Third person's pov!

As they tiptoed toward the side door, baby Kriti toddled in from the living room, clutching her bunny in her tiny hands.

"Mamu!" She squealed, her voice piercing through the quiet like a siren.

Both Dhruv and Shraddha froze.

"Mamu's not here, Kriti," Shraddha said quickly, her voice unnaturally high. "Just... go back to playing, sweetheart!"

"Mamu," Kriti insisted, pointing her tiny finger directly at Dhruv.

"Hey there, little detective. How about we play a game? You close your eyes and mamu will hide and you are winning!" Dhruv crouched down with a sheepish grin.

"Mamu funny!" Kriti giggled and clapped her hands.

"Funny? She's telling on us!" Shraddha hissed, dragging Dhruv toward the side door.

"She is a child, Shraddha. She is harmless," Dhruv whispered back.

"Oh, really? Wait till she repeats 'Mamu funny' to my Maa or Vaiga bhabhi or better yet to Abhi bhai!" Shraddha snapped, glaring at him.

Just as they reached the side door, the sound of footsteps made them both freeze again.

"Kriti?" Vaiga's voice called from the kitchen.

Shraddha grabbed Dhruv by the arm and yanked him into the store room, shutting the door quietly behind them.

"Kriti, baby, where are you hiding?" Vaiga's footsteps grew louder.

"Romantic, isn't it? You, me, a store room full of things..." From inside the cramped store room, Dhruv leaned in close, his breath warm against Shraddha's ear.

"Romantic?! I am dying here.." Shraddha whispered furiously, elbowing him in the ribs.

Dhruv bit back a laugh, but it turned into a quiet yelp when he accidentally stepped on a bag of fertiliser, sending a loud crunch through the silence.

"What was that?" Vaiga's voice was sharp now, coming closer.

"Shut Up," she mouthed as she slapped a hand over Dhruv's mouth.

Vaiga paused right outside the store room door.

Dhruv wiggled his eyebrows at Shraddha, his eyes gleaming with mischief. Shraddha rolled her eyes, mouthing, Not. Funny.

Kriti's giggle was heard from the other side.

"Oh Kriti, you are there. I got scared that you went into the store room," Vaiga muttered, walking away.

Shraddha exhaled in relief, peeling her hand off Dhruv's face.

"Admit it, you love this chaos," Dhruv whispered with a grin.

"Shut up!" She hissed, dragging him out of the store room and towards the door again.

As Shraddha and Dhruv crept toward the side door, Anjana's voice rang out from the living room.

"Vaiga? Beta, are you there? Come have breakfast." Anjana called out loudly.

Shraddha froze, her grip tightening on Dhruv's arm.

"She is coming this way!" She hissed.

"Relax. It's not like we are robbing the place." Dhruv blinked at her, amused.

"You are robbing my sanity!" She snapped, yanking him toward a tall cabinet. "In here. Move!"

Dhruv allowed himself to be shoved inside, pressing back to make space as Shraddha wedged herself in with him. The cabinet was barely big enough for the two of them, their faces inches apart in the dim light filtering through the slats.

"This is cozy," Dhruv whispered, his lips quirking into a mischievous grin.

"Shut up!" Shraddha hissed, her eyes darting toward the gap in the cabinet door. Anjana's footsteps grew louder, her shadow passing by.

"I can hear your heart racing," Dhruv murmured, his breath brushing her ear.

"That's because I am about to have a heart attack," Shraddha muttered, glaring at him. "When did you start taking things so silly?"

"Oh, I take this very seriously," Dhruv said, leaning closer, his voice low and teasing.

"Dhruv!" Shraddha whispered furiously, pressing a hand to his chest to push him back. "My mother is right there!"

"Even better," he said, his grin widening. "Makes it more exciting."

"You are insane." Shraddha stared at him, incredulous.

"And you are beautiful when you are panicking," Dhruv countered, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.

Her cheeks flushed, but before she could respond, Anjana's voice called out again, closer this time. "Vaiga? Did you hear me?"

Shraddha tensed, biting her lip to stifle a groan. Dhruv, however, was clearly enjoying himself, his hand brushing against hers as he whispered, "You are going to give us away if you keep breathing like that."

"I will kill you," Shraddha hissed, her face burning.

"Promises, promises," Dhruv teased, leaning in as if to kiss her.

"Don't you dare!" Shraddha swatted at him, barely missing his face.

Before Dhruv could retort, Anjana's footsteps started fading away. Shraddha peeked through the slats, breathing a sigh of relief.

"She is gone," she whispered.

"Shame," Dhruv murmured, pulling her back as she tried to wriggle out of the cabinet. "I was enjoying our little hideout."

"If you don't get out of this house in the next five minutes, I will make sure you are hiding permanently—in the backyard." Shraddha glared at him.

"You are so feisty when you are stressed. It's adorable." Dhruv chuckled, letting her pull him out of the cabinet.

"The next time you want romance, try not getting me caught by my mother first." Shraddha muttered as she dragged him toward the side door.

"Noted," Dhruv said with a smirk, but as they reached the door, he leaned in and whispered, "Still worth it, though."

Shraddha shoved him out into the cool morning air.

"I swear," she muttered. "Next time, I am leaving you to fend for yourself."

"Very happy to know that you want the next time as much as I do.." Dhruv whispered huskily in her ears and Shraddha's eyes widened in shock realising what she had said.

Shraddha felt her cheeks heat up as Dhruv's words sank in. She opened her mouth to retort, but he was already stepping back, a teasing smirk lighting up his face.

"Bye, Shraddha," Dhruv said, his tone dripping with mischief. "Or should I say, see you next time?"

"Get out!" She hissed, shoving him again, this time with enough force to make him stumble a step.

Dhruv chuckled, the sound soft and deep in the stillness of the early morning. "You're really something, you know that?"

"Stop talking and leave before someone spots you!" She snapped, her eyes darting nervously toward the dark windows of the house.

With one last grin, Dhruv nodded and turned toward the garden wall. He moved with ease, his tall frame disappearing into the shadows as he approached the low barrier. Shraddha hovered near the doorway, her heart thudding in her chest as she watched him grip the edge of the wall and pull himself up.

"Careful!" She whispered sharply, wincing as his foot scraped against the rough stone, sending a soft scuffle echoing in the quiet.

"Relax, I have done this before." Dhruv paused at the top, throwing her a quick glance over his shoulder.

"That's supposed to reassure me?" She muttered under her breath.

"Good bye, Shraddha." He winked and mouthed.

And then, with a smooth leap, he was gone.

Shraddha exhaled in relief, but her nerves refused to settle. She scanned the yard and the surrounding windows one more time, her shoulders tense. No sign of movement.

With a final glance at the wall where Dhruv had vanished, she muttered to herself, "This man will be the death of me," before quietly closing the door and retreating inside.

A/N

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Love,

SF❤️