Nikhila opened the door knob and immediately froze at her place, seeing the person in front of her house

She immediately shut the door and opened again, thinking that that person might have left or that she may be hallucinating things

"Subhash Sir," Nikhila whispered, looking at him nervously, and poked his arms, checking as if he's real or not

"Don't poke, Nikhila. I'm here for real, and university hasn't started yet, so don't call me "sir" yet," Subhash says softly yet firmly

"What are you doing here then?" Nikhila asks, making him raise his eyebrows at her

"I came to give you this." Subhash handed her two boxes, one filled with vegetable pulao and the other filled with paneer butter masala

"Why did you trouble yourself, si--" Nikhila stopped seeing his stern gaze at her

"Don't. Call. Me. Sir." Subhash says, giving an intense stare

"Fine, fine, I won't call you sir," Nikhila says, raising her hands as if surrendering to his demand

"Shashank saw you three entering, so Vaishnav made this for you three," Subhash says and adds softly. "I'll take my leave now. You guys have food and get some rest."

With that, Subhash leaves the apartment and walks back to his flat. Nikhila looks at him till he enters his flat. "Flat No. 705" She mutters to herself and closes the door

Nikhila takes the boxes and goes back to the living room where her best friends Anitha and Deepika lie back on the couch waiting for her. "Food is here, girls." She announced

"When did you order?" Deepika and Anitha sat back straight and looked at her with questioning gaze

"I didn't. Neighbours gave it," Nikhila says, making them sigh

"And who are these neighbors?" Deepika asks, taking the boxes from her

"Subhash Agnihotri," Nikhila says, shocking both of the girls

"What?" Anitha exclaims after coming out of the shock

"Are you serious?" Deepika asks, making Nikhila nod

"Flat No. 705. The corner apartment of the floor" Nikhila states her tone is flat and goes to the kitchen for arranging the plates

Deepika and Anitha arrive and help her in setting and start eating

"Food is amazing," Deepika says, eating the food

"Thank Vaishnav bhai for that," Nikhila says and resumes her eating

"But how do they know that we're staying here?" Anitha asks while eating

"Shashank saw us entering the house and informed them," Nikhila says nonchalantly, which makes the girls nod

"I'm done," Nikhila says, leaving half of the food in her plate

"Shut up and start eating, Nikhila," Anitha says sternly and starts feeding her

Nikhila pouts but eventually opens her mouth, knowing that arguing with her is a waste of time, especially in food

Anitha feeds Nikhila, and Deepika too join them and starts feeding her

"Guys, stop feeding me. I'm not a kid," Nikhila whines, which only make them glare more at them

"Shut up and let us take care of you once," Anitha says sternly and continues to feed her

"Then let me feed you both too," Nikhila says and starts feeding Anitha and Deepika

"Hmm," Deepika hums softly

With that, three of them feed each other and finish their lunch

"I'm feeling sleepy," Deepika says, yawning slightly

"Then let's sleep," Nikhila says, dragging both of them to her room

"I'll sleep to your right side," Deepika says

"No, I'll sleep," Anitha says, getting on the bed and lies down beside Nikhila

Deepika pouts cutely. "You can sleep at night," Nikhila says and pulls her to the bed

Three of them went into their dream lands

After an hour,

Nikhila woke up hearing her mobile ring and answered the call

"Nikku." The person who's on the call says

"Don't you dare call me Nikku, Shreya," Nikhila says to her cousin her voice is low and dangerous

"Ohh, really," Shreya retorts

"Do you always disturb others who live their life peacefully?" Nikhila remarks sarcastically, but there's no response from the other side

"What happened, no answer now?" Nikhila sighs dramatically

"Shut up," Shreya says back

"If I stay silent, then will my ghost talk to you or what?" Nikhila goes to the balcony, not wanting to disturb Anitha's and Deepika's sleep

"I want you to talk about me," Shreya says

"With whom," Nikhila asks knowingly

"Subhash Agnihotri, your soon-to-be professor," Shreya says

"So he was the one whom you ditched," Nikhila asks, sitting on the swing of the balcony feeling so done with her cousin's behavior

"I didn't ditched him," Shreya says, shrugging nonchalantly

"Whatever. I'm not going to talk to him about you, " Nikhila says

"You've to do it because I'm older than you," Shreya says

"You, my mother, my grandmother (dadi) will never change. You three always use people accordingly to your works right" Nikhila asks harshly and adds "If you are here, standing in front of me, I would have broken your head with a glass bottle" She growls dangerously

"Nikhila," Shreya shouts on the other side

"I know my name, and I'm not deaf that only you think that your shout makes me hear," Nikhila says sternly

"Did my mother tell you that I'm here, near his apartment?" Nikhila asks, maintaining the same stern voice. Shreya remains silent hearing her stern voice

"Ohh hello, are you listening?" Nikhila asks

"Yeah, yeah, mami ji told me that you're going to stay there," Shreya says frantically

"Don't dare to call me again, Shreya. I'm talking to you because you're my bua's daughter if you're not my bua's daughter then I would've broken your head with a glass bottle" Nikhila warns her dangerously and Shreya hangs up feeling scared

She looks at the park from the balcony and looks that Subhash is walking in the garden area in the apartment and looks at her best friends who are sleeping peacefully

She quickly takes a sticky note and writes : "Going downstairs for a walk, will be back soon - Nikku :)" She pastes the note on the side table and turns on the lamp so that they won't be scared when they wake up

She washes her face and rushes downstairs. She looks at Subhash but walks past him silently as she wants to control her anger first, but she stops as he holds her hand

"So are you ignoring me now, Nikhila?" Subhash asks, spinning her to face him

"I don't want to lash out at others when I'm angry," Nikhila says, her voice losing the sternness that she used with Shreya

Subhash leaves her wrist and asks softly, "Angry on whom and why."

"Nothing for you to worry, sir. Just family issues," Nikhila says softly

"What you'll do when you're angry," Subhash asks, walking with her

"If I divert my mind on something, then I'll be fine mostly. I prefer to cook," Nikhila says

"You know cooking," He asks, looking at her as she is attacked by a zombie

"Yeah, now why are you looking at me like some zombie has attacked me?" Nikhila asks him and adds, "Did you never see a girl cooking these days?"

"Yeah, I didn't see any girl cooking recently," Subhash says

"Don't worry, I don't burn the kitchen with my cooking skills," She says, making him laugh softly

"What about you?" Nikhila asks him

"Me, Shashank and Vaishnav, three of us know how to cook," Subhash says, making her eyes wide in surprise

"What. Surprised?" Subhash asks, and Nikhila nods

"Don't be surprised. I just believe everyone should know cooking at least a little so that every day they don't have to eat outside," Subhash says softly

"I too think the same," Nikhila says, making him look at her

Both walk in the garden for some time. The walk is silent yet peaceful. Both didn't talk, but they enjoyed each other's silence

They reached their floor in the elevator and got shocked seeing their best friends fighting like kids

"Deepika, Vaishnav bhai," Nikhila exclaims

"What the hell is happening here?" Subhash asks, his stern demeanor returning back

"Your best friend is teasing me," Deepika says, glaring at Vaishnav

"Btw, where are Anitha and Shashank and why are you both fighting like kids?" Subhash asks them

"Shashank and Anitha went to the supermarket to bring groceries," Vaishnav says

"What about you two. Why you two are fighting?" Nikhila asks, standing against the wall

"I was about to step into the elevator he bumped into me when I asked him to apologise he's telling me that I bumped into him," Deepika says

"These both can never change," Subhash says, taking Cherry from Vaishnav

Nikhila looks at Cherry and steps back, but Subhash held her hand, stopping her from stepping back

"Don't go." Subhash looks at her intently as if daring her to step back and puts her hand on Cherry's fur

Nikhila flinched, but she ruffled her hair softly but steps back as soon as she heard a coughing sound

"I'm sorry," She says nervously and runs into the apartment

"So what do you feel for my best friend/sister?" Both Deepika and Vaishnav ask him at the same time, making his cheeks red with embarrassment

"Nothing, I don't feel anything for her," Subhash says curtly and walks inside his flat

"Something something something something," Deepika starts singing

"Something something there is something," Vaishnav sings

"There's something going on between these two. Even Ani told me how she listened to him immediately in the mall," Deepika says

"If someone says the other eventually listens right what's new in that," Vaishnav asks her

"She never talks to boys, let alone listening to the man she met for the first time," Deepika tells him

"Let me tell you something, Deepika. Their meeting in the mall is not their first meeting," Vaishnav says, making her look at him in shock

"But she didn't tell me," Deepika recovers from the shock and whispers

"Because she doesn't know that she met Subhash before," Vaishnav says calmly

"Wait, let me guess - They both had already met somewhere, but she doesn't know that the person is "him"" Deepika exclaims, making him nod

"And where's that somewhere?" Deepika asks him

"The same temple where Shashank and Anitha met," Vaishnav says, making her go wide in surprise

"What the actual hell?" Deepika exclaims

"Language," Vaishnav says sternly

"Sorry," Deepika says

"But they already met, then why Nikhila didn't see him?" Deepika asks him, feeling confused

"Let me tell you what Subhash told me, okay," Vaishnav says, making her nod

"So what happened is Shashank went to take a holy bath in the lake and Subhash was waiting for him he heard Nikhila's anklets sound and turned to see her but she kept her palm under his feet as he was about to step on a sharp coconut piece so that he shouldn't be injured and she didn't see him as she looks worried about something" Vaishnav says

"She was searching for Ani," Deepika says and adds, "She left from there, and Shashank came out holding Anitha from the lake."

"Both brothers had met their -" Vaishnav stopped himself but choked on the air as Deepika finished it. "Future partners"

"I don't know about Subhash and Nikhila, but I'm sure about Ani and Shashank," Deepika adds

"Why do you think that Nikhila and Subhash can't be together soon?" Vaishnav asks

"Because she's still 17 and don't say that she'll be 18 soon. She already has faced enough problems in her life and wasn't ready to get a heartbreak anytime soon," Deepika says

"That's true. We just can't force. Even Subhash has suffered enough that he stopped trusting people after his past," Vaishnav says

"Let's see what happens next. Whatever happens, we won't be leaving their sides," Vaishnav and Deepika say at a time

Meanwhile, at the supermarket,

Anitha and Shashank entered the store and started buying the groceries. An old couple looked at them and smiled. Shashank looks at them and asks, "Why are you laughing at us?" Anitha too looks at the old couple, hearing him asking the question

"Because you both reminded us of our younger self," The old man replied

"We're not a couple," Anitha states

"We both also thought the same, but we ended up happily married to each other." The old woman tells and leaves with her husband

"Not every story has a happy ending," Shashank says

"But they must have a long way, right?" Anitha asks softly

"Let's go before someone else comes and advise us," Shashank says, making her laugh

With that, both of them resume their grocery shopping and pay the bills at the counter. Both take their bags and walk back to the apartment

The walk was silent, but the old couple works lingered on both of their heads, and they quickly reached their floor and looked at Vaishnav and Deepika, who were talking seriously

"What you two are talking?" Anitha asks them

"Nothing serious, just Vaishnav told me something," Deepika tells her

"And what is it?" Anitha asks them

"That Nikku and Subhash has already met in the temple," Deepika says, making her eyes go wide in surprise

"That's true, Anitha. Bhai and Nikhila have met in the temple." Shashank says

"But how can this happen and why Nikku didn't say anything about this?" Anitha asks

"So what happened is I went to take a holy bath in the lake and bhai was waiting for him he heard Nikhila's anklets sound and turned to see her but she kept her palm under his feet as he was about to step on a sharp coconut piece so that he shouldn't be injured and she didn't see him as she looks worried about something" Shashank tells making Anitha nod

"Let's keep waiting and see what happens next," Anitha says, walking into the apartment and looking at Nikhila, who has changed into her comfortable clothes - oversized t-shirt and shorts. "What are you writing, Nikku?" She asks her softly

"I'm writing my diary," Nikhila says while writing her diary

"You looked a little dull. What happened, Nikku?" Anitha asks, making Nikhila close her diary

"Let Deepika come. I'll tell you both at once," Nikhila says, joining Anitha in arranging the groceries

"Btw how the supermarket shopping went?" Nikhila asks teasingly

"It went fine," Anitha says. "Just fine or did something happen which we should know?" Nikhila asks her friend

"There's nothing like that, Nikku," Anitha says, taking out the groceries from the bag

"As you say then," Nikhila says and helps Anitha with arranging the groceries

"What's happening here?" Deepika asks, entering the house holding Cherry

"Fog is happening," Anitha exclaims sarcastically

"Then why can't I see the fog?" Deepika retorts back

"Because it's summer," Anitha says back

"Idiots, where did I even find you both?" Nikhila mutters under her breath, but it's loud for both to hear

"In playschool" Both Anitha and Deepika retort back, making Cherry bark at Deepika as she wasn't giving any attention to her

"Aww baby, what happened?" Deepika asks, kissing her forehead

Cherry narrows her eyes at Nikhila and barks at her as if saying , "I want her,"

Nikhila blinks her eyes at Cherry and nods in no. Cherry gets down from Deepika's arms and starts coming towards her. Nikhila started running around the apartment, and Cherry started chasing her, but she ran into her room

As soon as she entered the room, she took a deep breath to calm herself her mobile ringed, flashing Nikunj's name

"How are you, Nikku?" Nikunj asks as soon as she answers the call

"Fine. How are you doing, Kunj?" Nikhila asks him softly

"I'm good. Guess what happened?" Nikunj says excitedly

"What happened?" Nikhila asks back

"Arshika came to me and thanked me," Nikunj says, making Nikhila confused

"Who's Arshika now?" Nikhila asks him

"The girl who got her periods. She came back to the school today," Nikunj says

"Ohh, okay," Nikhila says softly

"Have you settled in the new flat?" Nikunj asked Nikhila

"Yeah," Nikhila says

"Do you want to say something?" Nikunj asks knowingly as his sister sounds low

"Nothing," Nikhila says softly

"At least tell to Anitha di and Deepika di," Nikunj says, knowing that she won't open up to him

"Do you hate me for not sharing?" Nikhila asks him

"Why do you think that, Nikku. I know that you won't share everything because you don't want to trouble me with the matters. Why should I hate you for that. You're the best sister who could ever wish for," Nikunj says, making Nikhila smile

"You know what? I think you should be my older brother, sometimes because you talk like more mature than your age, " Nikhila says, making him grin mischievously

"No need. You'll be my elder sister, and I'll be your younger brother, " Nikunj declares

"Fine fine captain," Nikhila says dramatically

"Bye love you, Nikku. Many are waiting to call, " Nikunj says

"Okay bye," Nikhila says, and Nikunj hangs up the call

Nikhila steps out of the room and looks at her best friends who are talking with their families in their rooms so she silently went to the kitchen and takes the note sticked on the refrigerator : "Don't cook anything. We ordered dinner - A&D :^⁠):⁠^⁠):⁠^⁠)"

Nikhila turns on the TV and starts surfing the channels

Meanwhile, in Anitha's bedroom,

She was talking with her parents in a video call

"How are you doing, Ani?" Ashitha asks her

"I'm fine, Ashu," Anitha tells her

"So what you all are doing?" Anitha asks them

"I'll start doing my homework, Amma is cooking dinner, and Aapa will be back at any time," Ashitha tells her

"Ani, I've to tell you something," Ashitha adds in low voice

"Why are you talking like it's going to be some secret" Anitha asks, raising her eyebrows

Ashitha shows her a letter without saying anything

"What letter is this?" Anitha asks her

"Love letter," Ashitha says without looking at her

"Who gave you?" Anitha asks her

"Rudved, a senior from 12th standard," Ashitha replies in low voice

"So?" Anitha asks her

"What do you mean by so? I got a love letter. Are you hearing me?" Ashitha exclaims frustratingly

"I heard it very correctly, Ashu. It's your choice whether to accept the proposal or not because you've seen him for quite a long time so you know how he is. Take your time and decide it, okay? " Anitha says

"Okay, fine, love you bye," Ashitha says

"Love you too bye," Anitha says and hangs up the call

Scene shifts to Deepika's room,

Deepika is talking to Divyanshi in an audio call

"Bua maa, have you returned home from the hospital?" Deepika asks

"Yes, bacche, I've returned home early. No work appointments today, " Divyanshi says

"Okay, what others are doing?" Deepika asks

"Everyone is busy in their works," Divyanshi says

"Have you settled in?" Divyanshi asks

"Yeah, I have settled in. It's so peaceful here, " Deepika says

"I understand," Divyanshi says

"Okay bye I've to cook dinner now. Take care and love you," Divyanshi says

"Bye love you bua maa," Deepika says, hanging up the call

Anitha and Deepika came out from their rooms and looked at Nikhila arranging dinner in the plates

"Come guys, the dinner is arrived," Nikhila says and serves the dinner

With that, three of them feed each other like they did for lunch and cleared the utensils

After cleaning the dishes, they sit back on the living room couch. Deepika started playing a movie while watching three of them fall asleep on the couch

Someone from the far looks at three of them sleeping peacefully

"Stay peacefully as much as you want because once I enter, there won't be any peace remaining in your lives." That man looks tells to himself and continues to look at them

Other important characters

Drishank Mittal (57 years old) Nikhila's phupha (bua's husband)

Niranjana Mittal (53 years old) Naman's older sister (Nikhila's bua)

Devank Mittal (29 years old) Nikhila's cousin

Nivank Mittal (29 years old) Nikhila's cousin and younger twin of Devank

Shreya Mittal (27 years old) Younger sister of Devank and Nivank. Nikhila's cousin and ex-partner of Subhash Agnihotri

Remember them guys, I won't introduce them frequently, and they're the important characters, too

And guess who's that person...

Have you guys ever received a love letter in your school days I didn't get any but my classmates got so if you get any then say yes or no that's it...

How's the chapter...

Kindly ignore the grammatical mistakes...

Positive responses are highly appreciated...

Negative responses are strictly prohibited...

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Take care

Love you all 💖💖💖