

And in that fleeting glance, her buried pain rose like a tidal wave. The fear. The anger. The helplessness. All of it crashed over her.

As he turned the corner and disappeared, Aarohi stood alone in the empty corridor, trembling and breathless, haunted by shadows she thought were long gone.

---



AAROHI

No... no... this can't be happening. He can't be here. No... please, God... no.

My hands were trembling. I couldn't hear Nyra. Her voice was just... noise. My vision blurred. My limbs refused to move.

I saw him. I saw his glimpse. He shouldn't be here. He can't be here. I can't face him again. I won't.

Without a word, I turned away and walked-no, ran.

I had to get away. Away from him. Away from everything.

What if he's here to...

No. I wouldn't let him.

I needed to leave. Now.

Nyra was calling after me, but I couldn't hear a thing. I was running blindly, heart pounding, glancing back over my shoulder again and again, desperate to escape.

And then-

I crashed into someone.

The impact knocked the breath out of me. I lost my balance, my body tilting forward toward the ground.

I shut my eyes, bracing for the fall. But it never came.

Strong, warm arms caught me-one around my waist, the other cradling the back of my neck.

I gasped, frozen. Slowly, I opened my teary eyes...

━─┉┈◈❖◈┈┉─━

𝙎𝙤 𝙜𝙪𝙮𝙨, 𝙝𝙤𝙬'𝙨 𝙞𝙩 ????

𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮. 𝙄 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩. 🤞🏻

𝘿𝙤 𝙫𝙤𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩.

𝙄'𝙡𝙡 𝙪𝙥𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙬.

𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙡 🩷