Chapter 3|Encounter with the arrogant prince

The brightness of the sun scurried away the pursed gloominess reviving the very source of life, chirping of birds filled the quitetude atmosphere with their melodious symphony as their melliferous tweeting quivered the cords of the couple that was sleeping on the floor, aging lines more prominent in distress..

'Sunita, when will my angel return back in her abode? My heart is feeling restless these days..!', the stressed croaky voice of Vijay reached his wife's ears who was busy making tea on a small gas stove. 'Uff..!! Why're you stressing so much on calling her home since last night? She has her exams till weekend! She can't come...and have you anticipated her reaction when she'll see us in this crumbling state?'

Sunita's anxiousness led to a fright seeing her husband's body turning pale. She ran to her husband who keeled over in her arms. A thunder struck her senses as she stared at the lifeless body of her husband, his eyes open staring at the vast sky as he laid still, lifeless..

Her mind went numb, motionless as they were girdling up to embrace herself for the darkest hour of her life. No tears, no wailing nothing, she seemed frozen like a statue. After being a stockstill, devastated and broken, the woman let out a heart wrenching scream. She wailed, cried, sobbed till she passed out burning in agonizing sorrow.

...

There was usual rush in the hospital premises with the influx of patients and staffs. Saanvi was checking on the pulse of some patients, injecting saline to few of them. 'Ms. Saanvi, can you check on the patient in the room 213. I'm heading home now', Dr. Satvik asked his new assisstant Saanvi that joined this evening.

'Sure Doctor!', she tucked her hands in her white coat, her identity card proudly displaying her hard work and intelligence as she entered inside the elevator punching 11th floor on the red gleaming button. The elevator doors separated with a ding, her shoes slapping against the cold tile as she walked in the hushed alley with only few people visible in the entire vacant area.

She paused looking at the door, a little fear and nervousness groped her mind and shackled her feet. She couldn't fathom her own state of mind, this is not the first patient you're ever seeing but the kind of strong aura that surrounded even the outside of the room made her shoulders tense in uneasiness.

'Hello sir', she demurely greeted, a thin veneer of politeness in her soft angelic voice on spotting the man's skull wrapped, face concealed in layers of dressing, the same man that she encountered this evening where he was being shifted from the ER to a ward. He was acutely knackered in some accident.

The man didn't reply, neither moved a muscle. He laid on the comfy bed with his eyes closed. Maybe he's still under the effect of anasthesia. She inched closer, drawing his wrist in her hold to check his pulse. It felt lower than the normal pulse rate. She untangled the stethoscope, plugged in the tip in her ears as she brought the curved circular diaphragm near his chest holding the stem.

She was busy examining the frequency of his heart, ignorant of the piercing gaze stuck on her hair. Her face was screened completely with her raven hair, his scrutinizing stare examining the microscopic details of? Of the color and texture of her lustrous wavy hair. She flipped the troubling tendrils back giving him a clear view of the side of her face.

Her eyes widened as she straightened her arched back, suddenly and unexpectedly meeting with his intense magnetic orbs. She was held frozen by his penetrative hazel colliding with her brown, brewing up the intoxicating coffee..

'Ahm..you're awake', she averted her eyes, a tint of rosiness spanning across her cheeks as her skin turned crimson and flushed under his profound gaze. She couldn't see his fizzog yet the cogent aura she felt rose the very fine hairs on the back of her neck. 'Are you done?', his cold voice startled her softness.

'Excuse me..?', her glowing face altered into a frown. She stood up from her seat, 'I hope sir you don't mind a healthcare staff taking notes on your condition!!', she retorted irked by his baltic attitude.

'I just asked! Don't try to be sassy in front of me. I want to rest in seclusion. Also send a glass of water, my throat feels dry and itchy',he waved his hand trying to shoo her away..'Am I your servant sir?', she spoke sugar coating her words matching his eyes that turned frosty with her question.

'Miss or doctor, are you trying to gain my attention?', he snickered mocking her flushed face. 'Why would I draw the attention of a temporarily handicapped, temporarily bed ridden and permanently egoistic, self complementing man with brain of cheese, sir?', she smiled mentally patting on her shoulders, woah slayed!!

'Do you work here?' he asked crisply. 'Yes', was her proud reply.

'Do you know the trustees of this hospital, the board of directors?', she shook her head frowning, 'Why?'

'What if I say...?'. She gasped slapping her hand on her mouth, 'You're the director?", her eyes widened in anxiousness and trepdation.. 'Nope!', he replied.

She instantly fixated her eyes on his mummy face, shocked and infuriated she narrowed her eyes into slit throwing daggers in his direction. This ain't funny Mr. jerk!!

'I'm the owner of this hospital', the relevation was like a bucket of icy water splashed on her face. She went rigid processing his words, her brain not able to grasp this fact..

'You trying to grab my attention is true! Isn't this why you're not at all interested to leave? See you've not only uselessly dragged the conversation so lengthy and meaningless but also tried to disrespect me. Is this how rudely you interact with patients on daily basis?!! And if you don't know your duty well, you should better leave or else wait till you're being kicked out...', she was brutally rebuked by him. Her doe eyes engorged with fat tears as she stood with her head bowed down.

'I..I'm sor..sorry sirr..!', she mumbed in a broken whisper, mentally slapping herself for loosing reins on her tongue. What was the need to argue? She though wanted to give a good blow on his attitude but her job is her priority. And messing up with him could lead to one way ticket to the unemployment union.

She once again mumbled sorry, swiveling on her feet. 'Wait!', he sternly ordered causing her muscles to further stiffen. 'Y...es', she stammered not turning around.

'Whats your good name?', his question deepened her apprehension. She gupled clenching her shaking hands in a tight fist.

'S..Saanvi', meekly came her answer. He smirked seeing her fierce attitude melting into a scared kitten one. Her name rolled smoothly on his tongue, melting and dissapearing as if some cotton candy. 'You have a beautiful name unlike you', he snapped icily.

Enough!! 'My intention was not to hurt you or disrespect you. If I have unknowingly misbehaved than I apologise..', Saanvi slapped her palms shut in front of him, gritting her teeth not wanting to apologise, heck with the apology!! She wanted to punch that ego away but forcefully bowed her head again..Nothing matters more than her working here as assisstant.

'Unknowingly? Get out!!!', he barked snapping his neck causing a piercing pain to jolt his nerves. He clenched his teeth in pain boring holes at her retreating figure. 'Fuck!!!', his jaw muscles hardened, the excruciating pain paralyzing his senses...he gradually fell into slumber under the heavy dosage of medications.

...

'Akhil, baby I'm so happy to be with you as your wife', Nandini chirped snaking her hands that were adorned in mehndi (henna) and red bangles. The couple recently married in a temple and now are officially husband and wife. They escaped from rajasthan and are living in a different state disguising their true identities.

'Nandini, I'm thinking to meet my mother..', Akhil expressed his thoughts while staring at the orange cast of the setting sun only to receive backlash from Nandini. 'Have you lost your mind Akhil? Do you even know that eagles of my bhai sa(brother) in the sky are awaiting to rip you apart once you step into the territory of svamgarh.'

'I'm not afraid of your bhai sa, if I were scared of the prince than we wouldn't be tied in the holy wedding knot!!', he retorted sharply.

'That's why we have escaped an entire state', she sniggered looking at her husband. His jaw clenched at her sharp remark. 'You're questioning my valour rajkumari (princess)?', he raised his eyebrow arching his neck as anger rushed through his veins.

'Is this even a question?', she scoffed placing the cup harshly on the table, few droplets of it fell on his hand and tablecloth underneath staining it. He clenched his jaw clasping her wrist,'We escaped for your safety rajkumari. I'm going alone to svamgarh and dare not stop me!!'

She gasped seeing the blood shot eyes of her husband,'N..no Akh..khil. No..please', she shook her head trying her best to convince him. She knew that once he stepped into the territory, he's not going to return alive!

'And I'll definitely go to prove to my wife that I'm no less courageous than your bhai sa!', he snickered jerking her hand away angrily stomping out of the room while a panicked wife was staring at the retreating figure of her husband with teary eyes...

'Ple..please Akhil...please don't g..go', she mumbled under her breath, her voice broken as she slumped against the wall.