"Mr. Om… you're so hardworking. You really are a pure-hearted person."
Supriya said sweetly, walking beside him in the corridor, clearly trying to butter him up.
"Uh… thank you,"
Om replied, feeling a little awkward.
"Come on, Mr. Om… show me how you work. Maybe I can help you a little."
She said as she grabbed his hand and gently tried to push him toward the check-up room.
"Miss Supriya, please… let go of my hand,"
Om said, pulling it back.
"There are a lot of patients here. They might misunderstand. Please cooperate."
Just as this little tug-of-war was going on—
Om's eyes suddenly shifted toward the entrance.
And he froze.
Standing there—
Seema and Anshika.
Both staring wide-eyed at the scene.
"Oh—Miss Seema… Miss Anshika, you both are here?"
Om said, a hint of relief flashing across his face.
Honestly, he looked almost… saved.
Anshika and Seema were still staring—
At him.
And Supriya.
Supriya quickly pulled her hand away from Om and shot them an annoyed look.
"Great… perfect timing. Both lizards are here,"
she muttered under her breath.
But Om heard it—
And barely managed to hide his smile.
Somewhere, he already understood Supriya's nature… and why she was really here. And seeing Seema and Anshika arrive at just the right moment gave him a strange sense of relief.
Still—
He had no idea why they were here.
And the fact that they were just standing there silently wasn't helping.
"Hello? Anshika… Seema… what brings you here?"
He asked again.
That snapped them out of it.
But now—
They had no answer.
Both of them got slightly nervous.
Then suddenly—
Something clicked in Anshika's head.
"Uh… actually, Mr. Om," she blurted out,
"Seema's neck has been hurting a bit, so we came to get it checked."
Seema looked at her in shock.
"And also, I was free… so I thought, since you're all alone here, how much work can you handle? So we decided to help you out a little… right, Seema?"
She gave Seema a quick look—
A silent signal.
Seema immediately caught on.
"Y-Yeah, exactly," she said, fumbling a bit.
Then rubbing the back of her neck dramatically—
"Ahh… I don't know what happened, Om. My neck started hurting since yesterday… so I thought I should get it checked."
"Okay… come, I'll take a look,"
Om said with a small smile.
Though something clearly felt off to him.
He had heard that same "we came to help you" line just moments ago—
From Supriya.
Now from Anshika.
And it was confusing him.
"Didn't expect to run into you here, Supriya,"
Seema said, giving her a sideways look.
"Oh, Miss Supriya is here to help me too,"
Om said with a slightly sarcastic smile.
"Honestly, you all are so kind. Thank you, ladies."
"Of course,"
Supriya said, locking eyes with Anshika and Seema.
"As a good friend of Mr. Om, it's my duty to help him… right, Mr. Om?"
Om gave a light, polite laugh.
"Of course, Miss Supriya. You can't possibly be wrong."
Then turning back—
"Alright, we'll talk later. First, let's check your neck, Seema. You both wait here, please."
He started walking toward the check-up room.
"And yes… you can wait in my office,"
he added while walking.
"It has everything you need. Make yourselves comfortable."
"Handle this lizard properly,"
Seema whispered to Anshika before following Om inside.
Inside the Check-up Room
"So… since when is your neck hurting?"
Om asked, guiding Seema to sit on the chair.
"Since last night,"
Seema said casually, rubbing her neck.
"Suddenly started hurting… don't know why."
"Don't worry, let's see what's going on,"
Om said, putting on his gloves.
"Just relax."
Meanwhile… in Om's Office
Anshika and Supriya had now entered his luxurious office.
The tension between them was immediate.
"So… what exactly are you doing here, Supriya?"
Anshika asked, standing near Om's desk.
"Tell me honestly. I don't think you work in clinics."
"Oh…"
Supriya smiled, leaning back on the sofa.
"I'm here for the same reason you are, Anshika."
Anshika frowned.
"What do you mean same reason?"
"To help Mr. Om, obviously,"
Supriya said smoothly.
"That's what you said outside too, right? Or… is there some other reason?"
She smirked—
Trying to trap her.
Anshika didn't like that.
At all.
She walked over and sat right beside her.
"Oh really? You're here to help Om?"
she said, leaning slightly forward.
"Then tell me… how exactly are you planning to help him?"
Supriya paused.
Just for a second.
"By being his nurse… for today,"
she said simply.
Anshika almost smiled.
Got you.
"Have you ever done anything like that before?"
she asked calmly.
"Do you even know how this works?"
And that hit.
Because Supriya knew—
Anshika had known her since childhood.
She knew exactly what she could or couldn't do.
For the first time—
Supriya fumbled.
"I… I'll learn,"
she said quickly.
"But why do you want to learn, Supriya?"
Anshika asked, a faint sarcastic smile on her face.
And now—
Supriya was truly nervous.
Because this wasn't just a question.
It was a challenge.