"I cannot stay here because my parents don't know about this. I will have to leave the city," remarked Neysa, making the wave of guilt more turbulent in Adhrit's mind and Shipra huff in annoyance at her decision.
"Do you have any plan on your mind?" asked Adhrit, thinking of various guest houses he owned some privately and some through his company.
"Actually yes. I was thinking about Shillong. It is such a beautiful place with serenity all around. Also, the hospital I work for, Shishu Swastha Healthcare, has recently opened a branch in Shillong and they have offered me the position of Chief Medical Officer in their Shillong branch. I would not have to go job-hunting too and they would also provide accommodation," she answered, smiling slightly at Shipra's concern for her.
"You would not need to reside in their accommodation, Nisha. I have a guesthouse with a fulltime help in Shillong. You can stay there," he offered immediately.
"Shillong? That's a bit of an odd choice for investing in properties," mused Shipra, knowing that he did not have a branch of his company in Shillong.
"Actually, I love hills and wanted it to be our holiday home but..." Adhrit could not bring himself to continue as memories of Mohini refusing to stay in a place with low connectivity caused his plan to make it their holiday home break apart.
"Things didn't work out," he added finally with a sigh.
"If it would not be a trouble, then I will stay there," said Neysa, her self-respect stopping her from accepting help if it meant trouble to someone.
"Don't be ridiculous, Nisha! There is no trouble in this, in fact, it will reduce my trouble. I would not feel worried about your wellbeing if you stay there and I can visit you easily since it is well-connected by all means of transport. And transportation to your hospital would also be taken care of," he said with a finality in his tone.
Shipra's irritation and annoyance seemed to reduce everytime Adhrit expressed his concern for her best friend. She only wanted the best for them, so what if the means were 'wrong'?
"You would visit me?" asked Neysa with a smile on her lips.
"Obviously. I will try to visit you as many times as I can. And don't ever hesitate to ask me anything you need," said Adhrit, sincerity and concern lining his husky voice.
Neysa smiled, letting his concern for her overwhelm her and make butterflies flutter in her stomach as if she was transported to the times where they were still in their secondary high school.
--FLASHBACK---
The eleventh grade Neysa stared at the books in front of her with annoyance etched into her features when she was supposed to be solving a problem given by the Chemistry faculty.
She was going to lose the unsaid competition between her, and the boy seated beside her- Adhrit Solanki. They always raced to shout the answer first to the faculty whenever a question on physical chemistry was asked and the accompanying adrenaline rush had paved the way for fluttering of heart to Neysa.
The reason for her defeat was not her inability to answer the question but the fact that her benchmate Sunita, who despite possessing a scientific calculator, had taken her one because it was a better model, leaving her to calculate the answer manually while the entire class enjoyed the privilege to use a calculator. She felt like snatching her calculator from Sunita's hands when she was pressing the buttons with a snail's pace, but the manners instilled in her prevented her from doing so.
She turned her head to look at her competitor to see how he was going with his calculations when he turned to face her due to her strong gaze. His eyes traveled to her bare hands which always used to operate at breck-neck speed whenever a question was given.
He looked at her face which had slight frustration on it and the way she still flashed a slight smile at him and moved his sight to his calculator as he forwarded it to her.
"But you? What will you do?" questioned Neysa, looking at him with pleasant surprise replacing her initial frustration.
"I will watch. I did half the sum, you complete it. Quick! We need to have our track record of giving answers first clean!" he exclaimed as she nodded with a smile and punched the required buttons.
She pushed the calculator towards him to show the answer as he nodded at her with a smirk and they turned to the faculty to announce the answer.
"56.45%, Sir!" they said in unison.
"That's correct," said the faculty, impressed with them.
Neysa turned to Adhrit as she forwarded his calculator towards him.
"Thank you, Adhrit," she thanked with a smile playing on her lips and warmth seeping through every cell of her body.
"It had to be a fair game and you are a friend so don't ever hesitate to ask me anything you need," he said with a smile and sincerity that made her attraction towards him deepen to lead into a love which wouldn't fade through years.
--FLASHBACK ENDS--
"So, when are you going to leave? I will accompany you for the first time to help you settle down there," he offered, breaking Neysa's reverie.
"My joining date is on 28th of May so I was thinking to reach there by 26th to settle down and look around a bit," answered Neysa, with a tinge pink adorning her cheeks.
"Let's get packing then. After all, there isn't a lot of time left," noted Shipra, standing up knowing that Neysa was facing a rush of memories and it might get awkward for both of them.
Adhrit and Neysa nodded and Neysa guided them through her room only to be stopped by Adhrit's sharp gasp. Looking towards the source of surprise, Neysa found herself looking at Adhrit and her photo on the wall opposite to her bed.
"This?" said Adhrit involuntarily, realizing it to be a very old photo.
"They say it has a positive effect to see the face of the person whom you love first thing in the morning hence this," answered Neysa, smiling at the photo and the memories associated with it.
Myriads of emotions rushed through him as her unconditional love for him managed to make his heart surge and an overwhelming urge to take her in his arms took over him, but his guilt caused a splitting headache to develop faster than he could blink.
Source of guilt for one and happiness for another, where will their pregnancy lead them to?