Tainted Desires : Bound By Misfortunes

24| Annahita's driving lesson

Author's POV

"Let me talk to her about this," a voice echoed in the temple. Annahita and Nandini saw Shivaay standing at the entrance.

Nandini noticed him but averted her gaze, smiling at Annahita before excusing herself to check on other preparations. She shot a quick glance at Shivaay before leaving.

After a moment of silence, Shivaay spoke up. "Come, let's go. It's crowded here."

Annahita got up and followed him. He led her to his bike and suggested, "Let's go on a ride."

"But I can't sit comfortably with a saree on, the seat height is too high," Annahita expressed with a frown.

"Okay, wait a minute," Shivaay said, pulling out his phone to call someone. After waiting for 15 minutes in silence, a guard arrived with a scooty.

"Let's go, its height is low," Shivaay offered.

Annahita nodded and sat on the scooty, clutching his shoulder with one hand. The journey towards the unknown destination was peaceful, with the lush greenery of Anuvarta captivating her.

After some time, Shivaay stopped the scooty near a canopy of trees adorned with flowers. A swing hung at the center, adding to the beauty of the place. They both sat on the swing.

After a long silence, Shivaay began sharing a story. "This place was made by me and Adi for Nandini. She cried a lot after seeing it in the movies, but at that time, Baba didn't have time, so he used to ignore her requests."

Annahita listened intently, absorbing the details. "Adi and I decided to make it for her when she got sick after crying a lot for the swing. This whole place is made by our hands."

Annahita felt a pang of jealousy at the closeness between all three of them, but she pushed the feeling aside thinking about Nandini, focusing on their story.

"When I came to this place, Adi didn't have any friends. He used to live alone and only had time for studies and learning everything that could help him rule this place better," Shivaay continued.

Annahita felt sympathy for Adhiraj, understanding his loneliness.

"When I came here, he greeted me formally but never bothered to talk to me more than that. But his mother forced him to talk to me. This place witnessed the start of our friendship," Shivaay reminisced.

Annahita couldn't help but smile at the memory as Shivaay offered her a chocolate bar from his pocket. She hesitated for a moment before accepting it, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Nandini always used to roam with her brother everywhere and eventually started hanging out with me too. She was always talkative, talking about random stuff. When she got a fever from crying day and night for this swing, Adi approached me willingly for the first time without anyone's pressure. He asked for my help in building this place, and I couldn't deny him after seeing Nandini's crying face. This place witnessed the start of our friendship," Shivaay concluded, glancing at Annahita.

"You guys really have a unique bond," Annahita remarked, acknowledging their special connection.

"We do. But things weren't as happy as they seemed. People of Anuvarta used to badmouth about our friendship behind our backs, saying I was taking advantage of him and his family for a comfortable life. Do you think I was taking advantage of him? Should I end our friendship?" Shivaay suddenly asked, catching Annahita off guard.

"No, how can you take advantage of him? You guys are friends. People just say whatever they think, but that doesn't mean it's true. It shouldn't affect you if you know that you're not wrong," Annahita replied, offering her perspective.