Darmiyaan

(1) Rishikesh

"Abhi! Abhi, stop it," Abhimanyu would've taken her seriously if she wasn't a giggling mess beneath him. He tickled her profusely until her pout wore him down. He dropped beside her on the bed. Akshara took deep breaths to regain her composure.

"Why are you like this?" She turned on her side to face him. There was a glint in her eyes that made him proud. Abhimanyu loved himself most when he saw the effect he had on her.

"You ruined all my hard work," she whined. Akshara spent the morning prepping for her trip. She was about to move all her folded clothes into her suitcase when Abhimanyu interrupted her. He tormented her by dropping slow and searing kisses on her shoulder and neck. He teased the bare skin of her waist with his hands as he held her close, and then he erupted into a monster hellbent on destroying her efforts. Now, the two were splattered on the bed, in the ruins of what was her packing.

"Why are you like this?" He countered.

"Maine kya kiya?" She innocently asked as he pulled the strand of hair blocking her brown orbs back.

"Kyun jaa rahi ho mujhe chod ke?"

"Main tumhe chod ke todhi jaa rahi hoon, bus tumse kuch din pehle jaa rahi hoon Rishikesh."

"Kuch din? You're leaving five days before me. Do you know how much time we could spend together in those five days?" He poked her nose accusingly. "Mujhe chod kar tum paanch din kuch stupid logon ke saath, aur tumhe koi fark nahi par raha. Wait kyun nahi kar sakti mere aur Kairav ka."

"Woh-" before she could explain herself, he continued his rambling.

"Upar se tum Neil ko bhi saath le kar jaa rahi hoon. Main Udaipur mein akele kya karonga."

B for boyfriend aur B for bacha, she thought to herself as she watched her 31-year-old cardiac surgeon boyfriend resemble the kids she worked with. He wore a pout akin to a child whining for the last slice of pizza, and it made her heart flutter so much that she couldn't stifle her laugh. Her laughter irked him so much that he turned his back on her and lay on his side.

"Abhi," she prolonged his name as she tried to place a placating hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. After a few failed attempts, Akshara settled for an arm around his waist as she hugged his back.

"Kyunki ye paanch din mere aur mere doston ke hai. Ab pyaar mein dosti ko toh nahi bul sakte, na?"

"Akshu-"

"Aur agar tum iss chinta mein ho ki wahan pe koi hot ladka mujhe apne paas keeche toh," she felt his muscles clench at the thought of another predatory man near her, "then don't worry. Haider mujhe humare group ke alawa kis aur ke paas jaane bhi nahi dega. Itna bada wala chipku hai woh." While laughing at the mere list of things Haider planned to do on the trip, Akshara neglected the sober stance Abhimanyu's body took.

It wasn't the first time he stiffened at Haider's name. It happened so often these days as he'd see the two friends engage each other. 'Haider sirf Bhabhi ka dost hai," Neil reassured him countless times. Abhimanyu knew there were no romantic feelings between the pair, but that didn't negate their closeness or the insecurities that arose because of it. Abhimanyu detested all the moments and secrets Akshara shared with Haider before they met. He wanted to look away every time Haider made her laugh the way he did. What bothered him most was how easy their relationship was. Unlike Abhimanyu, who had to raise claw his way through the Goenka's caged hearts, Haider just into their family like he was the missing piece of their puzzle. Abhimanyu couldn't imagine Akshara condemning her relationship with Haider for the hindrances in her life as she did to them after Manish's heart attack.

"Waise bhi, paanch din ho ya dus, wapas toh tumhari hi baahon mein aana hai, toh kya sikhwa iss trip se." He hummed in response as she pulled him onto his back and snuggled closer.

These next few days would be torture, he thought as he watched her pack. But he couldn't let his fear ruin today. With each item she placed in the suitcase, he pulled another out and resumed their mischief. 

In my Zaalima fanfiction on Abhira, I introduced a character named Haider, who encouraged Akshara and Aarohi to follow their hearts. Haider was a family friend's son and grew up with the girls. I decided to include him here because there was a plot I wanted to explore with him and Abhira but I didn't want to disrupt the ending to Zaalima. 

Depending on your responses to this update, I might explore that plot here by expanding on the trip and how it goes, but we'll see. I wrote this in haste so it's all up in the air lol

I hope you enjoyed it! Looking forward to your feedback.