Love at Second Sight: A ShaKhi Romance

Chapter 15: Settlements

Note: Characters' inner monologues are in italics.

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Shaurya walked down the stairs, pondering what he had just done. They were going way too fast. If this pace continued, in a few weeks, he would be labeled as a fling, or worse, a mistake. He had to deepen their bond, not just physically, but emotionally. Otherwise, retrieving the fire he previously shared with Anokhi would be impossible.

Engaged in his thoughts, Shaurya frantically searched Aastha's freezer for any ice cream. He hadn't an idea about his nana nani's love for ice cream until he slowly observed, counting the number of flavours present in the freezer.

Anokhi walked down, wearing her kurti once again, this time without her inner bralette. She wanted to get back to what they were doing, but at the same time her insides turned. What if she didn't like what was upcoming? What if she regretted it afterwards?

It wasn't that she didn't trust Shaurya. She just didn't trust herself. Her tendency to focus on school always overshadowed her relationships, so she was hesitant. What if her leading on Shaurya had negative effects on their friendship? Would she have responsibilities towards him? She was too young for all of this pressure. Something light would be best.

Sliding her arms around Shaurya's waist, Anokhi rested her head on his back. Shaurya enjoyed Anokhi's expression of love. Of course, only he knew it was love. She had no clue.

After the moment passed, Shaurya turned and pointed towards the freezer. "Anokhi, kaunsa flavor logi? We don't have butterscotch unfortunately." Anokhi smiled and grabbed the container of chocolate ice cream. Grabbing a spoon, she made her way to the living room, looking back to indicate her desire for Shaurya to accompany her.

Sitting on the sofa, Shaurya's arm brushed Anokhi's, sending a tingling sensation down her. Before Shaurya could speak, Anokhi elaborated upon her thoughts. "Shaurya. I don't know how to say this with a sugar coating, so here goes.." Taking a deep breath, she gazed into the eyes of the man beside her and continued. "I am too young to carry any responsibilities other than those directed towards my education and family. I just want to keep whatever we have between us constant, but not take it any further. That way, we won't be bound in any way and deviate from our actual goals."

Stammering, she dared to complete her explanation. "I really don't mean to offend you, and I like what we have. It's just that I know if we continue this, I'll disappoint you in some way or the other, and I don't want to do that. You deserve better than to be let down."

Shaurya was shocked. Of course he understood what Anokhi was saying, but what had she said at the end? You deserve better than to be let down. How could she know that all he had been was let down? By his mother. By his father. By Shagun. Anokhi 2.0 had unknowingly brought back the past in front of him. Shaurya's face went pale, which Anokhi soon noticed.

"Why don't we talk this through while having some ice cream? Haan?" Anokhi tried to lighten the mood as she observed Shaurya's reaction to what she had to say. She had been blunt, but laying down your thoughts in front of someone was better than keeping them in the dark. That would lead to complications.

Waving her hand in front of him to get his attention, Anokhi managed to drag Shaurya out from his deep-rooted miseries. They both sat side by side on the sofa, holding the ice cream in between. Anokhi grabbed a hold of the spoon and dipped it in the chocolate flavor as she smiled at Shaurya. Her lips drifted apart as her gaze dropped to his neck. Her desire to kiss him was interrupted by a mental override. Anokhi tune toh kaha tha no more. Ab kya hua? Stop this and follow your own advice. Focus.

Clearing her throat, she met Shaurya's eyes and noticed them. They were softer, and maybe even a little moist. Was he okay? Was he offended by her harsh manner of speaking? Oh god. This is exactly what she didn't want to do.

Placing the ice cream on the table, Anokhi rested her head on Shaurya's shoulder, her arms wrapping around his chest. "Sorry Shaurya. I was a bit blunt. What do you have to say about this? I keep venting but I fail to listen to you. I agree that is one of my shortcomings.."

Shaurya leaned and kissed Anokhi's forehead with his warm lips. He had so much to say, but Anokhi 2.0 wouldn't understand. At least not now. "Anokhi whatever you said I agree with. Let's keep constant what we have currently, but we won't go further. I can promise, you won't have any issues from my side." 

Shaurya sighed as he completed his sentence. Technically, he wanted to deepen his relationship with Anokhi so they would have to first move apart from the physical nature they were growing fond of. So this agreement was a good step towards getting her and her love for him back.

Anokhi leaned frontwards and grabbed the ice cream from the table. "Why don't we treat ourselves to dessert? After all, this self control we have should be celebrated!" Anokhi let out a giggle, cheering up Shaurya. Seeing her smile gave him strength. Her happiness was the fuel he needed.

Switching on the tv, Shaurya and Anokhi shared spoonfuls of the melted chocolate ice cream whilst stealing glances at each other. As Anokhi's eyes got heavy, she placed herself in between Shaurya's legs, caught in a Shaurya envelope. Her head resting on Shaurya's chest, her forearms in sync with Shaurya's encircling her stomach. Aditi also hopped in the embrace, craving her parent's warmth.

As the trio shared a cuddling night, the thunderstorm outside quietened, deciding the best day to awaken the passion between the "friends" once more.

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Shaan was ready with a cup of chai, waiting for Aastha to wake up. She would be discharged this morning, and he wanted to be the one taking her home. As much as Shaurya was his son, Shaan didn't trust him too much in Aastha's matter. After all, the mother and son had a very strained relationship that was beyond mending.

He sat still, pondering how to handle the delicate situation. It wasn't every day that Aastha broke down in front of him, which communicated the seriousness of the matter. Aditi was bothering her. He had to do something about the kitten's name without letting Shaurya and Anokhi know about this matter.

Signing the discharge papers upon Aastha's rising, Shaan called Shaurya to inform him about their coming home. Anokhi had woken up early and made some breakfast for Shaurya's nana nani, so everything was in control.

As Anokhi prepared for Aastha's arrival, Shaurya locked himself upstairs. He had a lot to do. Apart from giving himself a refresher for the economics chapter he would be teaching, Shaurya had to call Badi Ma. It had been two days since they had conversed on the phone. At this point, Shaurya worried he would be left with no one of his own if he didn't report to her and Bade Papa.

Dialing his home number, he looked through the textbook. Anokhi's homework paper fell out and onto the floor. Picking it up, his eyes landed on a crumpled piece of paper hiding under the bed. Reaching out to grab it, Shaurya placed his phone on speaker mode just as Badi Ma picked up.

"Hello Shaurya? Tumne phone hi nahi kiya. Main aur Tej pareshaan ho gaye the." As he flattened out the paper, Shaurya answered. "Badi Ma. Main theek hoon, please don't worry. Mera actually uhh.. phone ka problem ho gaya tha, toh isi liye main aapko call nahi kar paya. Wahan sab theek hai?"

"Haan Shaurya. Tum jaldi wapis aa jao. We're missing you beta. Chalo, mujhe kuch kaam hai kitchen mein. Tej ko phulke chahiye. Bye Shaurya. Call me soon, aur apna dhyaan rakhna. Haan?" As Badi Ma hung up, Shaurya looked closely at what he was holding. It was a photograph, one that had lost its saturation and clarity. From what Shaurya could tell, the photo had Aastha and Shaan in their bedroom, all smiles. Something caught his eye as he scanned the print one more time.

A crib? Was that what it was? It looked like there was a crib near the edges of the photo, one with a letter A faintly painted on it. But A? His name started with an S. What could this all mean? Confused, Shaurya placed the photograph in his desk drawer and took a seat on his bed holding his textbook. He had to focus on lecturing. That was the only way forward from here.

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To be continued...

Hope you enjoyed this update.

I promise I will not take this long to update ever again!!