Friendship !

Kartik and Sachin were still talking on the phone. Sachin said smilingly, "Yes Mr. Mittal, I know very well with whom I am discussing my bet."

Karthik softly said "excuse me" to Shefali and Neeli who were present in front of him and went to the other side of the college campus and started talking to Sachin.

As soon as he moved away from there, Shefali nudged Neel and said, "What happened to him? Who is he talking to?"

Neil teased her saying, "getting jealous hmmm?"

So Shefali made a face and said, "No!! He just looks a bit worried...that's why I asked!"

Neel observed and said, "Well yes friend you are right...it is alright! Don't worry, that Dehra prince! He will handle anything!"

******

There Karthik said to Sachin on the phone, "What kind of condition do you want to place, tell me openly?"

Sachin laughed and said, "Mr. Mittal, please think again?"

In response, Karthik said, "I speak after thinking carefully. You can speak without any worry."

Sachin took a deep breath and said, "I am ready to work in this hospital."

Karthik asked, "What do you want from me in return?"

Sachin said, "I want you to assist me for one month and 15 days."

Kartik was surprised to hear this and said, "Do you know what you are saying?"

Sachin replied, "Yes, I know very well what I am saying and why I am saying it, what will happen if I say this and what can happen." Then after thinking for a while, he said, "Anyway, you are such a big man, I can understand that this will be against your honour and prestige, so I can help you to this extent that I will not let it be revealed that you are helping me."

Karthik got confused after hearing this.

When he did not get any reply, Sachin took a deep breath and said, "I know this must be a big deal for you. I am giving you time till evening to think about it. If you do not reply, I will not consider it yours." Saying this, he hung up the call.

Kartik while talking to himself said, "He is a strange man, Uncle Chauhan had already told me that he is not an easy man! But today I have seen it clearly."

Then Shefali and Neel reached there.

Neil put his hand on Karthik's shoulder and said, "Whose call was it?"

Karthik told him, "Mr. Sachin Arora, the head of the hospital."

Seeing his worried face, Shefali changed the topic and said to everyone, "Okay, leave all this talk and let's have a nice lunch at a good hotel."

Kartik looked at Neil and Shefali and said, "Guys, just give me 5 minutes, I will change and come back." After saying this, Kartik went towards the locker room to change his clothes.

When he came back, he looked at Shefali and said, "Shall we go?"

Shefali nodded yes. Just then a message came on Neil's phone, he looked at both of them and said, "Guys, I remembered some work, I will come with you guys next time, ok bye." Saying this, Neil quickly left from there without listening to Shefali and Kartik's reply.

After he left, Shefali asked Kartik in surprise, "What happened to him?"

Karthik shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know anyway, let's go."

Saying this, both of them reached the college parking, where Shaifali had parked her scooter.

Shefali looked at Karthik and said hesitantly, "Actually I have this scooty, you won't have any problem with it, right?"

Kartik said smilingly, "Hey, have you never seen Neil's retro scooter till now?? We used to go to college on it since the beginning! Hahaha"

A big smile came on Shefali's face. She took out her helmet from the scooty's trunk and sat on the scooty and asked Karthik to sit behind her. And with this her scooty started moving on the busy roads of Delhi, talking to the wind.

On the way, Shaifali said smilingly, "Today after a long time I am taking a friend somewhere on a scooter!"

Karthik also smiled and said, "Do you really consider me a friend?"

Shefali laughed loudly at this and said, "What else? Is this even something to ask?"

But Kartik did not give any answer to this. Seeing him silent like this, Shefali asked him, "Why did you ask like this? Tell me."

Hearing her question, Kartik took a deep breath and said, "After a long time, someone other than Neil has considered me a friend… I was very happy that you came to college… I don't know why you thought like this about me."

Shaifali said while getting a little sad, "I am really sorry for that..that day after coming out of the hospital Rahul came to me and said that you have betrayed Shannon and you help other girls and trap them like this... It is not that I don't trust you, but I don't know why I was scared that day.. Actually no stranger helps like this without being selfless... that is why he was a little...,"

Then after thinking further she said, "I had to come to watch the match and you forgave me without saying anything. Thanks a lot for that!"

Kartik slapped Shefali on the head and said, "Who did you call me ignorant?! I am a friend na...you just said it! Then in friendship there is no sorry no thank you!...understood?"

Shefali also smiled and said, "understood"

Kartik said smilingly, "Now it seems that all three of us should buy Munna Bhai's scooty! All three of us will ride on it and go to eat parathas at Moolchand's!!"

Saying this both of them started laughing. Shefali could not believe that such a big man could also be so grounded.

*******

After some time, both of them stopped in front of a good five star hotel.

Shefali was about to park her scooter when Kartik said, "We will not get entry here."

Shaifali looked back at him and said, "Why won't you get it? I have the money."

Karthik slapped his forehead with his hand and said, "But both of us are not in the dress code, and you won't be allowed entry here without dress code, Madam."

Shefali said in disappointment, "What should we do now?"

Kartik did not like seeing her sad. After thinking for a while, he said, "It doesn't matter, you wanted to take me to a five star hotel, right? It's not too late yet."

Shefali started taking her scooter towards the hotel.

Karthik turned the direction of the handle from behind and said, "This is not the way to the five star I am talking about."

Shaifali said in surprise, "Where is it then?"

Karthik said, "Just keep walking straight and there is a five star hotel on the right hand side at a distance of 250 meters from here."

Shefali started walking in the same direction. Then Kartik asked her to stop in front of a Dhaba.

Seeing the Dhaba, Shefali was surprised once again and said, "Karthik, we were going to a five star hotel, right?"

Karthik pointed to the board above the dhaba and said, "The name of this dhaba is Five Star Hotel, and the food here is amazing."

Seeing Shefali surprised, Kartik said, "Look, you yourself said that you want to take me to a five star hotel, so we have come to the five star hotel."

Shefali became very happy after hearing his words. She parked the scooty and both of them went inside the dhaba. There was a garden all around the dhaba, where there were many beautiful colorful flowers. There were many gazebos inside the garden, where there were wooden cots. There was a lot of hustle and bustle in that small dhaba. Shefali and Kartik, who had gone inside, were now choosing their order.

Before the food arrived, Kartik went to the washroom to wash his hands.

Shefali was sitting alone and smiling till now.

Just then the waiter arrived at his table with the order.

He looked at the time on his watch and said to himself, "Why has Kartik not come yet, where has he been?" Just then Kartik reached there and settled at his place.

The waiter was serving them food but Shefali stopped him and said, "We will do it ourselves, thank you!"

Saying "Okay mam" the waiter went away from there.

But Kartik seemed lost somewhere. Shefali was looking at him questioningly while serving food. She nudged Kartik and said, "What are you lost in thoughts about now? Start eating, else it will get cold."

Kartik came out of his thoughts again and said, "Yes, yes, I will eat, nothing." Saying this, he started eating in a hurry.

As soon as Shaifali took the first bite of the food, she started getting hiccups.

Kartik immediately gave her a glass of water and started caressing her back. When she became a little normal, Kartik asked, "Is everything okay? What happened?"

Shefali nodded yes with her eyes and said, "It was very spicy. Maybe a piece of chilli got into my mouth! But the food is well cooked."

Karthik said laughingly, "See, not every bitter thing is actually bitter!"

Shefali also smiled and said, "Yes, yes, I know what you are saying! Now stop it!"

After some time they had their lunch. Shaifali paid the bill and both of them took a lot of selfies together. After some time both of them came out of the eatery and went home.

After coming out of the restaurant, Kartik looked at Shefali and said, "I have some work, I will take a taxi and leave from here."

Shefali said, "I can drop you, I am on leave today."

Karthik raised his eyebrows and said, "Ok, I have no problem."

While they were talking, it suddenly started to rain. Due to the sudden rain, they both ran back inside the gazebo. But by then they were still a little wet.

After coming inside the gazebo, Kartik started drying his wet hair with his hands. Shefali was also trying to dry herself. Then Kartik said to her, "Will you have ginger tea? The tea here is also awesome."

Shefali slowly nodded her head in yes and Kartik composed himself and went inside the dhaba.

After a while, Kartik brought tea in two small glass glasses, one of which he gave to Shefali. By the time they finished their tea, the rain also stopped.

Seeing this, Kartik said to Shefali, "Looks like the rain wanted both of us to drink tea together and that too with ginger! You know the friendship between those who drink tea together becomes stronger!"

Shefali smiled in response. Karthik looked at the time on his wrist watch and said to Shefali, "You drop me at Warehouse Road, I have to meet someone."

Shefali nodded yes and both of them left for Warehouse Road on her scooter and after some time they reached Warehouse Road.

*****

After he left from there, there was a big smile on Kartik's face. Today for the first time, apart from Neel, Kartik made such an understanding friend. Actually, ever since Kartik left home to live alone and make his own life, till date there was no one who became his friend without any reason except Neel. The college students also used to talk to him only for taking notes and for college work. None of them was ready to become his friend. They all considered him to be of low standard. They believed that Kartik neither has a proper house nor money, so staying with him meant lowering your standards.

Neel had met him once in the college canteen. When Kartik had first joined the college, he was very shy. He would not talk to anyone easily and would mostly stay alone. One day, he was coming to the corner table after buying his plate of food from the canteen when suddenly the tallest boy in the class, while joking with his friends, put his foot in front of Kartik. Due to which Kartik fell on the ground with his plate of food in front of everyone.

As soon as that tall boy saw Kartik, he started laughing and started making fun of him along with his friends. Kartik was not able to understand anything at that time. He somehow got up, went outside with tears in his eyes and sat on a bench and started crying.

Just then a boy was crossing the road singing a song and his eyes fell on the crying child, i.e. Karthik. He suddenly came and sat on the bench next to him and making a funny joker-like face right next to his face, said in a weird voice, "What happened kid, why are you shedding tears while watering the garden like this?!"

Kartik hesitated a little on seeing him and turned his face away and sat down. On doing so, Neel suddenly put his hand on his shoulder and said normally, "Yaar, look, everyone here has problems in their life, you must be having problems too, I understand, but crying like this will not solve anything. I have heard that nowadays even girls don't pay attention to boys… now look, look at me! Someone has stolen my notes, it is already so difficult to study and on top of that the thief was also great at taking the notes!! Huh"

Seeing her babbling so much, Kartik didn't know why but he started laughing a little. He looked at her slowly and said, "My lunch fell down."

Hearing this Neel was shocked, he said, "Hey! If it falls then take another one!"

So Karthik looked down and said, "I don't have money!"

Hearing this, Neel's eyes widened, he sat on his knees in front of him and holding his shoulders said in excitement, "O Bhaisahab!! That means you are the topper!!"

Karthik was not able to understand why he was behaving like this.

Neel further said with equal excitement, "Friend, it means you have come on the basis of scholarship!! Amazing! God has heard my pleas! Friend, take my tiffin, just share your notes with me."

Saying this, Neel started looking at him innocently. Somehow Kartik could clearly see Neel's innocence and naivety. It was the first time when someone had put a hand on his shoulder and addressed him as 'yaar'.

Then what, from then on Neil and Kartik became best friends.

Kartik was thinking about the old days when he remembered that he had to reach somewhere on time. He checked the time on his watch and left for City Line Hospital, where Sachin was sitting in his cabin doing some work.

This time again Karthik reached his cabin without knocking the door.

Sachin started looking at him with questioning eyes when Karthik said, "You had asked for an answer by evening so I thought why don't I meet you personally and give you the answer."