Inside Saaniya’s Cabin…
Saaniya sat down at her desk and pulled out a few files, flipping through them quietly.
Aniket, who had followed her inside, frowned and said, “Hey… what was the point of screaming my name like that in front of everyone?!”
Saaniya took a deep breath and looked at him. In just a second, Aniket felt as if she had worn an invisible mask.
In his mind, he muttered, “Your eyes are experts at lying.”
Looking at him with a cold, expressionless gaze, Saaniya replied, “I had something to talk about, but I didn’t want to discuss it in front of everyone. And … Well, I didn’t mean to shout… I just saw you leaving, remembered something, and reacted suddenly.”
Aniket’s expression didn’t change.
Instead, in a calm but serious tone, he said, “Then quickly tell me what it is. I’m a bit busy today.”
Saaniya placed the file down and said, “I want my gift back.”
Aniket looked confused.
Saaniya continued, “When Anamika found out that I returned the gift you gave me, she was upset about it. She told me that I should make peace with you and take my gift back.”
A small smile appeared on Aniket’s face.
He stepped closer and said, “So… that means you want it back not because you like it, but because Anamika was upset when you returned it, right?”
Saaniya replied coldly, “Yes. Any problem with that?”
All the expressions disappeared from Aniket’s face.
He took a deep breath and said softly, “Sometimes, I feel sorry for the moon. Do you think it will ever shine on its own?”
Saaniya frowned.
“Why can’t you ever talk normally? You’re impossible to understand!”
With a sarcastic smile, Aniket said, “You don’t need to understand me.”
For a few seconds, silence filled the cabin.
Aniket turned to leave, but Saaniya suddenly said, “River!”
He stopped and turned around in confusion.
Standing up from her chair, Saaniya said, “Last time, you asked me — what do I like the most: rivers, lakes, seas, or mountains?
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It was hard to choose one. I still don’t know what you were trying to understand with that question, or what you meant by it.
I tried, but maybe I still don’t fully get it.
When I read poems and stories about these things, I realized they’re so much deeper than they look on the surface.
I don’t know if you see them the same way those poets or writers did… but according to them, none of them felt special to me.
Still, if I had to choose, I’d say… the river. Because it’s neither too good nor too bad — just flowing, just existing.”
Hearing that, Aniket smiled — a kind of smile Saaniya had never seen on his face before.
He took a small box out of his pocket and handed it to her.
“Your gift — the one you yelled at me for in front of everyone, embarrassing both of us.”
Saaniya took the box. Inside were a pair of butterfly earrings.
Looking at them, she asked, “Why were you carrying this around?”
Aniket turned to the window, staring at the moon, and said, “I don’t know. Maybe I just felt… that you’d eventually accept them.”
He said that and began to walk away.
Just as he reached the door, Saaniya called out, “You’re really strange! Why don’t you hire a translator to explain what you mean?!”
Aniket turned around, ready to reply, but stopped mid-sentence.
Saaniya had put on the earrings.
Under the moonlight streaming through the window, they sparkled beautifully.
She looked at him and said softly, “Thank you… for buying these for me.”
Aniket turned his gaze away and said, “Sweet words don’t suit you. Anyway, Anamika said you had to make peace with me, right?
So why don’t you give me a little bribe to convince me to forgive you?”
Saaniya smirked.
“My goal is already fulfilled. These earrings are enough proof for Anamika that I’ve made peace with you.”
“What? Wait, what do you mean?” Aniket asked, shocked.
Saaniya crossed her arms.
“It means, Mr. Aniket — you’re not getting any bribe.
Looks like Mr. Shekhar didn’t train you well enough to be a businessman, otherwise you wouldn’t make such a foolish deal.
If you make the payment before the work is done, the chances of being cheated are high!”
Aniket squinted his eyes and muttered, “Cheating witch!”
Saaniya grinned proudly, “It’s not called cheating — it’s called cleverness.”
Aniket glared at her. “I’ll see you later for this!”
But as he turned to leave, his expression softened.
He was actually smiling to himself.
He murmured under his breath, “Not such a bad deal after all.”
And with that, he walked away.
Meanwhile, Saaniya touched her earrings and said to herself, “You really are a fool… you got yourself tricked.”
Meanwhile, at Anamika’s House…
Aditya had come to pick up Ira. He rang the doorbell.
When the door opened, it was as if time itself stopped for him.
Anamika stood there —
She was wearing an off-shoulder white gown with layered ruffles that floated like soft clouds around her. Tiny black ribbons adorned the dress, adding a delicate contrast, while the flowy fabric moved gracefully with every step — timeless, dreamy, and quietly breathtaking.
Her short hair had been softly curled, making her look even more beautiful.
Anamika looked at him with innocent, bunny-like eyes, as if puzzled by his frozen state.
Aditya couldn’t form words — his throat had gone dry.
Just then, Ira appeared from behind Anamika like a mischievous kitten and teased, “Well, brother… got stuck staring, didn’t you?”
Ira’s voice snapped Aditya out of his daze.
He stammered, looking around nervously, “I-I mean… no! I was just… um… the moon looks really bright today and… um… it’s sunny too, so… I just…”
“What?!” Ira interrupted, raising an eyebrow.
“It made sense till the moon part — but sunny?! Are you okay, brother?!”
Avoiding her gaze, Aditya asked, “Did you two just come back from shopping? You don’t usually dress up like this for it, do you?”
Anamika replied gently, “No. I just bought this today. Ira was bored, so she said she wanted to dress me up.
So, she made me wear this and started styling me.”
Ira puffed up proudly, “Of course! I made this delicate flower look like a fairy, didn’t I?”
Aditya glanced at Anamika and nodded softly, “Yes… absolutely. Shall we go?”
“Yeah,” Ira said, “I’ll just grab my shopping bags!”
She ran inside, leaving Aditya and Anamika in a quiet, delicate silence.
Aditya’s eyes were downcast, while Anamika’s lingered on him.
He wanted to say something — but it felt like no words could ever describe what he was feeling.
Taking a small step closer, Anamika asked innocently, “Your face looks red… do you have a fever?”
She reached out to touch his forehead, but Aditya gently caught her hand.
Their eyes met — a soft, silent connection.
Lowering her hand, Aditya said quietly, “I’m fine.”
Just then, Ira came running back with all her bags and dumped them into Aditya’s hands.
“Let’s go, brother!”
Aditya nodded, “You go sit in the car, I’ll be right there.”
“Okay!” Ira said and walked off.
Before leaving, Aditya turned back to Anamika and said, “Thanks for indulging Ira’s wish… and you… you really do look like a delicate fairy.”
A faint smile appeared on Anamika’s lips.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
And as Aditya turned to leave, his heartbeat quickened — he hurried out before it could give away everything he felt.
