Jhanak: The Story of Us

Shameless

Two days later.

"Jhanak, hurry! We are almost late!"

"Yes, I'm coming sir ji!"

Jhanak closed the door and rushed to the car before hurriedly getting in. It was almost as if she was grateful to be leaving the same breathing She closed the door with such strength that it surprised Aniruddh, who was strapping his seatbelt.

"You seem to be in good shape?" he looked her up and down, "How do you feel now?"

"Better, sir ji. Thanks for asking." She nodded and Aniruddh found that the word 'cute' had crept into his mind. It was almost great that Jhanak had become somewhat more forthcoming after that night. She wasn't more trying to avoid him or her opportunities.

Had she finally forgiven him?

"Have...you forgiven me?" Aniruddh didn't know what answer he was expecting. Jhanak looked at him, confused.

"Huh? For what?"

"Didn't you hate me? Or...you don't?"

The response came a bit too quickly.

"I still hate you! I-I am just talking to you...because you helped me with the modeling contract and my schooling." Jhanak nervously looked away, fidgeting with her hands, "Don't think that this makes us friends yet."

Aniruddh looked at her, shocked at her behavior. And then he chuckled.

"But at least, we are acquaintances now."

Jhanak huffed under her breath.

"Who wants to be your acquaintance?"

This time, Aniruddh couldn't help it and he laughed out loud and hard. Jhanak's words were truly contradicting her actions. Refreshed, he turned away from an embarrassed Jhanak before instructing her to buckle her seatbelt. But as it turned out, she couldn't do it. It was stuck, so Ani reached out to help her.

He drew it to his side and buckled it, after which he looked up, curious at why Jhanak was uncharacteristically quiet and he saw a sight that made him swallow. It was like Kashmir all over again.

Gulp. He breathed hard.

Their faces were close to each other in such a manner that if anyone came out of the house and saw them, it could only result in bad news. Jhanak was looking at him with those doe eyes of hers and he felt strangely parched and licked his lower lip. Ani held that seatbelt like it was manifest destiny while his mouth struggled to form words. What was she thinking?

"What are...."

"Sorry."

"Huh?" The apology was surprising. "For what?"

"Because of me, you and Arshi didi fought."

Ani stared at her hard.

"Is that all?" He was looking for any sign of the constipation, the frustration that flooded his heart at her words. Nine of her ten words to him centered on Arshi. 

Of course, Ani didn't reflect that was actually how things were meant to be. She was Arshi's cousin and only that way, were they related. Jhanak must have thought along similar lines because his question had her scrunching her nose.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you mean what do I mean?"

The frustration that came to the forefront of his question caused Jhanak to look at him intently. She pursed her lips, brows knitted together, the result causing Ani's frustration to rise so that he groaned and used a hand to smooth the shirt area over his chest, as if it would quell the weird tightness in there.