Kirti sat at her usual spot in the garden, lost in her world. The haunting memories of her past still lingered in her head, but now they were mixed with something else. Her encounter with Dr. Darsh yesterday was something she never expected to happen, at least not in this particular colony.
The day she moved here from her parent’s home, everyone was a little judgy and indifferent towards her. Not to mention her first-ever experience of humiliation from one of her old neighbours who refused to even lend her a pinch of salt.
But with Dr. Darsh, it was the opposite. He didn’t question or stare at her with disgust, just helped her like she was an ordinary girl to him. But she wasn’t naive in this matter, she knew the moment he came to know about her past or her reason for leaving her parents ‘ home, he too would look at her with disgust. After all, wasn’t that just her fate right?
“Mind if I sit here?”
A calm and familiar voice broke through her thoughts. For a moment she stiffened in her place. But as her head turned towards the source, an unexpected sense of relief settled deep in her mind. Her eyes lingered on his for a split second before turning it back towards the ground as she nodded in response.
He smiled at her approval and sat beside her making sure to maintain a decent distance between them, not wanting to bear the accusation or misunderstanding.
“You like it here?” Dr. Darsh asked, watching her as his eyes softened with just her mare smile.
“It’s better here, I like it this way,” Kirti replied plucking the flower from the nearby plant and sniffing its fragrance.
Darsh calmly observed her face, her calm expression despite being alone was something new for him. As much as he understood, she seemed very calm and composed but her eyes were telling a different story. There was something in her which was unique and unspoken. A silent longing and suffering, maybe looking for something or someone.
“You don’t talk much. Any reason?” Darsh’s question came out instantly, shocking him too.
“I like silence more than words. It has some power to heal something.” Kirti restored flickering the flower between her fingers.
“But too much silence is not good for mental health. You know it can damage a part of your brain, almost making you behave like someone who hallucinates shadows.” The doctor inside him instantly jumped into the conversation. As his eyes flickered between Kirti and her hand.
“So you are telling me that I can be psychotic?” She countered instantly as her neutral expression turned into a frown glaring at him.
Darsh gulped feeling the sudden intensity in her gaze, quickly shaking his head in no.
“No no, not like that. It’s just a theory we were taught in our medical school and…” He paused feeling her shifting a little.
Even before he could react Kirti stood up on her feet, standing right in front of him. Her hand rested on her hips, looking at him like she would eat him up the very next second.
“Don’t start your medical lesson here because I am not interested at all. And for your kind information, I am not psychotic. I am a normal human who prefers silence.” Her voice was firm, filled with disappointment. She turned on her heels, walking back towards her building leaving Darsh behind.
While here Darsh was still in shock. He had seen her scolding him last night but the thing she did now, was something bold and unexpected for him. A small smile played on his lips as he chuckled at her retrieving figure knowing well that she was something unique.
She walked past the children playing on the ground. Just then, she felt a presence behind her. Her step slowed instantly, she didn’t want to make him feel ignored, at least not after his last day of help. Even though his nature was the polar opposite of hers and as much as she understood he was not a bad man, just a little different.
“Hey I am sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you with anything. I have a habit of talking way too much.” Darsh apologised matching her pace, trying to catch her attention.
Not getting any response, he walked passed her and stood in front of her blocking her from moving and looking up at him. She folded her hands over her chest and looked deep into his eyes, a frown still plastered on her face.
“Don’t you have a wife or children to spend time with?” She asked still frowning.
“Hey, don’t indirectly taunt me of looking old. I am just 24 and still unmarried.” He gasped directly placing his hand on his chest, acting to feel hurt.
A small smile dared to replace the frown on Kirti’s face but she being the ultimate Kirti, managed to hide it instantly and sigh showing she didn’t care about anything.
“I just wanted a friend here who is of my age. And I thought you would be perfect for it.” Darsh hesitated to speak, offering her a small smile.
For a moment, Kirti felt her heart miss a beat at his words. Her eyes flickering across the garden, scanning for any gazes at them and finding none she looked at him with a tense expression.
“You don’t know anything about me, then how can you say that I am perfect for you to be friends with?” She asked not being sure. Meanwhile, Darsh grinned looking at her.
“Then let’s get to know each other. Starting with me. Hi, I am Dr. Darsh Malhotra, 24 years old, currently working as a junior resident doctor and also continuing my studies for specialisation in neurosurgery. What about you?” He introduced himself without any hesitation while offering his hand to her.
Kirti studied his face for a second, looking for any kind of hesitation but found none other than pure admiration. She sighed and then decided to introduce herself while shaking her hand with him.
“Myself Kirti, I am 23 years old. Working as an accountant in a firm.” Her hesitation was reflected in her voice.
“Ok. But, just Kirti? No surname?” His lips twitched, feeling odd about her not adding her surname.
“I don’t use any surname.” Her face was blank, not wanting to give him any hint about her past.
Her sudden shift in expression didn’t go unnoticed by Drash, but he nodded understanding her privacy.
“Umm ok, I will not force you to tell me. Let’s talk about something else. Hobbies?” He asked as they started walking across the garden.
“I don’t have hobbies.” Her tone is now a little softer.
He chuckled and added, “Interesting, by the way, I love sports.”
“I saw a demo about it yesterday.” Her voice filled with a playful taunt as she looked at him raising her eyebrows.
“Then you know I am pretty good at it.” He laughed.
Kirti shook her head at his carefree nature but said nothing and continued to walk beside him, while he continued to ask her questions.
As the night deepened, their conversation continued, effortlessly moving from basic introduction to daily life things. They took a walk around the garden, talking about everything at once. But as soon they felt that it was quite late, they exchanged a soft good night wish before heading back towards their respective apartment.
It was a normal day for Darsh but for Kirti it was different. Like she was not alone, for the first time.
