~EIGHTEEN~

831 44 30
                                    



Oh shit- sorry guysss forgot to ask....so who are Aakash and Avinash??? Yeahhhh...I did put up another chapter just to ask that :)

________________________________________________________________________________

"Ander aa jao." Akanksha ushered him into her home shyly. Her house was big but it didn't at all look unorganised. Everything was perfectly in place, dark wood floorings that gave a much more, modern look. In every turn of the house, there was a statue of a god. The house was long and spacious. A five bedroom house for one person? It felt unusual to him. But he didn't ask. As he walked in deeper into the house, he was pulled in by the lingering smell of agarbatti.

"I didn't know you were religious." He quipped, taking a sneak peak into the small room, he saw a big temple full of many different types of gods. Akanksha smiled looking at the temple, "I'm not. Ye mera kaam nhi hai woh toh-" She stopped before saying anything...she remembered the events a year back, something she regretted deeply. Her heart ached at the memories.

Shubman took it as a danger zone, something he shouldn't touch on again. He assumed it was about Chitra's father and dropped the topic. Akanksha pulled her smiley face up bringing him further into the house, until they reached the living room with Chitra's toys scattered all around the room. 

Akanksha's eyes scanned around the room before landing on a few photos strung by the wall. While Shubman looked in a different direction, she immediately pulled them down. Shubman did however get a glimpse of one of the photos though. It was Akanksha with another man, much taller than her, maybe even him. It was a candid photo for sure with the joy visible in it. It was probably one of the guys she mentioned earlier, was it...Aakash? Avinash? One of those two. It had to be. Yet again he remained quiet. Right now she needed him to be ignorant with the details, so he would be.

"Ghar bohot accha hai waise." He did feel though that it was very suffocating with the blinds being closed. He pulled them back, letting the warmth of the setting sun seep into her home. There were many windows and sliding doors all around the room. One by one, he pulled every single blind to see the perfect scenery of the setting sun. It had been more than a year since she had been living in that house...after Chitra was born actually. And still she didn't ever sit down outside to watch the beauty that was a sunset.

"Akanksha." Shubman called out to her with a grin. "Chalo na bahar baithte hai. Look at how beautiful it is." He stood in front of her for a second before pulling her hand into his. Her hand felt freezing against his. And his...felt warm against hers. She found herself unconsciously wrapping her fingers around his hand.

"Chalo." She answered, stepping out into the breeze. The house was massive and right next to a beach so the sunset was very visible with a glass wall as a balcony. Shubman couldn't help but wonder how she may have been able to afford the house. There was a small table with four chairs placed around it and a barbeque opposite it. The floor was covered in well maintained grass and flowers around the edges. It looked like it could be anyone's dream house. Just perfect. Shubman didn't know where to sit as he hesitated between the table and the perfect grass.

Akanksha chuckled and took a step forward towards the grass, sitting down and pulling him along with her. He let out a grunt, before settling into the soft grass. "Tumhe time kaha se milta hai ye pure ghar ko saaf karne ka phir lawn bhi ye perfect hai, even the flowers look like they've been taken care of." She sat, enjoying the cool breeze and the soft warmth from the sun. Shubman looked at her face as they shone brighter than ever.

"Aise hi, I just love doing all those things. Mera bachpan se sapna tha aise beach ke samne mera ek bada sa ghar ho jaha mai aapne pure family ke sath rahu." She looked at him shyly with a smile, reminiscing the promises she made with her family.

"Matlab tumhari maa ke sath na?" She snapped out of her happy state, giving him a sad smile and nodding. "Hmm." They stayed there in the presence of each other, enjoying the warmth the other gave off.

"Chia, Mannata k sath hai na?" Akanksha nodded softly as her head fell onto Shubman's shoulder. She had been so tired those days, and so, being in Shubman's presence gave her such peace that she couldn't help being vulnerable. He rested his own head on top of hers. He had been tired as well with everything going on with her. So when she was next to him once again, he held her close until her warmth and soft breaths lulled him to sleep.

______________________

Shubman stirred awake from the chill of the night. He extended his arm to try and stretch, but was held back from the blanket covering him. Akanksha had also disappeared from his side, He looked around only to see darkness.

"Are, tum uth gye?" Akanksha smiled, bringing out a mug while Chitra waddled her way towards him.

"Papa~~" As Shubman registered Chitra coming towards him, he opened his arms wide, letting her fall into it. "Hi baby~~"

"Pappa~" She said again. He held her high in the air, letting himself fall onto the blanket while Chitra giggled.

"Shubman, aaram se..." He smiled, looking at her. The way he looked at her rendered her breathless. He looked at her as if she was the only thing that existed in that moment. She couldn't help looking at him the same way. They stayed like that for some time. Akanksha was the first to release the eye contact as she shyly tucked away her hair.

"Mujh-Mujhe laga tumhe thandi lag rhi hogi toh...chai?" She sat next to him, passing him the cup.

"Chai? Australia mai bhi?" He placed Chitra down. The cup felt warm. He took in a few breaths in familiarity. It was exactly how he had it in India...it had been 2 months since he'd had Chai. As the chai touched his tongue, his eyes shone. "Ye toh kamal ka hai yaar. Not kidding, mummy bhi itna accha nhi banati hai." She smiled at him gratefully.  

"Shubman...I'm sorry for ghosting you." She looked at him guiltily while Shubman shook his head. 

"Koi baat nhi." Of course it wasn't nothing, he was hurting for a long time because of it...but seeing Akanksha the way she was, he knew she hadn't wanted to do it. So he forgave her. 

A comfortable silence made it's way between them once again. They relished in the feeling when Shubman spoke up.

"Akanksha...aaj maine jo kuch bhi kaha hai...woh mai sab pura karunga. Har ek promises rakkhunga." While Chitra played around, Shubman gently squeezed her hand.

"Shubman, maine tumhe pehle nhi bola na? Ab bolungi, mujhe bhi tum bohot pasand ho. And I want to give you a chance...give us a chance." She wanted to say but she lacked the courage.

________________________________________________________________________________

ooOoooOooOoo happy timeeeeeeee <33333333333

Is it here to stay??? How would I know? ;p

And pleaseee don't forget to vote and commentttt pleaseeeeeee 

Love you guysssss 

The Prince And The Commoner (Shubman Gill)Where stories live. Discover now