DESTINED TOGETHER

Chapter 16 - "I'm not jealous!"

It was almost 11am when Abhimanyu and Akshara stepped out of the cab, hands full of grocery bags. Abhi held the two heavy bags while Akshu had the lighter one, even though she protested to help her friend.

"You think yourself as Hulk?" Akshara questioned as they began walking towards their own block.

Abhimanyu gave her an unpleasant look, "I've always considered myself as Captain America." She grunted as she took big steps to catch up his speed. "That's not the point. I can carry—"

"Abhimanyu?" They both stopped at the sudden voice, Akahara, confused at the unfamiliar face and voice while Abhi, himself surprised to the unexpected meet.

"Shreya?" The girl, a little younger than her, she noted— rushed to meet them in midway. Abhimanyu hardly had time to set his grocery bag down before the girl, threw her arms around him. Akshara's eyes bulged and jaw dropped at the sudden turn of events but she wasn't done with shock as she watched Abhimanyu, her flatmate/friend, wrap his arms around her to return her hug. An unknown, uneasiness crawled up in her being as Abhimanyu smiled happily in her embrace. She averted her gaze, and pursed her lips flat before clearing her throat, just as they broke their unwanted public display. 

When they both had their attention back on her, Abhimanyu was the first one to break the silence, as he introduced the two girls to each other. "Akshara, my friend and flatmate, and Akshu, this is Shreya, my junior collegemate, a relative and friend."-'So you hug all your friends.'-- She thought as she smiled at the said friend. "Who I haven't seen in a while!" Abhi added as he looked at Shreya. "What are you doing here, in Mumbai? It's your exam period, Miss." He further questioned.

"Going all bossy on me, Mr. Senior?" Shreya retorted rolling her eyes with a grin, "Relax, exams are starting this Monday so I've a the whole week-end for myself."

"And yet, instead of being locked up in your room to study, you're wandering from one city to other." He reprimanded. "But since, I don't wanna face Shefali Bhabhi's anger, Come, let's get you inside." He grabbed the grocery bags and started moving, leaving her to trail behind the long lost 'friends'.

The whole way in the elevator, the two friends were chatting and chatting like two chatterboxes and she was royally ignored by both of them as they were both 'catching up' the lost time. She'd learned that Shreya was Abhimanyu's brother's fiancé's sister. She's a medical student in AIIMS, New Delhi and she's currently in her last year of MBBS. Abhimanyu was her senior when she was on her sophomore year.

"Abhimanyu, Di said you've to be here for the wedding without any drama. She even told Jiju that she won't marry him without her favorite devar." Shreya said as they entered their flat. Abhi laughed while
Akshara chuckled in amusement.

"The wedding is in a month na, Baba? I won't miss it." He winked as the three of them headed inside towards the kitchen.—Or well, with Akshara fuming behind them at the use of the affectionate nickname.

"Have a seat, you're our guest." He joked, "What do you wanna drink? Hot or cold?" He asked as he set the groceries in the fridge along with Akshu taking care of the cupboards.

"You're enough hot to look at, Mr.Birla." Akshara froze in her movements as she stood in front of the cupboard, her back to Shreya while Abhi crooked his head out from the opened fridge. "I'll go with a cool drink."

1. Breathe in, breathe out. 2. Breathe in, breathe out. 3. Breathe in, breathe out...

"Sure." He murmured as he proceeded to open a can of a pop before spilling it into a glass and handing it to Shreya. Akshara stood there shocked as she tried to digest the fact that her flatmate had just let the girl flirt with him as if it's nothing.