Ishq

Chapter 7

Ankit was not a big fan of social gatherings but when it came to his best friend's engagement, he couldn't help but go out of his way to make it fun. His mom and dad were over and everyone was together. The picture he was seeing was one of his favourites, all his loved ones in one picture. 

Karan was putting up a decoration when his mom pulled him down to feed him sweets. He was sitting on the sofa when his own mom scolded him, pulling his ear, encouraging him to help along. Ankit couldn't help but laugh because he had just sat down, a protest sat right on his lips but didn't dare to come out and he just got back to decorating. He didn't understand the need to decorate so much for an engagement party but according to Karan, his bestest friend, Karan's words, not his, it was a once in a lifetime occasion. 

So Ankit shrugged. As long as he's happy, that's all that matters. 

Priyanka's mom's voice brings him out of his thoughts as he's decorating. "Where's Priyanka? That girl is taking forever getting ready." 

If Ankit didn't know her well, he'd think she was furious, but there was an edge of endearment to the way she said it. 

"Priyanka!" 

Ankit couldn't help but let out a snicker to which Karan threw him a look, both looking at each other before bursting out in laughter. 

When Priyanka walked into the room, Ankit was sure the room had moved a bit or it could have been him. Her skin was glowing, her hair curled and her dress was pretty. She glanced at him and Ankit turned around, he could feel her eyes on his back causing him to lose focus on the decorations he was hanging. 

"Let me help you." He heard her voice from behind him and he turned around facing her. He saw the decorations that he was hanging in her hands and he took one of them, thanking her with a smile. 

Ankit felt Karan's glare on the side of his face and he turned towards him slightly, "What?"

"I don't know. Maybe you should go rest. I'll hang the rest." He seethed. Clearly Karan wasn't in a good mood. There was something bothering him. "Priyanka, why don't you go do something else?"

Priyanka hesitated for a moment, wanting to say something when their mom barged in. 

"Karan, why don't you go get ready?" Aashi had a smile on her face but her eyes clearly said something else. 

She faced Priyanka and rubbed her back, kissing her cheek. "You look beautiful Priyanka. Make sure to help Ankit well."

Priyanka nodded and returned back to Ankit helping him out. Ankit felt the awkward silence kicking in, so he cleared his throat. "How's your day going?"

At first he heard silence but then Priyanka started to speak. "As fine as it can be, what about you?"

"The same. I'm glad to see all of us together in one place. It had been years." Ankit smiled as he grabbed some lights from Priyanka's hands. "Thanks for helping me by the way."

Priyanka thanked him and they were back to being silent and working. Ankit felt comfortable despite it being quiet. He felt that there could be more that could be said but at this point, where they are at is perfect. 

When he turns around once more, Priyanka is still waiting with an arm full of stuff and he motions for her to follow him to another part of the house. Ankit stopped abruptly in front of wall and Priyanka bumped right into him. 

"Oof." Priyanka touched her face as she had felt like she bumped into a wall.

"Sorry, I should've warned you. Are you okay?" Ankit had an amused smile on his face. He was concerned but with the way Priyanka is looking, he couldn't help but find it silly. Her eyes were wide and her fingers kept gliding across her nose which took the impact. 

She hums in response and Ankit felt content that she was not hurt. He did not notice the way Priyanka looked at him afterwards. He could feel her gaze on his back once again but he decided that it was inevitable for her to look at his back when he's working in front of her.

---

Time flies by quickly and Ankit finds himself standing at the front door, greeting the guests. A girl from one of the families gives him a flirty smile to which Ankit smiles at awkwardly. Priyanka goes stiff beside him and he nudges her. "What's wrong?"

Given the time that they had been spending with each other in the house, they were gradually falling out of the awkward stage and into their comfort zone. Ankit couldn't describe what he felt when he was around Priyanka. It was truly a first time feeling.

"Nothing." Despite Priyanka's answer, he saw her face in a frown which quickly changed to a smiling one when greeting other people. 

The girl from earlier comes and touches Ankit's arm, sliding it down to his wrist. Ankit is startled and moves away from the bold girl. 

"Hey. You should go inside."

"We can go in together." The girl is once again at it again. Ankit moves back again as her hand reaches towards him. He tumbles into Priyanka as he moves back and mumbles an apology, holding her straight preventing her from falling from the impact. 

Priyanka smiles at the girl. "Do you not know your way inside? I can help you." 

Ankit has to hold his laugh in as he watches the interaction. The girl's face quickly turns from flirty to annoyed. She raises her head. 

"No, I just want him to take me."

By now, Ankit can tell that Priyanka really doesn't like this girl and he, for sure, does not like her too. Her presence is an annoying one that doesn't seem to go away. 

It seems Priyanka grows bolder as she grabs his arm, causing Ankit's heart beat to race. He feels shocked at Priyanka's boldness since he's only seen her timid side. "Sorry, he's with me." Priyanka smiles once more and tugs on Ankit's arm. "Let's go."

Ankit recovers and he leads her into the house. "You do realize you're going to be my date now for the night. You have to save me from her."

Priyanka looks annoyed and she faces him. "You should learn to speak up to girls like that."

"I'm not committed."

She let's go of his arm and glares. "Well then suffer." She moves to go ahead when she's pulled back.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I'm not much of a girl's guy. I've never dated anyone before so I didn't know how to deal with her."

Ankit could see the wheels in Priyanka's head turning. He could see her thinking and his first instinct is to try and clear whatever is running through her head as he couldn't tell if it was a good thought or a bad one. 

Priyanka hummed, her face softer. "That makes sense. Stick to me then, tonight."

They walk side by side into the hall and stand next to each other. As their hands touch, Ankit's fingers tingle with the urge to slide his hand into hers and hold her hand. He quickly moves his hand away from hers as if it burned him and when he looked up, he caught Karan's glare, his lips in a tight line and eyes blank. Ankit gulped but managed to keep a straight face as he returned back into his thoughts.

A/N:

how are you guys liking it so far? i really like feedback in the comments about the storyline and characters, i haven't been getting that much as a writer. i ignore comments about updates, because there is nothing i can do to reply to something like "update now." i wish to see more about my characters or my plot. hopefully i'd see something like that. 

also it's going to get harder to update since university is starting. i'm giving a heads up about that because i know some people told me to mention it ahead of time. if i'm not active or not posting as often then you know why. i'm sorry for that. love you guys lots. 

ams.