[Entry for #FiveYearsSinceCollabContest]
When Akriti's childhood crush comes to her city all of a sudden, she's left torn between her feelings for him and the secret of his return.
Cover credits - @till_infinity013
"It's been so good to see you back, man! We still haven't forgiven you but it's great to have the gang back." Varun smiled on the screen.
Nidhi, Varun and Sparsh were on a video call with Shaurya and Akriti one Sunday afternoon. Shaurya had paid her a visit and they all decided on a group WhatsApp call.
"What's Akriti doing?" Sparsh asked and Shaurya tilted the camera in her direction.
"Cooking," Shaurya said. "For me."
"I miss her cooking," Nidhi piped in.
"Me too," the others said in unison.
"So, man, did you hook up with lots of white chicks?" Sparsh asked, grinning widely.
"God, you're disgusting!" Nidhi said.
"Yeah, I cleaned the drain today and that felt less repulsive." Akriti threw a scowl in his direction.
Their bickering went back and forth. But Akriti noticed that Shaurya was furiously texting on his phone.
"Who's that?"
"No one," he replied hurriedly before turning his attention back to the call.
"Why did you go to Lucknow?" Nidhi asked at one point. Akriti looked up from frying the chicken wings. Shaurya was fiddling with the pillow he had placed on his lap.
"Yeah," said Sparsh. "After Australia, we expected you to find a job abroad or at least here in Bangalore or Delhi."
Akriti dimmed the gas stove and noticed Shaurya struggling to say something.
"I dunno, guys. I found a perfect job here and I'm close to my family," he said with a strained smile.
Akriti turned towards her dish. Her friends were right. Why was he working in this relatively small city? Shaurya had always wanted to go to a foreign land to live and explore. He wasn't a very family driven guy either.
"Plus," he added softly, "I get to be with Akriti."
The thumping against her chest returned. She could feel the heat rising over her cheeks and she was sure her ears had turned pink.
Grateful that she was cooking, she focused on not burning the delicious meal. All the questions from before escaped her mind.
Ups! Ten obraz nie jest zgodny z naszymi wytycznymi. Aby kontynuować, spróbuj go usunąć lub użyć innego.
Akriti pulled her nose out of all the college notes when her phone vibrated.
