Ishika Malhotra

BANG!

"Fuck!" A familiar growl emerged from the figure; I had struck on the head with the lamp shade. "Eeek!" I jumped away from him. "Boss!" The nurses trembled, dropping the objects they held and instantly bowing down.

Oh god, he was here! A sudden urge in me wanted to just hug him so tight and let him know, I was glad he was alright.

"Argh! Can't you sense me?" He yelled; eyes shut rubbing his forehead. Exactly where I hit him. I bet if it was anyone else, they would have been splayed on the floor now by the force I struck them

"I thought..." I honestly didn't think he'll appear here, just like that. Especially not from the back of the play area. I couldn't sense his presence since I was already covered in it. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

He looked at me like I had asked him the most atrocious thing. "Are you okay?" He looked down at me. "Did hitesh bring you here?" I simply nodded.

One of the nurses brought him an ice pack and, in an instant, disappeared from our sight.

Finally, my heartbeat calmed, glad it wasn't a foe or anything of that kind. It was only him. I studied his appearance, his hair was a complete mess, there were stains of dirt on his cheek. His once crisp white shirt, was now spattered with blood and mud. He looked like a mess.

His arm had a gash on it. It was a fresh wound, that needed medical help, or once he headed by himself, the scar would be very visible. I looked up to his eyes.

 "Are you done here?" He looked around the ward of little kids fast asleep. "Let's get you back. Your dad just took your mother home."

A sense of relief washed over me to know that my dad had got home safely.

Abhimanyu stood there impatiently. “Ishika, let’s go. I gotta drop you off and head to the mansion.”

"Before that... sit down." I gestured him to sit on a vacant bed. Wait! Did he call me Ishika? Ugh, you stupid butterflies. "I need to suture his wound, please hand me the supplies." The nurse hurried. I pulled my hair up and tied it into a messy bun.

I turned to him to see him looking at me, but there wasn't any tension. Without protesting he walked to the bed and sat down. "I'll have to clean this up, stay still." I warned him. There was slight amusement in his eyes as he watched my every move. Moreover, he looked tired as hell.

I carefully held his injured hand; the sparks just flew. Taking a deep breath, I focused on what had to be done, ignoring his stare.

"Are you mad at me?" He asked staring right at my face. I was thankfully had my focus on his arm. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion still not looking at him. "About what I did at the mansion. It was my first instinct to know you'll be safe, when I left. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..." Why was he apologizing? Did he not do this intentionally? He didn’t want everyone to know?

How did I feel about his actions? I hadn't had the time to think about it. Maybe he shouldn't have done that. He could have just left without even sparing me a glance. "I don't know what you're thinking but I wouldn't change what happened." He mentioned without remorse.

"Y-you shouldn't have done that. Not when you have a girlfriend." I shook my head. He sighed before resting his head on the headboard. Who knew what was to come after his act last night. Oh god!

By the time I fixed his wound, a yawn left my mouth before I could even stop it. Can you blame me? I was exhausted. "We need to get you home."

His eyes softened.

I only nodded, not willing to have a courteous conversation with him. As I remember the last time I did at the office, I was so close to being putty in his hands.

He carefully watched my every move, never flinching in pain. "Abhi, everyone's at the office. They're waiting for... Oh! Hello Ishika." Aditya said bowing down at me. I was stunned by his behaviour; my jaw just fell. Aditya looked up with the most priceless smile.

"Um... hello." I nodded at him, quickly finishing up dressing Abhimanyu's gash.

"Done?" He asked. "Yeah." I looked around to see if the kids were up. Luckily, they were all fast asleep. Or maybe pretending to sleep because he was here. "Let's go then." He motioned me to lead the way.

On our way, he checked up on the injured warriors. They looked at us together with the biggest and brightest smiles. He had small talks with them and then exited the hospital. "Aditya, drive back to the office. I'll drop Ishika home and join you there." He simply nodded and grinned at me before leaving.

"I don't think you should be driving with that arm." He glanced at his arm, "so you care?" He smirked. "I'm just saying." I crossed my arms. "I'll be fine, hop in." He opened the passenger seat door. After I settled in, he walked to the driver's side.

He came looking for me as soon as the attacks were over. He does care for me. My heart skipped a beat at the thought.

"He'd probably go after Sarah if she was here." Said a part of my mind. "But he said he's leaving her, after she's back." Said another. "I wouldn't believe it unless he actually does it. The bitch wouldn't back down that easily." I am crazy for arguing with myself.

I sighed, laying back in the seat, looking out the window. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed he drove with his uninjured arm.

The car finally pulled up in front of my house, and I wasn't surprised to see both my parents waiting for me on the porch.

Unbuckling my seatbelt, I opened the door.

"Thank you." I glanced at him, before stepping down. "Anytime Ishika." I heard him whisper, I didn't want to see his expression. So l quietly shut the door and walked into my front porch. Hearing his car, drive away I let out my breath.

"so, you and Abhimanyu?" My mum sobbed. I hugged her and looked at dad for an explanation. He nodded, which meant he told her everything.

"Oh, god Ishika, you had to endure all that?" She held my cheek. "Alone?"

"Mum it's okay. I'm fine. Let's get inside now."

It was almost 8am, when I woke up from a tiresome nap. After my parents had brought me inside, mama wanted me to explain everything but dad held her back and wanted me to rest for a while. Which I was glad he did.

Only my heels were off, laying on the ground. I fell asleep wrapped up in his blazer. Taking it off, I sniffed it one more time before placing it on the hanger.

I brushed my teeth and soaked myself in a warm soothing bath before heading downstairs for breakfast

The house seemed too quiet. Dad sat at the head of the table with a mug of coffee, while mum was busy making breakfast. She noticed my presence and turned off the stove immediately. Bringing a plate of scrambled eggs and toast, she placed them on the table. Waiting for me to sit down. I quickly fetched my mug and poured in some coffee. Definitely needing all the energy for the questions my parents were going to shoot my way.

"if he wants to be with my daughter why the hell did he keep his girlfriend around?." My mother huffed in anger.

"I mean, look at her. She doesn't eat properly, always so carried away in her own thoughts. Now I know what it's all about." She looked at me with frustration.

"Why did the god have to..." Just like that the anger, then frustration turned into tears. Mum began to cry.

Dad hugged her as she began to sob quietly.

"So, he dropped you off this morning?" Dad inquired after mum had calmed down.

"Yes, he came to the hospital and offered to bring me home."

"What do you think that means Ishika?" He asked me.

"I don't know dad. I don't know what to think of it, in fact I don't want to think anything of it." I shook my head. Why would I be pondering over a small favour?

"Mum, dad... listen! “I looked up at them. "I know you guys are worried about me, but I'm all grown up now, and I wanna handle this by myself." I saw my dad was about to protest, "this isn't only that Abhimanyu doesn't want me, but after seeing them together, I don't want him either."