All you need is love

chapter 11

"You did what!" Rishabh exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief. "You rejected him?" Aditi chimed in, her voice filled with disbelief. "You idiot!"

"I mean.. I just didn't know what to do... I was so confused." Shubman said with a nervous smile.

Aditi crossed her arms and threw him a disapproving look. "And now It's been two days and he hasn't spoken to you," she scolded. "You idiot... How could you reject him?"

Shubman sighed, his expression filled with regret. " Yeah... I miss him so much. What was I thinking..."

Rishabh rolled his eyes, shaking his head in disapproval. "You were supposed to get closer to the Kishan family, not distance yourself from them!" he exclaimed.

"What should I do now?" Shubman asked, his voice tinted with worry.
Aditi rolled her eyes at the question. "Go to their house, you idiot."

Shubman rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, you're right," he said, his expression filled with determination.
Rishabh shook his head and chuckled at his friend's foolishness. "How can you be a detective when you're this dumb?" he teased.

"Anyway," Rishabh continued, "just go and apologize to him. Fix your mess and get back on his good side."
Shubman nodded.

-----

Shubman stood nervously outside the gates of the Kishan mansion, his heart pounding in his chest. He was about to step through the gate when suddenly a stern-looking security guard blocked his path.
"Hey!" the guard said gruffly. "Where do you think you're going? And who are you huh?

The security guard looked at Shubman skeptically for a moment, but then recognition dawned upon him. "Oh yeah, I remember you," he said, his expression softening slightly. "You carried Ishan that day when he twisted his ankle, right?"
Shubman nodded eagerly. "Yep, that's me. I'm his friend," he replied.

The guard assessed him for a moment longer before finally opening the gate. "Alright, alright, you can go in," he said, waving Shubman through.

Shubman took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing heart. He stood outside the door, his mind racing with thoughts and doubts. "You can do this... you can do this," he whispered to himself, summoning up the courage to ring the bell.
The doorbell echoed through the house, and a moment later, the door swung open, revealing a middle-aged woman standing on the other side.

"Salesman? We don't need anything" the lady was about to close the door.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on!" Shubman protested, putting his hand up to stop the door from fully closing. "I'm not a salesman. I'm Shubhas, Ishan's friend. I  need to talk to him."
The woman looked at him, her expression initially skeptical but softened a bit. "You're Ishan's friend?" she asked, her tone less harsh than before. Shubman nodded.

"He's sick," she said, her tone softening slightly. "You can't meet him right now."

"Please, just 10 minutes..." Shubman pleaded, his concern for Ishan evident in his voice. "I won't disturb him any longer, I promise. It's really important." The woman looked at him, her expression a mix of hesitation and sympathy.

The lady looked into Shubman's eyes and caught a glimpse of the genuine care and concern etched on his face.  Without further hesitation, she nodded and permitted him to enter the house.

As they walked to the living area, the lady motioned for Shubman to sit on the couch. He sat down nervously, his heart racing with anticipation. He took a deep breath before turning to the lady.
"Can I ask you something... ma'am?" he tentatively requested.
The lady nodded, an expression of curiosity on her face. "Yes?"