Aditi's POV
We were all really exhausted after everything that happened.
But we had lost the game of dumb charades and as a result, we had to clean the house.
Of course, these people had no shame and were lounging on the sofa while we were working!
So here I was, standing with Naman in the kitchen. Isha di had assigned us to clean the kitchen together. We all know why she did that.
I started cleaning the kitchen while Naman threw the trash. We were working in a peaceful manner with the soft hum of the music running in the background. That's what I like the most about us, we can work in silence for hours without getting bored. It's just the presence of the other person that is enough for us.
Anyway, it was now time to wash the utensils. We decided to do it together so that we finish early. Standing side by side, we worked.
I cleaned the utensils and gave him to rinse them in water, our fingers touching every now and then that left a spark every time it happened.
I wonder if he will ever take the first step, or should I do it instead of waiting?
Over the past few days, our bond has grown in a really beautiful way, which makes me think that we might soon just confess. Everyone knows what we feel about each other, so there is no hiding it anymore. Moreover, we have given each other enough hints about what we exactly want. But sometimes, I think of what would have happened if we'd never met again.
As I clean the utensils lost in thought, I suddenly feel a sprinkle of water on my face that brings me out of my world. I look up to see Naman looking at me with a raised eyebrow, "What are you thinking?"
"What do you think I was thinking?", I question back.
He teased, "Hmm... You were thinking about how you are so lucky to know me."
"Exactly that! What would have happened if we'd never met again?", I ask seriously.
"Why would you think something like that, Adi?", he asked.
I shrug, "I don't know! This still feels so surreal to have you beside me after all these years!"
He smiled, "Isn't that what you wanted?"
"Of course I wanted this! This is everything that I ever wished for! But... I don't know, somewhere, I feel scared... What if we have to leave each other again? What if we are separated again? What if-", I am cut off by a splash of water on my face. I gasp, running a hand down my face to wipe the water.
"What was that?!", I exclaimed.
"Just cleansing the negativity out of your mind.", he said.
"Naman, now I am wet because of you!", I complained, realizing a little too late how the words came out. Of course, he got the wrong meaning.
My face turns red as he looks at me with amusement, suppressing his laughter. Radhika and Isha di who I didn't realize had entered the kitchen heard that too.
Both of them burst into laughter at the double meaning of my words.
Hey mother Earth, please swallow me!
Naman, who was trying his best not to laugh, couldn't hold back anymore and joined them. Why God, why?
As I stood there, my face buried in my hands, I felt a breath near my ear, followed by his voice, "Wet, huh?"
I could practically hear the smirk from his voice. My face turned a deeper shade of red as I swallowed hard, completely flustered. "Oh God! I didn't mean that!", I whine.
Radhika, who was still laughing at my flustered state, teased, "'Oh God'? So now you are making these sounds too?"
"Ugh! You guys are so dirty minded!", I groan.
Isha di cleared her throat, "Uhmm, Radhika? I think we should leave these guys alone. We might just have interrupted something."
Saying this, she dragged Radhika out of the kitchen, giggling and laughing at my expense.
"Isha diiii!", I whine.
I sigh, slowly turning towards Naman, who had finally stopped laughing. We just looked at each other before we both burst into laughter.
"That was so embarrassing!", I say.
"It sure was.", he chuckled.
He started doing the utensils again, but I wasn't done yet. I grabbed the nearby bottle of water and threw a little amount of it on him, enough to make him wet too.
He looked at me in disbelief for a few seconds before he smirked. He was about to take the bottle from me, but I immediately moved back. He narrowed his eyes playfully, "You are so gone now!"
"No!"
I tried my best to not let him take the bottle from me, but he got his hand on the bottle.
Still not wanting to give up, I make my grip on the bottle tighter as he pulls it. We play this little tug of war, before the water bottle slightly topples and all the water spills on the floor.
I am reminded of a certain day from our school life where we played with water in a similar manner and even got punished because of it. I looked at Naman, and I knew he was thinking about the same day.
Flashback
Class 6, a day before holi.
The teachers had made us empty our bottles so that we don't play holi outside school.
However, we were able to sneak one bottle full of water out of the school along with a packet of gulal.
It was just me and Naman as our friends, Kartik and Divya were going to join us in a few minutes. We walked a little away from our school, grinning mischievously.
As soon as we were at a safe distance from the school, I removed the packet of gulal from my bag and pinched a small amount to apply on Naman's face. I gently applied a small amount of gulal on his face, and he applied on mine, wishing each other happy holi.
We had planned to empty the water bottle on Kartik and Divya as a prank.
I was waiting for them to arrive when I noticed Naman's expression. He was up to something.
Before I could ask him what was on his mind, he grabbed the water bottle from his bag and ran towards me.
Oh no!
I ran away from him, not wanting to get wet, "Naan no! That's cheating!"
He just grinned, still running behind me with the bottle.
I ran around a corner and bumped into someone but was too focused on running to see the person's face.
Suddenly, I heard a splash of water.
My eyes widened as soon as I turned around.
Game over.
It was our principal sir.
His face soaked in water.
Naman stood in front of him, gulping in panic.
I nervously walked and stood beside Naman.
"I... I am... I am so-sorry s-sir.", Naman managed to say.
Contrary to the cold water that had just hit him, our principal's face was red in anger.
He is one of the most short-tempered people I know.
He didn't speak for a long time and just glared at us with angry eyes that made us shift uncomfortably, our heads low.
When he finally opened his mouth, he didn't speak. He barked.
"SHAMELESS KIDS! TELL ME YOUR NAMES, NOW!"
Flashback ends
I still flinch remembering his voice. It was complete horror. We were made to write 'I am sorry' a hundred times along with an apology letter with the parent's signature.
Thankfully, my parents were out of town at that time, so I made my sister forge the sign. As for Naman's mom, she is too sweet to scold us.
We both smile at each other as we recall the golden days of our school.
"I still remember the principal's face! He was so red in anger!", he said.
"I know right! He was so mad at us!", I chuckle.
After that, Naman cleaned the floor, and I washed the remaining utensils.
Just as we finished and turned around, Radhika and Isha di entered in the kitchen again.
"You guys are done already? I thought it would take time as you guys were... busy earlier.", Isha di teased.
She needs to hesitate.
"Di!", I hissed, glaring at her.
Radhika smirked, "What were you doing that even the floor is wet?"
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. They need to stop teasing us.
Naman finally spoke, "Radhika! Isha di! I spilled water by mistake! Stop teasing us!", he was slightly flustered too.
Isha di and Radhika laughed again, but then finally shut up when I gave them a cold glare.
I am going to kill them for this.
"So, what were you doing anyway? How did you spill the water?", Isha di asked.
"Well, we were busy recalling our school life and playing around, that's why...", I say sheepishly.
"Your school days, huh? You never tell us anything about your school days! We want to know too!", Radhika said.
I roll my eyes, "Why do you want to know?"
Radhika gasped dramatically, "So you won't even tell your best friend?!"
"You know, Rishi is rubbing off on you. You're getting over dramatic just like him.", I said.
"Don't change the topic! We were discussing about your school life!", she exclaimed.
Naman intervened, "Girls, let's get out of the kitchen at least, yeah? We can have this chat outside."
I nodded, "You are right!"
"Oh! He is always right for you!", Radhika said.
Naman's lips twitched at how much they are teasing us.
Unable to take it anymore, I walked out of the kitchen and walked to the living room where the others were chilling.
We continued this chat for some time before everyone left.
Thank God, the day finally came to an end.
I am so tired!
Radhika's POV
I wake up a little late than usual because it's boring to wake up early and get bored all alone.
I freshened up, did all the household work, scrolled through Instagram, watched TV for some time, and was still getting bored.
I walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge for the nth time today for no reason at all.
My eyes suddenly landed on the chocolates and strawberries kept there and am immediately reminded of Rishi. We were supposed to make Choco-dipped strawberries together. I had completely forgotten about this in all this celebration.
I should call him now! I am getting bored, and these strawberries will be wasted too if we don't eat them.
I eagerly rushed to the living room and grabbed my phone, dialing his number. The mere idea of spending time with him has me so excited for some reason.
He picked the call and greeted me, "Hey honey! Missing me already?"
"Oh yes! I missed you so much, Rishi! Did you get hiccups?", I teased back.
He chuckled, "Tell me, what is it?"
"Come to my place in half an hour.", I commanded.
"Aren't you home alone? What do you want to do with me? Ek abla mard ke sath kya karna chahti ho tum, Radhika?!", he started with his drama.
I roll my eyes, "Izzat lutni hai tumhari mujhe.", I say sarcastically.
I can imagine him clutching his chest in mock offense as he says, "Haww! Radhika! I didn't know you were so tharki!"
I laugh at that.
"Jokes apart, remember we planned to make those choco dipped strawberries? I was thinking we should make them today.", I explain.
"Oh yeah! How can I forget that! I'll come right away.", he said.
Half an hour later, we both stood in the kitchen, staring at the strawberries. None of us knew how to make them.
Rishi searched through his phone for the recipe. I tip toed to peek into his phone. He noticed me struggling and lowered his phone with a smirk, "Shortie.", he teased.
I narrow my eyes at him, "I'm not short! You're taller than necessary!"
He raised an eyebrow in amusement, "Is that so? I think that's good though. I like our height difference.", he winked, ruffling my hair.
"Hey! You made my hair all messy!", I complain, setting my hair back with my fingers.
"Don't worry. You still look pretty.", he flirted.
I looked down at his phone, "Don't flirt. Focus, Rishi. Focus.", I mumble.
"I'm just stating facts, honey."
I don't look up. Pointing towards his phone, I clear my throat, "Ahm... The strawberries."
He shook his head with a small smirk as we finally started watching the recipe.
"Okay, so you melt the chocolates and I'll wash the strawberries.", I say.
He nodded and started working. I turned my attention to the strawberries, washing them clean and drying them.
He was done melting the chocolates and turned to me.
We started dipping the strawberries in the chocolate using a toothpick and placed them on a tray.
There was a comfortable silence between us as we worked together. Soon, we were done with all the strawberries and placed them in the refrigerator to cool.
I turned to Rishi, who was eating the leftover chocolate like a little baby. I chuckled at the sight.
Rishi looked so cute right now.
"I know I'm cute, honey.", he suddenly said.
I blink, heat creeping up my face, "Huh?"
He smirked, "That's what you were thinking, right? 'Rishi is so cute'. Am I right or am I right?"
I look away, "Wh-what? I.. I wasn't thinking that!"
His smirk only widened at my stammer, "Uh huh. Sure you weren't."
"Of course not!"
"You're like an open book, honey."
"Let's sit in the living room. Watch some movie or something.", I changed the topic and rushed out of the kitchen.
I heard him chuckle as he followed me.
We both sit on the couch, scrolling through Netflix, trying to find a good movie, when my phone rings.
I look at the caller id.
"Who is it?", Rishi questions.
"Raj.", I reply, picking up the call.
"Hey, Raj.", I greet.
"Hello- Radhika? Oops wrong number. I'm so sorry. I was trying to call someone else.", he apologizes.
I chuckle, "It's alright. And-", before I could complete the sentence, Rishi – who was sitting right beside me – started shouting, "Radhika! Come on! Talk later, I am here for you! Honey!"
I look at him with wide eyes, smacking his arm to shut him up.
He just grins at me and again starts shouting my name.
"Is that Rishi? Wow! What did I interrupt, Radhika?", Raj asked as he heard Rishi's voice.
"We were just watching movies. Nothing else.", I explain.
Rishi won't stop calling out my name so I stand up from the couch and stand by the wall in the corner, away from him.
"Okay, you guys enjoy the movie.", Raj said.
"By the way, how is Ruhi's first day going so far? Did she tell you anything?", I ask curiously.
Rishi follows me and stands in front of me with a bored look.
"No, she haven't even texted me once. You see, no one cares about me!", he replies dramatically.
Why does each and every person I know have to be dramatic?
"Stop being dramatic, Raj! She might be busy at work.", I said.
He gasped, "Haww! Now you think I am being dramatic? Yeh ab sab tumhe dramatic lag raha hai, baby doll. Ek zamaane mein tum iss par marti thi!", he teased.
I roll my eyes, my lips twitching at his filmy teasing, "In your dreams, saste Kabir Thapar!"
I noticed Rishi stifen slightly. He narrowed his eyes and took a step closer.
"Okay then, bye Raj.", I said.
"Yeah, bye. See you.", saying this he cuts the call.
As soon as the call ends, Rishi moves closer and snatches the phone from my hand. He swings the phone in front of my eyes.
"Kabir Thapar, huh?", he asked, his expression unreadable, voice husky.
"Rishi, I-", he shuts me up my placing his finger on my lips, "Shh."
My eyes widen. I was already leaning against the wall while talking to Raj, so I am practicality caged between him and the wall right now.
He stares at me with an intensity that has me feeling a flutter in my chest.
His fingers move down from my lips and he gently lifts my chin up. He leans closer, his breath fanning on my ear as he speaks, "Only I get to be the Kabir Thapar in your life, Radhika.", his voice low and husky sends a shiver down my spine.
I swallow hard, my breathing uneven from our proximity. He smirks at the effect he has on me.
"Understood, honey?", he whispered.
I nod immediately.
"Words, honey.", he urges
"Y-yes.", I manage to whisper.
His finger drops from my chin as he steps back, his eyes glistening with satisfaction.
"Come on now, iss he baat par yeh jawaani hai deewani dekhte hai.", he said casually grinning as if he didn't just take my breath away.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as he settles back on the sofa and starts the movie. I sit on the couch as the movie starts. I try to calm myself down and focus on the movie rather than the guy sitting beside me.
I don't know what happens to me when he is that close. It feels like my heart stops beating for a second and when it starts to beat again, it's beating with 2x speed.
As I am lost in thought, he suddenly stops the movie and turns to me.
I raise an eyebrow, "What?"
"Can I ask you something?", he questions.
"Of course.", I reply.
"Do you like Raj?"
I choke on air at that question, "How did he come up out of nowhere?"
"Just answer my question!", he urges.
I sigh, knowing there was no way out, "No. I don't like him-", his shoulders relax slightly, but again tenses as I complete the sentence, "- I liked him.", I admit.
His eyes widened, "What? Really?"
I nod, "He was my first crush."
"So, you don't like him anymore?", he enquires.
I shrug, "No."
He scoffs, "No one can ever stop liking their first crush."
"Why? Do you still like Sakshi?", the question catches him off guard as his head snaps towards me, "Of course not! I don't even think about her!", he defends himself.
"Similarly, I don't like Raj anymore too. In fact, I see him as a brother now."
"Wait, one more question. You guys call Isha di as di, then why not Raj bhaiya?", he asks.
"Well, because Raj is more of a friend to us than a brother. And he insists of not calling him bhaiya because it makes him feel old.", I explain.
He nods, then again asks, "Why did you like Raj anyway?"
I chuckle, "I liked him because he played guitar. I know this sounds silly, but I was just 13 back then."
He stares at me in disbelief, "So you are telling me that you liked him just because he played guitar?"
I nod.
"So, are you sure you don't like him anymore? Like no feelings at all? Not even a little bit?", he asks again.
I laugh, "God no! Not even a little bit!"
"And he knows this?", he continues his interrogation.
"Yes. Ruhi told him out of excitement. When I told her that I had a crush on her brother, she was so happy that her best friend was going to be her sister-in-law. I still remember the embarrassment I felt when she revealed that!"
"So, doesn't it get awkward to go in front of him when you know that he knows?"
"It's been 5 years to that. It was awkward in the beginning, but eventually, everything went back to normal."
"Why did you stop liking him?"
I shrug, "I grew up. Got some brains and realized how silly that crush was."
He laughs, "Seriously though, just because of a guitar?"
I roll my eyes, "Okay enough of this conversation! Let's continue the movie now!"
He laughs at me for some more time before finally continuing the movie. After finishing the movie, we check the strawberries. They were finally ready to eat.
We click some pictures of the strawberries and then taste them.
Wow! Naman would be so proud of us!
As soon as Rishi takes a bite, he says, "Mmm... This is so good!"
"I know right! It's so sweet!", I add.
"Just like you, honey!", he winks.
I fake a huff at his flirting.
He chuckles as we continue to dig into the yummy strawberries.
He leaves after we finish the strawberries as we both have study for the exams, and we both knew that we won't be able study together
I flop on the couch with a contented sigh. Today was fun. I just love how comfortable it feels to be around him.
Rishi's POV
I reach home and freshen up. I was in a bad mood since yesterday night for some reason, but after meeting her, I feel at peace. It's like my day brightens every time I see her smile at me or when she blushes at something I say.
I love the effect I have on her.
I decide to study for a while as our exams are starting from the day after tomorrow.
I sit with my books in front of me. We didn't study together because we knew we would end up talking and laughing for the rest of the day.
She told me about how she had a crush on Raj because he plays guitar. But she doesn't like him anymore.
That's good.
Wait- why would I think that is good? What am I even thinking?
Oh God, Rishi! Focus on studying.
But why would she have a thing for guitarists?
Does she still find guitarists attractive?
What do I have to do with it? Ugh! I have lost my mind.
But still, what's so special about guitarists?
I would have known if I had learned how to play guitar.
It's not like I care or something about her type. I am just curious. That's it. Why would I have anything to do with what her type is anyway, right? It's just that she is my friend and I want to know more about her and I want to know everything about her and keep talking to her because it feels so good and spend time with her because it's so peaceful and-
I slam my books shut. What the hell is wrong with me?
I run a hand through my hair in frustration. I can't study right now. I'm not able to focus.
Ugh! We didn't study together because we would get distracted but she is still distracting me even though she is not even here.
She just won't leave my thoughts. I just hope she doesn't get hiccups because of me.
I pace around my room, thinking of something that would distract me from my distraction.
I don't even make sense anymore.
I pause.
I have a guitar at home too. My dad's guitar. A smile forms on my face as I recall all those late night bollywood jams we used to do.
Before I know it, I find myself standing in the storeroom. It must be here, I remember keeping it safely.
I find the gig bag in a corner and carry it out of the storeroom. It is covered in dust as expected. It's been 3 years since I last saw this guitar.
I never learned it because I was never really fond of musical instruments. Until now when I am suddenly very interested in learning it.
I dust the guitar with care. After the guitar is cleaned, I find myself sitting on the bed with guitar in my hands and a YouTube video named, "How to play guitar. A Beginner's guide."
I don't even know why I am doing this. It's not like I'm doing this for someone else, of course not. No way.
Wait!
I know exactly why I am doing this!
I'm doing this because I want to become an actor.
Yes!
I am just expanding my skill set for my future acting career. I mean, what if I have to play the role of a guitarist, I have to be prepared, right? It's definitely just for myself. It has nothing to do with anyone else.
It's not my mistake that it happens to be at the exact same time when a friend of mine mentioned her liking guitarists.
It's just a mere coincidence, nothing else.
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