a/n: during udaariyaan days
she was as bright as sunshine, spreading laughter and warmth with each word, touch, and look. her laughter had been her most alluring feature- so honest and sincere- it captured her perfectly. it was easy to tell she was an extrovert, someone that mixed in with everyone around her with an easy smile. the type of smile that leaves you standing while thinking about her for a second longer than needed.
"mein toh aise hi hoon. mujhe baat karne mein acha lagta hain" she chatted with someone on the set. he didn't mean to pry but he couldn't help but be drawn towards her.
they had introduced themselves already and she had been very friendly leaving him confused on how to respond. most of the short time they had already spent together mainly consisted of her talking and him acknowledging her, here and there.
he never engaged by himself in any conversation with her, nor was he the first one to try and get to know her. he didn't do things like that- he didn't like to stay attached.
she didn't think she'd like his brooding nature nor his curt responses but somehow she had been drawn to him as well.
"acha hai madam, aap bohot cheerful ho set pe" the other set member responded, and ankit moved forward making his presence known.
she turned to him instantly and a stunning smile painted itself onto her lips, her eyes sparkled as she motioned for him to sit next to her. he wasn't one to interact much, nor was he prone to touch as much as she was. she would brush past him, pull his arm towards her and even hug him out of nowhere. it wasn't that he didn't like it but he was afraid of how much he seemed to be liking her.
"aur yeh admi joh hai woh bohot kadoos hai" she said as she shoved him playfully and he nodded in agreement, going along with her playfulness.
"badi opposites hain hum" he said, traces of truth to his words and she nodded agreeing with him. they did have contrast personalities at first glance, but the deeper they got to know each other and the more interwined they became in each other's lives- the more they realised their souls were one.
she tells him about her rather eventful morning, and he tries focusing in but she had a very distracting smile on her face and of course the fact that most of the time he didn't like spending with other people and preferred solitude. he felt relieved when the director called her for a shot, and he slumped back in his seat, grateful for the momentary silence.
it wasn't anything against her at all, but he preferred to remain to himself- in his own zone. she respected his wishes to a certain extent but since she was the complete contrast of him- she would bustle into his life one way or another. at times he got rather frustrated, and even spoke rather rudely. at first he could tell she felt offended but he had told her that he wasn't an outgoing person to which she understood.
'
months pass by and they have quite a good amount of fights in between. if he was being honest, he didn't ever think he could get into a fight with anyone on set mainly because he always felt he couldn't care to the extent of actually being hurt by them. but he felt priyanka was different, he cared about her deeply and she had become so close to him without him even realizing it. he cautiously allowed her into his life and even earned himself the title of being her best friend, truth be told, he liked it.
she was comforting to him, but this was something that he hadn't told her. if he really thought about it, he hadn't told her half the good things he thought about her. he knew this annoyed her, that he wouldn't express himself- it also led to a good amount of their arguments.
during one of their most lengthy arguments, he had started feeling something he hadn't felt for a while- he started missing her.
he didn't miss most people- he had forbid that particular emotion from his life after the hardships he endured- not wanting to become vulnerable once again.
sometimes he found himself blaming the time they knew each other for his emotions. it was close to a year of them knowing each other- not that he was counting or anything like that. he didn't care about silly things like that, or at least he convinced himself.
she didn't come to him this time, like she usually did when they fought. when it was majorly her fault, she would apologize with a sticky note or a large poster and when it was majorly his fault, he would just sit next to her till she turned towards him with a raised eyebrow, waiting for him to say what he was supposed to and when he mumbled a sorry with a small earnest small- she caved almost instantly. even when he'd have to sit next to her, she would still burst into his room angry and demanding, it wasn't as if she ever distanced herself, always telling him why she was mad and where he was wrong. sometimes it escalated their arguments but other times, he would see his fault and go to her eventually.
this time, she didn't burst into his room expecting anything from him. in fact, she seemed to be avoiding him all together. this pricked his heart more than he thought it would. he had grown so accustomed to her presence, that going a day without seeing her felt wrong.
"kabhi kabhi express karna padta hai, anki"
he recalls her words in the dead of night as he flips restless in bed. usually he fell alsep very quickly, but her voice seemed keen on replaying in his mind. he tried smiling at her between one of their scenes today, but she had turned away looking at her script to go over her other lines. it hurt him, but he didn't try anything further and kept to himself the rest of the day.
"kabhi kabhi tum itne bhi boring nahi ho"
she told him that - the first time they went out for dinner together. it was on a friday, and they had finished up a bit early. their director had told them that they had a late start the next day, and miny celebrations were necessary when they got time off from their hectic shoot schedules. she had to do a lot of bribery to get him to agree as he declined the first time around, he had already explained how he wasn't a very social person but she was adamant. they did have a considerable amount of fun that night, his cheeks even hurt from all the laughs they had shared.
a smile crosses his face as he recalls that night, he makes up his mind to end this distance between them first thing in the morning.
he clears his throat, hoping to get her attention. he wasn't really good at apologies or openly saying heart touching things in the spur of the moment. she doesn't look up from her phone, as her fingers are going at a rapid pace as she texts someone.
"priyanka"
this catches her attention, as he didn't call her by her real name as much especially when they were on sets. he intially called her tejo due to his decision to do method acting, but somewhere along it stuck on him and he called her tejo as a nickname.
"i-i was going to say that-" he fumbles but decides to sit down next to her. she's looking at him in a way she hasn't done before- almost as if she doesn't expect anything from him.
it scares him that she might be pulling away from him.
"i'm sorry" he says, his tone holding honesty while he's eyes shined earnestly. "mein aise nahi bolna chahiye tha, i'm sorry"
she doesn't say anything for a beat, but quickly clears her throat and nods, "it's fine, bhool jao"
it doesn't feel like she's forgiven him as there's no bright smile or hug, instead she gives him a tight lipped smile and a nod. he stammers, "tum abhi bhi gussa hai?"
"nahi hain" she says in her most convincing tone, but he knows her better than that. "sach mein ankit"
ankit. there it is. she says his full name.
"priyanka ruko" he holds her hand as she makes an effort to move past him. "mujhe baatao mein kya karu ab"
"mein kuch bhi nahi bola aur drama shru kardiya. bilkul dramebaaz" she says it in a light tone, but tries to free herself from his grip yet fails miserably.
"i am really sorry. you're my best friend and the only person i'd actually like spending time with. aise mat karo" he confesses, and she's taken aback. she had a feeling that the only reason he came to apologise was that he didn't like keeping things on his concious, but here he was subtly telling her that her distance did hurt him.
he tugs on her and she moves a little closer, it doesn't take long before she melts. and soon she gives him another one of her radiant smiles, and relief floods him.
"paagal ho tum" she says pulling on his cheeks gently and for the first time, he doesn't pull away or give her a scowl instead he gives her a smile.
"kabhi kabhi paagal bana zaroori hai" he replies, eliciting a laugh from her.
***
i love them sm <3