9:30 PM…
Anamika was curled up at her desk like a quiet little cloud. Her half-finished manga strips lay in front of her, but her pen had stopped moving. Her eyes weren’t on the page anymore… they were lost somewhere far away, in a soft haze of thoughts.
That’s when she heard a gentle knock.
Standing at the door, leaning with a warm smile and moonlight in his eyes—was Aditya.
The door was slightly open… but he hadn’t stepped in. He didn’t want to intrude. That’s just how he was with her—gentle… like knocking on the surface of a dream he didn’t want to disturb.
Anamika immediately stood up.
Even now, whenever someone came suddenly, her heart paused for a moment—like a bird startled mid-flight.
As Aditya walked in, he said, “So… still busy working? Don’t you want to go home? Isn’t Saaniya coming?”
At this, Anamika lowered her eyes. Her words stumbled a bit, but her face didn’t show any sadness that would suggest she had a fight with Saaniya.
She was still thinking about what and how to explain when she suddenly sensed Aditya’s scent closer. Without making a sound, he had come and stood right in front of her. Hands in his pockets, smiling gently, he looked calm—like a still, peaceful lake.
As Anamika looked into his eyes, Aditya took his hand out of his pocket and gently caressed her forehead. The way he touched her was like he was petting a delicate, adorable bunny… and Anamika’s expressions became just like one—eyes closed, silently feeling his touch. She looked incredibly cute in that moment.
Smiling, Aditya said, “What’s going on? Why are your words trembling?”
Opening her eyes and hesitating a little, Anamika replied, “Well… I asked Saaniya not to come pick me up today.”
Hearing this, Aditya looked at her curiously, tilting his head slightly, “Why?”
Anamika’s cheeks turned a soft pink, but Aditya couldn’t figure out what she really wanted to say.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Taking a deep breath, as if carefully crafting her thoughts into a light half-truth, Anamika said, “I… I wanted to talk to you about something. I needed your help, so I thought I’d talk to you before going home. But since you usually take time to finish your work, I told Saaniya not to come. I thought… you could… I mean, you and Ruhi could drop me home. You do know Ruhi has been coming to my place for the past two days, right?”
She was saying it with a bit of nervousness, her soft fingers fidgeting with each other. Half of Aditya’s attention was already caught in these adorable little gestures, but even then, he understood her words clearly.
Aditya smiled and said, “It’s okay! I’m always here to help you! Whenever you want to talk, you can come to me freely. You don’t have to wait for me to be free.”
Hearing this, Anamika looked into his eyes, as if trying to find out if he truly meant it.
Seeing that, Aditya took her hand like a perfect prince and asked, “So tell me… what service can I offer to the princess of this kingdom?”
Anamika laughed and said, “Sometimes you get way too dramatic!”
To that, Aditya softly whispered to himself, “This drama is only for you. Especially for you.”
A few moments later, Anamika gently pulled her hand back and said, “Actually… I need Aniket’s father’s phone number. I wanted to talk to him.”
Aditya’s smile slightly faded—not because she was talking about another man, but because he had a feeling why she wanted that number.
With a calm guess, he said, “Ah… is this for fulfilling that birthday wish from Aniket’s wish chit?”
Anamika looked at him with a confused expression and asked, “Why does your face look so serious when you say that?”
Aditya replied, “Well… things aren’t that simple between Aniket and his father. And if you’re planning to get something done from him this month, it might be even more difficult than usual.”
“Why?” Anamika asked. “Why would it be more difficult this month?”
Aditya took a deep breath and said, “I know… Aniket made a rule that you can’t tell anyone about the wish on your chit. But if you trust me…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Anamika handed him the chit and said, “Here… this is Aniket’s birthday wish assigned to me. I want to fulfill it.”
Aditya glanced at the chit and then at Anamika. Despite handing it over, there was not even a hint of hesitation on her face. Seeing that, he smiled and started reading.
After reading it, he said, “I see… seems like the toughest wish landed on you! Well… fulfilling this one is going to be really difficult.”
Hearing that, disappointment clouded Anamika’s eyes and she lowered her head.
Seeing this, Aditya placed a hand on her forehead and said to himself, “I don’t want to break your heart by saying this is almost impossible. And anyway, I’ve never wanted you to give up on anything. And this… this is something I’ve been trying for years. I won’t give up—because you’re the one who once said that no matter how impossible a wish seems… we must try. That was the most important rule!”
Anamika looked at Aditya.
With hopeful eyes, Aditya said, “Trust me! We both will do our best to fulfill this wish of Aniket’s. Okay?”
Nodding, Anamika replied, “Yes! We’ll give it our all!”
And then, like an excited child, she said, “So call Aniket’s dad!”
Aditya, looking to the side, said, “He won’t answer my calls! He’s blocked me.”
“What? Why?” Anamika asked.
Aditya recalled the night of Aniket’s birthday when he tried calling his father after dropping Aniket at the airport. But his father cut the call before listening. Aditya kept calling him throughout the night, and eventually, he was blocked.
It wasn’t that his father hated him or Aniket… he just hadn’t been able to move on from the past.
Knowing all this, Aditya took a deep breath and said, “Maybe I bothered him too much. Anyway… I was planning to go meet him personally.”
“I’m coming too!” Anamika said like a stubborn child.
Seeing this, Aditya whispered to himself, “I want to say no… but…” (looking into her sparkling eyes) “These eyes are asking me something for the first time with such insistence.”
Smiling, Aditya said, “I’m planning to go to the US to meet him. If you want to come… and if Saaniya allows you, I’ll definitely take you along.”
Hearing this, Anamika hesitated a little.
