What after That?

Ch 15.

As the last exam ended, Shubman and his gang couldn't hide their excitement. They had planned to celebrate by indulging in some chhole bhature at a nearby dhaba.

Ishan, in his usual manner, started walking away, completely forgettingabout Shubman, but Shubman quickly caught up to him, grabbing him from behind. Snaking an arm around his shoulder.

"Bhagne ki soch raha tha?" Shubman teased, causing Ishan to stiffen.

"Nahi, chhodo..." Ishan muttered, trying to wriggle free.

Shubman, feeling unusually generous, released him. "Le, chhod diya. Mera mood achha hai aaj, isliye ja, maaf kiya."

Ishan looked at him, surprised by the sudden change in tone.

Ise kya ho gaya.. ?

"Achha, tu ghar ja raha hai?" Shubman asked, his voice filled with amusement.

Ishan, with his unusual sarcasm that was only reserved for Shubman, responded, "Nahi, marne ja rahe hai..."

Shubman chuckled, finding Ishan's dramatics entertaining. "Oh, ye to achha hoga..."

Not missing a beat, Ishan shot back, "Usse pehle tumhe maarenge..."

Shubman laughed, enjoying the banter. "Can size people can't just kill ME..."

A pause was there as they continued to walk to the school gate. Ishan was irritated by the arm around him tried and tried to free himself but Shubman was ever as unbothered whistling.

As they approached the school gate, Rahul, who had been talking animatedly with the rest of the gang, suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

His eyes narrowed in confusion as he watched Shubman and Ishan walking together, Shubman's arm still casually draped around Ishan's shoulders.

"Abee, inka kya scene hai?" Rahul asked, frowning as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

Dhruv, who had been observing them as well, muttered under his breath, "Kuchh to ajeeb sa lagta hai inko dekh ke..."

Suddenly, Yashaswi appeared out of nowhere, " haina... " startling Dhruv. "When the fuck did you come here?" Dhruv exclaimed, nearly jumping out of his skin.

Yashaswi, however, didn't even glance at Dhruv, his focus entirely on Shubman and Ishan. "Buss thodi der pehle," he replied absentmindedly, still trying to figure out what was going on between the two.

The sight of them together, with Shubman so casually close to Ishan, left everyone with more questions than answers.

Shubman noticed how irritated Ishan was getting, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

He decided to mess with him a bit more by leaning in and putting even more of his weight on Ishan's small frame. "Had hoti hai... hato, bhari ho tum," Ishan grumbled, struggling under the added pressure.

"Par tujhme toh bahut dam hai na," Shubman teased, clearly enjoying himself as Ishan tried to wriggle out from under his arm.

Unbeknownst to them, it wasn't just Shubman's gang who were watching their interaction with interest.

Someone else, standing a little distance away, was also observing them closely, their gaze fixated on the pair. The way Shubman and Ishan interacted, with that odd mix of annoyance and familiarity, had caught the attention of this mysterious observer, adding another layer of intrigue to the situation.

As the group stood at the school gate, Abhi, noticing the delay, called out, "Bhaii, chalen?"

Shubman glanced down at Ishan with a playful smirk, "Mann nahi kar raha yaar... aise bahut comfortable lag raha hai," he said, clearly enjoying the game.