Advika's POV

"Awooooooo."

Slowly pulling down the blanket I looked from left to right without moving my head. My heart pounded like a drum, and the eerie howl wasn’t helping.

My eyes widened to the point where they might pop out of their sockets as I spotted a shadowy figure sitting on the chair.

I have never slept alone. Not once. At home, either Garvit or Mom always shared the room with me. During the day, I’m strong and fearless, but at night? I’m absolutely terrified of ghosts.

And this resort? It’s practically deserted. The possibility of a spirit lurking here is ridiculously high.

"Jai Hanuman gyan gun sagar, jai kapees tihu lok ujagar..."

I began chanting the Hanuman Chalisa as my trembling hands fumbled to switch on the lights.

"Bhoot pishach nikat nahi aave, Mahavir jab naam sunave..."

The moment lights switched on my eyes squeezed shut.

"Please, you are in the wrong room. Your friend is in the adjacent room. Go there" I mumbled.

I cautiously opened one eye, praying the ghost had disappeared. Relief washed over me when I realized it wasn’t a ghost... it was just my bag, sitting innocently on the chair.

Gosh, Advika!

"Awooooooo."

The howl startled me again and my hand reached to my baby heart to stop it from bursting out.

What in the world is a wolf doing here?

‘Advika, maybe he’s here to claim you! You know, the wolf and human bond,’ my inner voice teased.

"NO!" I shouted to shut it up.

I need to stop reading Wattpad.

"Awooooooo."

The howl came again, louder this time. I couldn’t resist, I bolted out of bed and sprinted to Shravan’s room.

I need to tell the wolf that I already have a mate.

But as I reached his door, I hesitated. I was the one who insisted on separate rooms. How could I just barge in?

Idea!

I pushed the door open and stumbled towards his bed, eyes tightly shut just in case he was awake and caught me mid-performance in my Oscar-worthy act.

Since I had no idea about the layout of the room, my thigh collided with the edge of the bed, and I toppled over, landing directly on Shravan. My hair cascaded over my face, making me look like a scene straight out of a horror movie.

"Bhoot! Bhoot!" Shravan shouted, terrified.

(Ghost! Ghost!)

"Bachao! Bachao!" I screamed back in panic.

(Help! Help!)

Suddenly, the room was filled with the lights, which was followed by a loud scream of Shravan.

That’s it. He’s seen a ghost.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh"

I shouted back out of fear which soon turned into a painful scream when he pinched me.

He parted my hair from the middle and pushed it on both sides of my face like a curtain; his face was so close that I was about to scream out of fear when he placed his hand over my mouth and pushed me down on the bed.

Both of us were panting, our faces inches apart. His nose brushed against mine, and if it weren’t for his hand over my mouth, our lips...

I shut down that thought immediately.

Shravan blinked, snapping out of his trance. “How did you get here?” he demanded, narrowing his eyes.

I looked down at his hand, making my point clear without saying a word. Realizing, he frowned, but before he could react, I bit his palm.

“Ow!” He yanked his hand away.

"With legs," I said matter-of-factly.

"Idiot girl. You wanted to sleep in a different room. Right? What are you doing here?" He snapped.

"I don't know," I said casually. "I slept in my room only. Maybe I walked here in sleep"

“You’re not a sleepwal—” Shravan stopped mid-sentence, clearly realizing his mistake.

I stifled a giggle.

Beta, fas gye na apne hi jhoot m. (Poor guy! He was trapped in his own lie now.)

He gulped and moved slightly away.

"Fine, go to your room now," he said.

And my baby heart broke. I don't want to. But I can't say this with my mouth as well. It was me you asked for a separate room.

"What?" He barked at my mouth "Why aren't you moving?" He asked in his signature rude tone.

“Because you’re still pinning me down,” I retorted.

His eyes widened as he realized he had caged me beneath his arms. It seems like he is also afraid of ghosts and doesn't want to admit it.

Slowly, he moved away, giving me space. I sat up, expecting him to stop me, to say something, anything.

But he didn’t.

“What?” he asked when he caught me staring.

I shook my head, got off the bed, and started walking towards the door.

Please stop me. Please stop me.

With every step, I prayed silently. But as I reached the door and turned the knob, he finally spoke.

“Acha suno...”

Excitement bubbled in my chest. I spun around, ready to jump back onto the bed when he said,

“Jaate waqt darwaza band karti jana.”
(Close the door on your way out.)

Berehem insaan!
(Cruel human!)

Fuming, I stormed back to my room and slammed the door behind me with so much force that I was sure he flinched.

Back on my bed, I hide myself under the blanket from head to toe so that the ghost can't see me.

If it won't see me, it won't approach me.

You are so smart, Advika!

Closing my eyes I started counting sheep in my head to get myself to sleep. I was on 420 number when suddenly the room was filled with a song, and that wasn't just a song, it was...

“Amiiiii jeee tomaaaaar!”

My eyes shot open, and my soul nearly left my body.

No!

I am not tomaaaaar, I am Shravan's.

Go away....

When I didn't move from my place the sound of the song only kept on increasing, making the walls shiver along with my nerves.

What in the world?

I clutched my blanket tightly and sat up with my eyes tightly squeezed.

“Shravan!” I screamed, but my voice was drowned by the rising crescendo of the song.

Panic coursed through me, I immediately stood up beside the bed. My heartbeat quickened when I screamed again "Shravaaa...."

I stopped midway when I realized that the song had stopped. My heart was pounding in my throat when I opened my eyes slowly.

The fear was replaced by pure rage when I saw Shravan standing against the door frame with a Bluetooth speaker in hand.

He played the song for one second before stopping it, showing that it was he who did the prank. And then suddenly he burst into laughter.

Seriously?

Here I was on the verge of getting a heart attack, and he was laughing.

"I will kill you" I shouted at the top of my lungs, stomping my feet on the ground.

"Why? Aren't you afraid of becoming a widow so early?" He asked, wiping off the fake tears of mirth from his eyes, and grinned.

The audacity!

"I hate you!" I declared, my voice hoarse from screaming so much.

"The feeling is mutual," he replied nonchalantly, straightening up and strolling back into the room as if he hadn’t just scared the life out of me.

"Why do you do that?" I asked, still trying to calm down my pounding heart.

“Because I knew you’d never admit that you came to my room because you were scared of a ghost,” he said, leaning casually against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Why would I be scared of a ghost when I already have a ghost named Shravan haunting my life?" I gritted my teeth, glaring at him.

"Handsome and dashing ghost," he corrected, glancing at the mirror on the wall. He rubbed his beard dramatically, tilting his head as if posing for a photoshoot.

Self obsessed Insaan!

"You should’ve seen your face when the song started. Priceless. Worthy of recording and playing on the loo..."

Before he could complete his sentence, something snapped inside me. Without thinking, I pushed him. Hard.

I’d aimed for him to fall, but Shravan, being Shravan, was quicker than I anticipated. His reflexes kicked in, and instead of tumbling backward, he caught my wrists mid-push and yanked me off balance.

The next thing I knew, I was falling.

I landed on the bed with a soft thud, Shravan hovered above me with my wrists pinned on either side of my head.

The smirk that had been plastered across his face moments ago was gone, replaced by something intense. His breathing was uneven, and I could feel his chest rising and falling against mine.

I froze, my heart thundering in my chest. He was so close that I could see the faint flecks of gold in his dark eyes.

I slightly twisted my wrists for him to only tighten the hold. Not in a way that hurt, but in a way that felt... possessive. Protective.

My past has made me scared of every touch, but with Shravan, it was always different.

I never felt afraid or insecure even when we were in any kind of relationship.

“Shravan,” I whispered, more as a plea than a protest.

He hummed in response, still looking intensely into my eyes which almost hypnotized me. I couldn't blink, I couldn't move, and it felt as if even the words were caught in my throat.

"I... I think you should..." With much difficulty, I was able to say only four words, and that was too broken. Stuttered.

I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the way my skin tingled under his touch, the way his proximity made it impossible to think straight.

He again hummed, realizing that he should move away, but instead,d, he stayed frozen in his place.

"Why did you ask for a different room when you couldn't sleep? Hmm?" He asked, every move of his lips bringing him closer to mine.

"I... I was angry at you for talking to me that way on the call"

Unknowingly, my lips formed a pout, which caught his attention.

"Wrong timing" he grunted.

I couldn't tell if he was saying it for the call I made back then or about the recent pout.

My brain went blank when suddenly he started moving his face closer and closer, inch by inch.

My breathing stopped as his warm breath fanned my lips, his nose lightly brushed against mine, and his hard chest pressed against my softer one. My senses flew out the window, and an entire swarm of butterflies erupted in my stomach.

This was the moment.

The exact moment when—

Suddenly, the song blared again.

"Meri chahatein toh, fiza mein bahengi..."

Both of us let out a heavy sigh.

Relief?

Disappointment?

Frustration?

I wasn’t sure...

Shravan pulled back abruptly, his expression unreadable as he reached over to turn off the song. He didn't spare me a single glance.

Lying in my position I was panting hard trying not to make it audible. I don't want him to know how much he affects me. How his every movement, every touch, set me on fire.

He stood up and walked a few steps away. I thought he was going to leave—typical Shravan, but then he surprised me.

He circled the bed, moved to the other side, and, without a word, lay down beside me with his back facing me.

The Shravan I knew would have left. He would have teased me, smirked, and disappeared back to his room, no matter how scared or alone I might have been.

But the person lying on the other side of the bed now felt different.

This Shravan stayed.

~~~~~~~

Happy with the response to the previous chapter, so I made this one longer than usual 😄. Let me know how was it.

130 votes and 5 new followers for the next update.

~ dayyyyydreamerrr

Looking forward to your comments as well 👀

Reminder: This is a slow burn romance. Sab kuch milega, Have some patience 😉 Tadapne do thoda dono ko 🫠

Lots of love 😘