Resounding Aches Of Past—AnuPre OneShot

Scene: Starbucks, 7th Heaven Shopping Complex, London, UK.

The tempting aroma of brewing animato transpired air engaging minds into a warm fantasy served with luscious chocolate muffins. At the desk, was cappuccino half way through the mug lined with milk froth and the authetic olive leaves drawn with drinking chocolate which ironically is a powder itself. A little scrunched up nose lead to ditch the contents of mug, masking core disgust with gradual delight, gratification struck hard.

 Softly sung opera in the background added to the beauty of white noise gleaming in the Starbucks' lounge. Her tactful fingers punching the keys on laptop played at her part to add on. In peripheral vision was a family in mirth and next to them was probably a heart broken teen who continued to stir his coffee in daze. Cafe walls have always been a listener and silent spectator. But so are the people who occupy the farthest corner keeping eye on everyone that surrounds, feeling counted and involved. A subtle smile stretched at thought before her attention was zoomed to  arbitrary sheet of Microsoft word whilst she continued to give final strokes to her fiction.

Getting through the ends is worth the struggle across. Adding the stereotypical 'THE END' to the story she began a few months ago metaphorically reminded of her real love story brought to an end, by him. He isn't solely responsible, countered the guilty self. The sizzling glee of facade bursted to the reality opening doors for some unshed tears; usurped, battling to smile like an injured warrior that is still not dead.A glee triumphant to hid pain under skin; shredding her conscience, in demand of love.

Heaving a sigh burdened lashes and even more the heart, thumping inside. Despair thoughts in mind reflected the random materials dispersed on table. Drawing the cup a little farther, she recollected her belongings and fished into her bag. The cold metal keys slipped down the digits in juggle of picking up the purse. 

"Ouch!" reverted the manly voice, synchronized with her own. Their heads struck in ordeal of picking up the keys, one out of help and other for her need. She could hear the gentleman in his voice and still known to the fact of triggering the wild. Rising on erect, their fiercy eyes met heating up the air. Unlike the previous times, it wasn't the warmth but angst and grudges exploding via that infinitesimal longing gaze.

"I hope it didn't hurt much, Prerna.",his husky vocals held her on edge; along her sight. 

"No, it...it didn't. Thank you, Anurag."Prerna shook her head nonchalantly, then had a grip with dawned realisation.  His voice, his cologne now suffocated her. A miniscule hope blooming at the deepest corner of her heart reverted to the old times that no longer last. But bitter reality broke the sand castle of day dreaming a little too early than expected.

"You guys know each other?"asked an inquisitive voice, twisting Prerna's grimace into a frown. Behind Anurag stood a lady impeccably dressed, fluid chiffon of flounced sleeves in sunkissed orange peplum dress, perfect for an early evening date in spring. 

In brink of vulnerability, their eyes stared in demand of an answer still unknown; do they really know each other? The only knowledge they had of each other is now limited to what known strangers are called with a tag of ' It's complicated! '. Silence prevailed over words, a shrug that happens to be a confusing nod sealed the mystery further, on Prerna's behalf. Rather she was too absorbed into moment and for how elastic could it be more.

 Staring into the eyes of someone you once made your world around have now started to feel so distinctly strange. Prerna could notice the deprivation of warmth and cheer but ego stayed still at the apex of his features, steely and stark. "We were..."his tongue staggered,"Friend. We were friends."

"Hey! Firstly, there is an error with your grammar, Anurag. 'Friends' and 'were' doesn't fit in one sentence anyway."said the lady giggling in euphoria inclusive grace. She seemed to be warmed at heart in dense and suffocating air, her faltering smile held secrets; mirroring the rustic pang of heartaches that Prerna burried in herself too. Her eyes grew wide in enactment looking for Prerna to say something in support. A hope glinting her eyes and smile masking her parched and devoid of emotion vocals, Prerna found a reflection of herself, except for her extrovert-girl-boss pretense. It took minutes for Prerna to realise how she's been staring at her like a creep or rather in search of something that unknowingly drew her subconscious.

"Not when that friend happens to be your ex-girlfriend!" unknown to the trigger of vent out, embarrassment washed all her face. A prominent frown frickled on Anurag's temple at mention. He was uncertain about that coming and most importantly with an ease like that. 

“Ow, I...I am sorry.” the lady voiced instantly with realisation. Although the bewilderment Prerna was expecting chose to be latent as a grimaced smile settled on her lips. Anurag feigned ignorance to her antics with his eyes all focused on the lady; sending waves of jealousy down his ex's throat.

“Well, that's completely fine. No one was at fault.” Prerna faked a smile,“The worst thing that can happen to you as a human is to stay in bond that consumes you from within to an extent that when it set you free, you are rather captive by the emptiness of you. I am glad we both were saved from it.”

“Our decisions don't always lead to what we think it would fruit. You two are lucky that it brought you what you desired.” distinct strangeness of her tone went unnoticed by the two souls who were rather immersed in searching for scars they left on each other. Found many but none deep enough to drown in for necessity to cure and to stay.

"Our decision ain't ours always. At times, it's inspired by the people we prioritize and shackled by it for their sake.”Prerna muttered before walking out to give them space but her steps halted at his words,” To let go of pain one must feel the whole of it 'cause the fear of losing something always stays no matter what it really is.”

"Do you still love her, Anurag?” her grating vocals softened at the end, her fingers still entangled in his but the sweat of her palms glide them away a moment later. “You know, I can handle Aunt Mohini on my part. After all not every person you meet as your potential better half seems to be the one—you really want to be with.”

“Shriya, I know your concern and I assure you of my loyalty to you after our marriage.”Anurag said earnestly; staring at her hopefully. This isn't exactly how he wished his life to reel through but his mother's happiness was his priority for now. "Moreover, it was a mutual decision.” he paused in contemplation to find the right words, "She doesn't want me to give up on my family's happiness for her."

"Do you want to—give up your family's happiness for her?” Shriya spoke her heart as the accusation dangled through her gaze. 

With a pregnant pause, "No." Anurag answered.

"She gave up her happiness for something she knew you wanted. And it is sad on your part to know that you could let her go so easily.” She smiled at him sadly, tears glittered her lashes but gone with a blink. "I am sorry if I have been too interfering in your personal matters. Just that,” she paused to glance his reaction," I guess I have been stupid too, like you, for letting go off the man I have loved the most. And all I have is regret for not fighting back. Don't let yourself go down the same lane."

"I have been there once and—" her words died at the interjunction  of her throat, "I guess I should get going.” She riled up herself to leave as Anurag stood dumbstruck with the revelations she made.

Wriggling his eyebrows he shrugged at the haunting thought to dial up Prerna. 

 Certainly at the four rings the call was attended and a gleaming smile broke out on his lips on hearing Kiara's slurpy chuckles. 

”Hello, Anu? Sorry about Kiara beaming with her loud chuckles. Hope your ear drums are still safe." humour lining her words missed her tone, her fastened breathing rang in his mind amalgamating with her husky vocals and the stiffness of her shoulder was all he got imagine of her body language from a distant view. 

"Hey, Prerna. My eardrums are just fine and I love her chuckles." he laughed it off breathing in for courage,"Everything went well. Where are you now?"

"Did she said yes?" realising her straightforwardness she easied down herself, "Er...I mean...Woah...I am at Mom&Me store on the seventh floor."

"Okay, I am on my way then." replying swiftly he declined the call.

****

Scene: Mom&Me, 7 Heaven Mall, London, UK.

With the high adrenaline rush in her veins Prerna started to act goofier than she really was. Gliding through Kiara's pram and shuffling through the baggage of her diapers, milk bottles and clothes was definitely an ordeal when her nanny had to leave the place for her working hours were already over an hour back than Prerna came into the scenario. "Kiyu, stop touching things." She chided little Kiara for her obsession of pulling things into her pram from the shelves her hand could readily reach to. 

"Prerna,” Anurag called her out seeing her too ignorant of his presence as she arranged the things backs. 

"So, what's up?" She asked him awkwardly.

"Great! I will drop you both home. Oh btw are you done shopping for Kiyu-Piyu?" he called out latter with the pout as she stared him with a grumpy smile. 

"Aww...aw...AAA...Aww...nuuuu!" riled up Kiara spoke for the first time leaving the two adults astonished at the site of nine months old Kiara finally letting a word roll out her tongue. They stared at each other for a while before Anurag tried to confirm his doubts, "Did...Did she just called me?" Prerna nodded her head in bewilderment as tears glazed her cornea. 

"F*ck! Her first word is Anu. She called me." he gasped trying to breathe steadily  while doing his jig-dance. And there the realisation dawned upon Prerna, "Holy Sh!t! Her first word is Anu. I have been dying for months to hear her call me Mumma and all she came up was your idiotic name." Prerna complaints in fury," I have been teaching her to say Mumma for over weeks now and this is what she came up with. I hate you ANURAG BASU! You stole away my darling—Mumma's little girl—baby."

"You see my charms, Priyu. Where I am at fault if girls like her love me so much?" he teased, flashing his white pearls that she now hope for one day to be broken.

"What the hell do you mean by ‘girls like her' ?" She said with gritted teeth.

"I mean, girls who have brains fall for my charms—" he was cut by her half-a-way "You mean for girls who actually don't have brains and fall for your non-existing charms?"

"No, I don't mean girls including you who hate to accept truth and love being called dumb." he answered back.

" Did you just called me dumb?" with a feigned smirk and overtly stretched smile Prerna asked him.

"I need not intend to. But guess so, you are ruled out of the first category of it partially for understanding the underlying words."

"Awwwnuuuuuu!" Kiara's beaming vocals brought them back to reality where they are adults though brainless at times. 

"Her voice is so cute;no?" Anurag asked Prerna dreamily.

"It is. But it would have been more cute had she called ’Mumma' first."

"Jealous bitch!"

"Ungrateful dog!"

"Excuse me, why do you think I should be grateful to you?" Anurag barked following them to the queue to pay the bills.

"Because I saved you from getting married as you wanted. Or for a change if she said yes then our act was foolish enough to get you such a beautiful girl to get married with. Either way you would be happy one among two of us.” her distant vocals were prominent through that merry glazed glance.

"She said that you love me so much and know that you cannot find anyone as good as me so she chose to sacrifice me for you.” Anurag dripped his honey coated self-obssession with an intention to irk her.

"You know what, I would add an adjective for you—Ungrateful and self-obssessed dog."

"Glad to be. Better than being jealous bitchy witch."

"I would ignore that knowing the fact of life imprisonment is the punishment for the crime I am thinking of right know." Prerna smirked with a frown.

**** 

Scene: Prerna's Home, London,UK.

"Hey, are you still upset with me?" Anurag pulled Prerna towards himself when she drew herself away to get Kiara's milk boiled. 

"Certainly yes. I am upset but not with you. I am upset because 'Mumma' wasn't the first word Kiara called.” Prerna hugged him, relieving her melancholy. He rubbed his palms to ease down her stiffed shoulders before bending down to kiss her crown. 

"Relax, she is just a little kid, Priyu. But I am happy that she called out to—" he breathed in exasperated and bent down on the floor towering over the sleeping Kiara,“her father first." He held her tongue palms while she instinctively wrapped it around his index finger, still fast asleep. "I know I am not her biological father but ever since the day she was born and I get the chance to hold her for the first I felt nothing less than father to her."

"You know what Shriya said?" he fished out a velvet coated box from his pocket and removed the two tiny gold Bangles before he made Kiara don that. "She told me to not let go off you. And I wanted to listen.”

“Anurag this isn't leading up to anything good. Back off before we end up hurt." Prerna warned consuming the fears shooting up her head. 

"Five years back when we broke up because Mom and you were heads apart, all I wished for was your friendship. Because somewhere deep down I was scared of losing you, may be long back it was just my infatuation that I wasn't much affected by the separation. But being your best friend for all along and getting to know you better at every lemon that life threw on you and how you made a lemonade out of it. I guess, I am addicted to your lemonades after a hangover of stupidity. Years back, you let  me go because you prioritize my happiness over yours. This time I want you to prioritize yourself over me or just anybody else. I knew you loved me and you still do." His silvery vocals ranged with the husk of guilt and bloom of love; all through his back still facing her.

"It's too late for a realisation now. Anurag, we are too late. All that I am now is with a tag of divorcee whom her husband left just an year back. I am not the girl your family would wish to see you with." She stated the platitude of situation numbly. It was then he gripped himself to stood and walk up to her, "You are the girl I want to spend my life with. That's all that matters to me.”

"But-” she started off as he shushed her, "Mom would always want me to be happy and with you and Kiyu I would be happiest. Everything would be fine eventually only if we learn to not give up now.”

"So Miss. Prerna Sharma, are you willing to be Mrs. Prerna—Ungrateful & self-obssessed—Anurag Basu?” tears spilled out of her waterline as she hugged him in ecstaty voicing, "Yes, Jealous bitchy witch's husband to be.”

THE END! 

I don't know how it came out to be but definitely not the theme and genre I prefer. I know how crazy it is, childish to be precise. But it's been days since I last wrote anything and the craving of little writer in me was now dying to be fulfilled. So here I came with this piece that I highly doubtful of, but anyway I did grew up the courage to upload to have my guts out laughing via your comments. Feel free to criticize 'cause today I am really up for this. 

I don't know why or how you found me, and why you asked me to read this, but you did, and I am so glad you asked! I don't read AnuPre fan fiction because the show versions don't please me, but I loved reading this cute little OS about the two of them (and little Kiara!! She is adorable ❤️)  You have such a way with words... The transition from the cafe scene to the mall scene, more specifically, Anu's phone call, was a bit choppy, but it did have the desired impact.

Here's to hoping that I'll read more of your work 👍🏼

Our writer has written on Prerish also Shaon you can check it out

First of all, thank you so much for paying heed to my request it means a lot. I am happy that you liked it much. And I do believe that Transition scene came out choppy probably for two reasons (a) It's been while since I wrote something and to take up the transition in flow was quite hectic which is why I had to cut a few scenes. (b) It was moreover an attempt to satiate my muse that has struck a wrong cord in me on wrong time. 

I would surely come with more such creation but my priority would be my leftover PreRish and AnuPre FFs after April. 

Infact you can checkout the PreRish stories—

Maudlin Sinister- A revenge story of Prerna and Rishabh against Basu clan.

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/151591158

Mired Into Whist- A dark story compilating Prerna, Rishabh and guilty Anurag.

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/150972633

Cynefin of Monsters- A Vampire themed passionate one shot of PreRish. 

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/151236796

Thank you so much sweetheart for mentioning on my behalf ❤️

A writer such great like you needs to showed off by their readers🤗

That's just took my breath away momentarily, this means a lot to me.

I was stating a fact my dear❤️