Page 55 of Fixation

“Reina, there you are,” Su Min called out as Reina entered the lounge.

Taking a deep breath, Reina walked inside. There was something she wanted to discuss with her colleagues.

“Where are Stefan and Laila?” she asked. “I wanted to talk to you all together.”

“Stefan is still in physio with Vedant, and Laila decided to join him.”

Reina frowned. “Vedant doesn’t need two people in physio with him.”

Su Min chuckled. “Laila is trying to get Vedant to notice her.”

A sharp stab of jealousy stormed through Reina. “What? Why?”

“Because she doesn’t like the way he looks at you.”

Her eyes popped. “What do you mean?”

Su Min splayed a hand out. “He’s always asking about you when you’re not around, and his face lights up when you are inthe room. I’ve also seen you smiling each time you return from your shift with him. Clearly, something has changed between you two.”

Reina’s stomach plummeted. Her colleagues could never learn of what was happening between Vedant and her. One complaint about her to Dr. Williams and he’d ensure she was blacklisted from the medical fraternity for consorting inappropriately with a patient, that too a VIP one like Vedant Oshnov. Agreed, she ought to have considered that before she slept with Vedant, but he was her own pleasurable secret, and she didn’t regret it or him. Not one bit. Being with him made her feel vibrant, alive, and so desired. It felt like he was the spark, the colour that had so far been missing from her dull and grey life.

“Nothing has changed, Su Min,” Reina stressed. “He’s recovering and is behaving nicer, that’s all.”

Su Min pursed her lips. “Please don’t lie, Reina. While you may roam the world oblivious to it and everything happening in it, I am very observant. I’ve been there when you come to check on him when he’s sleeping. I’ve seen the way you look at him. And do you want me to remind you that I was there when you two returned from his first water physio session? I saw him touch your hair. Even Stefan and Laila have commented on how Vedant watches you when you’re around. And Laila definitely doesn’t like it. She’s had a crush on him for the longest. Perhaps, she sees you as competition, and that’s why she’s trying harder to get him to notice her.”

“Competition?” Reina scoffed. “This is not an episode ofThe Bachelor.” Her heart was hammering. “He’s our patient.”

Su Min studied her. “You’ve stopped wearing your glasses, and your hair is no longer tied in that grandmotherly knot. You can’t deny that it is because of him.”

Oh fuck. Vedant still had her glasses. She’d been so busy with him or thinking about him that she’d conveniently forgottenabout them. And Su Min, of course, had noticed. The others must have too.

At her silence, Su Min shook her head. “Look, keep your secrets. I don’t begrudge you for whatever you have going on with him. You’re both consenting adults, and what you do with one another is none of my business. Anyway, what did you want to talk to all of us about?”

Reina sipped her coffee, using it as an excuse to regain her bearings. She had to be more careful. Gossip travelled fast in their fraternity, and while she trusted Su Min, she didn’t really know the other two enough to expect them not to spread rumours about her when they returned to the hospital.

Sighing, she began, “Now that our patient is moving about on his own, he only needs support for his physio sessions. That’s why I think we can reduce the team here. Since the others are not here, perhaps you can tell me what you think about this. Would you like to go home?”

“Oh my God, really?” Su Min sounded excited.

“Yes,” Reina said.

It had been more than a month and Vedant was recovering fast. It was best for her team to start getting back to their lives. They’d been living here confined for too long now. Soon, she, too, would have to return, but she had time. Vedant would need at least three more weeks to recover fully, as per her estimation. She’d stay till then… and then… She wasn’t thinking of that right now. Right now, she was only living in the moment… with him.

“Thank you, Reina,” Su Min said. “I’d really like to return. In fact, I wanted to talk to you about Vasily.”

“What about him?” Reina asked, happy to change the subject. “I hope he’s okay.”

“He’s not been taking my calls. I’m worried.”

Reina squeezed her arm. “Hey, I’m sure he’s busy with his bosses. For all you know, they must be travelling. The Oshnovshave a huge business. He must be out somewhere with one of them.”

Su Min looked to the floor and then back at her. “Can you check with Vedant if I can leave right away? I’m quite worried about Vasily, and I’ll feel better once I am out of here and have complete access to my phone.”

“Alright, I’ll talk to him today itself.”

Su Min squeezed her hand. “Thank you, Reina. I appreciate it.”

Reina gave her a smile, her mind still processing everything Su Min had said. She needed to be more careful. She had to control her own emotions around Vedant so they didn’t get caught.

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