Gehraiyaan - A ShiVi SS

Chapter 18

11:55 PM

The clock read 11.55, as Gaurav rummaged the drawers for the candles.

"Shashank, pichle time tune hi rakha tha na candles, ab kaha gaye? Waapas khareedu mai ab, gadhe?" He muttered, closing the drawers.

"Tu candles chod, candle jiske liye jalana hai, usse dhundh." Shashank gave a tapli at the back of his head, as Shiva walked out with the cake.

"Kya matlab? Raavi kidhar hai?" Shiva asked, setting the cake aside. "Mere saamne toh ghar aayi thi."

"Room mein toh nahi hai, aur maine pichle aadhe ghante se usse dekha nahi." Shashank said, shrugging.

Shiva peeped into his room, and on not finding her there, he knocked at the bathroom door. Where she wasn't either.

"Kaha chali gayi ye?" Shiva wondered, walking around the house, his attention drawn to the pile of clothes on the sofa. Except, that wasn't a pile of clothes.

He looked closely, and walked towards the supposed pile, only to find that it was a bedsheet. Over someone.

Shiva pulled the blanket off a little, and her head peeked out from the blanket, her arms holding the blanket closer to herself, eyes closed, as she snored peacefully.

"Raavi?" Shiva nudged her arm, wondering why she fell asleep here. "Raavi, uth jaana yaha kyu-"

"Please sone de mujhe." She muttered in her sleep, tucking the blanket around herself properly.

Shiva remembered how tired she returned from college, late in the evening, from the rush of projects, fests and functions happening in college. And she was part of the 'Cultural Events' club in college, meaning she had to be present for each and every meeting and event.

So tired, that she crashed right there on the couch and knocked herself out, wrapping herself in a blanket, which Shiva realised, wasn't actually a blanket; it was the colourful rug she had crocheted as a decoration for the sofa.

He looped her arms around his neck, tucked his arms under her and carried her to their room, with Shashank and Gaurav nodding at him, silently asking him what to do now.

"Cake fridge mein rakh do. Kal cut kar denge. Sone dete hai isse. Thak gayi hai." He glanced down at her softly snoring, mumbling something he couldn't figure out.

Gaurav mumbled something about not having to buy candles now, for which he got one more tapli from Shashank, as Shiva laid Raavi down on the bed, pulling the blanket over her, glancing at the clock.

12:02 AM

"Happy birthday, meri chudail." Shiva whispered, kissing her forehead.

And in return, she mumbled something along the lines of 'I like blueberry cheesecake, too', holding his hand and tucking it under her cheek in her sleep.

....

Happy birthday, to you. Happy birthday, to you. Happy birthday, dear Raavi. Happy birthday, to you.

Raavi chuckled at a slightly drunk Richa, who was stumbling around like a child and had to be held up by her boyfriend, Aman.

Behind them, Gaurav and Mahi were talking about something, hand in hand, while Shashank was talking on the phone with his date, that he had just met a week back.

"Look at them." Raavi giggled, entwining her hands with Shiva's, "such bacchas!"

"Sabse choti toh tu hi hai group mein." Shiva teased, and she wriggled her nose at him.