Page 54

“Who calls the doctor for such a small thing?”

Stopping her work, Jhankar answers Vikrant and immediately sneezes three to four times in a row, causing Vikrant to look at her and comment,

"Why? When you go on a long drive, do you call the doctor to accompany you?”

“What… I’m very surprised to think that you also say such one-liners; your face and your one-liners don’t suit each other… Stop, please…”

Vikrant resumes his work and waits for the doctor, but Jhankar, feeling increasingly unwell, closes her file and says as she lies on the bed,

“If your doctor comes and disturbs me, I will snatch his injection and inject it into him instead. So tell your doctor there’s no need to come here; I’m sleeping.”

“Maa is also very worried about you; she wanted to meet you, but I refused because you’re sneezing a lot. Your germs could attack her too… And today you sleep on the bed.”

Hearing this, Jhankar, who was preparing to sleep, looks at him and mutters softly,

“If germs can attack so fiercely, then this man won’t sleep in the room today—he’ll run away from this room.”

Jhankar ignores him completely and goes to sleep with a blanket over her head on the bed because she is in dire need of comfort. Vikrant begins observing her intently when his phone vibrates. A slight smile appears on his face as he takes out his phone and quickly checks WhatsApp. His men had gouged out the eyes of all the men who had made Jhankar uncomfortable while she stood in the rain and sent him their photo. Looking at it, he says softly,

“Good job…”

Jhankar is asleep, and Vikrant, after completing his work, walks toward the bed and looks at her sleeping peacefully. He touches her forehead very gently to check for fever but doesn’t feel any. That's why he quietly lies down under the duvet, his eyes fixed solely on Jhankar. Then Sharda calls. While lying down on the sofa, he picks up the call and looks at Jhankar.

“Yes, Maa…”

“I was worried about Jhankar’s health. Is she okay? Does she have a fever? I don’t know how long the poor girl stayed drenched in the rain.”

“No, she doesn’t have a fever. I called the doctor, but she’s asleep, and I don’t want to disturb her.”

Jhankar is getting disturbed in her sleep by the sounds around her. She keeps tossing and turning, and Vikrant continues watching her. Sharda says,

“Well, that’s good. At least she doesn’t have a fever. If she’s resting, even better. You take care of yourself too. If you start having problems—germs, a cold, or anything—you’ll start troubling her all night. You should move to another room and ensure she sleeps comfortably. Okay, I’m hanging up now; you rest.”

“Hmmm…”

Vikrant immediately turns his attention to Jhankar, who is shivering due to the cold. Previously, in such situations, he didn’t let anyone come near her. If an employee gets a cold, he doesn’t allow them in the office for 7 days. He even forbids household workers from touching anything for a period of 15 days. However, despite being aware of all this, he quietly lies down on his bed and checks on her again. He doesn’t feel like getting up. Suddenly, Jhankar turns, and her hand lands on his lips. He instantly lies straight. Her hand still rests on his lips as she continues sleeping. He feels her fingers on his lips as if they were touching them gently. He does not remove her hand and tries to sleep with his eyes closed. However, Jhankar’s hand on his lips stirs a strange feeling within him, preventing him from closing his eyes and causing him to remain focused on her. Slowly, sleep begins to embrace him. Not wanting her hand to leave his lips, he gently holds it before falling asleep and moving to the sofa.

Vikrant suddenly wakes up in the middle of the night and notices Jhankar is feeling extremely cold. He quickly comes close to her, but mistaking him for her mother, she clings to him in her sleep. Vikrant looks at her carefully and touches her forehead.She doesn’t have a high fever, but her body is shivering. He had already turned off the AC, but she still felt cold. So he gently pulls her closer to him. In her sleep, she touches his chest. Unknowingly, he puts his hand under her head, bringing her even closer. Jhankar tries to gain warmth by gently rubbing her face on his chest. He wraps her snugly in the duvet and holds her close. She finally begins to feel warm and drifts into a deeper sleep. Vikrant smiles slightly as he watches her and closes his eyes.

In the morning, Jhankar wakes up with a heavy head. Her nose is completely blocked, and her head aches terribly. She opens her eyes with difficulty and moves her hands to rub them—only to find she is holding someone. She opens her eyes fully and sees Vikrant's chest. Very slowly, she lifts her head and looks at his sleeping face. She shuts her eyes tightly and whispers,

"I must’ve felt cold at night and clung to him. Now he’s sleeping while holding me… What must he think of me… And when he came here—maybe last night—I was so unwell I didn’t know anything… Maybe he’s unaware… Go away, Jhankar, quietly.”

Jhankar carefully starts to move away from him. Vikrant stirs but does not open his eyes, allowing her to continue. She gently moves his wrist and shifts away, keeping her eyes on him. As soon as she’s free, she sighs in relief.

“Thank God he’s sleeping; otherwise, he might’ve thought I tried to take advantage of him while he was asleep.”

Jhankar immediately leaves, holding her head. As soon as Vikrant realizes she’s gone, he pulls the duvet over his head and bursts into laughter. Meanwhile, Jhankar, with severe pain in her head, goes to the bathroom. As she brushes her teeth, she holds her head.

“I’ll shampoo properly once. Definitely, I’ll feel better. I have to go to the office; I can’t take leave right now.”

After finishing everything, she stands under the shower. The water isn’t too cold, which brings her relief. Shampooing while lightly massaging her head makes her feel even better. She enjoys a moment of relaxation, opens her eyes, and gently brushes her hair back. After bathing, she ties her hair in a towel and begins searching for clothes. However, she had forgotten to bring any due to her headache.

“Shit… Where’s his bathrobe?”

She looks for Vikrant’s bathrobe but can’t find it.

“He’s been using the other bathroom lately; that’s why his bathrobe isn’t here… What should I do now? I guess I’ll wrap myself in a towel and go out, he’s sleeping anyway….. Nooo…”