"Abhimanyu, my car just broke down, can I come in your car, aap Mumbai hi jaa rahe ho na" Abhimanyu turned to see her.

"Ishitha ji, of course you can come, you are welcome" he warmly smiled at Ishitha. Dr. Ishitha is a pediatrician and nutrition consultant at lifeline hospital.

Nandini shivered when Manik held her. Aryaman searched for Nandini everywhere and saw her coming out of Manik's cabin.

"Are you fine Nandini, is everything okay? You look somewhat scared or worried" Aryaman asked her with concern evident in his voice. "I'm not any vampire or a zombie to scare her, Dr. Aryaman" Manik came in the middle of them.

"Oh yeah, then why is she looking so scared?" Nandini didn't want to create any scene at the hospital and she asked Aryaman to back off. "Aryaman, please let's just go from here" she took his hand and dragged him to get out from there. Aryaman dropped her home. She said whatever has happened between them.

Aryaman thinks that Alya and Manik should learn a lesson for insulting his friends. Abhimanyu and Ishitha set out to return to Mumbai.

"Get all the equipment and Ishitha ma'am chale?" Abhimanyu asked Ishitha and helped keeping her luggage in his car. She asked her driver to get the car repaired.

"Hmm, tomorrow morning report kar rahe ho na?" she asked as she sat in the car.

"Yes ma'am, it was a hectic day here" he smiled back at her. "Life mein itna busy rehna hai otherwise you will be bored" she said thinking something else.

"But personal lives are also important ma'am, chilling and partying are my daily routine, stay single be happy is my life mantra" Abhimanyu commented.

"Being single is okay only for time being Abhimanyu, but one day you'll need someone by your side to be called as yours" she sounded different.

"But why haven't you been married ma'am?" Ishitha expected this question and Abhimanyu knew that her silence is all he could get.

"Some questions are destined to be unanswered Abhimanyu" she sighed. "Well, main yahi answer expect kar raha tha ma'am, it's okay if you don't want to answer" he politely asked her to be cool.

"Bahut saare gossips hai na hospital main, on my love life and marital status ke baare mein! Well I have never thought to answer them, because once I start answering them I feel like I did a mistake but I know maine jo bhi kiya mujhe theek lagta hai" she spoke what's in her heart.

"No ma'am, I'm not someone who believes the rumors, they ruin a life, I believe in being myself, I can't live on someone terms" he said and stopped the car.

"Kya hua, is there any problem" she asked looking out and looked at him. "Sirf baatein karne se kya faida ma'am, it's so important to have food too" he pointed towards a Dhaba by roadside.

"Yaha roadside food!" she asked him if he is sure. "Ha, aapko bhook nahi hai!" he asked getting down from the car. "I don't usually eat anything other than fruits while traveling, I carried fruits for me, you go have food" she showed him fruits.

"My God, nutritionist se food ki baatein, I'm so sorry ma'am, but are you sure aap car mein akele?" he asked her. "No problem I'll manage you just have food and come back". Abhimanyu went to have dinner and came back to see her fast asleep. He drove back in silence hearing music on his airpods.

Manik reached home and saw his mom waiting for him. "Hi mom, you had dinner?"

"Ha I just talked to your dad and main tumhe hi call karne wali thi" she smiled and set the dining table and asked him to freshen up.

"OK I will be back in a minute", he freshened up and came back. "Do, what's cooking" he sat down for dinner. "Main kya banaungi, tumhari biwi ho tho tumhare liye roz naye dishes banaati" she earned a glare from Manik.

"Drama queen, I just asked you a simple question that dinner main kya hai, isme biwi kaha se aa gayi beech mein!" he munched on his food. "Dal bahut acha bani hai aaj" he complimented her.

"Dad ne kya kaha?" Manik asked her. "Kuch nahi, Manik main aur tumhare dad, we still miss each other so much, but look at you, you are not even ready to get married, aise kaise? When will you marry?" he understood where is this going to lead him.

He decided not to tell his mom about Alya joining the hospital. He knew that she would not be able to take it. "Kuch tho batao beta" he came back to world by her words. He ate in silence without answering his mom. He preferred to stay silent when it came to his marriage.

"Manik, you can't stay silent like this, uss ladki mein kya kami thi, Nandini Murthy I liked her very much" she started all over again about Nandini and this irritated him.

"Mom, that girl is a complete mess, I already told you that not me she asked me to reject her" he said switching on the TV.

"Tum tho waha usse shaadi karne gaye the na, if she hadn't asked you to do that you would have asked her to do the same, isme kya naya baat hai!" she said making her point clear. All she wanted is to make Manik accept her point.

"Mom, end of this discussion please I need peace, whenever we talk about it, hum sirf jagda karte hai aur kuch nahi, can't we avoid it?" he is tired of explaining her that he doesn't want to marry. As usual she felt sad and went to her room without any word. Manik wanted to console her but he knew that she would not listen to him so he decided against going to her and went to sleep.

Navya reached home and her mom waits for her.

"Aaj late kyu hua, koi pareshani tho nahi?" her mom asked and Navya said that she didn't get a cab soon.

"Hospital main sab theek hai na Navya" her father asked her. Navya silently nodded and ate dinner in silence. She quickly retired to bed and her mom got milk for her.

"Navya, beta dhood peelo achese so jao", she understood that Navya is tired and didn't want to disturb her. Her mom sat beside her until she slept.

"Navya tumse kuch kaha naya hospital ke baare mein?", her father asked her mom.

"Ha, zyada kuch nahi pata but everything is good" she assured him that everything is OK. "Uska dhyaan rakho, she will not tell us even if she has a problem" they both retired to bed after making sure that Navya slept.

Abhimanyu dropped Ishitha at her place, late in the night at about 1:30 am. He then went to his place and slept like there's no tomorrow. He got up after a good sleep at about 9 in the morning. He freshened up and left for hospital for reporting. As soon as he entered the hospital, he saw a little boy fiddling with the chocolate.

"Chocolate wrapper aise nahi aise kholte hai" he helped that boy to unwrap it. That boy smiled taking a bite from chocolate. "Thank you Daddy", the little boy replied.

"Aise kisi ko bhi daddy nahi bolthe beta, thank you doctor kehna hai" Abhimanyu caressed the boy's hair.

"Nahi tum hi mera papa ho, I love you daddy" Abhimanyu sensed something is wrong and escaped from there. He reported to Dr. Shrivastav.

"Good morning sir" he wished him.

"Dr. Abhimanyu, good to see you back" Dr. Shrivastav congratulated him for organizing campaigns in rural areas.

He came out of the cabin and saw the boy who called him dad was waiting for him. There's no escape for him now. "Daddy please get me another chocolate, please daddy I'll be a good boy", he pulled Abhimanyu's apron.

"Champ, tell me where is your dad I will take you to him", he tried to get information from that boy. "No you are my daddy" the boy is being stubborn and Abhimanyu left from there before someone could hear them. He bumps into Nandini while running from the boy.

"Tum yaha!" Abhimanyu asked and Nandini is unaware of him. Abhimanyu ignores her as he saw that the boy followed him.

"Ye kaun hai mujhe dad kyu bula raha hai!" he gets confused. Manik meets Abhimanyu.

"Finally you are here, good to see you dude, kya hua tensed lag rahe ho" Manik enquired him. "No aise koi baat nahi hai" Abhimanyu tried to cover up but his attention was only the boy who called him dad.

"You're definitely not okay, just take this chocolate" Manik offered a chocolate to him. Abhimanyu takes it from Manik.

"Mujhe wrapper khol ke nahi doge Daddy!" Manik teased Abhimanyu. Manik gave another chocolate to that boy who called Abhimanyu. Dad. "So wo daddy daddy tumne plan kiya!" Abhimanyu understood that was all Manik's prank on him. Manik laughed hard unable to control himself.

"Just look at your face, thinking whose child it might be" Manik joked. "No I wasn't scared" he covered.

"You might have wordered which girlfriend of yours is his mom".

"Manik I don't make babies, I just make girlfriends, so I wasn't worried" he smirked at Manik.

"OK I won't believe you anyway so jitna cover up karna karlo" Manik said to him. "Leave about me, tum kaise cover karoge?" Manik is clueless about Abhimanyu.

"Main kya cover karu?" Manik asked him. "Arre maine abhi usse dekha kya naam tha uska! Nandini Murthy na wo yaha kya kar rahi hai? Tumhare liye idhar tak aa gayi" he saw Nandini and called out her name loudly. Manik tried to stop him but he was uncontrollable.

"I'm Dr. Abhimanyu, Manik's friend" he introduced himself and Nandini shook hands with him. "Dr. Nandini Murthy" she smiled confused.

"I know you, Nandini Murthy, abhi MBBS complete hua issi hospital mein internship, tumhara chacha chachi kaise hai?" he talked without a pause. Nandini looked at Manik who is constantly trying to stop Abhimanyu.

"You should thank me Nandini because aunty ke saath saath main bhi tumhe approve kiya, even I have showed your picture to aunty, usko tum itni pasand aayi ho ki, she will just wrap you and take home, trust me aunty bahut achi hai, of course Manik bhi, Isne tumhe pareshan kiya tho mujhe bata dena" Abhimanyu continued without any clue about Nandini.

She finally understood that he was talking about Manik's mom. "Ah, that didn't work out, Manik sir and I aren't getting married" she finally said which shocked Abhimanyu. She left from there before he could ask her anything.

"Manik did you reject her?" he asked Manik. "Pehle tum mere baat sunta tho ye sab nahi hota, I didn't reject her she rejected" Manik said Abhimanyu everything happened with Nandini.

"Sad! Aunty bahut disappoint hogayi hogi na. But she's so cute man!" Abhimanyu said about her. "Cute, my foot, uski head weight na uski body weight se zyada hoga, she is so careless, she never does something correctly" Manik complained.

They both sat in canteen and has coffee. Abhimanyu laughs hearing about Nandini. "Tum has kyu rahe ho? What's funny?" Manik snapped at him.

"I could imagine how you felt when she rejected you and then I couldn't stop laughing" he laughed again. "Ye ladki ki naam sunte hi I get irritated, upar se wo Alya se bhi jagda karne lagi"

"What! Alya kaha se aa gayi beech mein?" Abhimanyu is shocked to hear about Alya.

"Alya joined here as new intern" Manik told him about Alya. "What she want now? Can't she be away from you? Aunty ko tho nahi bataya na tumne?" Abhimanyu asked.

"No, she will get worried so I didn't tell her". "Oh God, these commitments are hell, thankfully mujhe ye sab nahi dekhna padega" Abhimanyu said relaxed.

"If your mom nags you like my mom always does you will know" Manik remarked. "I know how to woo girls Manik, not like you" Abhimanyu teased him.

"So dikhao mujhe how will you woo them, these girls are unpredictable, they will never have clarity what they want" Manik said.

"So then it's a bet, I will make any girl fall for me, you can choose the girl if you want, the ball is in your court" Abhimanyu openly challenged Manik.

"Done deal, challenge accepted!" Manik shook his hand with Abhimanyu. "So who's the target? Nandini?" Abhimanyu asked.

"No I don't want to hear anything about her, I will choose a girl for you" Manik had an idea in his mind.

"I think you have someone on mind, who is it?" Abhimanyu asked seeing Manik smirked.

"Dr. Mukti Shrivastav"