Honk! Honk!! (Note that in India, honking is not an act in response to a traffic violation, it's perfectly normal for everyone to honk just to make sure the neighbouring vehicle know your presence)
Muffled noises of horns could be heard inside the car as Aditya checked the time and looked at the studious woman beside him. She was surfing through books, two at a time as she muttered all kinds of medical terminology. They were currently in the middle of a small traffic jam waiting for the green signal.
Her brows were slightly wrinkled as her exquisite fingers played with a pen and her tender lips moved from time to time. Hamsa was becoming more beautiful and sunny day by day as she slowly walked out of her trauma. She was smiling and laughing in the true sense unlike previously when it was just an act to cover her actual feelings.
Hamsa was dressed in a woven black and rust-coloured printed A-line Kurti with layered detail. Ethnic designs of roses and leaves could be seen along with a tie-up detail and three-quarter sleeves. Aditya had noticed that Hamsa preferred North Indian fashion styles. Cheap orange and red geometric drop earrings swayed as he moved her head a little as she revised for her exam. A few black moles could be seen on her swan-like neck which came and went out of sight as the earrings wobbled.
It has already been two weeks since Hamsa started to live with Aditya and both seem to forget that it was supposed to be a temporary stay as they became accustomed to each other. Hamsa had started going to college from the past four days and Aditya took it as his duty to drop and pick up her from her college. The daily lives of both of them had started to interweave as Hamsa looked after Aditya's diet and other things whereas Aditya supported her in every way a studying girl needs to be supported i.e. financially, morally, psychologically etc.
Aditya had stuck to his word and prevented any further energy transfer to Hamsa as he wanted to activate the new ability as soon as possible because of the Sameera incident. But Hamsa seemed to have developed a moral dependence on him as she continued to hug him unconsciously every night which baffled Aditya. Hamsa, on the other hand, seemed to gotten used to it as now she would not move away even when she woke up and both of them would even gossip about some inconsequential topics in that position like some old couples.
As Aditya continued to look at Hamsa with glassy eyes as he pondered over how their relationship evolved over the past days, Hamsa looked up at him and smiled, "What are you thinking, Adi?"
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Aditya's eyes gained their focus as he smiled and shook his head, "Nothing, so today afternoon is your last internal test (conducted as a part of the sessional work according to University norms.), what subject is it, gynaecology?"
Hamsa was sitting for her midterm exams whose results would be added to the end of the year result. Aditya knew that Reyansh was a senior of her in college so he accompanied her these few days to ensure her safety. Surprisingly, Hamsa was not bothered by that fellow so Aditya relaxed. Today he had an important job given by Taarini so he had to leave after dropping her off, of course, the usual batch of people protecting her would be there.
Hamsa gave a small smile as she replied, "'Obstetrics and Gynecology' subject was in the morning, it's Paediatrics now."
"Oh, what are the causes of Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM)?"
"Viruses likely play a role in AFM. Since 2014, most patients with AFM (more than 90%) had a mild respiratory illness or fever consistent with a viral infection before they developed AFM. They detected coxsackievirus A16, EV-A71, and EV-D68 in the spinal fluid of four of 567 confirmed cases of AFM since 2014, which points to the cause of their AFM. For all other patients, no pathogen (germ) has been detected in their spinal fluid to confirm a cause. When a pathogen (germ) is found in the spinal fluid, it is good evidence that it was the cause of a patient's illness… wait" Hamsa looked at the blank face of Aditya and asked, "How did you know about AFM?"
Aditya laughed awkwardly as he rubbed his head and said, "I read it when you were studying, so I asked? Why? Is it not relevant? I thought it was Paediatrics."
"It is Paediatrics, but this exam does not cover that syllabus. Also, how would you know if the answer I said is right or not?" Hamsa said as she hit Aditya on his arm lightly with pursed lips.
How could Aditya say that he had studied all textbooks of Hamsa as he had ample time in Tya's world? So, he could only act foolish and shrug it off. He drove the car as the traffic cleared up, "By the way, do you have everything you need for this exam?"
Hamsa nodded as she dove back into her books while Aditya whistled lightly and stepped on the throttle. He stopped his car at some distance from the actual building as the road in front of the college was cordoned off because they were laying a new layer of asphalt over the old beaten road. Aditya looked at the ruckus with interest as he saw people melting the tar and mixing gravel with it.
As Hamsa got off the car and bid goodbye to Aditya, Aditya said seriously, "I might not come to pick you up in the evening. So, wait for a few minutes and if I didn't show up, take a taxi back. You call me if there is an issue."
Hamsa's eyes gleamed a little when she heard the second part of his sentence as she smiled and nodded, "I have packed some snacks and kept them in the box in the dashboard, eat them and not outside street food if you become hungry." Aditya nodded as he handed over the white coat to her and drove away.
Hamsa stood there, watching until the black car was out of sight and turned to walk gracefully into the college building. She was unaware of a pair of eyes watching her as a mean smile could be seen spreading on the face of Reyansh.