Silent Vows

Chapter 20

"Alright, hear me out," Sameer began, leaning in with a mischievous grin. "I've got the perfect plan to find this mystery girl."

Karan groaned, already dreading what ridiculous idea his friend would come up with. "I swear, if you say something stupid, I'm not listening."

"Come on, just give me a chance!" Sameer insisted, not at all deterred by Karan's disinterest. "What if we—"

"Don't tell me you're going to say we ask every nurse in the hospital if they saved my life?" Karan interrupted, narrowing his eyes at him.

Sameer blinked, taken aback. "Well, uh... you've heard that one before?"

Karan sighed, rubbing his temples. "Sameer, you've gotta stop coming up with these dumb ideas."

Raj, who had been silently watching the interaction, finally spoke up. "Honestly, asking every nurse is probably the least crazy thing Sameer's ever said."

Arjun grinned. "I wouldn't be surprised if he actually tried it."

Karan rolled his eyes. "Not helping."

Sameer chuckled. "Alright, alright, fine. No asking nurses. But, seriously, I do have another idea. What if we go back to the hospital and try to find clues? Maybe there's something they missed—some kind of record or detail."

"I don't know, man," Karan muttered, glancing at his friends. "The nurse said she wanted to stay anonymous. I doubt there's anything left to find."

Raj leaned back in his chair, clearly amused by the entire conversation. "You're obsessing over this girl, huh? I've never seen you like this before."

Karan frowned. "It's not about obsessing. I just... I need to thank her. She saved my life. I owe her that much."

Arjun shrugged. "Well, I get it, but maybe you need to stop thinking so hard about it. It'll happen when it happens."

Sameer, ever the optimist, nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly! And if you really want to find her, we can always ask around, right? I mean, we could even make a list of all the hospitals in the area—"

Karan shook his head, cutting him off. "Sameer, I swear, if you bring up another list, I'll make you go alone."

"Alright, alright, no lists," Sameer said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "But you've got to admit, I'm full of ideas."

Karan just smiled, shaking his head. "You're something else."

Raj laughed. "At least you're not going crazy over Meera anymore."

Karan shot him a look, not wanting to entertain that line of conversation. "Let's just focus on finding the girl who helped me."

Sameer grinned. "Hey, we'll figure it out, don't worry. It'll happen. And if nothing else, I'll keep pitching ideas until something works."

Karan chuckled, feeling a little lighter despite himself. His friends were annoying, but at least they were there. "Yeah, we'll see."

The group fell into a comfortable silence, each of them mulling over the idea of finding the mystery girl. Karan could tell his friends were genuinely trying to help, even if their suggestions were... less than ideal. Still, the idea of asking around at the hospital, maybe getting some more information, seemed like it might work.

"I guess the hospital is a start," Karan said, his mind wandering. "Maybe I should just go back there. I don't know what I'm hoping to find, but..." He trailed off, frustrated with himself.

Raj nudged him, breaking his train of thought. "You're really determined to track her down, huh?"

Karan nodded, his gaze hardening. "I don't know what it is. There's just something about her. It's like... when she spoke to me, there was a kindness in her voice I can't shake off. I just need to thank her for everything. I can't let it go."

Arjun leaned forward. "That's not the Karan I know. You're usually more into the thrill of the chase, not a whole emotional attachment."

Karan shot him a glare. "It's not about that, Arjun. I don't know. It just feels different this time."

Sameer gave him a goofy grin. "You're getting soft, man. The Karan I know would've been on to the next girl by now."

"Maybe it's because I'm not chasing the wrong person anymore," Karan shot back, a little sharper than he intended.

There was a brief pause, and Sameer raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I'll stop. But listen, Karan, maybe you're looking for something deeper here. Maybe it's not just about thanking her; maybe you want to figure out why she helped you in the first place."

Karan didn't reply immediately. The truth in Sameer's words hung in the air, and Karan couldn't deny that there was a part of him that wanted to understand why the girl had been so selfless. He'd never been on the receiving end of kindness like that—not from someone who didn't want anything in return.

"Maybe you're right," Karan muttered.

A few moments passed before Raj spoke again, his voice teasing. "But seriously, man, don't you think it's a bit much? We're talking about someone who basically saved your life. You've got to be a little obsessed with finding her by now."

Karan didn't smile. He wasn't ashamed of the obsession, not anymore. It wasn't just about getting closure; it was about something deeper that he couldn't quite explain.

Just as the conversation began to take a more serious turn, Sameer piped up again, clearly not willing to let the subject of "finding the girl" fade away just yet. "Okay, if you guys don't mind, I've got a slightly less idiotic idea than the hospital thing."

Karan rolled his eyes. "Is this another one of your crazy lists?"

"No, no," Sameer said, waving a hand. "I was thinking... why don't we try talking to some of the people you know from the accident? Maybe there are more details we missed the first time."

Arjun perked up. "Like what, exactly?"

Sameer shrugged, a little sheepish. "Well, you know—people from the scene. Maybe there's someone who noticed her or remembers something specific. Or even the people who came to visit you in the hospital."

Karan felt a flicker of hope. "That's actually... not a bad idea."

"I mean, it's not like you've got much else to go on," Raj said, grinning. "Besides, if you don't find her, at least you can rule out the obvious stuff."

Karan glanced at his friends, feeling a strange sense of gratitude. Despite their ridiculous ideas and constant teasing, they really did have his back.

"I'll think about it," Karan said. "But right now, I've got to go. I'm meeting my parents for dinner."

Sameer raised an eyebrow. "Ah, so you're ditching us for family time? Big surprise."

"Yeah, well, some of us have family dinners that don't involve arguing over who gets the last slice of pizza," Karan shot back.

Raj laughed. "You're just mad because you know I'd win that argument."

Karan smiled but didn't say anything. His thoughts, as always, were still tangled up in the mystery girl. He couldn't seem to shake the image of her—her soft voice, her face that he couldn't fully remember. The nagging feeling that he was missing something important wouldn't go away.

"Alright, I'm off," Karan said, standing up. "I'll catch you guys later."

As he walked out of the café and into the night air, Karan's mind kept returning to the same question. Who was she? What had made her stop and help him when no one else did? He didn't have answers yet, but he was closer than ever to finding them.

And maybe—just maybe—he'd get the closure he was looking for.