1:00 AM…At Anamika’s house…
Aditya, Rudra, and Anamika sat near the door, eyes fixed on it — but Aniket still hadn’t shown up.
Frustrated, Aditya stood up and started walking toward the door, muttering, “Enough… how long is he going to keep writing?!”
Just as he opened the door, he found Aniket standing right there, his hand reaching forward to knock.
Aniket laughed seeing Aditya, “Bro… have you started reading minds or what?! The moment I came, you opened the door!”
Aditya looked around and simply said, “Come in.”
As Aniket entered, his eyes immediately landed on Saaniya, who had already fallen asleep. Then he looked around and noticed Ruhi also asleep on a chair.
He made a dramatic face. “What is this?! My two personal genies are sleeping already?!”
Looking at Saaniya, Anamika said sweetly, “I’ll pick her chit for her.”
Aniket raised an eyebrow, “And Ruhi’s?”
Aditya casually answered, “I’ll pick hers.”
Aniket gasped like a scandalized cat. “Nope! Not allowed! That means you’ll both see their wishes! Total cheating!”
Aditya frowned. “Yeah, and? Once the chits are opened, everyone’s going to know anyway!”
Aniket stomped toward Anamika like a 5-year-old denied candy. “Anamika! Why didn’t you tell me earlier?! I wrote all those chits in the cold night breeze for THIS?!”
Anamika looked puzzled and a bit hesitant. “What do you actually want?”
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Aniket pouted like a stubborn child and said, “A condition! One more condition!”
Anamika, Aditya, and Rudra all asked together, “A condition? What kind of condition?”
Aniket explained, “A week from now, when you guys give me my gifts, no one’s allowed to tell each other what was written in their chit! Your gifts have to remain a secret — forever! Just think of it as being my Secret Santa!”
Aditya sighed deeply and said, “Aniket! Enough with the childishness — this is getting too much!”
Aniket sulked and replied, “Nope! I want my gifts only under this condition. Otherwise, I don’t want them at all!”
Aditya was about to argue, but Anamika gestured to him to stay quiet.
She stepped forward and said, “Alright. We’ll be your Secret Santas. No one will know what the others’ wishes are. I promise I won’t open the chit I pick for Saaniya — only she’ll read it.”
Aditya also let out a sigh and added, “Okay then… I promise I won’t open the chit I pick for Ruhi either.”
Hearing that, Aniket smiled and pulled both of them into a hug. Aditya and Anamika were both a bit startled. Aditya was nervous because Anamika’s hand brushed against his, and even Anamika flinched a little from the unexpected hug.
Saaniya was definitely Anamika’s friend, but she had never hugged her. Until now, only her mother had ever held her lovingly like that.
That hug made Anamika quietly happy.
Rudra then chimed in, “Are we done with this eternal friendship stuff? Can I go home now? I’m sleepy.”
Aniket pouted again and said, “Yeah yeah! I have to leave for the airport anyway.”
Aniket placed his chits into the bowl and gave them a little shuffle. Rudra walked up first, picked one chit, and immediately stuffed it into his pocket.
“I’ll read it at home — so even my face doesn’t give anything away!”
Aniket gave a thumbs-up and a wink, “Great, bro!”
Then Aditya picked one chit for himself, quietly slipped it into his pocket, and then carefully picked one for Ruhi, gently placing it into her purse which was lying beside her hand.
Anamika picked a chit for herself — and opened it right then.
After reading it, she said, “This one’s actually pretty easy!”
Aniket shot back, “Don’t say that! All my chits have things I’ve always wanted… but could never do myself. They might seem easy at first, but trust me, they’re not that simple, Anamika. Anyway, the last chit left in the bowl is for Saaniya.”
Anamika looked at the bowl and said, “Alright!”
As Aniket got ready to leave, he said to Aditya, “Aditya, come drop me at the airport.”
Aditya glanced toward Ruhi and asked, “But what about Ruhi?”
Anamika replied, “She’s sleeping. Let her stay here. Just pick her up gently and place her on the bed in the room.”
Aditya nodded and gently lifted Ruhi in his arms. Anamika guided him to her room and asked him to tuck her in.
He did exactly that.
When the two returned to the hall, they found Aniket and Rudra had already laid Saaniya properly on the sofa.
Looking at Anamika, Aniket said, “We’ve tucked her in. So… do you want to move her to the room too?”
Rudra added playfully, “Yeah! If you want, I can carry her to her bed.”
Anamika smiled and said, “No, this is fine.”
Then Aniket walked toward the door and said, “Come on, Adi! Let’s go.”
Before leaving, Aditya turned to Anamika and gave her a warm smile. “I’m leaving… good night!”
Anamika lowered her gaze, smiled softly, and replied, “Good night.”
After they left, Rudra too headed home a little later.
A calm silence spread through the house.
Anamika sat on a chair, opened her chit again, and read the wish written inside.
“What could be so difficult about this?” she thought.
The chit said:
“I want to eat Mom’s favorite food with Dad for breakfast.”
Anamika fell deep into thought.
The wish written on that tiny chit sounded easy.
But… was it really that easy?
And this was just the first wish…
What could be written in the other four chits?
