|PRIYANKA|

I groaned as the sunlight pricked my eyes. I turned to the other side and sighed snuggling closer to the warmth. I pulled the blanket over my face and buried my face against the warmth. I frowned when I heard a deep chuckle rumble on my face.

I blinked my eyes to find Anurag's slightly drowsy face lazily staring at me. My head was on his arm and I felt a warm arm around my waist. Was I dreaming?

"Good morning," Anurag whispered, his deep and hoarse voice sending my heart into overdrive. It's too early for this, way too early. I'm dreaming, for sure.

He raised his brows as I stared into his beautiful dark eyes. "Hello? I said good morning." Anurag waved his hand in front of my face. I snapped out of my thoughts and my eyes widened. I wasn't dreaming, memories of last night flooded my head. I had spent the night here with him.

"Uhh, good morning," I whispered and pushed myself into a sitting position. I patted across the pillow trying to find my phone.

"Aha! Found it!" I exclaimed and pulled it from under the pillow. It was only 6.30 in the morning. I locked the screen and glanced at Anurag who was looking at me with a small smile. His arms looked so inviting and I was still a bit sleepy.

I placed my phone beside the pillow and rested my head on his chest. "Wake me up in 30 minutes. Unless you want me to leave do you have early practice today?" I asked him hastily and tilted my head to look at him.

He chuckled softly and pushed my hair away from my face. "I don't have practice until 11 today." He whispered and kissed my forehead making my heart skip a beat. I let out a breath and smiled at him.

"Great! Then wake me up after an hour!" I muttered softly and closed my eyes. I tucked my hands under my chin and pressed against his chest. I smiled when I felt his arms locking behind me.

The warmth of him was slowly lulling me back to sleep." Is this how you are every morning?" he murmured, his lips grazing my forehead. I couldn't help but chuckle as my thumb gently traced the curve of his cheek.

"Not usually this out of it," I admitted with a playful smirk. "But then again, it's your fault-you throw me completely off balance," I muttered, and he chuckled making me smile. He has been laughing and smiling more since yesterday. I loved every moment of it. My Mr. Grumpy was slowly turning into Mr. Smiles.

"Is that so?" He asked and brushed his fingers through my hair. I hummed moving closer to him.

"Priyanka." He whispered, I hummed again letting him know that I was listening.

"Thank you for staying back. I had the best sleep," he whispered, kissing my forehead again. My eyes stung slightly. How many battles has he fought alone? He's not alone anymore.

I opened my eyes slowly, pulling away slightly and glancing up at him. "You never have to thank me for anything Anurag. I would do anything for you in a heartbeat." I whispered, I wanted to tell him that I loved him but couldn't muster up the courage.

I watched him as his throat bobbed. He seemed slightly nervous. I knew what he was going to say. I pressed my finger against his lip and shook my head.

"Don't say I'm not good enough for you or that I will destroy you. I don't want to hear it." I glared at him while he smiled. He kissed my finger and shook his head.

"Okay, ma'am! But how did you know I was going to say that?" He asked brushing my hair again. I rolled my eyes and grabbed his hand wrapping it around my waist.

"You always say something like that especially when we have shared a heartfelt moment. Now stop overthinking and hug me. I want to sleep for some more time." I commanded, he chuckled and lightly traced his nose against my cheek.

"Okay as you wish." He whispered and hugged me closer. I smiled and fell into slumber again my last thought was Anurag. It has been Anurag for quite some time.

It felt like only a few minutes had passed when someone was continuously calling me and trying to wake me up from my sleep. I groaned and blinked my eyes open to find Anurag hovering over me. I smiled and stretched my arms above my head.

Anurag's lips tilted slightly and he shook his head. "It's almost 9 Priyanka." He said, my eyes widened and I grabbed my phone. It indeed was 8.45 just a few minutes away from 9. I have a few missed calls from Nyra. She had texted me asking when I would be home as she had to leave around 10 for a meeting.

How did I sleep despite that I have no idea! I quickly sent her a text saying that I would be coming home now and sat on the bed. I groaned, dragging my hands down my face in an attempt to shake off the lingering grogginess.

I pushed the duvet away and almost slipped from the bed. "Careful." I heard Anurag behind me. He had an amused look on his face.

"I'm late! I'm so late! I have a meeting at 10.30 Anurag!" I groaned and straightened my shirt. Anurag walked towards me and placed a kiss on my forehead. He passed me a brush and pointed towards his washroom.

"Brush your teeth and come. I made breakfast and once done got ready. I'll drop you. You'll be there on time for your meeting." He said, I smiled and kissed his cheek before going towards the washroom.

I quickly brushed my teeth and washed my face. I sent a quick text to Nyra letting her know that I'll be home in twenty minutes. I sat at the dining table and browsed through some of the emails on my phone. I typed down a few notes for the meeting and bit my nails slightly.

I snapped out of my thoughts when a plate appeared before me. "Eat." He said and sat on the opposite side of the dining table. It was Dosa with some vegetable curry. I smiled at Anurag and blew a kiss towards him. He chuckled and shook his head continuing to sip on his protein shake.

"Just give me one minute. I forgot to type this point for the meeting." I said and began typing on my phone again. Just as I saved the draft I felt the phone being pulled out of my hand.

"Priyanka eat. There's plenty of time to prepare for your meeting." Anurag said firmly and placed the phone on the table. I smiled and began eating. The Dosa with curry was truly delicious. I quickly polished it and walked towards the kitchen, I washed the dishes and Anurag wiped them.

"Okay, I better go get ready now," I said looking at the clock on the watch it was almost 9.30.

"Meet me in the basement of my block at 10. I'll drop you," he said. I nodded and kissed his cheek. He smiled, brushing my hair away from my face before cupping my cheeks and pressing a kiss to my forehead. I gave him a quick peck on the lips and winked, making Anurag chuckle softly. He walked me to the door and waved as the lift arrived.

I smiled the entire way towards my flat. It wasn't anything special. We had spent the night together and shared some mundane moments but I felt content. It was his presence that made everything special.

When I reached home I found Nyra seated on the dining table with her laptop and a few files spread around her. She turned to face me when I shut the door behind me.

"Well well look who finally showed up," Nyra said and wiggled her brows. I rolled my eyes and walked towards the kitchen to grab some water.

She watched me and tilted her head as if she were asking me about all the details. She had a mischievous look on her face.

"Don't get any ideas. We didn't do anything. We just talked and then fell asleep." I said and Nyra smiled softly.

"That's nice Priyu. I'm so happy for you." Nyra said, I smiled and nodded.

"So what did you do last night?" I asked her and walked to my bedroom. I took a quick shower and wore a dark purple kurti and paired up with black palazzo pants. I wore some simple earrings with it and combed my hair before tying it into a ponytail.

I frowned when I didn't hear any answer from Nyra. A minute later she appeared near my door. I raised my brows and gathered my things. "What's up? Just blurt it out." I said and put the laptop inside the bag. I grabbed a few more essentials and placed them inside the bag before zipping it.

I walked past her into the living room and glanced at some of the brushed through some of the envelopes that were on the table.

"We need to pay the current bill soon. The due date is the day after tomorrow." I muttered and waved the bill in the air. I was busy looking through a pamphlet when she grabbed it from my hand and placed it on the couch.

I watched Nyra as she scratched her head and fiddled nervously with her fingers. "Hey Nyru! Is everything okay?" I asked her and squeezed her hand trying to comfort her.

She shrugged her shoulders slightly and sat on the couch. "Aarav came home last night." She whispered and looked at me anxiously. I blinked my eyes slowly as I processed this information.

"Okay," I said and cleared my throat. Nyra shook her head and glared at me.

"That's all you're going to say? Okay?" She screeched while I bit my lip trying to control my laughter.

"What more do you want me to say?" I asked her nonchalantly. Nyra scoffed at me and slapped my arm.

"Stop teasing me now Priyu! Say something more than that stupid reply!" She whined and buried her face in her hands.

"Well, I mean, I thought you didn't like him that way," I said, pausing to wait for her response.

"I don't I mean yeah I don't. He's just a friend." Nyra stated firmly and frowned as if she were unsure. I looked at the clock to see that I had a few more spare minutes before I left.

"So what exactly happened? I had a sleepover and you decided to have one as well. That's interesting." I smirked at her as she rolled her eyes.

"Nyra I'm at a time constraint right now. Anurag said he would drop me to the office and I'm sure your office cab is going to arrive soon as well." I tilted my head as she fiddled with her hands again and stared blankly ahead.

"Unless you want to have this discussion after we are back from work," I said and she immediately snapped out of her trance shaking her head vigorously.

"I can't wait till the evening." She muttered and took a deep breath. I sighed and sat down next to her.

"Nyra come on you know you can tell me anything," I whispered and held her hand. Nyra nodded and took a deep breath again.

"Okay, here it goes. So last night after you said you were staying with Anurag I was kind of bored I was watching a movie and then I received a sudden text from Aarav. He said he was bored and asked if we could have dinner, I agreed. Now thinking back this has led to this storm of feelings that are swirling within me." Nyra took deep breaths while I held her hand. I nodded and urged her to continue.

"Anyway he suggested having dinner at his place or here. I told him you weren't here and asked him to come home. We had dinner laughed and joked around. We cleaned up and watched a movie together, then ended up sleeping on the couch next to each other." Nyra said and blinked her eyes. She glanced at me as if she were expecting me to gasp. I rolled my eyes.

"Seriously that doesn't sound so bad. What's the big deal you ate, spoke, and then fell asleep on the couch." I shrugged my shoulders.

She shook her head and sighed loudly. "I haven't gotten to the part which changed a few things." She muttered.

"Get there faster, will you! We have work!" I exclaimed and she groaned leaning into the couch.

"Fine! So we weren't close or anything when we fell asleep. But when I woke up he was brushing my hair away from my face! The moment I opened my eyes he pulled away quickly and said goodbye before stumbling out of the flat!" Nyra let out a small screech while I chuckled.

"Stop laughing. There was this eye contact that we shared and it's dangerous Priyu." Nyra muttered and buried her face in her palms again.

"Why is this dangerous?" I asked her pulling her head away from her hands.

"It's dangerous because ugh because I liked it and I think I like him more than just a friend." She said the last few words so fast that it almost sounded like a garble.

I smiled softly at her and pulled her into a hug. "Ohh Nyra! That's okay! It's okay to like someone again!" I whispered while she closed her eyes shaking her head.

"No Priyu I never thought I would feel this way after you know whatever happened but I do and it scares me." Her voice broke slightly and she let out a soft sob. I continued hugging her from the side.

"Nyra it's okay to be scared. But don't hold yourself back and ruin your happiness because some asshole decided to ruin certain things for you. Take your time and explore your feelings." She sighed and nodded slowly.

"As annoying as I find Aarav, he's an amazing guy, and he does like you," I said. She raised her brows at me, her expression silently asking how I was so sure about it.

"He told me so. I've known for a while," I said. She gasped softly before hitting me.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She screamed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"I chose not to say anything because I didn't want to force or push you to do anything you didn't want to do. I wanted you to do things at your own pace and comfort." I said and held her hand.

A minute later she smiled at me. "Thank you for everything." She hugged me again while I chuckled.

"Shut up Nyra! Since when are you so formal with me?" Nyra laughed and pulled away. We sat quietly for a few more minutes.

I received a text from Anurag that he was waiting for me. "I better go now. You have a good day." I kissed her cheek and stood up. I grabbed my laptop bag and walked towards the shoe rack to find something that matched my outfit.

"Priyu," Nyra called me and I hummed in response.

I pulled out some matching footwear and slid my feet into them. "I may have told Aarav about your blog," Nyra said and my eyes widened. I turned to face her and narrowed my eyes at her.

"I'm sorry it just so happened when we were conversing." Nyra shrugged her shoulder. Not that I have a problem but this is going to get annoying because Aarav will bug me now. I haven't even told Anurag about it. He knows I write a few blogs but he doesn't know the exact details of it.

"Ugh, it's okay! I don't mind but he's going to annoy me. Not to worry I know how to handle him." I said and Nyra chuckled.

"Okay, then that's great! Have a good day Priyu!" I smiled at her and wished her the same.

I closed the door behind me and quickly made my way to Aarav's block. It was almost five minutes past ten when I reached the basement. I waved my hand when I found Anurag standing near his car.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I was talking to Nyra and then time passed way too quickly." I said, Anurag smiled slightly and shook his head.

"That's okay get in the car let's go." He said and sat in the driver's seat. I quickly sat down in the passenger's seat and put on the seat belt.

"So did Aarav tell you about the little sleepover he had in my house yesterday?" I asked and Anurag chuckled.

"Oh yes, he did! He came over after you left and went on and on about it. He wanted some more time so he's coming a bit late to practice." Anurag said and shook his head.

"I swear he was acting like a little girl who was loaded with sugar." Anurag chuckled softly and I laughed.

We were quiet for a few minutes after which we stopped at a signal. "He also told me something interesting," Anurag said. I gave him a questioning look.

"He told me about the blogs that you write." Anurag smiled slightly and I tilted my head. That was not the reaction I was hoping for. Anurag knows that I wrote but he didn't know that I had a blog and a bit of following. I expected him to be a bit angry. Then it struck me. He might have read a few of them. My eyes widened slightly and he chuckled.

"Did you read them?" I asked and groaned slightly when he laughed again in response. Not that I didn't want him to read it but I had blatantly mentioned him quite a few times in those blogs. If I had known I would have come a bit more prepared.

"Did you read all of them? Oh no! I'm going to kill Aarav." I muttered glancing out of the window. Anurag chuckled again and began driving.

"I didn't read all of them but I did read the one you wrote on the day we met." I groaned and rubbed my palm against my face.

"Hey, it was indeed an interesting day. Besides, why didn't you tell me about your blogs?" Anurag asked and briefly glanced at me.

I shrugged my shoulders and tucked my hair behind my ear. "I don't know it never came up not that I was hiding it from you." He hummed and took a turn stopping near a tree which was on the road next to my office.

"Are you upset or angry that I never told you?" He turned to face me and pulled my hand slowly entwining our fingers together. "I'm not upset or angry. I want to know everything about you." I smiled softly at him and brushed my fingers over his knuckles which were slightly bruised from boxing.

"The same applies to you too, giraffe," I said. He smiled and shook his head. He gently held my chin between his fingers and leaned forward, slowly placing his lips over mine. I smiled and kissed him back, my fingers tangling in his hair as I pulled him closer. Every moment with him felt precious. I wanted to tell him how much I loved him, but I knew this wasn't the right time.

We were lost in the moment of passion when my phone rang loudly, interrupting us. Anurag slowly pulled away and breathed against my lips. "I have to go. I'm already late," I whispered, our lips still touching.

"I know just one more minute please." He said tracing his lips across my cheek.

"You are slowly turning needy Mr. Khatri." He groaned turning his head and glaring at me.

"It's all your fault, " he said, I laughed and kissed him one more time.

"Have a good day. Don't become broody again." I said and he rolled his eyes but smiled slightly.

I grabbed my bag and exited the car shutting the door behind me. "Hey, Priyanka!" He called for me as I was turning to walk towards my office.

I leaned against the window. "Yes, Anurag! Missing me already! " I wiggled my brows and grinned widely. He shook his head and passed my phone. I smiled and thanked him.

"I'll come to pick you up in the evening. I want to take you somewhere." I smiled and nodded.

"Where are we going?" I asked him he smiled and kissed the back of my hand.

"It's a surprise." I smiled and nodded.

"Okay, I'm looking forward to it!" I exclaimed.

He smiled and drove away. I let out a contented sigh as I walked to my office, a huge smile spreading across my face. It was shaping up to be a great day, though it felt like it would drag on since I couldn't wait to see what surprise Anurag had in store for me.

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A/N: I can't believe I have been working on this since the 2nd of this month. I'm very annoyed with myself but I'm kind of happy how this chapter turned out to be.

I enjoyed writing this chapter. I have some time off so will try to update as soon as possible.

What do you think Anurag's surprise is? Any guesses!

Hope you guys liked this chapter! If you did please do vote and comment! I would love to know what you guys think!