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Under the dim light in the restaurant, Shanaya sat with her hands clasped beneath her chin, waiting impatiently for Dhruv who had excused himself to go to the bathroom. She had not missed the nervousness in his voice when they had met earlier outside the restaurant. Shanaya, on the other hand, was brimming with confidence. She wanted to talk. Just talk. About anything and everything. She missed the bantering between them—the casual taunts and remarks, the flirtatious atmosphere that once existed. A lot had changed over time, of course. With secret deep buried once resurfacing again, things were bound to change. But she was disappointed that she had let the circumstance change what existed between them. Dhruv emerged from the turn, walking towards her with large strides, his hand tugging at the collar of his white shirt. She recalled the last time they were here—the way she had drooled over him inside her mind. He had never ceased to be attractive. If anything, he had only become ir
“Oh,” Dhruv muttered under his breath before he raised his eyes to meet hers again. “That’s…” he took a pause to clear his throat. “That’s good, right? You don’t seem happy about it.” Even though the thought of shrugging off her disappointment struck Shanaya’s mind, she knew she only wanted to be honest to Dhruv. So, she shook her head, dropping the piece of naan she had torn onto the plate. “I’m not happy about her going away.” Dhruv nodded solemnly. “I see how you are looking at this. But for Sanya… this is great. That little girl deserves a family and a great family deserves her too,” he said, a convincing smile flashing on his face. Shanaya shifted in her seat again, looking at an empty table beside them as she pictured the little girl’s face. “I know all that, Dhruv. I really want that for her. But it means an end to our meets, right? It doesn’t have to be… but considering the situation. Maybe it’s my fault that I got too attached to her… It’s wrong of me I guess to see her as
Shanaya parked her car in the driveway, sighing as it came to a halt. She turned around and took a glance at the birthday cake she had placed on the backseat. She took a pause, asking herself if it was Suhala’s birthday that day or if she was mistaken. But then she knew she’d have to go in and face the embarrassment anyway. “Alright,” she whispered to herself impatiently and got out, picking the box with the cake inside in her hands. The sun had just begun setting, casting an orange hue on the glass covered railings of the balconies. From where she stood outside the mansion, Shanaya found Ahail working out in the balcony of his room, his jaw clenched as he lifted the heavy dumbbells. He had not noticed her driving there or had deliberately turned his head in such a way that he could not see her directly. Feeling a pang in her chest, Shanaya made her way to the door. Inside, Suhala sat on the couch, knitting a new piece with the spools of wool tangled across her fingers. She h
Shanaya noticed how her hands shivered as she walked through the familiar hallways of the orphanage. She stumbled at every step, cursing herself to keep her shit together. Prakash was waiting for her at the other end of the hallway, an odd look fixed on his face as he watched her approach. Shanaya read it as something between pitiful and concerned. She decided she hated both of those things. “Hey there,” she said upon getting close enough, doing her best to keep the nervousness out of her voice. “Are they here?” Prakash straightened the maroon tie fastened around his collar before answering, “They’re interacting with Sanya right now.” “Oh,” Shanaya mumbled, feeling a cold hand wrapping around her heart. “Did she seem excited about it?” Prakash smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “She’s thrilled. I think she’s probably introducing her doll right now. And you can meet the parents right after. The wife met with an accident some days back. She has a bandage around her head. I thou
“That went well, didn’t it?” Dhruv asked as they descended the staircase, making their way to where her car was parked. “They don’t look like it, but everything seems fine about them as per Meghna. Sanya kinda liked them too.” Shanaya heard everything he said but did not respond—not until they reached her car. Then she turned her eyes back to the entrance of the orphanage, exhaling loudly as she scratched her temple. “Tell me what’s bothering you,” he voiced, moving closer protectively. She wetted her lips, her eyes lowered to the grass beneath her feet. “I just… I have this feeling, Dhruv. Something just doesn’t sit right about them. And I know this could be a result of the thought of separating from Sanya. But I don’t think it’s just that…” Dhruv rubbed the sides of her right arm, watching her with softened eyes. “When everything turns out fine, you’ll be relieved.” Shanaya was glad he did not dismiss her as an overthinker. He understood the origin of her concerns and tried to
Priya reacted too late. She tried to duck but her head made impact, the remote hitting her right where the bandage was placed. Before Shanaya could recover from what she had just witnessed, the bandage on Priya’s head began turning red, staining with fresh blood. Shanaya heard Rohit accuse her assistant, “Your boss thinks she’s great. Why was she suspicious, Pri? Did you tell her anything? Tell me! Did you say anything to her?” Priya cried, shaking her head furiously. “No, no, no. I didn’t. I swear!” Stumbling backward, Priya screamed in pain, touching her forehead. “Trust me, Rohit. I never told her anything,” she pleaded, her voice coming out soft and weak. Her husband simply scoffed, lifting himself off the couch and taking a threatening step toward her. “If anything goes wrong and we don’t get this child, I’m going to kill you, Pri. And then I’m going to kill that bitch.” Priya yelled in protest, warning him to not come closer. But Rohit continued his trail towards her, a
“You’re here now,” Shanaya murmured, letting go but still holding her arms around him. “That’s what matters.” “You were right. I should’ve believed you,” he said, his voice laced with regret. Shanaya shook her head, touching his cheek softly. “We couldn’t know. But yeah, it was horrible. I can’t believe Priya was going through this.” “Did you inform the police?” “Yes, I did. They were just here asking me questions,” she told him, turning around to find Michael. The artist was watching them with a strange look—she comprehended it as delighted. Looking back at Dhruv, she sighed in relief. “This is not the best situation but he deserves such an intro, I guess. Always the one for drama. Come, you need to meet him.” When they halted right beside the chair where Micheal sat, he stood up confidently, a charming smile coming over his face. “A good distraction I see,” he commented. She passed him a weak smile which was all she could muster. “This is my artist friend. I found out peo
Shanaya was eager to get out of bed that morning. There was only one person on her mind: Priya. She had not hoped to get any sleep that night but Dhruv’s comforting arms had put her to rest finally. However, when her eyes opened in the morning, Dhruv wasn’t by her side making her groan in disappointment. She knew where to find him. He was in the kitchen, handsome and tall and half-naked—the top half of his body up for staring. The muscles of his back flexed as he flipped the pancake on the pan. Shanaya tried to ignore that but was thankful that it served as a pleasant distraction from the disturbing thoughts in her mind. “Hey,” she murmured, gathering her hair into a messy bun. “You’re up early,” he commented, turning around to pass her charming smile. His hair was a disheveled mess—he had just come out of the shower. “Come here,” he urged and pulled her closer before she could protest. “You smell good,” she said, leaning into his neck. She could stay there all day if tha