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When will you update next part....!!!!!!
When will you update next part....!!!!!!
CHAPTER 3
"Toh tumhari behen tumhe Nikki bulati hai?"
"Haan. Bahaut log bulate hai. Anokhi ke alawa sab yahi bulate hai." Anokhi answered while sticking minced chicken onto a skewer for seekh kebabs.
"I must say, thoda mushkil hua hoga na Anokhi ka nickname nikalna? After all, it's not a common name." Shaurya said while stirring the gravy in the pan.
"Aisa nahi hai. Jab main paida hui thi tab sab mujhe Nikki hi bulate the. Bahut common nickname hai na. Anokhi baad me naam rakha. Coincidently Nikki aur Anokhi match kar gaya." Shaurya nodded in understanding looking for other conversation topics in his head.
"Vaise aapke bhi toh nicknames honge. Though, I can't imagine ki Shaurya naam se kya nickname nikal sakta hai."
"True. That is so true. Maine bahut baar koshish ki hai Shaurya ka koi accha shortened version nikalne ki but...Lekin hai. Mere nicknames hai." Shaurya started talking animatedly happy that Anokhi didn't let the awkwardness linger.
"Kya hai?"
Shaurya started blushing as he went down memory lane of all the absurd funny nicknames he had been called.
"Uh...ek hai, Kinnu. Meri chachi kabhi kabhi mujhe Kinnu bulati hai. It has a funny story to it actually." Shaurya watched while Anokhi intensively listened to his childhood story of when he ate two Kinnows by himself when he was just 2 years old.
Anokhi looked at his face and body language as he talked about his fond memories. He seemed more relaxed than he usually was. He had taken his suit jacked off some time ago and had rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt to his elbows with his karela apron still on. With a hand leisurely stirring in the gravy, and his laid back stance, he seemed like he was in his element. He seemed like the real Shaurya Sabherwal that he was always afraid someone might see behind his strong, stuck-up façade.
"Aap apni badi maa se bahut close ho na? Voh kya bulati hai aapko?"
Shaurya halted his movements and racked his brain to find something by which his Badi maa had ever addressed him endearingly besides his own name. He loves his Badi maa and he will forever be grateful to her and he will always owe her his whole life for taking him in like she did and raising him like her own without having any children of her own. But he couldn't deny that he always had a very formal relation with her. He considered her to be like his mother but she wasn't. She was his Badi ma and he had always had an air of formality with her and Bade papa.
He couldn't let loose with them like he did with his parents before his mother left him. He couldn't be playful around them, even when he was young. That one incident caused him to grow up too fast and he lost his childhood and his child-like twinkling innocence somewhere along the lines. Even now, the people he was most informal around with at his home was his Chachi, Kanchan, his dad and sometimes his sisters.
He couldn't be playful around his dad either but he knew that he could let loose and put down his mask. He could let his emotions show. He had no filter around his father and as much as he had hurt him, Shaurya liked that. Someone to put up no boundaries with.
Badi maa had always cared for him and never let him be short of anything, but his chachi, she had shown him actual motherly love. He couldn't deny that but he couldn't speak it out loud either, for the sake of his Badi maa. When he pulled all-nighters for any exam, Badi maa would make sure that all the helpers in the house stayed up with him to tend to his needs the whole night, making sure he had everything he needed. But his Chachi, she was the one who used to send those helpers to bed and stay up with him, feeding him food with her own hands, preparing warm milk for him and forcefully closing his books and laying his head down on her lap and stroking his hair to make sure he got a restful sleep.
Shaurya was not dumb enough to not understand that Devi was possessive of him. He understood her reasons but he never really liked her means. He knew that she could get a bit controlling and passive aggressive but he got where she was coming from. But he never had that air of comfort and warmth with her that he had with his chachi and earlier with his mother. It was mostly gratitude.
Now Kanchan was a different case all together. If there was someone he could talk to without the fear of being judged was Kanchan. They both had a sense of mutual respect for each other. When she first came into the house as a newly-wed, Shaurya was mostly aloof to her presence. They both were very awkward to each other in the start. Shaurya is older than her by almost two years but younger than her in relation so she felt weird addressing him just by his name. So she called him 'Shaurya ji' at first no matter how foreign it sounded.
Shaurya called her 'Bhabhi' at first which didn't make it any less weird for him. They went through odd rounds of names for each other in the first year of Kanchan and Yash's marriage before they settled on just 'Kanchan' and 'Shaurya bhaiya'. Even though his Chachi was always there for him and so was his Badi maa, Kanchan was always the one he could talk to about anything. He did mask many feelings around her, unlike with his dad, but he knew he could talk to her.
After the first year of her marriage, she had found him one night crying to himself about his mother. She didn't know then what had transpired between Aastha and the family but she knew it was an unspoken rule to not talk about it. She found him silently crying to himself, unable to stop his tears from falling and she just sat with him and held him without any words the whole night. She didn't ask him anything and he didn't say anything and that was the best thing that could've been done then. Ever since then, he had always turned to her to vent out his feelings, whether it be about his friends, girlfriends, Shagun or...Anokhi.
Thinking of her, he snapped back into reality to see Anokhi watching his expectantly.
"Badi maa...uh...Shaurya hi bulati hai. Unko nicknames pasand nahi hai." He avoided her eyes and Anokhi sensed it and gave him a solemn smile before looking away.
An unspoken question hung in the air. Anokhi wanted to ask him but she knew that he was already uncomfortable after the last question and she had promised herself to not involve herself with his and Aastha ma'am's personal lives.
Shaurya sensed her awkwardness and he knew what she wanted to ask about.
"Tumhari Aastha ma'am..." Anokhi's head shot up hearing him talk about her. She wondered if she had accidently voiced her question out loud before realizing that this was all him.
"Vo-Voh mujhe...uh...kabhi kabhi Kulfi bulati hai. THI. I mean bulati thi. Mujhe kulfi bahaut pasand hai na...bas isiliye." Shaurya quickly became flustered and managed to knock down an empty plastic container. Anokhi discreetly smiled at him as he awkwardly went to pick it up and banged his head while getting back up. He had gone completely red by now and was refusing to meet her eyes.
"Mujhe bhi kulfi bahaut pasand hai."
Shaurya stared at her smiling face wide eyed before they both bashfully looked away from each other.
Both Shaurya and Anokhi cleared their throats before turning back to their respective dishes.
And so the kitchen was silent once again.
...
This FF has my heart. ❤️
It has been lying in my reading list for quite some time. Glad that I finally found time to read this gem.
Kulfi n Kinnu 😆 suits Shaurya.
Enjoyed reading all the three chapters. ShaKhi conversation was ❤️.
Do update the next chapter soon.
Eagerly waiting...
CHAPTER 4
It was silent for a few minutes before a melodious tune swirled through the air.
Shaurya's ears perked up and he looked at Anokhi to find her marinating paneer for paneer tikka. And she was humming a familiar tune.
He let himself flow through the high and low notes and the vibratos and variations in her breaths trying to recognize the song which he knew he knew but couldn't put into words.
Anokhi hummed out the last note and silence hung in the air again. Shaurya contemplated whether he should ask her about the song or not. He went with the latter.
But he did find out something tonight. Anokhi was an excellent singer. He didn't exactly hear her sing but he could tell from her very much precise and articulate humming that she hit every note on point while still maintaining a nonchalant rhythm which seemed almost effortless, that she must sound like an angel when she sings.
He, of course, wanted to hear more.
But he wouldn't take that hit on his ego. No matter how much he want something, no matter how much he is burning with curiosity to know about the very much familiar song, no matter how he knew that Anokhi wouldn't feel any superior and he wouldn't feel any inferior to her, he couldn't and he wouldn't because he was the most awkward person he knew and he can't let himself take the risk.
They continued to work in silence, Shaurya fidgeting ever so often, unable to push his curiosity down or his desire for her sing or at least keep humming.
Anokhi was done with the starters. It was now time for the dessert.
She reviewed her options and the time left before the guests would arrive and settled on making Chawal ki Kheer (rice pudding).
"Kya bana rahi ho?"
Anokhi twisted her head to look at him. "Kheer."
Shaurya's eyes immediately shone with something akin to excitement upon hearing her answer. Anokhi looked at him smiling like a child who's just been given permission to have two cookies instead of one.
"Kiski kheer bana rahi ho?"
"Chawal ki."
Shaurya's eyes immediately lost their childlike spark and his face turned sour.
"Chawal ki kheer kaun khata hai?" His face twisted into a scowl with every word. Anokhi didn't know why he held such disdain for Chawal ki Kheer.
"Sab hi khaate hai. Isliye toh bana rahi hoon. Aap patani kaunse planet ki kaunsi prajati se aaye hain."
"Excuse me?!"
"Mera matlab hai chawal ki kheer toh conventional hai. Sab khate hai. Sabko pasand hoti hai...usually."
"Shah Rukh Khan bhi sabko pasand hota hai usually. Tum ho kisi doosri prajati ki. Koi do sar vaali jiska taste kisi bhi cheez me accha nahi hota."
"Aap kahan ki baat ko kahan lekar ja rahe hai. Sabki apni apni preferences hoti hai. Mujhe Shah Rukh Khan nahi pasand toh nahi pasand. Aapko pasand hai. Maine aapko kuch kaha kya?"
"Exactly my point. Mujhe chawal ki kheer nahi pasand. Yeh meri preference hai. Tum nahi banaogi. Tumhe banana hi hai na toh...uh...saabudaane ki banao."
And just like that, Shaurya's eyes lit up again for his choice of kheer. Anokhi shoot her head in disbelief and bewilderment.
"Saabudaane ki...?"
"Haan."
"Ek problem hai."
"Bolo."
"Mujhe bilkul nahi pasand."
"Anokhi don't do this again!"
They bickered for a while, dragging random, completely unrelated topics into the argument just to prove a point. Exasperated by Shaurya's immature stubbornness, Anokhi just decided to do what she wanted and block out Shaurya's whining.
She turned to reach for the rice container just to find it high up on a shelf. Shaurya's eyes followed her gaze to the container and a smirk crept onto his face.
There was no way Anokhi could reach the container, what with how tiny she was.
Shaurya leaned against the counter and watched Anokhi with amusement flickering in his eyes and smugness prominent on his face. Anokhi eyed Shaurya from the corner of her eyes to see his way-to-content-for-his-own-good face.
Anokhi, though very embarrassed with the whole situation, was relentless. She stood on her toes and stretched herself as much as she could but to no avail.
Her eyes flickered back to Shaurya who nodded his head in mock encouragement.
Her eyes kept switching between him and the container and seeing him with that pretty but taunting smirk on his face, she decided that she cannot let him win this one. If she did, he wouldn't let her live it down forever.
And so she started jumping on her toes with a hand stretched out towards the container. And much to both of their surprises, Anokhi did manage to touch the bottom of the container but surely, that wasn't enough to bring it down.
Shaurya looked away to keep his composure so he doesn't burst out into laughter but a wide smile managed to break out.
After several failed attempts, Anokhi brought down her hands back to her sides, panting and huffing from jumping and disappointment, her eyes still stuck longingly at the container.
An idea sparked in Shaurya's mind and he sauntered towards her. He stood behind her with his chest almost touching her back. Anokhi, feeling his presence behind her and turned around, her breathing hitched.
Shaurya was very close to her, trapping her between the counter and himself. Anokhi was still panting but now she wasn't sure if the reason was her continuous jumping and neither was Shaurya.
He looked into her eyes for a few second, amusement prominent with the whole situation with a tinge of uncertainty at their close proximity. His eyes then smoothly shifted from her face to the container above her head. Following his movement, Anokhi's orbs went the same direction.
Shaurya's right arm then went to the container and silently asking her with his eyes if this was the one she wanted down. Anokhi slowly nodded her head, not quite yet understanding the situation.
Shaurya reached for the container and moved to bring it down.
Anokhi was quite pleased with him that he would help her regardless of what he wanted. She misjudged him for being immature. He was actually quite mature and wasn't petty at all. She now felt a little guilty and-
Shaurya smirked in her direction before putting the container on the higher shelf above the one it previously sat on. With a triumphant look he walked back to the counter he was working on while Anokhi was left gasping at his audacity and pettiness.
Whenever she starts to think that Shaurya was a good man, he managed to do something to mess it all up. She couldn't believe how immature he was acting. And he had the audacity to look smug afterwards.
"Hadd hoti hai, Shaurya sir! Har cheeze ki hadd hoti hai."
"Exactly, Anokhi. Har cheeze ki hadd hoti hai. Ladne ki bhi."
Anokhi shook her head in disbelief at his antics.
"Saabudaana vaha neeche ki cabinet me rakha hai. More accustomed to your height, don't you think?" Shaurya pointed at a cabinet just beside Anokhi, never letting his smugness falter.
Anokhi, as tiny as she was, was a fireball. And this had struck her ego. With a scowl on her face she marched out of the kitchen. Shaurya watched her go and chucked to himself. He knew he got her good and she might need time to compose herself. He was very happy with himself.
...Until she was taking too long.
Shaurya got restless and fidgety. He tried looking out the window but it was hazed so he couldn't see anything clearly. Just as he was about to go outside to check on her, she barreled past him right back into the kitchen with a step ladder.
Shaurya looked on in confusion before realization struck him. He couldn't help but let a smile slip past his lips at her stubbornness.
Anokhi was not even sparing a glance at Shaurya. She was too focused on setting up the ladder at the right angle just below the shelf. But her movements were rushed and aggressive, she was fuming with anger.
She started climbing up the ladder with her eyes on the container and before she could comprehend what happened, she missed a step causing her to fall from a height before she could balance herself.
She braced herself for impact and shut her eyes tightly, waiting to touch the ground but she stopped just before she could.
It was all too quick for Anokhi to fathom what happened but the adrenaline and the fear of falling made her clutch tightly to whatever broke her fall.
Shaurya had had a bad feeling that this was not going to go well. And he was right. He shot up the moment he saw Anokhi loose her balance and before he could steady her, she managed to slip. He somehow saved her just before her head touched the ground.
He watched Anokhi clutch his arms tightly with her eyes shut closed. She could still very easily loose her balance in his arms so he hopped her a bit in his arms to adjust her and during it, Anokhi's hands found their way around his neck, her palms resting on the nape of his neck.
As the rush from falling subsided, Anokhi slowly opened her eyes to find Shaurya staring at her.
He had an unreadable expression on his face which seemed like a weird combination of anger, worry, care, fear and something else she couldn't quite place.
The nape of his neck was a sensitive spot for Shaurya. And the way Anokhi placed her hands there, gentle yet firm, saying shivers went down his spine would be an understatement. They were more like electric sparks.
They couldn't take their eyes off of each other for a good few seconds.
"What the hell, Anokhi? Itni ziddi kyu ho tum?" Shaurya was angry and his gaze definitely didn't fail to reflect that.
Anokhi's face contorted into angry. "Yeh aapki vajah se hua hai. Aap itne immature nahi hote toh mujhe yeh sab karne ki zaroorat hi nahi padhti. Aur ab bhi aap mujhe suna rahe ho. Isse toh accha hota bachate hi nahi." A new wave of anger and concern flooded Shaurya at her words.
"Aise kaise nahi bachata?! Tumhe lag jati toh? Kuch ho jata toh?" His words sounded angry but Anokhi could very well detect the underlying fear and concern, which made her look up at him questioningly.
Realizing how he must have sounded, Shaurya again turned into a stuttering mess with flaming cheeks.
"Nahi mere kehne ka matlab hai ki, I mean...aise tum gir jati, tumhe lag jati toh...uh...khana banana ke baad yeh sab saaf kaun karta? You know what I'm saying? Main toh nahi karta. It's your mess. Aur koi serious injury ho jati toh, blame toh mujh par hi aata na ki meri presence me meri student ne apna sar phodh liya. It doesn't seem nice, right? Accha nahi lagta. Plus fir tumhe lectures bhi miss karne padhte and it just would've been a giant colossal mess. Tum...tum samajh rahi ho na...?" Shaurya rambled on and refused to meet her eyes and Anokhi spiraled into confusion.
Anokhi shifted her hands a little to adjust herself better which managed to tickle Shaurya. A very high pitched giggle escaped his lips and hearing it, both their eyes snapped to meet each other's in horror.
Suddenly realizing their compromising position, Anokhi tapped him on the shoulder and signaled him to put her down. Shaurya didn't understand her signal for a few second and looked at Anokhi clueless before he understood as if he had no problem in standing like that for the rest of the night with no intention to put her down.
Shaurya carefully put her down on her feet without meeting her eyes and they both cleared their throats.
Shaurya couldn't believe the absolutely embarrassing and comical sound that escaped him when he felt her tickling him. He couldn't fathom how he could let his composure down like that. That too in front of Anokhi which made it ten times more embarrassing than it was. He wouldn't mind if the earth opened up and swallowed him whole right now. He just wanted to curl up and die and never show his face to her again.
Anokhi, on the other hand, was confused and amused for the most part. It was funny.
"Main bas itna kehna chah raha hoon, ki aise irresponsible aur bewakoofi vaale kaam mat kiya karo. Vaise hi har jagah girti-padhti rehti ho." Shaurya managed to pull himself together but his blush was still very much evident.
"Main aur kya karti? Aapne chawal itne upar rakh diye. Saabudaane ke peeche padhe ho itni der se."
"Meri galti hai ab yeh?"
"Haan!"
Shaurya had had enough. He couldn't keep this going for longer. And so he caved. He rushed past her and pulled down the rice container and handed it to her.
"Yeh lo. Jo banana hai banao. Bas please zameen par raho. Hum dono ke liye accha hai. And for god's sake, Anokhi. Please stop getting yourself into unnecessary trouble. It's a major inconvenience for the both of us."
Anokhi smiled a little and went back to her work. Shaurya couldn't believe her right now. After everything that happened, she's smiling like an idiot.
He rolled his eyes at her back and went back to his counter.
Both were riddled with questions that seemed to sprout form the events of tonight and none of them had any answers.
...
This is shaping up so well!!! I loved this update. Hope you update the next part soon. Love their banter. I hope she makes sabudana ke kheer only for him! ❤️
uff i love this story please continue this i so want them to realize their feelings
hehe love their banter
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