The Unknown Girl

Yet Another Day

Trisha's phone buzzed softly, illuminating the dark conference room with a gentle glow. She reached for it; her curiosity piqued. It was Sabdajit, his name glowing on the screen. She furrowed her brows, wondering why he was messaging her again. Just as she was about to open the message, Divyanka's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Trish, the client is on the line," Divyanka said, holding out the phone to her. With a sigh, she set Sabdajit's message aside and took the phone from Divyanka. 

Vivek stepped in with Ritvik and Trisha nodded in acknowledgement while still on the call.

Divyanka sat next to Ritvik and showed him the reports they had prepared. Their seniors Yukti Patil and Nakul Gupta also joined them, along with their team in Mumbai, who had joined them virtually through teams.

Trisha ended the call with the client and shifted her focus back to the team meeting. Her phone buzzed again, with another notification. She kept it aside and opened her diary, scribbling today's date and time.

"Good evening team," began Ritvik. "Let's begin with our projects and deadlines, starting with with you, Nakul."

Trisha scribbled as Nakul, and other team members briefly stated their ongoing projects and deadlines for the same. She then went on to give a summary for her tasks after Divyanka and Vivek.

"It's done then," said Ritvik. "As Mumbai team is already working on site and are at full capacity, Pune team will handle the upcoming Hotel chains, Banks, and Hospital projects."

"But Ritvik," said Yukti. "It's only 5 of us here, and we cannot manage the kind of workload that there is."

"Right," responded Ritvik. "We have 5 new people joining the team this week. They are a bit experienced so they can help you with these projects. Of course, you and Nakul will be managing the team here."

Nakul and Yukti nodded in agreement. Nakul adjusted his cap as he went through the Excel that contained the list of projects, along with the client's name, start date, and end date of the project and assessments they were handling. 

"But Ritvik," said Nakul. "We cannot send the new joiners on site on their first week here."

Ritvik turned to glance at his team. "Trisha," he said. 

Trisha stopped scribbling and glanced to look at her manager.

"Yes," she said. 

"You have been monitoring the work at Careline and wrapped it up well. So, you can handle this new project with our new client, Tej Hospital."

He glanced at Vivek and Divyanka. "Divyanka, Vivek, you can help Trisha with this. You guys can go on site turn by turn, or together, if the need arises."

"Sure, Ritvik," said Divyanka as Vivek nodded in agreement.

"Nakul and Yukti, review the reports for Tej once the assessment is done. And assign the other projects to the new joiners accordingly," Ritvik instructed as Divyanka came to the first slide of the PPT.

As Ritvik leaned back in his chair, his gaze shifted from the projection screen to Nakul and Yukti, who sat poised with their laptops in front of them. He nodded subtly, indicating the impending task. Divyanka clicked through the slides. 

The room was filled with the soft whirring of the projector and the occasional rustle of paper as the team prepared to delve into the details of the upcoming projects. 

Trisha's pen moved swiftly across the paper, jotting down key points and action items from the discussion. Divyanka, seated next to her, occasionally glanced at Trisha's notes, her curiosity piqued by the meticulousness of her colleague. She took a sip of her coffee, the warmth of the cup seeping into her hands.

Vivek leaned towards Nakul. "What are the top bugs we found previously, with other hospitals?" he asked. Nakul went on to open up a new folder and show Vivek a brief report on Security Assessment of the private and government Hospitals, which had been Sentinel's clients over the years.

Ritvik, sensing a shift in the dynamics, turned his attention to Trisha. He observed her focused demeanor and the precision of her notetaking.

~~~~~

As their colleagues filed out of the conference room, Divyanka and Trisha remained behind, tidying up the documents and clearing the table.

"Another hectic day," Divyanka commented, breaking the silence. "Yeah, but at least we got through it," Trisha replied, arranging the chairs around the table. 

Divyanka nodded, a faint smile playing on her lips. "You were on fire with those notes. I don't know how you manage to capture everything so accurately."

Trisha shrugged modestly. "Just trying to keep up with everything. It's important to stay organized, especially with these meetings."

"Can I say something?" asked Divyanka as she leaned towards Trisha. 

"Sure," said Trisha as she powered off her laptop.

"I noticed something," she said, a playful smile on her lips.

Trisha glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. 

"I think Ritvik likes you," she whispered.

"What!?" said Trisha and shook her head. "You're imagining things. And if I'm not wrong," her voice dropped to a whisper. "You had a crush on him."

"Yes, I did," confessed Divyanka. "But if he likes you, I'll let him go," she said and placed her hand on Trisha's arm. 

Trisha felt a knot tighten in her chest, a familiar ache that signaled an impending wave of emotion. She forced a smile and looked away; her gaze fixed on some distant point. Her throat felt constricted, a lump forming as she tried to swallow past the sudden surge of feelings.

There was a knock on the door. 

Vivek opened the door with one hand, holding his helmet in the other. "Aren't you girls leaving?" he asked.

"Let's go," said Divyanka as she picked up her laptop and charger. Trisha followed. Vivek held out a hand and offered to hold her notebook, pen, and earphones.

~~~~~

The evening at Tej Hospital was bustling with activity as the day shift wound down. Avni changed into a casual top and palazzo pants, ready to leave the hospital after a long day. She walked over to her colleague, Doctor Abhigyaan Shikhawat, who was a few years older than her, and handed him the documents they had been working on together. 

"Off to home?" asked Abhigyaan as he settled on his desk, keeping his bag and helmet on the table. He cleaned his specks before putting them on again. 

Avni nodded and gave him a wry smile. "It's a bit busy today," she said and pointed at the queue of patients waiting outside the cabin they shared. "Good luck, Doctor Shikhawat."

His blue eyes seemed to sparkle behind those glasses as he smiled at her. "Don't be so formal with me, Avni." He said and followed her gaze, observing the patients and their family accompanying them. "And I'll be fine, don't worry. You take care. Don't sit to study when you go back home, maybe take a break today?"

Avni smiled and nodded. "I will. Take care, Abhi."

The hospital corridors echoed with the sounds of nurses and doctors, the soft beeping of machines, and the occasional chatter of patients and their families. Avni smiled at the receptionist as she exited the hospital doors.

Her phone buzzed with a couple of messages.

It was from Rahil, Vivaan, and Trisha.

Avni made a mental note to check their messages when she got back home.