Aniket remained rooted in the car, his mind a whirlwind. The lingering touch of Alisha's soft kiss on his cheek sent shivers down his spine, transporting him to another dimension. He felt like a starstruck child meeting his idol, his heart still thrumming with an exhilarating mixture of joy and disbelief.
By the time he snapped out of his reverie, Alisha had already entered the mansion. He drove back to his own home, the giant portrait concealed behind his back, a futile attempt considering its size. Sneaking through the house, tiptoeing towards the stairs, he was inevitably intercepted by his youngest brother, Bhavesh.
"Bhai ap kaha ja rehi hain aur apke haath mein yeah kya hai" Bhavesh inquired innocently.
Aniket's facade crumbled. He stopped dead in his tracks, a forced smile plastered on his face as he turned to his family gathered in the living room. "Are hum room mein ja rehe the thak gaye the naa. Isiliye" he mumbled.
His brother, Shlok, snickered at the transparent lie. "Bhai woh toh theek hai par apne dusre sawal ka jawab nahi diya woh kya hai?? "
Aniket sighed, his ears burning. "Yeah... Yeah ek token of gift hai Alisha ji ne hume diya hai.."
"Well, then open it na , bhai!" Diya, his younger sister, chided playfully.
Khyati chachi chimed in, "Haa aniket kholo kholo hum bhi toh dekhe unhone apko kya tohfa diya hai "
Meera chachi, ever the tease, joined the chorus, "Come on, Aniket, spill the beans! What wonder has she bestowed upon you?"
Surrendering to their playful curiosity, Aniket settled on the floor between his parents. He meticulously unwrapped the portrait, the anticipation building with each rustle of paper. As the final layer fell away, a collective gasp resonated through the room. Wide smiles bloomed on everyone's faces, mirroring the one slowly spreading across Aniket's own.
He stood speechless, captivated by the masterpiece before him. "Are waah bahut hei sundar " Nalini, his mother, finally broke the silence.
"Sach Me kafi sundar tasveer hai ," Gauri, his grandmother, added. "Kisne banayi hai ?? "
Shlok, ever the observant one, pointed to the signature in the corner. "It says Alisha di's name here, Dadi sa. So she must have painted it herself."
Shiv, his grandfather, chuckled. "Seems this girl is quite talented."
Aviraj, his father, agreed." Agreed, bauji, Alisha has a special touch."
Nalini, sensing the lingering question in the air, turned to Aniket. "Did you thank her, beta?"
He nodded sheepishly. "Yes, Maa, I did."
The night continued amidst warm chatter and playful teasing, the portrait taking its rightful place as a cherished reminder of a special night and a budding connection.....
Aniket retreated to his room, his heart still racing from the events of the night. He couldn't resist reaching for his phone, his fingers flying over the screen as he composed a message to Alisha.
"Apne Hume Jo yeah achambit choda tha uss hadbadi mein humne apko apke janamdivas ki badhaiyaa hei nahi di !" he wrote. "Happy birthday, Alisha ji."
He hit send, anticipation gnawing at his gut as he waited for her reply. A moment later, his phone buzzed with her response.
"Thank you, Aniket! I had a wonderful time today."
They chatted for hours, the conversation flowing effortlessly from topic to topic. As the clock struck three, Alisha finally sent a message that made Aniket's heart sink.
"It's getting late. You should get some sleep. Apko nahi jaldi uthna subah par Hume toh uthna hai na ."
Aniket chuckled, a hint of sadness in his voice. "Alright, alright. I'm going to bed. But can we meet tomorrow?"
Alisha's reply came with a smirking emoji. "Aniket Babu, didn't you get enough of me today that you want to meet again tomorrow? I'll see if I have the time."
Aniket smiled, his heart warmed by her teasing. He knew she would find a way to see him. After all, they were both drawn to each other like magnets.
"Goodnight, Alisha ji ," he typed. "I'll see you tomorrow."
He closed his eyes, a contented smile on his face. The night had been full of surprises, but the best one was yet to come. He couldn't wait to see Alisha again, to bask in the warmth of her smile and the touch of her hand.
As he drifted off to sleep, he dreamt of the future, a future where he and Alisha were together, happy and in love.
*:)*
Alisha was engrossed in her work, preparing for an important meeting, when her phone chimed. It was a message from Aniket, wishing her good morning. She took a break to reply, "Good morning, Aniket. You're up early." She replied sarcastically while looking at her watch it was around 10 am
Aniket's response was almost immediate. "Hum thodi der pehle hei uthe the " he replied smilingly unaware of the sarcasm " Did you have breakfast?"
Alisha considered lying, but her fingers betrayed her, typing out the truth before she could think twice. "No, I didn't have breakfast, Aniket.!!"
"You know breakfast is the most important meal of the day, Alisha ji. How can you skip it?"
Alisha grumbled to herself as she typed out her response. "I skip lunch sometimes too, it's not a big deal."
"Alisha ji, hum apse guzarish karte hai ki please ap kha lijiyega jo humne apke liye order Kiya hai apki maan pasand sandwiches hei hai .and aagr. Hume pata chala ki apne woh breakfast nahi Kiya hai toh humse bura koi nahi hoga hum bata de rahein Hein "
Alisha felt a sense of defiance rise within her. "aniket babu ap kya hei kar lenge humara agar humne breakfast nahi bhi kiya toh "
Aniket's reply was playful yet firm. "Sweetheart" he replied sarcastically and said " agar apne khaya nahi toh hum waha khud aakar apke pass baithe rahenge and apko dekte rahenge jab Tak ap kha nahi leti hain "
A shiver ran down Alisha's spine as she read his words. Her ears turned red and she quickly typed out a response. "We'll see about that. I have a meeting now, I have to go."
"Janeman ," Aniket replied. "Hum mazak nahi kar rahein hain ."
Alisha read his message through the notification and decided to ignore it. But their was a smile playing on her lips seeing his caring side
A smug smile played on Alisha's lips as she put her phone away. She knew very well that Aniket wouldn't drive for three hours just to make her eat breakfast. She was confident that she would get away with skipping it again today.
Just then, she was startled by a voice.
"bhaisahab yeah toh chamatkar hogaya Alisha singhania ke chehre par muskaan woh bhi unke janamdin par yeah toh record karne wali baat hogayi " aaradhya said
"Apke pass aur koi kaam nahi hai kya jo ap subah subah humare office aagayi " Alisha chided
Aaradhya theatrically gasped and said "kaisi ba-haya dost hai humari ek toh hum Milne aayein Hein aur uski kadar nahi hai bass Khali kaam kaam kaam "
Alisha let out a deep breath and said "hogaya apka ki abhi bhi kuch baki hai nahi nahi baki hai toh bata dijiye..." She replied sarcastically
Aaradhya said "humari best friend ka aj birthday hai toh hum unse Milne aayein hain ap koi nahi hoti hai Hume rokne wali "
Alisha said "aaru I appreciate ki ap aayi humse milne Hume bhi apse bahut saari baatein karni hai par abhi humare pass time nahi hai abhi ek meeting hai humari 11'30 baje toh pehle hum meeting attend kar lete Hain phir batein karenge na " Alisha replied glancing towards her wrist
"Done ! Aur humare aane ka ek reason aur tha maheshwari's ke lawyer ke roop mein hum aaye the toh bus hum bhi ek meeting attend karenge " aaradhya replied nonchalantancly
Though a shiver ran down through Alisha 's whole body and she visibly shuddered
"Kon kon aa reha hai unke taraf se meeting attend karne" Alisha whispered softly
"Aniket Bhai aa rahein Hein bas" Aradhaya replied
Alisha shuddered by the thought but she was also relieved that when aniket would arrive she would already be in a meeting and she believed that aniket wouldn't do anything that would create any kind of scene
But boy was she wrong while she was in a meeting her office door opened roughly and A smiling Aniket stormed in, the office manager trailing desperately behind, pleading with him about proper meeting etiquette.
Ignoring the manager's protests, Aniket fixed Alisha with a smug look. "Alisha ji Humne apse kuch kaha tha shayad...Hume lagra hai ap bhul gayi " he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Aniket what's the matter shall we meet outside and talk " Alisha woke from her chair fumbling and suggested seeing his smile that were at the end of his ears
"Nahi nahi humara kaam bass 10 min ka hai tab tak ap sab break le sakte hain " he replied seeing the members of the meeting
Then he motioned someone to enter the room and aaradhya came in with a tray of fruits and her sandwiches and a cup of coffee , till then no one had left the meeting room as everyone was shocked they knew that this was the last day of this person on the earth
"Aniket their are people I can go and eat in my office " Alisha whispered
Aniket 's eyes darkened and he chuckled huskily and said in a deep voice "eat Alisha ji "
And Then, addressing the room again, he barked "I said something people leave the damn room now "
The shock was palpable. No one had ever dared to speak to Alisha, let alone dictate terms in her own meeting. As they filed out, they couldn't help but steal glances back, witnessing the unthinkable – Alisha taking hesitant bites of her food.
One brave employee, clearly impressed, couldn't contain himself. "Looks like someone finally tamed the lioness," he muttered.
Aniket's reaction was swift and brutal. He lunged at the employee, a resounding slap leaving red marks on the man's cheek " she is the one who is taming a lion not the other way round ...so it would be better that you keep your damn mouth shut "
Alisha had never seen this side of Aniket. Awe mingled with a hint of lust as he returned to her side, his anger subsiding
He came towards her and again sat in front of her and said "ap apne breakfast aaram se complete kar lijiye Alisha ji " he said in a soft voice
"Ji" said Alisha, her cheeks flushed a brilliant crimson, simply nodded and continued eating. As she did, Aniket lifted her chin, brushing a stray strand of hair from her eyes. Then, with tenderness that belied his earlier outburst, he placed a soft, lingering kiss on her forehead.
Alisha felt a warmth spread through her, radiating far beyond the heat creeping up her cheeks. This possessive, protective side of Aniket was a revelation, leaving her both surprised and strangely drawn to him.
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What's your favourite food <3