[Nsme]

A few days had passed since the trekking at the foothills of the mountain.

One afternoon, Sandhya called Divya on the phone to inquire how she was doing.

"Hello Akka... how are you? How is Chennai life going?" Sandhya asked.

Divya's voice was very tired. "Hello Sandhya... I'm not feeling well. For two days, my whole body has been aching, and I have a terrible fever. I can't even get out of bed," she said.

Hearing that Divya had a fever, a spark suddenly went off in Sandhya's mind. The suspicion arose in her mind, 'Could she have gotten some infection?'

"Akka, don't be careless. Go to the hospital immediately. Don't just buy pills from the medical shop and take them; get a blood test done at a lab and get checked completely. Only then will we know clearly what the problem is," she insisted.

Tiredly, Divya said, "Okay Sandhya, I'll go check it out this evening," and after inquiring about Sandhya's well-being, hung up the phone.

As soon as she finished speaking with Divya, Sandhya immediately called Dinesh on a WhatsApp call.

In Trichy, seeing a call coming from Sandhya, Dinesh answered the phone with surprise. "Hello Anni... how are you? Called suddenly?"

"I am fine, da. How is your health? Do you have any fever or cold? Or, did you get any cold or fever since we visited and left?" she asked with concern, but with the intention of confirming his health condition.

"I don't have any problem, Anni. I am perfect, very healthy. Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing, da... Divya Akka said she has had a fever for two days, so I just checked to see how you are doing. Alright, how is college going?" Sandhya changed the subject.

Dinesh hesitated for a moment. Then, with a slight blush, he said, "College is going well, Anni. And... I have something to tell you. I proposed my love to Anvi. She said okay too. She is my girlfriend now."

A genuine, happy smile bloomed on Sandhya's face. "Wow... congrats, da! I'm very happy."

Then, like a friend, she offered him some advice. "Dinesh, remember one thing well. Don't rush in the relationship. Spend good time with her. Similarly, for any reason, don't overshare anything with her. Especially, the things that happened between us in the past must remain within you."

Dinesh said, "Definitely Anni, I understand."

"And another important thing," Sandhya's voice became a bit firm. "There should be no compulsion whatsoever in matters of sex. You should move to the next level only if she gives 100 percent mentally and physically consent. Treat her well, okay?"

"Definitely Anni. I will never forget everything you taught me," Dinesh said, moved.

Shortly after ending the call with Sandhya, Dinesh felt worried thinking that Divya Anni was unwell. He immediately called her on WhatsApp.

Tired, leaning back in bed, Divya picked up the phone and said, "Hello...."

"What is it, Anni... you sound very dull? Sandhya Anni said you have a fever. How is it now?" he asked with great affection.

"My whole body is aching, da Dinesh. The fever hasn't gone down at all," Divya said in a faint voice.

A loving authority and possessiveness were evident in Dinesh's voice. "Anni, go to the hospital immediately. Don't just stay at home and take some pill. I can't bear it if something happens to you. Please go and get checked up for my sake, Anni. Take a blood test."

The extreme concern and affection he showed felt very soothing to Divya's heart. A thrill ran through her that he cared for her life so much.

"Okay, da darling... I will definitely go and come back this evening," she said with a faint smile on her face.

"Just drink hot water. Eat on time. If only I was by your side right now... do you know how well I would have taken care of you?" Dinesh yearned.

These words stroked Divya's heart. "I understand, da... you stay safe."

Then, thinking for a bit, Dinesh told Divya about his girlfriend Anvi.

Hearing this, without even realizing it, a faint jealousy peeked into Divya. The feeling that, 'Just when I thought he was mine, has another woman come for him now?' touched her.

Then, recovering herself, she said, "Congratulations, da, I will talk to you later," and hung up the phone. Beyond that jealousy, a sweet, secure feeling spread in her heart from the affection Dinesh had shown her. In the words of this young lover, she felt an embrace that she didn't get from her husband.

Two days later... in Divya's house in Chennai.

Divya had gone to the hospital and taken a blood test. The reports had come. It was confirmed to be just an ordinary 'Seasonal flu' (viral fever). The fever had also gone down significantly now.

But Ganesh, who came home from work, scolded Divya.

"Why did you go to such a big hospital just for a normal fever, Divya? Between this lab test, doctor consulting, and medicine, the bill is unnecessarily over two thousand rupees," he snapped.

What her husband said hurt Divya's feelings. 'He is not someone who talks like this. He spends generously on everything! Has he started disliking me completely? Is that why he's yelling like this!' she grieved.

As Ganesh went into the room angrily, Divya took her mobile and called Sandhya.

"Hello Sandhya... the report has come. The doctor looked at it and said there's nothing to worry about, it's just a normal seasonal flu. The fever has gone down now too," she said.

"Phew... only now am I relieved, Akka," Sandhya said.

Although it was confirmed that Divya's fever was ordinary, this awakened a new thought in Sandhya's brain. 'The fever might be ordinary. But, what if an actual infection had come from those unprotected, continuous encounters? What would the situation be then?' A logical question arose within her.

That night, after dinner, Sandhya and Vicky were talking in their room. Sandhya looked at Vicky with a somewhat serious face.

"Vicky, tomorrow morning we both have to go to a lab," she said.

Confused, Vicky asked, "To a lab? Why? Is someone unwell?"

Calmly, Sandhya said, "Nothing is wrong with our health. But both of us need to get a full STD panel (test for sexually transmitted diseases) blood test done."

Vicky was shocked. "An STD test? Why all this suddenly, Sandhya? Do you have doubts about me?"

Sandhya held his hand and spoke quietly. "I have no doubts about you, Vicky. But, you had unprotected sex with Divya Akka. Divya Akka will have sex with Ganesh Mama. We don't know one hundred percent how his lifestyle is there. This is like a chain, Vicky. If even one person in that chain has an infection, it will spread to everyone. Our health and safety is very important. Therefore, getting tested is the right thing to do."

Vicky was quiet for a minute. The logic in what Sandhya said made perfect sense to him. This clear thinking of hers amazed him.

"What you are saying is 100 percent correct, Sandhya. See, I didn't even think of this... let's go and get tested tomorrow itself," he agreed.

The next morning, both of them went to a reputed private lab and gave blood samples.

The following day, the report arrived online on their mobile. Both sat side-by-side and looked at that report.

For all tests—HIV, Syphilis, Hepatitis, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea—the result was 'Negative / Normal'. It was confirmed that neither of them had any infection.

Vicky let out a huge sigh of relief. "Phew..." he leaned back on the sofa.

A huge smile of relief also bloomed on Sandhya's face. But what Vicky thought wasn't the only reason for that relief. A secret calculation ran within her.

'If any infection had come, it definitely couldn't have been through Dinesh. It must have definitely come through Ganesh Mama, or if Divya Akka had some other relationship. Thankfully, there is nothing like that.'

Sandhya confirmed that theirs was a safe closed loop free from infections. All her unnecessary fears vanished.