Chapter 47: 45

Chapter Forty-Five

"I keep those for you"

× SAHIL ×

I miss her.

I miss her a lot.

I miss her so fucking much.

I miss her so much that I wish to buy a helicopter and give her a visit. Though I'm not that rich.

I miss her so much that I want her beside me right now.

I don't know anything. I just miss her.

I kept wasting the ink of the pen and drew circles on the paper aimlessly. The messy lines were like my mind without her. The pressure on the pen increased just like the pressure on my mind, leading to the paper dividing into two pieces, just like my heart.

I couldn't even confess to her. Dammit.

You're my best friend, Ananya.

What was I high on when that sentence came out of my mouth instead of confessing my feelings?

I did not even realize how and when she became such an important part of my life that surviving a few months without her was so difficult. I was so used to her presence around me most of the time, let it be just as friends.

If I just get to spend time with her as friends then I wouldn't even want to take things further. I just want her around me all the time, I don't want any tag of relationship.

I want to breathe in the same air as hers. I want to live in the same place as hers. I want to exist in her life. I would absolutely love it if it is as a main character, but if it's not, then I'm even ready to become a tiny bug present in her house all the while. I want to be around her. I want to be hers.

These feelings I caught for her, the way every time a small smile appeared on my face whenever someone mentioned her name, the way one video call from her would make my mood take a 360-degree turn, one notification from her and all my important work seem less important now.

I felt everything after a long time and I just know it is not just attraction. It's more than that. A lot more than that. It is probably a part of falling in love with someone and realizing it all the way.

I already fell for her a long time ago but never realized it. But that day when I saw her crying, sobbing, breaking down when I got to know her story when I got to see the world from her eyes, I fell in love with her story, her journey, her struggles, her ability to still love life and her. All of her, every bit of her.

Anyone could easily fall in love with her goofy side, she is built like that, to spread laughter, happiness, and love. But the version of her that was broken by many, the one who is still strong, the one who does not want anyone to save her, but hear her. Read here. Inside out.

That version. I loved the broken her a lot more times than I love her because that one doesn't want love, it needs love.

I never wanted to be the person who would love someone's perfection, everyone does that, everyone loves perfection. I wanted to love someone's imperfections which have to be present to make them perfect.

Ananya might be tired of hearing compliments about her confidence, how her sunshine nature is, how she nails her professional work, and how she fights and stands for herself, and the people around her. I'm very sure she has heard this from many.

I wanted to be the first one to tell her that the side that she hides from everyone is a lot stronger than the one she puts up. To tell her that she can speak to me about the way small things, and comments, hurt her but she hides it. Ask her what is going inside that head of hers when she smiles within herself or when a smile suddenly vanishes.

I've noticed these small details about her which makes her more interesting.

One thing I happened to observe is that her face has this vivid emotion present on it every time someone mentions Skintone. Let it be someone else or hers. I wanted to know what was behind that expression.

Was she insecure about it? Or is it something else?

My trance broke because of my phone's ringtone, I looked at the caller ID.

Chamatkar.

I instantly picked up the phone and ran my fingers through my hair to settle them.

It's not even a video call, Sahil.

Right. My bad. Accepting the call I heard her speaking with an accent "Holaa, how are you doing, bud?"

"Good, what about you?" I asked after letting out a chuckle at her fake accent.

Such a drama queen she is.

"I'm just okay, Rohini Aunty sent Gavar ki sabzi. I don't even like it but I have to eat it anyway. I realize why people use Gavar as an insult, it tastes bad. Some people taste bad, too" She said and my phone beeped with a request to switch to video call by her. I accepted it and once again ran my fingers through my hair.

I knew she would switch it later. It's day 51 of a long-distance friendship. I'm used to this now.

"You taste people?" I asked her in the context of her previous sentence.

"No, but I would like to," she said and I could see her wink via screen. I coughed at this sudden flirt of hers.

"Chill, Mr Softie, I'll not bite you, at least not now. Arey, bite se yaad aaya. That dog of your favorite aunty, problem kya hai usko merese fhirse mere piche aaya tha almost bite karliya tha. Aunty toh pure killer looks deti hai aur unka kutta hunter wale. Ek toh mere vajeh se Kirti bichari phas jati hai. Mai keeda kandi karti hu aur dusra woh shishimaru kutta usko pura garden bhagaya. Mere sath bahar aane mei double thoughts aajate hai Kirti ko. Ek din mere saare rishte kharab karke manege yeh kutte, akele reh jana hai maine unke vajeh se"

[From bite, it clicked me. That dog of your favourite aunty, what is his problem with me? Once again he ran behind me and almost bit me. Aunty already gives me killer looks and her dog gives hunter ones. On top of that, Poor Kirti ran the whole garden because this shishimaru dog was behind her, all thanks to me. She gets double thoughts every time we go out together. One day these dogs will ruin all my relations, and I'll be left alone in the world.]

"Arey, Meri sherni kutto se darti hai? Wah," I said and laughed after seeing her reaction to getting caught red-handed.

[My lioness is scared of dogs? Wow!]

"I'm not scared. I just have a love-hate relationship with them. I  talk with them politely, give them respect and some of them bark at me in return. Some are good though, they just stare at me" She took a morsel of gavar ki sabzi filled in roti and made a face before eating it.

While she was chewing, I could see another manly figure behind her. It was Dinesh. My eyebrows furrowed right after I recognized him. He took fast steps and hit Ananya on her head which startled her.

"Abey, saale-" She stopped in mid tracks and hit him back, two-three times.

[You, rascal-]

"Nope, your future pati will become my future saala."  He said and grinned while waving at me through the screen. It took some time for me and Ananya to understand the meaning behind his words and once we did, he interrupted again.

"Hello, future saale sahab"

[Hello, future brother-in-law]

"He is still not over my sister?" I asked and hoped that he didn't miss the irritation on my face. Ananya just shook her head with a helpless look.

A few days back, on video call, Dinesh suddenly popped up and started telling me how Abhinav gave up on making him understand that he should get over Preet and how he approves of his future relationship with Preet. Also, he told me about his mission of getting my permission as well.

I will never give him that.

"Nah, I can never get over that cutie-pookie," he said and took a bite from Ananya's lunchbox which she willingly offered him.

"Do you realize you are speaking with her brother?" Ananya asked him and he nodded.

"Do you think her brother, or brothers, can stop me from trying on her? Nah. No one in this world can stop me, except for her." I exchanged a look with Ananya on this statement.

I'm entertaining this bullshit of Dinesh because his feelings seem genuine to me. It's been almost 2 months since the wedding but he is still stuck on her, saying that he is gonna wait till she reaches a certain age and will not interfere in her life till then. Let's see if after years this guy sticks to his word or just thinks of this as a fling and moves on.

"Now get lost, I want to talk with my cutie pookie,"  Ananya said and threw him out of the frame.

"Y'all realize that the fake dating thing ended? Now you are just his best friend, Ananya." My mouth hung open at his words and I looked at Ananya with eyes full of betrayal.

She whispered something to him while showing him angry eyes.

"Okay bye, Ananya's pookie. Tell my pookie that I said hi to her" Saying this and waving on the screen for a last time, he left.

"He is an idiot. Leave him. You tell me, why would you send me a vase from there?" She asked me.

"Ma'am, it was you who was crying to me when your free favorite vase broke that day," I said and she nodded while thinking deeply.

"I was on my period. I would cry because a mosquito was biting me. A vase shattering is a big deal. But where did you find another with the same print?" I smiled proudly at her question.

"I have my sources" I watched her rolling her eyes on my statement.

I bought two pieces of her favorite vase, one is with me and I sent her the other one. Just in case the one with her breaks and I get a call at 1 am in the night from her who was sobbing telling me how her vase broke.

"Okay, anyways, thank you" She flashed her smile at me and even closed her eyes while doing that. I instantly took a screenshot of this cutie kid in front of me.

"Don't thank me, give me chocolates" I demanded while shrugging.

"Do I look like a chocolate factory to you? Also, why do you keep asking me for chocolates every time?" She questioned and closed her lunchbox, drinking water.

"I don't even like chocolates that much. I love only the ones you give me, also why do you always have chocolates in your purse?"

"I keep those for you" Her response melted my heart and immediately lit my face up like a lantern.

🦋

"Sahil, someone sent you a present" Ma shouted and I went into the dining room to check what was it.

"Uh, who is it?" I asked and she shrugged. There is no name on the gift wrapper. Open it and check, it must be inside." I nodded at her words and slowly removed the tape from the wrapper.

I don't want to tear it. What if the sender is the one I'm thinking of right now?

"Got to send this to Ananya. Someone is sending bhai gifts!" Preet added, taking out her phone and starting recording. I shook my head at this.

Opening the wrapper a brown box of medium six appeared. My eyebrows furrowed and I ran a knife through the tape on the opening of the box. By now, almost everyone present in the house was interested in what Sahil had got.

"Can it be a bomb? Or something?" You don't have any enemies, right Bhai?" Preet asked and licked her lips.

"What if it's a prank?" Dad asked curiously glancing at the box.

"What if it's sent by God?" We all glanced at my dearest mother who just said that. Listening to god's songs early in the morning made her say that I believe.

"What if it's empty?" Abhinav's dad added.

"What if there is a puppy in it?" It was Abhinav's Mom this time. I stood there with folded hands and let them continue with their assumptions.

"You know what, I'd rather open this in my room!" I said and picked it up.

"No!" All of them shouted together a tug on my hand pulled me behind.

"So, finger on your lips" I indicated and they followed my order.

I opened the box finally and there were chocolates, lots of them, of different shapes and sizes. Those were not of any brands but rather looked like they were homemade.

"By your Chamatkar? And a heart" Maa who peeped into the box picked up a note that said this.

Damn. Chamatkar!

"Chamatkar?" Dad asked not able to believe this word while looking at her.

"Chamatkar?" Uncle asked curiously. What are they curious about, chocolates or names?

"Chamatkar?" Aunty was added next to the queue.

"Ishq wala love..."  Preet sang in the background with a smirk.

I closed the box and grabbed it immediately. But taking a clue from Preet's song, everyone looked at me with teasing eyes.

"Ohhhhhh, chamatkarrrr," they said in sync, their eyes on the box of chocolates sent for me.

No way I'm giving these to anyone. Anyone.

"Okay, guys. I, uh, I have some work. See ya. Bye," I escaped before anyone could ask me to share or tease me more when I declined.

Going back to my room, I opened the box and gazed at it with a smile.

She made chocolates.

She made chocolates,  for me.

Never has been a man so happy on this planet like today.

I picked up one of them and turned it around to look at it. It looked so good. Opening the wrapper slowly, the dark brown chocolate looked so delicious. Just when I was about to place the chocolate inside my mouth, my phone rang. I made a face to check the caller ID. Kirti. It must be something important.

"Hell-?" Her loud voice cut me off.

"Yeah, you go to hell. Bro, it's high time that you decide now whether you want Ananya or not. Both of your actions are as if you're already married but neither of you is ready to confess to the other. Y'all want each other or not, just decide it first. I can't see my best friend stupidly crying because she is missing a guy. Like crying over a fucking guy?!" She said as if that was the worst thing to do in life.

She was crying over me?

"She was-" she cut me off again.

"I already said a lot of things to her on the same and I'm telling you the same, if you both like each other then please increase the speed of your story because this tortoise speed is getting on my nerves. I think you might need confirmation to take a step ahead, then here it is, she likes you a lot. Now take the boat to the land." She seemed pretty angry.

"She likes me?!" I asked in disbelief with a happy smile dancing on my face.

I'm smiling a little too much nowadays. Because of her. Add that blushing emoji.

"Nope, she likes me. She's a lesbian, so am I for her" she muttered out in anger. Someone handles her first, she's bursting like a volcano.

"Okay, calm down, Kirti," I said.

"You tighten up, don't tell me to calm down. First, come here as fast as you can and clear out your things. It's February right now, and 9th March is her birthday, I need you to be there by that date. I don't care about anything else. And if she cried once again, for you, over you, or because of you then I might be the sole reason why you would appear on the front page of the newspaper" She threatened me and I blinked my eyes.

What is going on?

These both best friends, do they have a habit of threatening people? What are they? Some Don?

"Okay. After this call ends, you should probably drink some water" I suggested.

"9th March. You need to rush things now and by the way, she does not like public proposal."  She added.

"I already know that"

"Do not friend zone her this time!" She warned me and I scrunched my nose.

Why does everyone end up taunting me for this?

Before I could bid goodbye to her, she hung up.  I sighed in relief and thought for some time about her preferences and dislikes.

I noted down on paper everything she had mentioned which she likes and spun the pen in circles.

An idea popped up in my mind which seemed pretty perfect after tons of useless ideas. I immediately called Vivian next.

"Vivian, I need your help"

🦋

An update after so long I know. Hehe.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and do tell me about your reviews here>> (though I think it was a pretty boring one but dk😭)

So what do you think is next? Asking as if none of you know. ;)

Kindly vote on the chapters and at leastt make it go above 150 votes for once, my inner child would be happy to see that number 😭🥂

Cya 🤝🏻