CHAAHAT: Ek Ehsaas Dosti Se Badhkar

Chapter-17

Author's POV-

Aashna clenched her jaw, feeling her resolve start to slip. But still, she kept her gaze low, not wanting to reveal the hurt she felt.

Ankur's shoulders dropped as he tried one last trick. He leaned in, resting his chin on the edge of her desk with a dramatic sigh.

"Aashna, come on! You can't ignore me like this. I'll literally die of sadness right here!" His voice was overly theatrical, as if the weight of the world was on him, hoping to draw a smile from her.

But Aashna remained silent, her movements controlled and her face betraying nothing. Ankur furrowed his brows and scrunched his nose in confusion.

"Seriously, what's wrong?" he asked, his tone now gentler, genuinely trying to understand.

She couldn't help it. A tiny smile tugged at the corner of her lips, despite the lump still in her throat. She quickly pressed her lips together, trying to hide it.

Ankur's eyes lit up, spotting the brief flicker of a smile. "Aha! Gotcha!" he declared triumphantly. He quickly grabbed her books, pretending to run off with them, but this time Aashna rolled her eyes and gave in.

"Ankur!" she called after him, exasperated.

He turned back, grinning. "Ah, so she speaks! Finally."

Aashna sighed, shaking her head as she reached for her books. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"Yeah, but you love me for it," Ankur teased, handing her books back with a playful wink.

Aashna paused for a moment, as if something struck her. "Love? Do I love him?" she wondered.

Ankur noticed her drifting off into her thoughts again, and he gently shook her by the shoulders. "Oye... where do you keep disappearing to?" he asked, chuckling.

"Uh, nowhere," Aashna replied, forcing a smile. But Ankur wasn't convinced. He guided her back to her seat, crouching down in front of her, searching her face with a serious expression.

"Come on, tell me..." he insisted. "What's been bothering you lately? Something's on your mind, isn't it?"

Aashna lowered her gaze, fidgeting with her hands, where she tightly held the crumpled paper with Ankur's drawing. Noticing her clenched fists, Ankur gently pried them open and took the paper. He looked at it, his eyes widening as he realized what it was.

"Oh, come on..." He rubbed his temples, exasperated. "Seriously, Chuzi? You were upset with me because of this?"

Aashna shot him a brief glance but quickly looked away again, silent. Ankur leaned closer, his tone softening. "Alright, now listen to me carefully." He waited until she looked up.

"You don't ever need to feel insecure about anyone else, okay?" he said, his gaze steady.

"I'm just teasing you. You know that, right? I only mess with you because... well, it makes me happy. Can't you understand that?"

He playfully pinched her cheek, laughing a little. "If I can't have fun with you, who else would I? And you're the one who always ends up mad."

Aashna listened closely, a glimmer of emotion in her eyes. "You're my best friend, and you'll always be. No one can ever change that. No one's coming between us," he assured her firmly.

Finally, she spoke, "But... what if someone tries to take you away from me?"

Ankur chuckled. "Muh tod dena uska, mukka maar ke." He replied, smirking. She laughed softly, and Ankur joined in, grinning as he watched her.