Aashna's pov:

In the flight, I open my purse to take out my airpods and I saw some chocolates with a note in Shubman's messy handwriting.

"For ur cramps♡"

I smile and blush at the sweet gesture but I don't eat those chocolates because I wanna keep looking at them and eat them when I'll really miss him.

I land at the agra airport and check out of it. The airport is very near to my house, just 1 and a half kms so I ordered a cab for all my luggage and reached home in less than 5 minutes.

My jaw drops on seeing my house, it is totally changed, well I haven't beem here in 2 years....so....and last year too I went to Jaipur house and not my childhood home in Agra. Guess, dad is earning really well because that looks like a million dollar makeover.

I ring my doorbell and my mom opens the door. She looks good, she is only 48 years old so she still looks young.

"Arey meri beti aa gyi?" She says and hugs me very formally only for a brief moment.

"papa kahan he? Moti kahan he?" I asked about dad and my dog.

"Papa moti ko walk karwane le gye he." Mom tells me.

I fake smile and step inside the house.

She widens her eyes when she saw my stuff that I was carrying inside.

"Itna saara saaman, tu kya yahan basne aayi he?" She laughs and asks me.

"Arey mumma, ye mera pura saaman he, jese hi mujhe job aur ghar mil jayega, me fir chali jaungi." I said still carrying my stuff.

"Dekhi koi job, koi ghar dundha?"

"Haan job dekh li he, aur ghar kahan se dekhungi, abhi to aayi hu?" I said rubbing my eyes from the lack of sleep and tiredness.

"Aur tab tak? Yahin rahegi?" She asked me.

"Ummm...haan...I mean....me jaldi se pta krti hu job aur apartment ke baare me...jab tak yahan....reh sakti hu? Agar aap bolo to me abhi bhi jaa sakti hu!" I said quickly.

"Koi baat nhi, abhi reh le thode din, aaram se pta kr le, fir baad me apartment ki koi problem na ho, ek baar permanently shift ho jaye tu!"
She said and I walked inside the house.

I walk inside and see my grandparents sitting near the pooja ghar, doing their rosaries( mala japna).

I go and hug them both and they are surprised.

"Ammaji, dadaji! Me aa gyi!!" I smile and they hug me back still in shock.

"Haye meri beti ko dekhe huye kitne din ho gye he!!" Ammaji said kissing me and wiping a tear from her eye.

"Kab aayi tu?" Dadaji asks.

"Abhi just aayi hu!" I say and he kissed my forehead. And hugged me tight.

I walked to the kitchen.

"Bhuk lagi he, kuchh khane ko he kya?" I go to mom's room to ask but she is already lying in her bed on her phone with earphones in her ears. She isn't listening.

I checked the fridge and the containers but all those were emptied and in the sink. She knew I was coming but she didn't leave or prepare anything for me.

I remember Shubman telling me his mom made his favorite things when he came bavk to india after playing International cricket for less than a month.

I'm back after over an year....and I don't even get food, not even cold.

I decide to let it go and carry all my stuff upstairs by myself. Those bags are so heavy and I have to put so much pressure I can constantly feel the blood flow while climbing the stairs. Finally I get all my stuff to my room and get myself up there and change and freshen up.

I'm so tired I can't explain.

I tiredly wear clothes and turn on my heater.

I put on a movie and turn the tv off as I feel myself drifting off.

I slept around 8 at night, but I sleep on the belief that someone will surely wake me up for dinner.

However, I wake up by myself to my dark room.

I search for my phone near my pillow and check the time.

It's 6.30 in the morning. So no one woke me up, huh!

I go outside and hear a loud alert bark from moti in the dark.

"Hey...shh...moti, baby me hu, your shona didi!!"

I say softly and she comes towards me madly waving her tail and smiling from ear to ear. She jumps at me and cries when I hug her.

It's good to know at least someone missed me.

I cry along with her cause I missed her the most.

I clean her tears and decide to take her out for a walk. But before that, I waer presentable clothes and conb my hair.

I put on her leash and start to walk her. It's a bit bright now.

I pass by our colony gym and see a few people doing exercises.

But one guy in particular catches my eye. He is doing pull ups vigorously.

I slow down and moti starts to smell the road, probably to take out a poop so I stop and wait for her.

The guy gets down and turns around. I gasp and hold my breath on realising who it was. My childhood crush, he only lived a few houses away, his sister was my best friend at one time and we went to coaching and swimming together.

I've had the crush on him as far as I can remember. He was my first crush, he was a bit bloated back then but right now........he is tall as before, 6'3" it was? But in place of his little fat, he now has bulky muscles. A slight stuble on his face that he has apparently shaped. And a jawline?

But why am I looking at him like that, alright, I'm just shocked at his glowup. And I stopped my feelings for him in 7th grade when my parents found out hit me badly for having a crush.

I was so naive at that time, I wore black coloured rectangle glasses and had really chubby cheeks, but only face fat, no body fat, I was so skinny. And no boobs, and my hair was always boy cut or bob cut, it was stupid. I thought I'll never have boobs, but I'm surprised that despite being slim, I have got a perfect round size 32B cup. I love my boobs, at least they're not non-existent.

And then, me and his sister broke up and she told him about it, and he refused saying some shit like..."abhi usko pta nhi he, abhi wo bacchi he", how dare he call me a bacchi?? Uh...never going back or talking to his bitch sister ever again. Plus, I'm commited to the most amazing man in the world, I don't want anything else.

As he saw me from the glass door I curb my funny expression by a hair flip and start to pretend minding my own business. I see from the corner of my eye that he us coming out of the gym towards me.

"Hello?" He said in his manly tone and I turn towards him and look up to his face.

"Uhh.....hi! Lavyansh right? Lavyansh chaudhary?" I furrow my brows and asked him pretending to remember his name.

"Yes! And you are Aashna chahar! Long time,huh?" He extends his hand and I look at it for a moment and shake it.

"Haan.....how's Nandini?" I ask about his sister.

"She's good! Bohot time ho gya he nhi?" He asked me and I just hummed.

"Wow, aap kitne bade ho gye ho! I mean me nhi ho gyi hu but.....yk what I mean!" I stutter.

"Haha, haan, kahan jaa rhi thi?" He asked me.

"Me toh bass walk pe nikli thi! Ese hi." I told him.

"Accha can I join you?" He asks me and I reluctantly say yes. He tells me to wait for a second and runs inside to get his jacket.

He comes out of the gym and I start walking along with moti.

Man! He's so tall, taller than Shubman, it's quite intimidating.

"Wese tumhari shaadi ho gyi? Rehti kahan ho?" He asked me.

"Shaadi?!" I shout.

"Haan? That ring on your finger?" He'stalking about my promise ring.

"Oh no! Ye shaadi wali ring nhi he! Engagement wali bhi nhi he!" I tell him.

"Accha! I'm so sorry! I just thought, I mean tumhara bohot glowup ho gya he, since the last time I saw you!" He says and exhales a laugh.

"Oh...haan the last time was in....I think when I was in 11th grade, we passed each other on the road!" I say.

"Tumhe yaad he?!?" He is quite surprised.

"Arey actually mera brain zyada kaam karta he, mujhe sab yaad rehta he!" I tell him before he gets a wrong idea.

"Glow up to hoga hi, I'm 26 now!" I said to him.

"Tum.......acchi lag rhi ho!" He said.

I mean of course, I have clean skin, a pretty smile, neatly done nails and a well maintained body!

"Thanks, aap bhi, gym and all huh?" I ask him.

"Yeah......boyfriend?" He asked me. But if I tell him about Shubman then I'll have to reveal his name which I don't want to before discussing about publicity.

"No......" I say very reluctantly after a huge break.

"You got someone?" I ask him to get rid of his question.

"Nhi.....meri mummy ko meri arrange marriage karwani he, to mene koi girlfriend nhi banayi, but I can have....I'm not against it!" He said and I nodded.

"Ohk....toh what do you do?" He asked.

"I'm a doctor, did doctorate in human rights, ab koi course karungi aur job karungi!" I tell him.

"Wow tum toh bohot intelligent nikli, me to papa ki party aur politics me hi merge ho gya, PCM lene ka koi fayda nhi hua." He tells me, so he is a politician now?

"Nice.....nandini kya kr rhi he?" I asked him.

"Uske liye ladka dhundh rhe he, uski bhi age tumhare jitni hi he." I'm surprised to hear that.

"Itni jaldi kya he shaadi ki?" I asked him.

"Usko koi problem nhi thi to mummy papa ko yahi sahi laga." He tells me.

I nod in understanding.

"Toh fir me chalti hu! Bye! See you around!" I say and get inside my house without a second look.

It's almost 7.30 so I decide to eat something because I'm tired.

I don't have the energy to make anything and I want yo cry at my parents' irresponsibility. They could've woke me up and make me eat something, I hadn't had anything the whole day.

I go upstairs and see that my mom is still sleeping.

My dad however is awake and watering the plants in his balcony.

"Mera beta!!! Tu kab aayi?" He says and gives me the biggest hug out there.

"Papa!!! Me to kal raat ko hi aa gyi thi, aapko nhi pta? Mamma ne bataya nhi?" I ask and he says no.

I take a deep breath and try to calm myself down.

"Koi baat nhi, bhul gyi hongi!" He gives me excuses on her behalf like he always does.

I smile and go away to my room.

I drop on my bed and let the tears out.
Why is she treating me like I'm invisible? And I'm hungry! I want food! I'm having cramps! I miss Shubman!

I take out his chocolate snd remove the wrappers and start to eat it while crying heavily but silently.

I don't know when I fall asleep and my back hurts while sleeping in a weird position.

I get up and take a hot shower, then I go downstairs and mom orders me to fry the lentils. (Dal tadka)

I prepare the dal and make myself sone chapatis and start to eat.

My mom is just looking at me with that smug face and says nothing.

I quickly eat my food and run back to my room to look for jobs. I talk to a few companies all afternoon and fix my interviews.

Right now, the Christmas vacations are going on, so I will be giving interviews back to back after mid-January.

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The New Year's Day was nothing special besides Shubman calling me at midnight to wish me, the first person that he's wishing, also the 1st peron wishing to me and that I wish.

The whole day was full of shit.

Mom and I went to shopping where I bought nothing for myself and spent my money on her because she was so busy in selecting and wearing outfits and showing it to me for my opinions, not that I'm complaining, then we went to an expensive restaurant and I payed there too.

We went home and my mom straight away went to sleep due to that huge glass of wine she had.

In the past few days I have noticed that she's been on her phone alot and she isn't really interested in the house or my dad like she used to. Also, she's behaving wierdly. Like my dad used to when he......

Once I picked up her phone because I needed to call someone and mine was discharged. So she shouted at me so loud that I was ready to cry.

So I silently went into her room, picked up her phone and went to mine.

I knew her passport so I unlocked her phone and opened her call log, no trace.....her instagram...no trace...ok? But I will find out!

I then opened her whatsapp, no trace, I was about to close it when I found something interesting.

*Locked chats*

Oh boy! Caught you!

I clicked on the feature and it went to needing face lock to unlock but when it couldn't detect, it went to phone's password.

I quickly throw in her password and the folder opened.

There it was, the thing I was expecting.

A name, no, a nickname. With a heart like I have for shub. But the different is.....I'm not married, she is!

I click the chat with trembling finger and the chats become visible. First I click on his profile.

~Aaryan pillai.

Ok so he is from Kerala?

Then I see his face. A middle aged man with horn rimmed glasses.

Then I go to read their chats.

There is a lot if cringy stuff and a lot of private stuff I must say. Sex talks, period talks, dirty chats, exvhange if ilys, you name it, it's there.

I feel a tight knot in my throat and quickly keep her phone back from where I picked it.

She is cheating on my dad!

Ik dad did the same but he's the most perfect husband now!

He pays the bills, he spends money on her, he spoils her, he makes her bed tea, he is romantic....and what is she doing?

Oh god! She is with my dad just for money!

I need to clear my mind so I call my sister Aarya and tell her everything. We talk for hours and conclude that it's better if we keep our mouths shut.

"Yaar tujhe pta he esi baatein to Shub aur me bhi nhi karte jis level ki wo chats thi!" But I shut up once I realised that she knows nothing about our relationship. This is my best kept secret.

Then I had to tell her everything, that I was eventually gonna tell her.

The call ended after hours on a happy note and my mood is no longer bad.

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On 1st February, I finally found a job. A nice, high paying decent job and I can't wait to shift from this golden hell.

But thus date brings back many bad memories. It's his birthday.

Around 6 years ago, if you asked me about this day, I'd be thanking god for it but today, I wish it wouldn't just exist.

It's Hritik's birthday.

My ex, the man that I fell for head over heels, totally blind but he betrayed me with some slutty college girl, fuck him. I heard he's currently living in London with his wife, his mom and his sister, well, fuck him.2.

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I shifted a few days later in the home that I got on 4 month emi.

I love this house!

I have it furnished with my favourite colour i.e. whites and beiges and greys.

It's a decent 3bhk.

Just how I want it to be, and the nicest thing us that....it's mine!

Shubman said he was so proud of me getting my own place and congratulated me again and again, the happiness was genuine in his voice.

Everything is going alright!

AUTHOR'S RANT: heyy guys! Here is a Shubman free chapter, everything is going well, or well just regualar, do you think its time for a twist???

What do you think about the intentions of Lavyansh??

Don't worry you're gonna get it soon, till then, be updated for the following soon mirchi masala! Don't forget to vote and share and comment!!❤

Also abt the song....actually I'm a retrophile so....👉🏻👈🏻

Little miss love you guys!