Hlo darlings

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The truth doesn’t cost anything but a lie could cost you everything. You tell a lie once and all your truths become questionable. He wasn’t unaware of all of these consequences. With every breathe he was taking in the fear of so many ‘what ifs’.

What if she got to know that he is the beast she’s trying to chase away from herself and not the one in whom she finds a decent and trustable man ? What if he blurted something out and she caught him ? What if he lost her trust forever ? What if this pile of lies he was telling her, broke her already broken heart more ?

But what he could do ? There was no other way he could stay near her. Only if he could get his hands on that bastard Tej Singh Oberoi. Like every other day, he was going to stop himself from thinking about the negative side of the story and do what he does the best – Thinking about his babygirl. The thought made him smile immidiately, his rare, genuine and carefree smile.

It was still unknown to him how he was finding new ways to address her when he thought about her. Sweebit, Babygirl, Flora, Apple pie, Fairylight, Princess. Oh ! How could he forget, Fiery ! So practically, he had given her a nickname everyday since he came here and that was a week.

His life was never so smooth in his luxurious mansion with every facility. But here, in this cardboard box, which was  smaller than his bathroom in his mansion, where he had no servants, no AC, no king-sized bed with a double spring multipurpose mattress and silky soft sheets and pillows, and not to mention the facilities of a kitchen with all the necessary commodities, he was happy ! He wouldn’t have looked at this house or even this colony had he never met his Fiery. Oh this name ! He just loved to call her that because in this one week Shivaay Singh Oberoi had seen her burn him with her fury every time she saw him. She was fire he was loving to burn himself by.

Ohhh shoot ! He just repeated the stupidity he was doing since she left him to live with Gauri that was probably a month ago – burning his food and messing the kitchen. He proved himself wrong in thinking that this shabby kitchen couldn’t look worse. It looked worst now. He coughed due to smoke and immidiately opened the window that overlooked the street. It was once again, a really weird thing. Who on earth likes to have a window that opens directly on to the street to present you with an annoying audience aka the neighbours !

Well ! Such people are fools who made him an even bigger fool infront of his Fiery, who was standing just across the window and now looking at him with and unfathomable look. No no no ! It can’t happen. He has just started to make his reputation infront of her as a rough and tough and yet a jovial man infront of her. He couldn’t let her believe he was a stupid who couldn’t cook.

He was still grumbling over his stupidities when he heard a knock at his door and he huffed in anger and marched towards the door to scold those irritating kids who nowadays, loved to ring his doorbell and run away. He had every intention to shout at the top of his voice, but thank God he did not. Not even in his nightmare he could afford to shout on his delicate Fiery who stood there at his doorstep with a sweet smile. The frown said goodbye and a smile greeted his lips.

“Are you okay ? I saw the smoke coming out of your kitchen. I Hooe everything is fine.” She looked at him and then over his shoulder towards the messed up kitchen. She shook her head and smiled.

“Actually I.. I was..” Shivinder searched for words but found none and looked away being embarassed. In her language, he had made a ‘pappu’ (Fool) of himself. In last one week, he had learned so many weird words and practically started noting them in his diary. Once he had even blurted some in the middle of a meeting. That was embarrassing but he smiled sheepishly, much to everyone’s shock but everyone chose to stay quiet. Shivaay Singh Oberoi was better not to be questioned, afterall.

He was snapped our of his thoughts by Anika who passed by his side and went to the kitchen. He could see her eyes roaming over the place and at him time and again. He wished he could dig a hole and hide himself in it and never come out.

“You don’t know how to cook ?” Asked Anika while suppressing her smile as to not make him feel bad and insulted. But it was impossible for her to stop herself from laughing out loud when he nodded in a no and said he does know how to cook.

“I’ll take that as no. Why did you try if you didn’t know how to cook ? Now look at the kitchen. And what if something had happened to you ?” Asked Anika and looked at Shivinder. He looked at her face to find any sign of amusement but there was only concern. Wasn’t that what he wanted ? Her concern and care ?

“I.. Actually I know how to make sandwiches. I was making Sandwiches.” He blurted out like a fool and she laughed again and he thought about the countless cuisines he used to make for his family.

“Sandwiches ? In a pressure cooker ?” she asked as she raised an eyebrow. She wanted to laugh but stopped as she saw his embarassed face. He seriously looked like a kid whose cheeks she wanted to pull till he cried.

“Okay Sorry. I won’t tease you. It’s ok to make mistakes. You’re a human afterall. I’ll help you in cleaning this kitchen later. For now, come with me and I’ll make breakfast for you. What say ?” Anika looked at him with a heart warming smile that even God wouldn’t have refused her offer, and he was a human. Getting embarassed wasn’t as awful as he had thought.

She walked towards her house and he followed her like he was in a spell. How lucky he would’ve been if she had said the same thing to Shivaay about mistakes. Not after too long his spell was broken as he stumbled on the steps leading to Anika’s house and he bumped with Anika.

“Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t notice these steps.” He apologised with the speed of a bullet train and maintained a decent distance between them. He hadn’t said so many ‘sorries’ in his whole life.

“You don’t need to apologise so much.” She chuckled and entered her house with him and went to the kitchen and he followed her. He wanted to enjoy every moment he got with her to the fullest.

“Why you always get so scared, Do I look like a scary witch ?” she looked at him for an answer and he nodded negatively.

“No. You’re as innocent and sweet and beautiful as snow white.” He answered and she shook her head as a smile made its way to her lips.

“You’re flirting with me ?” She looked at him with a playful smile and he smiled too.

“Is it doing something something to your heart, snow white ?” he asked and extended his palm towards her and bowed infront of her but she slapped his hand.

“No. It’s not. And by the way, I’m not snow white, I’m Cindrella.” Anika said and started doing her work. He knew what she meant by that remark as he looked at her face which had no amusement. At that moment, the urge was strong to tell her that if she was cindrella then he was her prince charming who wanted to make her wear her glass slipper and wanted to take her to his palace to keep her happy forever. But he stayed silent. He would surely do this one day.

“Hey ! Who is Snow white, by the way ?” Asked Anika and narrowed her eyes at him, to lighten the mood as she saw him looking at her with some strange expression on his face. He could do nothing but smile.

“Ohhhh ! She’s your girl friend, am I right ?” she asked and nudged him with her elbow and raised her eyebrows playfully. He didn’t say anything.

“Here is your breakfast. Masala omelette. I couldn’t make something too interesting in such a short time and it was already 11:30. So, here you go.” Anika gestured him to take the plate and they settled on their respective chairs on the small dining table.

He was not a fan of Masala omelette but it looked delicious now when he knew she made it with so much of love and care. He started having his breakfast and he genuinely enjoyed it.

“So, You didn’t tell me, snow white is your girlfriend ?” She asked again.

“She was a character in a fairy tale.” He answered like a fool and she face palmed herself.

“I’ve read fairytales, silly guy. I’m asking if you have a girlfriend whom you call snow white ?” Asked Anika and nudged him with her elbow again, looking at him with a teasing smile.

“No.. not yet.” After a brief pause he continued, “But I’ll call the love of my life with this name some day.” Shivinder said and Anika looked at him in a way he couldn’t understand.

She felt something break inside her with his words. But she couldn’t put a hand on the reason. She smiled almost immidiately but he noticed the flash of disappointment on her face although he thought it to be his imagination.

“Why only snow white ?” Anika hid her disappointment and asked another question to which he smiled.

“When I was a child, I used to read these fairytales to tell my sister. When I had read the story of snow white, I liked it. It’s sounds silly but, I just liked snow white. And then, my Dadi used to say that she’ll find a beautiful bride for me, who would be so loving and caring. Although I never admitted infront of my Dadi but at that moment I had a vague picture painted in my heart, of my bride. I had decided that I would call my bride snow white. She would be as delicate and beautiful as that fairytale character and I will be her prince.” Shivinder said as he recalled his Dadi’s words about his bride.

He smiled and unknown to himself, he blushed because he had finally found his snow white. He smiled because it was the only truth he had told Anika today. Not even a single word was lie.

Then his gaze travelled towards Anika who was lost in her own world. Her face gave away nothing of her feelings and he felt frustrated. He wanted to know what she was thinking. For a moment, the thought that she was disappointed because he was talking about some other girl and she was jealous, crossed his mind. But he shrugged it as it was not possible. Why would she be jealous, afterall ?

“It was so tasty. I had never tasted such yummy omelette in my life.” Shivinder complimented and Anika looked at his plate that looked as clean as if it was new and she smiled.

“Anika Ji, would you teach me how to cook. Afterall, I can’t always come here and have the luxury to have food made by you, isn’t it ?” Shivinder asked, to pull her out of her shell she had suddenly concealed herself into. Surprisingly, she agreed.

“I’ll teach you, don’t worry. And you can come here whenever you want to have food made by me. Afterall, friends are welcome for everything.” Anika said and smiled.

“Friends ?” He looked at her, bewildered by her statement.

“Aren’t we friends, you did ask me to be friends with you. Is that offer not valid now ?” Anika asked with a not-so-innocent sad face and he chuckled and then smiled widely while nodding his head in a yes.

“But I will teach you on a condition.” Anika asked with such seriousness that his heart thumped in his ribcage like a hammer but he nodded, reluctantly though.

“You would teach me how to make sandwiches in a pressure cooker. Okay ?” Anika asked and he looked at her for a moment and then both of them broke into fits of laughter.

This pile of lies wasn’t bad for the time being atleast.

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