Chapter 15 - Apple or her?

Enjoying the night full of stars and the moonlight that was illuminating Shana's face, she turned and tossed, her mind full of many things that were not letting her sleep. She could not digest the information of Saarnash being Vihaan's best friend.

"How can they be the best friend when they are totally opposite?? How can someone so cute, sweet and polite befriend with that angry, rude devil" asking herself in disbelief, Shana turns to find a comfortable spot.

Her gaze fell on the table clock and, her eyes widened to saw it showing one in the morning. She cursed herself" On god's name, why the hell I am even thinking about him".

She continued changing her direction to let sleep overcome her but to no avail.

"Okay, just chant God's name and, you will sleep Shana" consoling herself, she lied on her back, closed her eyes, and, started chanting.

She would often do that when she would not be able to sleep because of her active mind. She had a problem with sleeping in the night as she always found it difficult to sleep. .

Away from her, Vihaan switched off his ŀȧptop after ending the video conference with his business delegates from the USA and stood from his sofa chair, in the balcony attached to his room, to drink water when he found the jug empty.

Moving inside his room, he saw Saaransh and Vansh deep in sleep.

Murmuring to himself" They are so lazy to empty it and not to fil it again" he descend to reach the kitchen.

He was about to take a turn when he found the light of Shana's room was on.

Checking the time from his wristwatch, he spoke to himself" What is she doing so late?" and thought of checking on her, but chooses not to and went to his original route.

When Shana found her eyes heavy with sleep, she turns to her left and switching off the lights, dozed off.

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"Fuck, man! I am late" shouting, jumping, running, Shana went inside the bathroom and returned fifteen minutes later with bathroom robes draping her body.

"Shit man, everyone must be already at the breakfast table" cursing, she chooses a red v neck t-shirt to go with grey pants and, within the next five minutes, she was in the hall, with her hair bound up in a pony.

"Good morning aunts" greeting Mrs Shakti and Mrs Chaya, she smiled at them and saw them passing the smile back to her. She had met them once in the back when she had come with Avni and found them so welcoming. They had loved her like their won daughter and had never made her felt like she was living in someone's else home.

Back when she had come to visit India, she was not aware of Vihaan being Avni's younger and had not seen him as he was in the USA for his MBA.

Shanaya had no idea about the existence of Vihaan even when she had been living with Avni who had been doing a PhD in architecture, for Vihaan had not visited them once.

"I am sorry aunts for being late I just slept late" Shana apologized.

"It's Okay beta, and you are not late by much, we too have just gathered now, take your seat" gesturing her to sit, Mrs Shakti spoke.

Shana smiled at her and, move toward her chair but, her smile vanished, the moment she spotted her chair.

Placed in the middle of Vihaan, busy in reading newspaper and Saaransh who smiled when he saw her, her chair was eagerly waiting for her.

Shana narrowed her eyes on Avni and Vansh, for she knew they had done this intentionally and saw them passing a teasing smile to her.

"God, I hate them! How can they be so childish?" questioning herself, she forcefully sat on her ȧssigned chair.

To her left, Saarnash was seated with Vansh and Avni. To her right, Vihaan was sitting with Mrs Shakti and Mrs Chaya.

"Good morning beautifool" taking full advantage of the situation where Shana could not do anything, Vansh continued teasing her" I hope you have a good day".

Gritting her teeth close, Shana wished him a good morning but spoke with eyes "Wait and see what I do with you, beautifool's child."

Not able to control his emotions, Vansh laughed aloud, grabbing all the attention.

"What's so funny? Care to tell us?" gritting his teeth, placing the newspaper aside, Vihaan was the one to break the silence.

"Nothing bro, Sorry." apologizing, Vansh hides his head down to control his laugh.

Not ignoring how everyone kept silence afterwards, Shana understood Vihaan was not a conversational man on the dining table.

Despite being on level ten in terms of uncomfortableness, Shanaya extends her arms to grab a piece of bread when she felt his touch.

Shana turned her neck to her right to saw Vihaan's right arm touching her arm, his face close. She saw him turning his gaze in her direction and, the time freezes for Shanaya. She felt the same emotions she had felt two days before, on the eve of the party when Vihaan had pulled her toward him, had touched her body.

Shanaya immediately withdraws her hand to let Vihaan take the slice of bread and roam her eyes to saw other reaction but saw no one looking at their direction except one.

Shana felt the heat travelling from her neck to her cheeks when she saw Vansh smirking in her direction. Chewing her bottom lips to save herself from embarrassment, she averts her gaze from Vansh but could sense Vansh looking and smirking in her direction.

"What?" Shana mouthed, but saw Vansh nodding his head in "nothing".

"God, Why do you always give him a chance to tease me?" pitying herself, Shana looks again in Vansh direction to saw his face revealing the wickedness of the idea his mind might have been thinking.

She narrowed her eyes in an attempt to intimidate Vansh when she was distracted by a whisper" Are you okay?"

Shana turned her head to the left to saw Saarnash leaning closer to her, and notice him arching his brows to catch her attention.

"Oh, yes" smiling politely, Shana answered and, her gaze travels in Vansh direction to saw him eating and, smiling deviously.

"You haven't touch anything, have something to eat." urging her to take something from the table, Saarnash leaned back.

"I will when someone will let me." sarcastically speaking to herself, Shana roams her eyes in all the direction, watching how peacefully everyone was eating.

Busy in eating, Vihaan turned his eyes to his left to saw Shana stealing glances at him, and, the corner of his mouth lift upward in a smile when he saw her withdrawing her eyes with the speed of light.

He was about to return his gaze when his eyes drifted toward her hands that were clutching her abdomen.

It took a moment for him to understand what was happening when he heard Shana excusing herself, giving the reason for the call she was about to expect from her mom, who lives in Australia.

He almost chuckled when he heard his mom asking Shana to eat something and when Shana answered:" Aunt, I am not hungry right now, will eat something, afterwards".

It took him no longer than a second to know Shana was lying.

Shanaya was pacing in her room while clutching her abdomen. She might have excused herself, but, she was dying of hunger and, her grumbling abdomen was the proof of it.

She waited for another some minutes, to let others retire to their room. She was well aware she would not be scolded or something but, she did not want to prove herself liar, that too because of someone like Vihaan.

Just the thought, of Vihaan, made her flustered and, her body tingled.

Ignoring the emotions, she stood from the bed and glanced again to saw the hall empty.

"Thank god!" feeling the joy of being granted her wish, she descends. She glanced around the hall, to find someone but, no one came in her sight and, using this opportunity, she hurriedly went toward the dining table.

She had just gripped the apple with her right palm when someone's strong hand came on top of her hand, stopping her action. She needed not to turn to find who it was, for her body, her heart and her mind could sense him easily.

Her heart was too weak and, inexperienced to survive that closeness and, she moved forward to support herself with the dining table.

But, she felt him moving closer, his ċhėst slightly pressed with her back, his apple smelled breath fanning her right ear and exposed neck.

She could not process anything when she saw he put his left hand on the table to the left of her, caging her in. He was so close she could easily hear and feel his heart beating thumping against her back, and she felt a shock passing in her body when his right arm above the elbow brushed her right arm unintentionally.

He noticed her nervousness, her frantically beating heart, her flushed cheeks and neck, her shaking body and her flickered eyes.

Just one word came to his mind and, he whispered" Mine".

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