Shobha was in her room getting ready and choosing the best Bengali saree to wear while Sharmishtha was waiting for her outside at the door of their house.

"Maa. Jaldi karo." Sharmishtha called out to her.

"Haan na Shomi." Shobha was adjusting the drapes of her saree in he room. "Kyu chinta karta hai? I'm coming."

Sharmishtha smiled shaking her head and waited at the door for her mother. Both of them were going to Mandir to seek Durga Maa's blessings for it was the best day of their daughter's life. She had her own identity today and she was standing on her feet today. Sharmishtha smiled as a few minutes later, her mother had come out.

"Come on, let's go." Shobha said to her smiling and Sharmishtha nodded her head.

Both of them locked the door of their house.

Just then, a few women entered the Baadi after their daily chores. One of the ladies spotted Sharmishtha and Shobha...

"Hey, is that the family you were telling me about today in the morning?" One of the ladies mumbled silently to her mate.

Sharmishtha frowned on hearing the voice and she turned her head turned towards the lady. And here began the daily affair. This was not new to them. Whenever they spotted them, they would start gossiping about them.

"Yes, it's them," came their voice.

Shobha twisted her lips slightly on hearing this gossip. It was a daily affair for them but as one says, no matter if a stray dog keeps barking at an elephant, it still moves on in it's own way and does whatever it wants. That's how the Bose family's attitude was towards this so called society.

"Jaise Maa ki shaadi toot gayi, waise hi beti ki shaadi toot gayi. I seriously pity the poor girl."

Shobha turned her head towards Sharmishtha.

"Shomi." Shobha said to Sharmishtha. "I am telling you. If these bad eyes ever get laid on any one of you, I won't spare any of them."

"Just leave it na Maa." Sharmishtha told her generally. "Logon ke bolne se hume koi farak nai padhta. We shouldn't be affected by these people."

"You are right. Par tu dekh lena, bohot jaldi mera Shoru inn sab ka muh band kar dega." Shobha said in determination, "Humara Shoru aaj doctor ban gaya hai. Or mai ab kisi ki bhi buri nazar nahi lagne dungi apne bachchon par. Kisi. Ki. Bhi. Nahi."

Shobha stopped, she sighed calming herself down. She knew getting angry would lead them nowhere. They'd already tolerated worse, so this was no big deal for them. They just wanted to ignore these people.

"Just leave it. Let's not talk about it and ruin our day!" She said and Sharmishtha sighed before looking at her mother.

"Hey Durga Maa." Sharmishtha prayed in her mind. "Let no bad eyes fall on my daughter, please. Aakhir itne saalo baad meri beti sambhal gayi hai. I don't want my daughter to go through all this again. I won't let anyone lay a single finger on her."

"Shomi." Shobha cleared her throat. "Let's leave for Mandir. Let's not ruin today's big day by thinking about such jobless people."

And with that, both of them left from there for the Kolkata temple to seek Durga Maa's blessings, to pray for having the best for their daughter and their family. The biggest disappointment for them was, in all these years of their life spent in the Baadi of Kolkata, they'd got to see nothing but these kinds of discrimination only and still, nothing changed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

'Dr. Sanskar Maheshwari'

Swara read again...

'CARDIOLOGIST in
Kolkata Hospital'

The young guy who helped her today in the morning and saved her from falling down the stairs was no one but the Dean's son. He was a Maheshwari! Sanskar Maheshwari!

Only Swara knew how many times she'd rechecked the ID Card still lying in her hand, and every time she felt as if her own eyes were betraying her. But unfortunately, they were not. Was 'he' Sanskar Maheshwari??!! The Dean's son?!

'So that's why he helped me. And he looked so professional.' All that Swara could wonder. But still, this was thrilling for her. Would Sanskar be knowing her? Was he the one who got her and her friend's admission done here? So many thoughts all at once came in her mind. First the image of Sanskar, then his smile, then his help.

"What happened Swara?" Anushka asked her. She looked confused on seeing her best friend's expression.

"Anushka... That..." Swara fumbled with words with the sudden realisation dawning upon her more and more. "He is the Dean's son! The one who saved me!"

"What?" Anushka was shocked. "But how did you know?"

"See this." Swara handed her the ID Card. Anushka clutched it in her hand and her eyes did not move away from the details until she made sure her eyes aren't betraying her. She looked at Swara with wide eyes.

"So he is Sanskar Maheshwari." Anushka concluded. "The Dean's son and Rajat's friend. I'd never known him but always heard about him from Rajat. But Swara, what happened to you? Do you know him?"

"No! Of course not." Swara said immediately. "I don't know him either. It's today only that I met him. But..."

"But?" Anushka asked. Swara sighed looking at her.

"Today morning, after I gave my attendance to Nurse Fernandez, I was searching for the room. I was unable to find it. So he was the one who helped me. And you know what? Unhe dekh ke koi nahi kahega ki woh itne bade doctor honge. Not after seeing his... you know... friendly attitude. I'd expected some stern kind of person but this person here is totally the opposite."

"Maybe he was like that to you." Anushka concluded. "Maybe he wanted you to talk to him comfortably. Not only for you, maybe for everyone in general. Maybe just to keep a friendly atmosphere among everyone."

"But still..." Swara didn't know what to think anymore.

Anushka cleared her throat. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"What else can I do? I need to go and give this to him. That's the least I can do for whatever he has done for me."

"Swara, I guess we can thank him later. For the being time, let's meet Rajat!" Anushka said excitedly. "He has come and he is waiting for us. And who knows, we might come to learn something more about our grateful senior!"

Swara stared at her friend before confirming their decision. "Okay." She replied and both of them sprinted off towards a direction together.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Hey... young ladies!"

A young man of nearby twenty five years got down from his bike in the driveway of the hospital and he turned his head towards the two girls standing in front of him. Giving his brightest smile, he shaked hands with Swara and she returned the smile wholeheartedly.

Yes, he was Rajat Sareen! Anushka's friend since two years and son of the Chairman of the Hospital that is Dr Surinder Sareen. (Character played by Gireesh Sahadev)

Anushka was overjoyed as she was seeing her best friend after a long time.

Rajat smiled as he greeted both of them. "So, finally you both are on it. So did you like the hospital?"

Anushka smiled broadly as Swara looked at her once. "Thank you so much Rajat! If you and your friend wouldn't have helped us, we would have never got internship in such a wonderful hospital."

"Exactly. Thank you so much Rajat." Swara smiled thanking him. "You don't know what favor you have done for us and we-"

"Hey... please!" Rajat interrupted her. "I just did what a friend does for his friend."

"Even then, thank you very much!" Swara sealed the deal ultimately.

"Okay, fine... you're always welcome. So," Rajat removed his helmet from his head and looking at either of the girls. "Now that we are out of this thank you and all, are we all ready for this new beginning? Well... excluding me of course. Because I am already an Orthopedist here."

"Of course, is that even a question?" Anushka rolled her eyes. "We are totally ready!"

Rajat nodded his head and he kept his helmet in the space inside his bike. Anushka smiled looking at Swara and the besties exchanged looks. They looked at Rajat again as they sensed he was about to say something. "One minute. Have you met him?"

Swara's smile lowered an inch down wondering, whereas Anushka shrugged her shoulders. "Ugh, well..."

"I haven't told you guys about him, right?" Rajat asked them. "At first I had thought that while introducing you to him and him to you I'll gradually tell you about him. But then... yeah, this guy is always busy!" He concluded. "Waise no problem! I'll tell you guys something about him. Anyway, I don't have any duty as of now."

Swara bit her lower lip as the trio made their way together inside the hospital. Anushka seemed more exhilarated than before after Rajat's arrival and... for Swara at least, this may mean one thing. Maybe, Anushka had a crush on Rajat.

But that wasn't Swara's main concern right now. The thought of a certain person bothered her quite a bit.

"So guys..." Rajat spoke in his flow as the girls followed him. "He has been my best buddy since childhood as we were neighbours. Though we opted for different qualifications... I mean, I wanted to be an Orthopedist and he opted for Cardiology, we have always been inseparable. Even though we are in different fields but we were in the same hospital for internship and today, we both are doctors. Even in operation theatre, we do our work together. Our team is wonderful and quite friendly and we perform most of the surgeries together."

He smiled as he took steps on the stairs and Swara and Anushka followed him.

"He is Dr Sanskar Maheshwari!"

Swara aimlessly stared at Rajat, but her anxious mind wondering about the person whose name he was mentioning so often.

"Well... Maheshwari, you know! You will find every single Maheshwari in this hospital extremely dedicated and responsible towards his duties. No matter what happens, work always comes first for them. Now about this Sanskar, well he is the son of Dr. Ramprasad Maheshwari, the Dean. And his partner Dr. Durga Prasad Maheshwari is his Bade Papa. Swara, you must have met them, right?"

"Ugh, yes I did." Swara answered him.

"Sanskar... Maheshwari. You know what, he is seriously adorable. But at the same time, very responsible too. Cardiology totally suits someone like him, you know why? Because he is someone who will always listen to his heart no matter what. Kuch bhi hua, woh sirf apne dil ki sunega. And don't miss my special emphasis on 'always'. Anyone will say that he is a complete package of perfection. That is what gives him the title of 'one of the best doctors'."

"You're also one of them, right?" Anushka teased him a little.

"Don't you even doubt that!" He warned her playfully. "Yeah so I was saying... Sanskar is very friendly. Even though he is like a senior to you guys I guarantee you he will treat you just like his friends. And Swara, trust me, you should really meet him!"

"Ugh... why do you think so?" Swara asked him nervously.

"I mean... he is as loyal and passionate towards work as much as you are. So... you know... I have a feeling tum dono ki bohot jamegi."

Swara stared at him.

"Relax, I am just telling you about him." Rajat chuckled seeing her almost-alert expression. "Well, okay guys. I think I should go for now to check my duty for the day. And Anushka, all the best for your interview! You have to give it, right?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Anushka perked up. She put her palm on Swara's shoulder. "Swara, I am still left out. So I'll just come after some time and you can go and return this ID Card to Sanskar!"

"Sure." Swara smiled nodding her head. "And all the best to you for your interview!"

"Thank you!" She left as soon as she'd given a quick hug to Swara.

"Swara," Rajat leaned near Swara staring at Anushka. "Don't you think your best friend looks more overjoyed than ever? Is it because of my arrival?" He thought.

Swara shrugged her shoulders not knowing anything. Maybe she knew, but some things were better not said that aloud. So...

"Anyways," Rajat gave them a smile. "I'll talk to you later. Best of luck for your first day!"

"Thank you." Swara thanked him.

Greeting her once again, Rajat sprinted off to a random direction and Swara turned around hitting her own forehead.

Why was her destiny again playing coincident games with her?

Taking a deep breath, she clutched the ID Card in front of her eyes and frowned on seeing the ID Card.

"Now, I have to give this ID back to him. And also... I need to thank him! But god knows where he would be right now..." she wondered for a minute. "In operation theatre? No idea. Somewhere else?! I'll have to find him... He must be-"

She was walking and mumbling to herself but she stopped as soon as her eyes lied on someone. As soon as she recognised the familiar person in front of her, her pupils contracted in alertness. He seemed to be standing at a corner and was discussing something with some doctors while checking some files in his hand again and again.

As soon as the doctor left from there, Swara took it as her chance to talk to him. He was still standing there even after shutting the file. Swara gulped once, before finally approaching towards him taking very heavy steps.

"Dr Sanskar... Maheshwari, your... ID Card! It fell when you... no!"

She was mentally practising what to say to him but maybe, she was failing miserably at it. What was she supposed to say? How could she start a conversation with him? Either away, she had to get this over with.

And she herself did not realise when she was standing with just a few steps of distance between them. He was facing his back towards her as he seemed a little engrossed in checking those medical history files in his hands. Swara made sure for once that she had to give him his ID Card today only and not some other day. How come this guy did not notice his ID card going missing which every time hanged around his neck? Weird.

Swara lifted her hand to pat his shoulder. Even her hand seemed too heavy right now to her. So she dropped the idea.

"Ahm ahm." Swara cleared her throat and blinked once before he heard her.

Maybe he did not hear her.

"Ugh... hello!" Swara attempted second time but again failed. This doctor just looked so much drowned into his work that he couldn't even hear anything.

"Uff oh Swara. Calling him that way looks so disrespectful. He is your senior." Swara lost words to call him and then when nothing seemed to work, she finally gave a quick pat on his shoulder from behind.

"Excuse me!" She finally said in a bit higher tone.

"Yes?"

And Swara sucked in a breath once again as he turned around towards her.

Swara's heart skipped a beat. Why were her reactions this weird in front of him?! She'd never been so nasty while talking with a guy but this guy seemed like a different story. If one could ever try to steal glances on him one would definitely fail. His facial features held just that kind of charm. And...

Darn it! What's with that gorgeous smile always glued on his face?!

Acknowledging that this young guy was now staring at her with confusion etched over his face, even then smiling, she took a deep breath.

"Woh... ugh... tum... aap..."

"Yes?" Sanskar Maheshwari closed the book and gave his full attention to her. "Don't hesitate please, Dr Swara!"

Wait! How come he knew her name?

Her brain failed to work and that's how she couldn't understand the fact that this person was the one who admitted her here in this hospital for internship. So it was obvious, he would know her name. He would also be knowing her background, to some extent. Maybe lot of things about her like her education and residence and all that.

Except for her life.

"You... you know my name?" She asked in disbelief.

"Of course I do. Afterall I am the one who helped you getting internship here and you don't even know me!" He said in amusement.

Swara sighed and raised the ID Card in front of him, to which Sanskar responded with confusion.

"Woh... you dropped your ID card up there on the stairs when you... when you saved me from falling down."

Sanskar looked quite taken aback. He looked at her hand only to realise that his ID Card was missing all this while. And he looked once again at Swara and then at his card in her hands.

"Really?" He frowned slightly. "I didn't even realise when it fell."

"Me neither. Actually, it was lying up there so I just..." she trailed off shrugging. "And..."

"And?"

"You are... Dr Sanskar Maheshwari right?" She asked.

"Yes, I am." He said, making Swara's conclusion come true hundred-percent.

"Rajat has told me a lot about you and your friend too." Sanskar said looking at her. "Anyways, thank you so much for this, Swara!" He smiled looking at her before taking his ID card back.

Swara smiled nervously, "You're welcome, Dr... I mean, sir... umm..."

"Please!" he interrupted immediately, "Please don't call me sir. I don't like being called sir. It makes me feel... too old, I guess?"

"Okay, so."

Argh! Why was this guy always smiling?

No matter however the situation would be... shocking, serious, happy, funny, weird, embarrassing... This guy always seemed to have a smile on his lips. His smile never seemed to leave his face. Or maybe, he was just born with smiling as his unique characteristic.

"I... umm..." Swara began as he stared at her. "I just, want to thank you. You and Rajat have helped us a lot. Actually... I didn't know you before but it's today I came to know you through Rajat."

"Don't thank me." He shaked his head. "All I did was only because I was supposed to."

"He is really sweet, but is he like this to everyone or only to me?" she wondered. After the experiences she'd dealed with in her life, it was not that easy for her to trust someone again. The mankind was too strange to be trusted.

Knowing that this was nearly the end to their conversation, Swara gave him a slight smile and after a nod, she turned around to go from there but Sanskar stopped her.

"Wait, Swara!"

Swara turned back to look at him. "I would prefer Dr Swara." She said politely.

"So, Dr Swara." Sanskar put special emphasis on what she told him to say. "Do you know that I am one of those seniors who will be coordinating with you in your last month of internship in this hospital?"

And saying that, he winked looking at her. And for sure Swara looked a little thrilled.

"That's good." She commented.

Maybe?

"And that also means that you have to see this absolutely gorgeous face every new day throughout your internship in this hospital!"

Wait, what the heck?!

Was she hearing it right?

"What?" Swara asked in disbelief.

"Yeah..." Sanskar shrugged. "Ever since we've met I noticed you haven't been able to steal your gazes away from me. Not that I'm complaining, I like that, but..."

"One minute!" Swara interrupted slightly annoyed by what he just said. "Stop assuming things. I'm not that type of person."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"You were not staring at me, and I'm a unicorn," He smiled.

Was this guy even for real?

Yeah, she did stare at him, but she couldn't believe he saw that. The realisation alone made her cringe.

"Well let's come to the main topic." Sanskar folded his arms totally ignoring Swara's glares at him. "Technically, you are my junior and I am your senior. We will be professional with each other during our duties and outside, we are just going to be colleagues and... friends!"

"One minute! From when did we become friends?" Swara was surrounded by disbeliefs.

"Let's see it this way!" He answered her. "I talked with you... you talked with me!" He formulated his theory. Swara huffed shaking her head. "What else do we want? You even know me now and so do I. We count as friends now." Sanskar told her.

Swara narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't think so."

"Don't worry, you will start thinking soon!" He assured her.

Swara gave him a glare and pressed her lips into a thin line. She couldn't help but think back about all the things Rajat told her about him. If this was his definition of 'adorable' and 'loyal', Swara didn't understand what was crazier than this.

Sanskar waited for Swara's answer with a playful smirk on his face.

"Any answer?"

"Listen," Swara sighed as she had nothing to say further. "I don't have time to talk. I have to go."

"Arey rukho toh!" Sanskar stopped her immediately. "So, for what do you have time? Talking with your family?" He teased her a little. "Because as far as I know, no interns have any duty today. They are given off today because of all... you know... registration and everything going on!"

"Then in that case, I'm also going." Swara told him. "One more thing... thank you once again for all that you've done, but it doesn't mean I'll tolerate your obnoxiousness."

Obnoxious... yes he was being. Maybe a little bit. Sanskar frowned as Swara turned on her heels and walked away from there. He kept on looking at this girl who not only had looks but also a brainy attitude. Definitely, he had been keeping a glance at her ever since she had entered this hospital... almost all the time. And seeing her, his assumptions regarding her no nonsense attitude didn't go wrong.

Alright, one could call him a stalker because that's how he'd been like since morning and he himself accepted that. She looked quite something to him right at the first sight of hers and he couldn't help but yearn to get more of this new girl.

This girl was going to be a tough nut to deal with!

But coming to him, well. Sanskar Maheshwari liked dealing with challenges. And here was one that he had got...

Getting more of Dr Swara Bose!

"She seems amazing!" Sanskar commented folding his arms and looking at Swara's departing figure.

"Sanskar Maheshwari, for sure this girl is going to give you lots of surprises throughout this ride. So now, it's your job to take her under your wing and I'm sure, you will be able to do this!"

And he smiled to himself still looking at Swara, tilting his head slightly to his right.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Precap : "Get out of my class Swara." said Sanskar in a no nonsense tone and Swara's face turned pale as she was frozen in her own composture.

So guys... here you go! Express your views on this chapter. Would be glad to hear them.