The Second Chance

Shades Of Affection

Shaurya slowly stirred awake, feeling the warmth of the sun hitting his face. He blinked his eyes open, only to see Palki sitting beside him, her hand raised to block the sunlight from disturbing his sleep.

He squinted at her, confused but touched. “What are you doing?”

Palki looked down at him with a gentle smile, her eyes sparkling. “The sunlight was bothering you, so I thought I’d block it.”

He raised an eyebrow, still half asleep. “You’re going to stay like that the whole time?”

Palki chuckled softly. “Yes,” she said playfully, but then quickly added, “No, of course not. But you were sleeping so peacefully.”

Shaurya looked at her, the warmth in his chest rising. “Well, now I’m awake,” he said, stretching a bit.

Palki tilted her head. “Should I get some coffee for you?” she asked, her voice full of concern.

Shaurya grabbed his phone from the nightstand and sighed as he scrolled through his notifications. “I have so many meetings lined up today. Looks like I’ll have to go to the office soon.”

She watched him check his phone, noticing how quickly his demeanor shifted to work mode. He suddenly looked at her and said, “By the way, happy New Year.” His lips curled into a small smile before he headed to the shower.

Palki smiled to herself, her heart fluttering as she looked down at her hand, the same one she’d used to shield him from the sunlight. Her mind wandered back to the tenderness in his eyes, how he’d wished her a happy New Year so casually, yet it felt so meaningful to her.

Her thoughts quickly shifted to Kriti, remembering how she was hurt the previous day. "I should call Kriti and check how she’s doing," Palki murmured to herself.

Meanwhile, at Kriti’s house, Kriti’s mother entered the room with a milkshake in hand. “Here, drink this. Were you able to sleep last night, beta?”

Kriti glanced at her phone, her eyes lighting up when it rang. But her excitement quickly faded when she saw it wasn’t Shaurya calling, but Viraj.

Sighing, she picked up the call. “Hello?”

Viraj’s voice on the other end sounded upbeat. “Hey, Kriti. Are you still mad at me?”

Kriti forced a smile, though her frustration simmered. “No, I’m fine. Thanks for calling.”

Before Viraj could respond, she quickly hung up, staring at her phone. "Why didn’t Shaurya call me last night? What’s going on with him?"

Viraj, confused by the sudden end to the conversation, muttered to himself, “What did I do that she's acting like this? Typical Kriti.”

He called her again, and Kriti hesitantly answered. “What now, Viraj?”

“I was just wondering if I did something wrong yesterday. By the way, you danced really well at the event. Oh, and do you know any event companies? I need to organize something for my grandpa,” Viraj explained.

Kriti rolled her eyes, opening her contact list to send Viraj a number. But when she scrolled past Shaurya’s name, a wave of emotions hit her. “He didn’t even call me last night,” she thought. She narrowed her eyes at his name. “I’ll have to block him now.”

Her mother, noticing her irritation, asked, “Why are you blocking him?”

“Because he’s blocked me from his life,” Kriti said bitterly. “In the past, he couldn’t resist calling me after a fight. He would always come running back.”