CHAAHAT: Ek Ehsaas Dosti Se Badhkar

Chapter-16

Author's POV-

"Oh, don't take my joke seriously then," she said, her tone suddenly light and sweet, a drastic contrast to her earlier frustration.

Ankur, sensing the shift in her demeanor, narrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

He wasn't sure where she was going with this, but before he could react, Aashna grabbed his notebook with lightning speed.

"What the-!" Ankur exclaimed, trying to snatch it back, but Aashna was too quick.

She opened to a fresh page and, with a wicked grin, scribbled furiously in huge capital letters, filling the entire page with the words:

CHHIN TAPAK DUM DUM.

Not stopping there, she doodled exaggerated musical notes all around the phrase, making it look like an official score sheet for the most ridiculous song ever written.

Ankur, wide-eyed, yanked the notebook from her hands. He stared at the page, the absurdity of the situation dawning on him.

His once blank notebook was now decorated with Aashna's masterpiece.

"Are you serious?" he muttered, though there was a flicker of amusement in his voice.

Aashna leaned back in her seat, arms crossed, her expression smug.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Was that not funny? I thought we were chilling, you know? Not being serious or anything."

Ankur looked at her, then back at the page, a mixture of annoyance and admiration on his face.

He couldn't help but chuckle at her audacity. "You really went there, huh?" He shook his head, still staring at the chaotic scribble.

"Yep. Just a joke," Aashna replied, the satisfaction in her voice clear. "Isn't it great? Maybe this will help you focus in class now."

Ankur shot her a look, trying to appear serious but failing miserably as the corner of his mouth twitched with laughter. "Yeah, yeah, very funny. But this is my notebook. I actually need this to, you know, take notes."

"Oh, now you want to take notes?" Aashna teased, leaning closer. "Because from where I'm sitting, it looks like you were more interested in your little musical experiment than anything educational."

Ankur rubbed his temple, shaking his head as he flipped the page, but Aashna's scribbles were imprinted on his mind.

He tried to act annoyed, but her playful retaliation and the way she had turned the tables was just too cute.

Her small victory had caught him off guard, and for once, he wasn't in control of the teasing.

He hadn't expected her to fight back like this. For once, she'd managed to throw him off balance.

"You know, you're impossible," he muttered, but there was a warmth in his tone that wasn't there before.

Despite his attempts to rile her up, he couldn't help but enjoy the back-and-forth banter.

It reminded him of the old days, when it was just the two of them, comfortable in their friendship without any awkwardness or third parties.

But as he glanced towards Suhana, who was still seated a few rows ahead, laughing with Kavya, a wave of confusion settled over him.

Why did he feel this way?

Why was he so invested in teasing Aashna today when Suhana was right there?