CHAAHAT: Ek Ehsaas Dosti Se Badhkar

Chapter-9

Aashna's POV-

Suhana's mom left us alone, and I, Ankur, and Suhana were engrossed in our conversation. Suhana was telling us about her hobbies and interests. I and Ankur were silently listening. However, Ankur didn't say anything in between, perhaps because he was feeling a little ashamed and uncomfortable, as Suhana might have been avoiding him.

Then Suhana's mom brought out a delicious spread of homemade snacks for us, including samosas, gulab jamun, and jalebis.

The aroma of the food was so enticing that we couldn't wait. Meanwhile, Ankur said, "Arey, aunty... Iski kya zarurat thi? Hum toh bas Suhana ko ghar tak chorhne aye the."

(Hey, aunt, was this really necessary? We just came to drop Suhana home.)

I nudged Ankur's elbow and whispered, "Chup karo tum. Aunty itne pyar se aur mehnat se ye sab banake layi hai. Waise bhi itni bhookh lag rahi thi." "Thank you, Aunty...!!" I said to Suhana's mom, who smiled back at me in response.

(Shut up, you! Aunty has gone to so much trouble to prepare all this with love. Besides, we were all really hungry!)

Ankur tapped my head and retorted, "Tumhe kab bhookh nahi lagti? Blackhole jitna marzi nigalta rahe band hota hai kya kabhi?"

(When do you not feel hungry? Does a blackhole ever stop devouring everything, no matter how much it consumes?)

Suhana and her mom burst out laughing at this. I made a fake angry pout and gave Ankur a light punch on the chest. Ankur let out a soft 'Ow...' as a reaction.

Suhana's mom also sat down with us, and started chatting with us.

After a while, it was time for us to leave. We got up, thanked Aunty, and Suhana hugged me goodbye. Ankur was also about to hug her, but Suhana didn't notice and only hugged me, then pulled back.

I noticed Ankur's reaction and sensed that he was feeling a bit embarrassed. And for some reason, I was also feeling a bit strange. Why did he even try to hug her? What was the need?

Ankur said, with a hint of awkwardness, "I'll go get the bike from the parking. You come outside." I nodded. I knew he was trying to escape the awkwardness and get out of there.

Here's a translation of the next paragraph:

Before leaving, I turned back and called out, "Suhana... listen." Suhana came over, "What's up?" I said, "Take my number. Now that we're friends, we should exchange numbers, right?"

She smiled and nodded. Then we exchanged numbers. "And I'll send you Ankur's number too, in case you need help and I'm not available, you can talk to him." Suhana said, "I already have your number, what do I need it for?"

I said, "Just keep it, you never know when you might need it." She agreed, and I sent her Ankur's number anyway.

Then I left. Ankur dropped me off at my place and then went his own way.

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Ankur's POV-

I felt a sting of embarrassment and rejection as I tried to hug Suhana goodbye, only to be ignored. It was like she didn't even notice me.