Darkhaast

~ 13 ~

She braced herself. Her eyes were steadfast and focused on her target. The stance was sharp and balanced, the rear leg slightly behind yet parallel to her dominant right. Breathing into each movement, she gutted the punching bag with her right fist, propelling it back in a swinging motion.

"Woah!" A voice whistled behind her. Mahi was unfazed. "I hope you're not imagining my face."

Bringing her tight fists above her chin, she went in for another two jabs. Bright purple blemishes peeked out under her knuckle wraps.

Bending her right leg at her knee, she kicked straight at a 90° angle from the floor and her core. Mahi's shin struck the bag with vigour.

An applause reverberated throughout the room. "Bhartiya nari sab pe bhari."

"Medicine chod kar sports commenter banne ka irade lag raha hai aapka, Dr. Birla." Mahi teased.

In all black, she invented the femme fatale. Sweat trickled from her drenched locks down to her exposed back. Her mesh crop top crept up with each movement, and her sports bra amplified her figure.

Abhimanyu was glad Abhir wasn't here to see her athletic prowess. Mahi already dethroned him from the 'coolest' person in Rooh's life. He couldn't bear not being Abhir's fitness icon.

"Yahan kya kar rahe ho?"

"Abhir ko pick-up karne aaya tha. Socha tumhe dekh kar timepass karlo todha."

"Abhir yahan hai? Mujhe usse puchna tha ki uski kickboxing kaise chal rahi hai. He's so brilliant; just needs to work on his form." In mere seconds, her demeanour changed to the enthusiastic, peppy pediatrics physician he adored. His best friend, not someone he adored, corrected his brain.

Abhimanyu blocked her from the door to the main gym. 'I'm Abhir's hero', a petty part of him thought. A small part of his subconscious peeped up, 'You just don't want the guys outside to see her like this.'

"Pehle mujh se toh milon."

"Huh?" Mahi checked his temperature. "Tum theek to ho?"

"Main theek ho." He removed her hand from his forehead and walked her backwards until her back hit the punching bag. "Teach me something. That punch you did or the cross you're always blabbing about."

She looked him up and down like he was crazy. "You came from a board meeting wearing a three-piece suit. You're going to choke yourself if you try boxing with that tie."

He rolled his eyes, slowly loosening his tie and throwing it on the floor beside his suit jacket.

"Show-off," Mahi mutters, avoiding his gaze and his ripped abs.

Like an eager kid, he tottered his fists close to his face in his best Mike Tyson impression. Mahi stifled her laugh. She'd hate to break his spirit. "Okay, okay. Calm down. Your firsts are too low." Their faces were centimetres apart as she adjusted his posture, bringing his fists above his chin and thumbs outside but beneath his knuckles.

"Follow me," Mahi instructed. Her abs clenched as she drew a cross into the middle of the bag. "Your turn."

Abhimanyu missed the first three times, his balance resting on his dominant foot, not his rear. "How do you do this?" He struggled to regain his breath.

"Ignore the bag. Just try to land a hit on me." She dodged each punch through a slip and a roll until his frustration peaked, and he pulled her closer by the waist.

"This is cheating, Dr. Abhimanyu."

"What are you going to do about it?" He challenged.

She could do a lot of things. A hook kick for one, bringing her right leg up and swinging into his centre. Instead, she retreated. A name danced on her tongue, pulling her back from these moments. The name was her dehleez, like Akshu was Abhi's.

"Abhir's class is over now. Go pick him up."

"Aur tum?"

"Quick shower, then run to the hospital for my shift."

"Wait outside. I'll drop off Abhir and then return so we can go to work together."

"Okay."

It has been over a year since Mahi joined the Birla hospital. As the earth made another round around the sun, Mahi embedded her roots in the Birla hospital as an excellent doctor, Aarohi and Faiz's best friend, and Abhimanyu's confidant. Abhimanyu's first coffee gesture shocked everyone, but then, the hospital grew habited to them arriving together after their shared workouts. They were competitive, they were teasing, but mostly, they shared an implicit bond of pain. They didn't speak of it much, but it was nice to know someone else was hurting, too.

When Mahi's mom, Gurpreet, had her second heart attack, Abhir and Roohi rushed to console Naaz. Abhir prayed Mahi wouldn't have to relive his pain. It was a responsibility off Mahi's shoulders to know Naaz was safe at the Birla house while she stood in the OR gallery watching the operation. Abhimanyu was Gurpreet's surgeon. When Naaz pleaded to him to save her Nani, he bent down and kissed her forehead with a promise. Mahi rushed into his arms when the surgery was successful, thanking him for everything.

It was then he learned her mother's heart condition is why she came back. Thirteen months ago, Gurpreet had her first cardiac episode. Gurpreet didn't have to say much; her worries about Naaz should anything happen were clear.