Shiv’s Pov:

After reaching home our relationship has changed from openly calling each other to secretly calling or messaging each other. It’s because of Ananya don’t her parents to know about our relationship now. She is scared of her Papa. So, we only talk each other after dinner when her brother falls asleep. Here I impatiently wait for him to sleep early so that Ananya can call me. Now, I’m on call with her and it feels so good to hear her voice before sleeping.

“You know what happen today, mummy and I was talking, suddenly she holds my hand and asked me who gave this ring to you? I told her it’s not real. I buy it from the local market. But again, she looked at the ring and said, it’s original. Don’t fool me. As per I remember we didn’t give enough money to buy this by yourself. Now tell me who gave this to you?” she sighed. “You know she sounded so scary and I didn’t know what to tell her and how to tell her about the ring.” She tried to lie but she doesn’t know anyone can caught when she lies.

“What did you tell her?” I want to know what she told to her mummy.

“I told her that it was given by a guy who love me so much.” I can definitely say that she didn’t tell that. She is just teasing me.

“you didn’t tell my name?” two can play the game well right.

“Why would I tell your name?” aha... playing hard not to understand.

“because it was given by me.” I state the fact.

“you seriously think that my mummy would leave me without knowing the name?” that’s what I was thinking from first place.

“You mean you told my name?” this time I asked in serious, I’m not playful anymore. Because according to Ani her mother doesn’t hide anything from her father. If she gets to know about us, definitely will tell Sir. And I don’t want Ananya to face everything alone.

“Yes. I directly said that it was given by you on my birthday.”

“only that much?” she didn’t tell about our relationship. Am I sad?

“No. You don’t worry; she knows everything now. Only I have to worry now. She promised me that she won’t say anything to Papa until he asked. That means I’m going to die soon.”

“You trust me, right? We’ll go through it together. I won’t let you face it alone.”

******

Ananya’s Pov:



Don’t know how my vacation is passing without even my notice because the whole day I get busy with my baby bro to help him to do his holiday homework and my mummy her daily chores. After papa comes from duty, I try to spend time with him and tell him how productive I was the whole day. That was my daily routine. And after everyone fall asleep, I talk with Shiv. I miss him. The number of calling and messaging each other has decreased and Shiv isn’t complaining about it. He understands. I got scared when mummy questioned me about the ring. After knowing, Shiv and I are in a relationship, she firmly said, “You are matured now. We don’t have to tell, what is wrong and what is right. You already know, Ani. Shiv is a good guy. If you have chosen him as your life partner then I can only support you. But I don’t know how your Papa is going to react after knowing this, you know. Because for him you’re always a baby, his princess whom he doesn’t want to get hurt and always want to keep in front of his eyes though he can’t. He’ll be sad if he comes to know that his princess starts to hiding things from him. I won’t tell him now but promised me when you’ll be ready, you’ll surely let him know about your and captain’s relationship.”

Shiv has joined his duty a week ago and message me every time saying “When are you coming, love? I’m missing you here. Come soon.” After seeing his messages, I miss him more and want to go to him. This is really hard. Staying away is really hard. I feel like a love sick puppy.



*****



The semester starts. This time Harshi came first and welcomed me. This remind me of our first meeting. Our introductory scene in our door step, actually it was from her side more than me. I’ve only six months left here. I sighed. Time really never wait for anyone.

Wake up in a cold, foggy covered sky, somehow drag your body from warm bed to attended your class and come back from classes in your icy clod hand is become a routine. And after coming from classes we go to cafe to drink coffee to warm our body. Shiv become busy these days so I met him there only for five or ten minutes. Other than that, we only talk through text and call whenever we got time. In this semester, we have our university fest and in between fest we have our term exam and our project to do. This semester is really hectic. Harshi is already whining about not able to enjoy the fest fully. Seriously, who can enjoy the fest if the exam is coming and lots of assignment to do. But this is student life, we have to do it anyhow.

We did go to see the cultural night, prom night even though we didn’t have our prom partner there. Two senior guys from Harshi’s department asked her for prom but she declined politely. If you’re thinking if someone asked me for prom or not? The answer is No. No one asked me for prom and I know the reason. It’s Shiv. Almost everyone from my class knows that I’ve a boyfriend who dropped and pick me up sometimes. They even saw him while waiting for me, most of the time in his dress. So, I guess they dared not to ask me for prom.

*****

After the fest end, our mid term exam started. We again gave our hundred percent in our studies. Even though I was busy giving my exams I notice that Shiv sounds lost, sad while talking. It’s like he is hiding something from me. I didn’t ask him anything because I don’t want to pressurise him to tell me now. I know he’ll tell me by himself when he will be ready.

But it has been one month, Shiv still didn’t say anything to me. Now I feel we’re going away from each other like there is a distance between us. I know he has to tell me something. By not tell me he is sending me away from him. I really feel like he is pushing me away from him. Now a days he just asks me whether I’m okay or not, I have dinner or not and after that he doesn’t talk anything. When I talk he just hummed. He was the one who always talk first, loved to tease me, called me anytime to know what I’m doing and asked me to meet after the class. But now it seems like everything is falling out. I’m breaking inside seeing this kind of behaviour.

I can’t wait anymore for him to tell me. I know there should be a reason behind this kind of behaviour and I want to know the reason now. I can’t see him like this. Something is really bothering him. We promise to stay with each other in our happy and sad moments. I gave him enough time to share with me but I won’t give him anymore because this is affecting us, our relationship and I can’t let this happen. My thought of chain broke on my phone ring. It’s him.

“Hello”

“Are you asleep?” Shiv asked me.

“No, I am just laying in my bed, couldn’t sleep yet. What about you?” how can I sleep? when my mind was busy thinking about you.

“I couldn’t too.”

“Why?”

“It’s just I couldn’t sleep.” Why can’t he tell me the reason?

“That’s why you call me right?”

“No. I just want to hear your voice before sleeping. You know, it’s become habit to hear your voice before I go to sleep.” I feel like crying after hearing that.

“I know.” I couldn’t control my emotion anymore. I’m sobbing silently. It hurts.

“Ananya, we’re going on an exercise.” This is a shocking news.

“When?”

“Day after tomorrow.” So soon.

“You’re going on day after tomorrow and you’re telling me now, Shiv?”

“I didn’t want you to feel sad. Like I’m feeling.”

“Since when you have known about this?” I asked it.

“Actually, it’s more than one month. Our first team is already there and going to come back tomorrow.”

“You’ve been hiding only this right? Nothing else.”

“How did you know I’ve been hiding something from you?”

“How did I know it’s not important now. I'm relieved that there's nothing serious issues like I was thinking. But I’m really hurt that you started to hide things from me and let it affect you alone.”

“I didn’t have intension to hide it from you but you have hardly one and half month left here and I’m going away from you. I want to stay close to you, spend time with you but It’s not happening. I knew it even when we didn’t come in relationship that we can’t always stay with each other but I really feel miserable right now. It’s become a fear and it’s not going from my head. The thought of staying away from you is really hard. The whole month I spent the time in thinking that how I’m going to live my life without seeing each other. Now, I realise mom’s feeling, why she cried whenever dad went back to unit.”

“So, when will you be back?”

“It’s for one month”

“We really don’t have much time together.”

“I’m sorry for that, love. I’m really sorry.”

“Don’t say sorry. I can understand. So, where are you going for exercise? you’re going to call me from there or not.”

“I can’t tell you where we’re going but I’ll try to call you whenever I get time and network. You already know in exercise we hardly get time to rest. So, I can’t promise you anything now.”

“Take care of yourself. I’ll wait for your calls.”

“Tomorrow, wake up early, I’ll see you in the morning. Now sleep. Love you.”

“I love you.”

*****