Anshika's POV :
The silence was oddly comforting. No loud laughter. No dramatic Shinchan impressions. Just the faint hum of the fan and the soft ticking of the wall clock.
Sumit had left early morning with Uncle and Aunty. I found the pink sticky note next to the leftover breakfast.
"We're taking Sumit with us for the day. Try not to kill each other. Or do. Just clean up after. – Swati Aunty."
Very encouraging.
Now it was just me and him in the house. A whole day.
I flopped on the sofa with the TV remote in hand and started channel surfing like my life depended on it. Anant walked in a few minutes later, hair wet from the shower, looking slightly dazed—as if still trying to adjust to this alternate reality.
He looked at me. Then at the silent house. " Why is the house so silent?"
" Sumit has left with Uncle and Aunt. So we are the only one's left here. And there's a note on the table. You can read it. ," I said, not taking my eyes off the screen.
Later, we sat on the sofa, arguing over the remote.
"I'm not watching people fall in love over coffee and rain!" he declared.
"And I'm not watching cars explode for no reason!"
So we settled it the old-fashioned way.
Rock, paper, scissors.
I lost.
He smirked, victorious, and put on an action movie with way too many explosions. I rolled my eyes and stole the popcorn as revenge.
Minutes passed. The movie still playing—some cheesy thriller with horrible CGI. I watched it with half a braincell.
We even cooked noodles together and now we were halfway through a movie, sharing popcorn and occasional sarcastic commentary, when I remembered the chips I had secretly stashed under the sofa.
I reached under the sofa and pulled out the glorious, unopened packet of chips.
Jackpot.
Just as I opened the packet with a satisfied grin, a shadow loomed.
"Are those… chips?" Anant asked, peeking over my shoulder like a nosy raccoon.
"No," I said, crumpling the packet slightly. "They're air. Very salty air."
"Come on, share"
"Nope. It's... an emotional support snack. For me. Alone." I replied, clutching the packet dramatically to my chest.
He looked offended. "I helped make that weird overcooked Maggi for you earlier. Where's my reward?"
"You over-boiled the water and added ketchup. That's a crime, not a meal."
"Fine. Then I'm just going to take what I deserve."
He lunged.
I dodged.
He grabbed the packet mid-air.
I grabbed his wrist.
And in a moment of chaotic fate, I tripped on the edge of the carpet and—
Thump.
I landed on him, my palms against his chest, our faces so close I could feel his breath. His chest was warm beneath my palms. I wasn't sure if it was mine or his heart that was racing.
Everything went still. Even the loud background explosions on the screen faded into a weird kind of silence.
His eyes flicked down to my lips and then back up to mine. My heart thudded in protest— or excitement. Who knew?
But then, fate being the drama queen it is—
"WHAT THE—!?"
We both froze.
At the doorway stood Sumit, a box in one hand, his expression a mix of pure betrayal and unfiltered horror.
Sumit blinked again, then pointed at us, horrified. "Is this what happens when I leave you two alone for one day!?"
I scrambled off Anant so fast that I nearly tripped again.
"It's not what it looks like! I was just trying to get my chips. "
"Really?" Sumit crossed his arms. "Because it looks exactly like every Bollywood rom-com ever."
Anant sat up, brushing imaginary dust off his shirt.
" You both look like I just walked into Couple's yoga."
I glared at him. "Excuse you. I was fighting for my chips. Very serious business."
Sumit blinked. "You fell on him... for chips?"
"Yes!" we both said at the same time.
Then Anant added with a smirk and the chips packet in one hand , "And I still won."
______________________________________
After that… moment on the floor, and Sumit's Oscar-worthy reaction, the house settled into awkward silence again. But this time, it was a different kind of silence. The kind where your brain replays a scene in slow motion while your face tries not to explode.
Why did my heart go all traitorous for a second?
I sat back on the sofa, chips packet firmly in hand, avoiding eye contact like it was a sport. Anant casually leaned against the wall, scrolling through his phone like nothing had just happened.
Nothing at all.
I took a bite of the chip, trying to act natural. "You're still not getting any," I said, with my voice a little too high-pitched.
"I'm not even interested," he said, not looking up from his phone. "Too salty."
"Oh, like your attitude?"
He smirked but didn't reply.
From the corner of my eye, I could feel him glance at me—just for a second. And I definitely did not check if he was looking.
Sumit walked in again, arms crossed like a suspicious parent. "You two are being weird."
"We're always weird," Anant replied, cool as ever."Yeah," I added quickly. "Nothing new. Same chaos. Same insults."
"Same girl falling on top of the same guy," Sumit muttered under his breath.
I threw a cushion at him.
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Anant 's POV :
She didn't bring it up.
Neither did I.
But my head kept going back to it—the weight of her falling, her face that close, the way time sort of slowed down and my heart—annoyingly—sped up.
It didn't mean anything. Right? Then why couldn't I stop replaying the moment like it was a glitch in my system?
We were just two people. In a house. Who happened to almost have a moment. Nothing serious.
I glanced at her again.
She was now acting like the most interesting thing in the universe was the bottom of the chips packet. Her foot kept tapping. Her shoulders were a little tense.
I looked away before she caught me staring.