MIHIKA'S POV :

I was just getting into the car when I got a call from Papa. I sat inside and quickly answered.

"Hello, Papa?" I asked, wondering if everything was alright.

[Hello, Dad.]

"Miku beta, main ek bahut important file ghar pe hi bhool gaya hoon. Kya tum mujhe wo file E.R. Enterprises ke main office mein pahuncha sakti ho?" Mr. Sharma asked his daughter sweetly.

[Miku, my daughter, I forgot a very important file at home. Can you please bring it to the E.R. Enterprises main office for me?]

"Okay Papa, main file lekar aati hoon," I said before hanging up.

[Okay Dad, I’ll bring the file to you.]

I looked at my best friend, Tania, who was already glaring at me because we were late. Now, I had another errand to run before we could even hit the mall.

"Tumhe hi kyun jaana hai file dene? Apne bhai ko bol do na," Tania said, her frustration bubbling over.

[Why do you have to be the one to go? Tell your brother to do it.]

"Bhai kisi aur kaam mein busy hain, isliye Papa ne mujhe bola. Please na yaar, jaldi se kaam khatam karte hain aur phir chalte hain," I said, trying to convince her. I ran back into the house and grabbed the file from the dining table.

[Brother is busy with some other work, that’s why Papa called me. Please, let’s just finish this quickly and then we can go.]

"Aise toh kis kaam mein busy hai tumhara bhai?" Tania muttered annoyingly as I got back into the car.

[Just what kind of work is your brother so busy with?]

We drove toward E.R. Enterprises, completely unaware of what destiny had in store for me.

E.R. ENTERPRISES: MAIN BUILDING

On the 8th floor of the E.R. main building, Mr. Sharma and Mr. Ranawat were busy discussing a project with Taksh. The atmosphere was professional and focused.

"Sir, ek ladki Mr. Sharma se milne ki request kar rahi hai reception area mein," Mr. Ranawat’s PA entered and informed them.

[Sir, a girl is at the reception asking to meet Mr. Sharma.]

"Yes, she’s my daughter. Wo important file lekar aayi hogi," Mr. Sharma said, standing up.

[Yes, she is my daughter. She must have brought the important file.]

"Uncle, aap baithiye. Main aapki beti se wo file lekar aata hoon," Taksh offered, getting up from his chair. Mr. Sharma smiled, appreciating the young man's gesture.

[Uncle, please stay seated. I will go and collect the file from your daughter.]

Mihika was waiting in the reception area, scrolling through her phone, when Taksh approached. He stopped for a moment, struck by the beautiful girl sitting on the sofa with a file resting in her lap.

"Miss Sharma?" he asked to confirm.

"Yes?" Mihika looked up and replied politely.

"Main wo file lene aaya tha, Miss Sharma..." he said, gesturing toward the folder.

[I came to collect that file, Miss Sharma...]

"Oh! Yes, yes. Aap ye file mere Papa ko de dijiyega," she said, handing it over to him.

[Oh! Yes, please give this file to my Dad.]

"Waise, naam kya hai aapka, Miss Sharma?" Taksh asked suddenly, his curiosity getting the better of him.

[By the way, what is your name, Miss Sharma?]

"Mihika Sharma," she said with a sweet smile. She extended her hand for a handshake and asked for his name in return.

"Taksh Ranawat," he replied, shaking her hand.

"Taksh, nice to meet you. Please aap ye file mere Papa ko de dena. Aur haan, bye! I’m getting late," she said hurriedly, already turning to leave.

[Taksh, nice to meet you. Please give this file to my Dad. Anyway, bye! I’m running late.]

"Yes, yes... no problem," Taksh said, his eyes following her as she walked away.

In her rush, Mihika accidentally bumped into someone near the exit. Without looking at the person’s face, she quickly mumbled a "Sorry" and ran out of the building. Outside, Tania was waiting impatiently in the car.

"Chalo!" Mihika said, hopping in, and they sped away from the building.

[Let's go!]

We grabbed a quick bite to eat before finally starting our shopping spree. After picking out several dresses, I headed toward the trial rooms to try them on.

Suddenly, I heard someone knocking violently on the door of the last trial room. I paused and went to check.

"Please, someone help me!" a girl’s voice cried out. She was banging on the door desperately.

"Yes, yes! Hold on!" I called out, unlatching the door.

A girl stumbled out and immediately hugged me. "Thank you so much! Pata nahi kaise door lock ho gaya, koi sun bhi nahi raha tha," she said, her voice trembling and her breath heavy with panic.

[Thank you so much! I don’t know how the door got locked, and no one was listening to me.]

"Tum baitho yahan," I said gently, guiding her to a seat. I pulled a water bottle from my bag and handed it to her.

[You sit here.]

The girl took a sip, trying to calm her racing heart. She thanked me again and introduced herself as Saavi. I told her my name was Mihika. Just then, two more girls rushed into the changing area.

"Kahan ho yaar tum kab se, Miku?" Tania asked, finally finding me.

[Where have you been all this time, Miku?]

"Saavi! Tum mera phone kyun nahi pick kar rahi thi?" another girl, Kriti, asked worriedly as she approached Saavi.

[Saavi! Why weren't you picking up my calls?]

"Di, main lock ho gayi thi trying room mein. Inhone meri help ki hai," Saavi explained to Kriti. After hearing what happened, Kriti checked if Saavi was okay and then turned to me with a grateful smile.

[Sister, I got locked in the trial room. These girls helped me.]

"Thank you so much for helping her, ma'am," Kriti said sincerely.

"Mihika," Saavi corrected her sister, sharing my name. We all introduced ourselves properly, and after a bit of "gupshup" and more shopping, we prepared to head our separate ways.

Before leaving, Tania made sure to take the girls' numbers so we could hang out again. Finally, loaded with shopping bags, we headed home. Tania dropped me off first.

"Chalo, tum bhi Mumma se mil hi lo, phir chali jaana ghar," I insisted. I knew my mother would be waiting for us.

[Come on, meet Mumma first, then you can head home.]

"Okay, let me park my car. Tum shopping bags lekar chalo, main abhi aati hoon," Tania replied.

[Okay, let me park my car. You go ahead with the shopping bags; I’ll be right there.]

I walked into the hall of my "sweet home," and Tania joined me a moment later. We found Mumma in the living room, chatting with her friends on the phone.

After spending some time showing our purchases to my mother, Tania finally took her leave. I dragged myself to my room, feeling the exhaustion hit me. Today had been exciting, but shopping with a best friend like Tania can be a real workout! After a relaxing shower, I decided to take a much-needed power nap before dinner.