CHAPTER 15

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He noticed they weren't Abhimanyu's legs as he was sleeping on the other side of the bed. He freaked out a bit and hastily removed the blanket to check who it was.
Shivaye ( whispered ) : What are you doing here, Anurag ?
Anurag : I couldn't sleep because I was scared. Please let me sleep with you two.

They noticed a shadow outside the room. Anurag shook Abhimanyu frantically.
Abhimanyu  ( sleep ) : What's going on ?
Shivaye : There is someone outside this room.

Abhimanyu  opened his eyes widely as his sleep had vanished after hearing it.
Abhimanyu  ( stammered ) : Is…there…a ghost ?
Anurag ( under the blanket ) : I think there is one.
They heard giggles coming from outside which made Anurag and Abhimanyu  tighten the blankets around them.
Shivaye : Don't be childish. Let's check on the girls.

Shivaye literally dragged both of them out of the bed and then they proceeded towards the guest room. They found the girls missing when they reached there. Shivaye got worried not seeing them there.
Abhimanyu  : Where are they ?
Anurag : I'm more scared. I even saw that the kitchen lights were on.

Shivaye bolted towards the kitchen. The scenario in front of him turned his worrisome frown into a soft smile. Anika and Maya were sneakily eating a chocolate cake.
Abhimanyu  : What are you both doing at 4 am in the morning?
Anurag : You scared us.
Maya: We were feeling hungry.
Anika : This chocolate cake looked so tempting. Do you want to try ?

She held out a spoonful of cake towards Shivaye. He was about to eat it but couldn't beat Abhimanyu who was much faster in gobbling down the bite of cake.
Abhimanyu  ( mumbled ) : It's delicious.

Maya: Shivaye, we need to talk privately.

Anika overheard them but decided to ignore the subtle feeling of jealousy that crept onto her. She could never replace herself with Maya in Shivaye's life as they held different importance in his life, neither did she want to, but she just couldn't brush off the feeling of insecurity she felt.

Maya handed over some files to Shivaye. Shivaye went through them.

Shivaye : What's this about ?
Maya: I'm afraid aunt Kamini might be involved in the murder case that I've been working on.
Shivaye : It doesn't matter to the Oberois. The day she got involved in the illegal business, she was no longer a part of us.
Maya: She is your dad's sister and your aunt.
Shivaye(fumed): Not anymore. I have no such aunt who can go to any extent for her greed. I'll cooperate anytime you need help from me on this case.
Maya: You are so intimidating when you get serious.
Shivaye(brushed his hair back with his fingers): It's already late. Go catch some sleep.

The next day,

Anurag ( excitedly ) : Yayyyy ! We are going to Goa. I’m so excited.
Abhimanyu  : I haven’t experienced a proper vacation for months.
Anurag : Says the one who travels from one country to another every month.
Abhimanyu  : That’s different. Business trips aren’t considered as vacations. They are only meant for work.
Shivaye : You both look excited for the trip. Are you both done with your packing?
Abhimanyu  : We are going next week. We have a lot of time to pack. Don't bother about us.
Shivaye : Have you seen Anika ? She is not picking up my call.
Anurag : She is out with Maya since morning, probably shopping. Girls will be girls.
Abhimanyu  ( smirked ) : Looks like someone is missing his fiancé.
Anurag : You can’t stay with her 24/7, bro. Stop sticking to her like a chewing gum.
Abhimanyu  ( dreamily ) : This is the side -effect of a deadly disease called ‘love’. Sorry my dear friend but no can save you now. You have fallen in love and I have no strength to you pick you up.
Shivaye : We’ll see when you both get a girl whom you want to settle down with.
Abhimanyu  : I have no time for girls. I am busy making money and rising to the top. I can’t let minor distractions such as girls come between my high self esteem and goals.
Anurag : Bro, I can’t settle down for one girl, just like you’ve done for Anika. My ‘player’ image is too good to be tarnished and stained by a girl.

Thank you for reading! ❤️

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