You Feel Like Home

Chapter 08: A Day Out

Chapter 09, 10, 11, 12 is now up on Scrollstack
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"Ansh!"

Arushi whined not realizing that she just called him with a nickname, not his proper name. And even though Avyansh was busy chuckling at her pouting face, he instantly stopped listening his new nickname from her. "Say that again!", he said and Arushi instantly realised what she had said in flow. But again she thought he didn't like it, even if his expressions were nothing like angry as well as nothing like happy too, maybe just surprised. So she started fumbling with her words again out of nervousness, "I didn't...I didn't mean it. It just slipped out of my tongue...I'm...I'm sorry...I won't call you that again...I'm sorry Avyansh"

"It's Ansh for you Arushi, call me that", he finally said stopping her chants of sorry. Why would she be sorry when the whole zoo was dancing in his stomach listening her calling him as Ansh and not Avyansh. This had to be his favourite nickname for himself, because why not, his Arushi gave him this name. He was dying to hear that again but she was still unsure if she should call him that again. "Bu...but-", she fumbled. "Arushi", he sternly said this time and she didn't have any other option now.

"Ansh!", she called out pinching her eyes closed out of fear. So of course the the wide grin on his face and the hardship to stop himself from jumping around the whole mall went unnoticed by her. "It sounds so perfect from your mouth", he uttered somehow composing himself but the wide grin was still there. Arushi slowly opened her eyes hearing him and asked, "You... you aren't angry that I...I called you that?"

"Why would I be angry, you were anyway the only person who used to call me Avyansh", he tried to ease up the situation for her. Even though he was mentally dancing on it, he couldn't show it straight on her face, maybe it'll get more awkward for her. So it was better this way. "Huh?", she looked at him as he started to explain it to her, "Haan! Dad used to call me Avvy; Mom, Fahad and my other friends call me Avi; juniors call me sir and seniors call me Malhotra, so it was just you who cal- used to call me Avyansh. Everyone has their own way to address me and the proper Avyansh is in none of their dictionary"

"So...So I can...I can call you Ansh?", she meekly asked and he smiled, "I just gave you that permission" Arushi hummed in response looking down as a hint of blush spread across her cheeks. It was so easy to communicate with him, the serious things as well as these light things, she wondered if anyone would ever make everything so easy for her like Avyansh- her Ansh makes. Her trance broke by Avyansh saying, "Now let's go buy you something, it looks like I came to gift you something but here I'm the one getting gifts" His excitement clearly visible on his face and tone. Seeing him smiling so widely even though Arushi couldn't help but smile, she was confused about the gift thing he said. "What did you get?", she asked with a confused face. "A new nickname for me", Avyansh exclaimed happily. "How's that a gift?", she asked hoping for an explanation which she got by, "Nicknames are meant to be given to those, we are close to. It's kinda way to show your affection towards the person which now means we are a step closer to become real friends"

"Ain't we friends already?", she asked again "Are we?", he asked back, teasingly. "Are we not?", she looked at him for an answer but he pushed the duty on her only, "You say" Arushi took a moment of silence then happily exclaimed, "We are friends, already" Avyansh smiled seeing her smiling but thought to tease her a bit, "Think about it once more, I'm a really clingy friend" He dramatically warned but her answer and action both made him happily surprised. "Not more than me, specially when I feel the comfort around you only", she started off playfully but then softly said leaving his hand and hugging his arm. Avyansh glanced at her once then at her hold, she really looked so comfortable and free around him. "Ouch, one revelation at a time is okay, my poor heart won't be able to take it all in a day", he playfully said, dramatically keeping his free hand on his heart.