Unfolding love between white coats

Chapter 5: the unexpected call

It had been three years since Karthik and Sravani first crossed paths in the pediatric ward, and much had changed since then. Karthik was now in his final year of residency, nearing the finish line of his medical journey, but his mind was consumed with the upcoming exams that would shape his future. With just two months left before the most critical exam of his career, Karthik had buried himself in his books, the pressure of his studies keeping him from thinking about anything beyond the hospital or his textbooks.

Sravani, on the other hand, ready to embark on her own residency soon.
They had both come so far, and their paths had drifted in different directions—Karthik in the demanding world of pediatric care and Sravani in the fast-paced life of a medical

Despite living in the same town, they hadn't spoken in years. The last time their worlds intersected, it had been nothing more than a casual smile and nod in the hospital hallway.

But that changed one day when Karthik's phone buzzed unexpectedly. It was Sravani.

Her voice was warm, slightly familiar, but with a professional tone.
The conversation was short but pleasant—about work, about life, and about the unexpected coincidences of their careers

. It turned out they were both from the same small town, a detail neither had realized until then.

They laughed about the connection, discovering that their families knew each other well. The conversation remained light, a casual catch-up, but there was an undeniable shift in the air.

As they spoke, Karthik noticed something in Sravani's voice—a hint of warmth that made him pause, a small spark of familiarity, like an old thread that had never quite broken.

The talk lasted for only twenty minutes, but it felt longer, leaving both of them with something unspoken hanging between them.

It wasn't love, not yet—but there was something building, a quiet connection, a subtle understanding of shared roots and mutual respect.
They said their goodbyes with promises to talk again sometime, and the conversation ended with no grand expectations, just the seed of something that might grow in time.

The next day, Karthik received a call from his longtime friend, Prakash.
He had heard about Karthik's breakup from a year ago, and, knowing how much Karthik had struggled to move on, Prakash suggested that it might be time for him to let go of the past and think about the future. "
You should move on, Karthik," Prakash said, "and I know someone who might be a potential match for you." The name Prakash mentioned was familiar—Sravani. It turned out that not only were they both from the same town, but their families had connections as well.

Karthik, though, wasn't interested. "I've moved on from Anshu," Karthik replied, his voice firm. "But I'm not ready for anything new, especially with exams so close."
His thoughts remained firmly anchored in the pressure of his upcoming exams, and he wasn't ready to complicate his life with anything else.

However, out of politeness, he agreed to talk to Sravani again after the exams if circumstances allowed. "Maybe we can talk after my exams," Karthik added, unsure if anything would actually come from it. He wasn't interested in love or marriage at the moment; his focus was solely on his career.

Prakash, sensing the reluctance in Karthik's voice, didn't push any further. The conversation drifted toward lighter topics before eventually ending, leaving Karthik to think about his future and the exams that loomed ahead.

For now, everything stood still. The seeds of a potential connection had been planted, but it was too soon to tell what would come of it. Karthik, ever the realist, knew that anything that might come out of this conversation would have to wait until after his exams. And even then, he wasn't sure if he was ready to face love again.

As the chapter closed, the story stood at a crossroads, with both Karthik and Sravani unknowingly standing at the edge of something new, yet neither of them aware of the path that lay ahead.

                                      To be continued....