Shuttles And Stars

Sia

The cake was in the oven, and I’d moved on to preparing the icing. Concentrating on getting the texture right, I hadn’t noticed Neeraj approaching until he leaned close, holding out the sugar. The warmth of his presence sent a shiver down my spine, his breath near my ear, so close I could feel it. I shifted back just slightly, my heart unexpectedly racing. What was wrong with me? It was just Neeraj. But the closeness felt… different tonight.

Trying to shake it off, I resumed mixing the icing. I was supposed to divide it into bowls for different colors, but I realized a moment too late that I hadn’t. Neeraj, reading my mind, silently handed me another bowl, his eyes lingering on me as I fumbled to correct my mistake.

I cleared my throat. “Maybe you should go help Abhimanyu with the balloons,” I said, trying to sound casual. “I think he’s struggling.”

Neeraj raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. “Got it, Captain,” he said with a soft laugh, stepping back.

As he left, I tried to focus, but my thoughts felt tangled, my feelings more confusing than ever. I didn’t have time to overthink, though, as the doorbell rang, and Netra walked in, arms loaded with gifts and a mischievous grin on her face.

Her eyes widened the moment she saw Neeraj in the living room, blowing up balloons. “Wait, is this real? World Badminton Champion, Neeraj Dixit, actually blowing up balloons?” She laughed, taking in the scene with amused disbelief.

Neeraj gave her a playful salute. “Anything for the birthday girl.”

As Netra walked into the kitchen, she took one look at me and arched an eyebrow. “You look… lost. What’s going on, Sia?”

“Nothing,” I said a bit too quickly, keeping my eyes on the icing. “Help me out by making the kokum sharbat?”

Netra didn’t press, but I felt her curious gaze as she moved to the fridge. I busied myself with chopping the dark chocolate into fine flakes for the topping, focusing on the rhythm of the knife. Yet my thoughts kept drifting back to Neeraj, the warmth of his closeness still lingering, making me question things I’d been so sure of before.