"Doesn't really look like anything's wrong with your neck,"
Om said with a light smile as he checked it carefully.
"It feels perfectly fine to me, Seema."
"Oh, so you think I came here for a fake check-up?"
Seema shot back instantly.
"That's not what I meant,"
Om replied calmly.
"I'm just saying it doesn't seem serious. Maybe you twisted your neck a bit too hard… it's just a mild strain."
Seema watched him for a moment.
Then smiled faintly.
"You've really changed… you know that?"
Om paused slightly but didn't look up.
"In school, you were so quiet… always lost, always alone. We used to call you 'Champu' all the time… remember?"
Om let out a soft breath.
"Yeah… I remember. I couldn't even talk to anyone properly back then… forget making friends."
Seema's expression softened.
"Still… I feel bad about what happened back then. It shouldn't have happened."
Om kept working.
"It's fine. Some things… they shape you. Maybe they were necessary."
He said it simply.
But there was weight behind it.
"And anyway… neither of us can change the past now."
Seema nodded slowly.
"Anshika has changed too… she's not the same girl she used to be in school."
"Hmm… that's good,"
Om replied shortly.
Seema took a breath—
Then spoke more seriously.
"Whatever you think about her… she's not as bad as you believe."
Om didn't respond.
So she continued.
"After everything that happened… after those things said about you… she couldn't even sleep properly. She used to have nightmares… about you… about losing you."
Om's hand paused.
Just for a second.
"She's not bad at heart, Om. Yes, she gets influenced easily… but deep down, she's just like you… pure."
Seema was about to say more—
"Done."
Om suddenly spoke.
Seema blinked.
"Done? What do you mean?"
"Your treatment,"
Om said calmly.
"I just gave your neck a light massage. It's fine now. Try moving it."
Seema tilted her neck—
And her eyes widened.
"Hey… you're right. There's no pain at all now. Thank you, Dr. Om."
"No problem,"
Om said, walking toward the table.
"Come, I'll give you some tablets just in case."
But before he could take another step—
Seema got down from the chair.
"I'm not Anshika, Om,"
she said, her tone turning serious.
"You can't distract me with words. You remember that, right?"
Om stopped.
"She loves you,"
Seema said firmly.
"Not just like that… she really loves you. She's going crazy after meeting you again."
A pause.
"She even came here today… just to protect you from Supriya."
Om didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Just stood there.
Meanwhile… in the office
Supriya had finally lost her patience.
"Enough, Anshika!"
she snapped.
"What is your problem, huh? Every time I try to get close to Om, you show up like a third wheel!"
Anshika stiffened.
"What exactly am I doing wrong? Tell me! Yes, I like Om. So I came here to meet him. Why are you getting so frustrated?"
Her voice rose—
Sharp.
"And who are you to question me? Who gave you the right to interfere in my life? I'll do whatever I want. Why does it bother you so much?"
Anshika was stunned for a moment.
Then anger took over.
"What do you even know about Om?"
she fired back.
"You've only seen what he shows outside. Do you even have any idea what kind of person he really is?"
Her voice carried both anger—
And emotion.
"And what kind of person is he?"
A calm voice came from the door.
Both Supriya and Anshika froze.
Slowly—
They turned.
And their expressions changed instantly.
Om was standing there.
Right at the door.
Seema beside him—
Looking uneasy.
Om, however—
Had no expression on his face.
None.
Moments earlier, when Seema had told him about Anshika's feelings—
He had stopped.
He always knew there was something in her heart…
But he never expected it to come out like this.
Not like this.
And right now—
He wasn't ready for it.
His career had just begun.
If he got pulled into all this now—
Everything could fall apart before it even properly started.
And then there was the past.
What Anshika had done back then—
He hadn't forgotten.
Not completely.
Not yet.
That's why—
He had stopped Seema from saying anything further, handed her the medicine, and brought her along.
But what he saw outside the office—
Only made things worse.
Both girls—
Frustrated.
Emotional.
Fighting over him.
And now—
Both of them stood there like they'd been caught.
Like they had nowhere to run.
Om stood still—
Looking at them.
Silent.
Unreadable.
And in that silence—
The real tension began.
Because now—
It all depended on what Om would say next.