☛ 𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗

𝟓. || 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧.

AUTHOR'S POV :

Chapter 5: After Date and Meet Again.

**The Next Day**

Preeti's day began with a phone call from her mother that left her with a sinking feeling. She wasn't with her date yesterday. She finds out this morning.

“Preeti,” her mother’s voice crackled through the phone, tinged with frustration, “I can’t believe you didn’t even get a chance to meet your date properly last night. Who was that man you were with?”

Preeti hesitated, caught off guard by her mother’s stern tone. “Mom, I... I didn’t actually meet my date. I ended up sitting with a stranger.”

Her mother’s voice softened, but the concern was evident. “A stranger? Are you sure you’re okay? We were worried.”

Preeti sighed, deciding to be honest about the situation. “He was actually very charming. I don’t know anything about him. We just had a good time. My friends saw us together, and they probably saw him leaving with me.”

Her mother was silent for a moment, processing the information. “So, who did you go with, then?”

Preeti quickly spun a fabricated story. “Oh, it was just a misunderstanding. My actual date never showed up, and I ended up having an unexpected evening with this man. We talked, had a drink, and then he helped me get home.”

Her mother seemed somewhat satisfied but still concerned. “Alright, as long as you’re okay. Let’s just be careful with these spontaneous decisions, okay?”

The rest of her workday was a blur of patients, consultations, and her friends' incessant teasing.

Neha, Ronnie, Varun, and Vipul were all eager to talk about Preeti’s date. They found her at the nurses' station, huddled together with grins plastered on their faces.

“Hey, Preeti!” Neha started, “Heard you had quite the night. How’s Mr. Handsome?”

Varun jumped in with a grin. “Yeah, did you manage to learn anything else about him?”

Preeti rolled her eyes, but a blush crept onto her cheeks. “I really don’t know much. He was a nice guy, but that’s all.”

Vipul, who had become quite the enthusiastic member of the team, couldn’t resist teasing her. “You looked pretty cozy. Did he say anything memorable?”

Preeti bit her lip, trying to hide her smile. “He did laugh a lot at my questions. And there was a kiss...”

The room erupted in laughter, and Preeti tried to ignore the warm flush on her cheeks. She focused on her work but couldn’t shake thoughts of Reevan from her mind.

----

Meanwhile, Reevan was with his friends, Arun and RK. They were laughing over their own breakfast, reminiscing about the previous night.

“Man,” Arun said, chuckling, “Did you see how red she got when you mentioned—”

Reevan grinned, shaking his head. “Yeah, she was adorable. And the way she blushed after asking that question was priceless.”

RK, ever the stoic one, tried to keep a straight face but ended up smirking. “Your friends were probably cringing from afar. It was quite the scene.”

Reevan laughed, thinking about how amusing and charming Preeti had been. The memory of her bold questions and the sweet, awkward kiss made him smile.

Back at the hospital, Preeti couldn’t concentrate fully on her duties. Her mind kept drifting back to Reevan. The way he had laughed, the way he had looked at her. It was all so surreal and yet enchanting.