What after That?

Ch 41.

During lunch, Shubman, Ishan, and their group gathered at their usual hangout spot, immersed in Tanmay's storytelling. He was spinning a chilling tale about his village, weaving in eerie details that had everyone hooked—well, almost everyone. 

Tanmay leaned in, setting the mood, his face lit up with a look of suspense. "Bhai, humare gaon mein na, light toh aati hi nahi dhang se... toh raat mein bilkul andhera ho jaata tha," he started, his tone low and intense. 

"To hua ye ki main aur mere saare cousins chhat pe so rahe the, aur saari ladies log andar rooms mein the... aur mama wagehra khet mein so rahe the."

He turn to other side of circle to see that side of audience " fir na mami ko pyaas lagi to wo paani peene uthi thi- "

Everyone was captivated until Dhruv chimed in, ruining the tension, "Aisa kya kar rahi thi jo unhe raat mein pyaas lag--"

Tanmay smacked Dhruv's head. "Saale, mami ko kuchh mat boliyo. Woh meri fav hai!"

"Thodi der chup nahi reh sakta kya?" Yashaswi shot at Dhruv, clearly unimpressed. "Sunne to de..."

Suppressing a grin, Dhruv muttered, "Theek hai, theek hai... toh mami with paani."

Amidst the banter, Shubman's attention wasn't on the story at all. Instead, his focus was entirely on Ishan. Grinning and smirking, he watched Ishan intently, almost amused.

 Ishan, all too aware of Shubman's gaze, was doing his best to keep a straight face, biting his lower lip to stifle the laughter threatening to escape. He tried to act like he hadn't noticed but couldn't ignore the warmth creeping into his cheeks.

"Haan," Tanmay continued, "fir mami kitchen mein ja rahi thi. 

Par kitchen toh bahar baramde mein hai, aur wahan se main gate dikhta hai. 

Jaise hi woh wahan pahuchi, unhone ek ajeeb si parchhai dekhi..."

The group leaned in, and Mayank gulped as Tanmay's tone got quieter. "Ek aurat... white saadi mein," he said, his voice almost a whisper.

Everyone shuddered slightly, but Rahul, trying to keep it light, asked, "Was she... hot?"

Tanmay shot him a glare. "No, she wasn't, idiot. 

Mami ne zor se chillaya, aur hum sab uthke unke paas bhaage. 

Bhaag ke humne dekha, toh koi bhi nahi tha... bahar bhi dekha, lekin kuch nahi. 

But pata hai, mami ko teen din tak tez bukhaar tha!"

Dhruv, unimpressed, raised an eyebrow. "Bhai, aisa kya tha? Bas ek aurat hi toh dekhi thi..."

Tanmay shook his head, trying to keep the tension, "Saale, tujhe kya pata gaon mein aise buldings or lightings nahi hoti... to wahan aisi cheeze dikh jaati hai..

aur Bina wajah mami kyun chillayengi? "

A hush fell over the group as Tanmay's words sank in, his story leaving a slight chill in the air—until Dhruv, in his usual way, cracked, "Bhai, agli baar ghar ke andar kitchen bana lena. Problem solved!"

Shubman, feigning complete innocence, had shifted closer to Ishan without anyone noticing. Holding a tiny leaf in his hand, he slyly tickled Ishan's ear. 

Ishan turned sharply, shooting Shubman a glare as if to say, "Mat karo, Shubman!" But Shubman just looked away, acting like he hadn't done a thing. Ishan sighed, trying to focus back on Tanmay's story.

A few seconds later, Shubman couldn't resist and tickled Ishan's ear again. This time, Ishan covered his ear, whining a little louder, "Please na, mat karo!"