Khushi was curious to know the man who came to her door, late in the evening. She hoped what she thought shouldn't turn out right. She can't handle the shock and is not hoping for one. Nah! She is just fed up and can't deal with him now.

She followed after the watchman with the thoughts in her mind and she saw the man.

Huh! God's hand has blessed her head.

Her hope turned positive and he isn't the one. Nonetheless, she was shocked.

Have you seen yourself in a situation where you didn't want to handle the shock for some reason, yet get the kind of shock for some other reason?

Ananya was experiencing the moment now. On one side, she is relieved for not getting the exact shock and on the other side, she is shocked for getting not-an-exact shock. Period.

"You?" she screamed, opening her mouth a little, not able to get further words on her tongue.

...

Sia had her little pinky finger enclosed between Arnav's fist. They had searched for the little ball all around their Mansion with no luck.

Indeed there was no luck!

Both of them, Nikhil and Sia, the niece and uncle pair have decided to search in their neighbor's Mansion. And here they're standing in front of the Mansion, waiting for the Mansion's owner's permission.

It's been a long time since they played cricket in their home and at that point in time, this Mansion was newly built by the builders their family-owned. It's been a month since this Mansion was bought by another person from his Dad. He didn't know who bought this Mansion.

It was not his Business!

It was his Dad's and he never intended to involve himself in the family business.

Poor lad! Only if he made it his business, at least, in the matter of the Mansion that stood just beside their home, he'd been too lucky.

Alas! Luck has decided to test his patience.

And his patience had resulted in sweet indeed. Only that he didn't know.

Sia has been rolling her eyes around the Mansion to catch her ball, standing in front of the huge gate waiting along with her devilishly handsome Darling-Uncle who had how-much-more-time-will-i-have-to-wait written on his face.

Whoa! The five-foot-eleven-inches tod who wore sexy Rubgy night clothes on his body didn't know his wait will result in his luck.

Did we say luck is bored of dancing on his or something like that?

Well, it's the time to throw it in the whoever-said-it faces.

Luck has just taken a rest for some time or has been tired and was sleeping!

Well, dancing takes a lot of energy too! Poor luck!

"You?" Nikhil who was rolling his eyes around the Mansion just like his niece has recognized the voice. He had his face on the left of the Mansion.

Did he start dreaming in the middle of the road already?

"Great, Nikhil! Just great," he mumbles, and the night is still young and peaceful. Dark night, a sky full of stars, and a visibly half moon filled the silence at the moment.

It was Ananya was able to hear his silent mumble, "Excuse me, what?"

Nikhil who still mumbling nonchalant words a visibly confused Sia looked at him mumbling and two of the watchmen who had weird expressions on them, looked at him.

Ananya's Excuse-Me-what? was actually a little loud, and it not only brought watchmen and Sia out of their staring-session but also Nikhil who had to halt with his mumbling.

He slowly turned his head and widened his looking at Ananya who was looking at him, narrowing her gaze at him.

And the realization had dawned upon him.

Ananya wasn't his dream, she was real!

And the conclusion says that luck didn't leave him yet. Indeed it was just resting on his head.

"Ananya? Hi," the words rolled out of his tongue, a smile lit his face, and more than the smile, his attractive brown-chocolaty eyes twinkled in pure happiness.

"Hi. You and here?" Even his smile and the twinkle in his eyes couldn't change her expression.

Is he a stalker or something?

Ananya had doubts.

"Shut up, Ananya!" a little voice in her head screamed at her. That little voice of an angel in Ananya's heart didn't want to believe that Nikhil could be a stalker.

But has ever Ananya listened to the Angel? The practical side of her brain threw back a shut-up at Angel reminding her of all their meetings.

"Didn't he say with a stupid smile on his handsome face that he has seen you in the The-Dream-Palace?" the practical side of her brain has put her view forward.

"Yes, he did! So?" the Angel in Ananya is ready to fight back.

"And he met her in the CBI Office, and then the mall, and now here again after their office encounter. It should raise an Orange flag if not red, at least!" The Devil was practical, not cruel and it just stated the facts.

The Angel had to roll her eyes, "Yeah! He was wearing that I-am-a-stalker printed shirt on his body all the time. It's obvious you'd feel he's a stalker. Isn't it?"

"Whatever!"

"By the way, if his smile is stupid, you wouldn't be calling him handsome." Angel threw the devil's words back at her.

"I find Hirthik's smile handsome too."

"Was that supposed to sound sassy?" Angel questions, rolling her eyes.

"Whatever is deemed to fit you!" It sounded sarcastic.

"No comments!"

Ananya had enough of the conversation between her heart and mind and concentrates on Nikhil's words.

"What a coincidence! You stay here?" Nikhil, still with a wide smile on his face, asks her.

"Hi, Ananya Aunty!" Little Sia in the dark night, and 60-degree ARC LED lights on both sides of the gate which had 150 Lumens of light intensity wasn't able to see Ananya with her little eyes, and with her little height, it was even more difficult.

She had to walk forward leaving her little pinky finger from her Mama's fist to have a clear vision of the face and as soon as she recognized, a wide smile spread on her lips, just like her Mama's, and greeted a chirpy Hi, Ananya Aunty at her.

"Hello, Sweetheart!" Ananya forgot everything as her eyes fell on the cutest kid in the world and came forward to catch her little hand in hers as little Sia forwarded one of her hands towards her.

"So you're the owner of this Mansion now?" Nikhil asks again, who hasn't gotten his reply yet.

"Yeah! I have been shifted here a week ago," she replies caressing Sia's cheeks and looking at him, with a little awkward smile.

Huh! What a lucky man!

"Great! That Mansion is ours." Nikhil was too excited, above the ninth level of heaven, and has already danced hundreds of times in his head.

Ananya follows his gaze and looks at the Mansion same as hers, standing all in its glory, but with the illumination of lights is more than hers.

Well, too much luminance isn't her choice.

Exactly opposite to Nikhil!

"Oh. That's great!" Ananya doesn't know what to say more than that.

She just got to know that the Mansion built by D&N and bought by her is just beside her ex-owner's Mansion, Dhruv Nair's Mansion!

Nikhil Nair is the son of Dhruv Nair. A confirmation she failed to decipher before.

Well, when she bought the Mansion a few weeks ago, Nikhil Nair wasn't in her life. She doesn't know the existence of a person named Nikhil Nair.

Obviously, she'd have never deciphered Nikhil Nair to Dhruv Nair.

"Welcome to the world of facts, Ananya! This five-foot-eleven-inch lad is your neighbor!" Ananya mumbles inside her mouth, at the base of her throat. Nobody was able to hear her.

Well, isn't it a coincidence?

"It definitely is, sweetie!" Angel in her head whispers.

"I doubt!" the Devil in her whispers.

She kicks both of them out, not considering any of their words.

It might a coincidence! Ananya admits, putting the Angel in relaxation mode while the Devil sulks.

"So, we are neighbors now. Great! What a pleasure," Nikhil admits to the fact that's been roaming around her head now, except for the pleasure part.

"Yeah, we are neighbors!" Ananya smirks a little, nodding her head, and twitching her eyebrows.

"By the way, you didn't tell me what were you doing here?" Ananya asks, trying to know the reason behind this coincidence.

"Huh! Actually, we were playing cricket and-" he, who just started conversing a little more with his dream girl has been interrupted by his lovely niece.

"And I hit a sixer and now the ball is disappeared," Sia pouts showing her words in her actions with her hands and face. She's standing in between her Mam and Mami, Nah, Ananya Aunty, for now, facing her back to her Uncle and her front to her Ananya Aunty.

Ananya chuckles at the cute kid and her hand movements as she explained how her ball has disappeared.

"We were searching for it outside of our Mansion but with no result, so here are we doubting if it hit here. It always falls on the left side of this Mansion, near the water fountain and garden whenever we used to play." Nikhil explains all of it, without a break and releases a breath at the end.

"Oh. Cool. But I don't search in the bushes around the garden is not safe. You can search where there are no bushes and if you still didn't find it, I'll search for this little cutie pie in the early Morning." Ananya pats little Sia's cheeks, smiling at her, explaining the facts.

A little waste of time for the little cutie pie is worth it! She thinks with a smile.

"Yeah, sure!" Nikhil agrees, his lips aren't tired from curving it up all the time.

Ananya nods and they, with Sia, in the middle walk inside towards the garden and water fountain where she was walking earlier.

And very soon they began searching everywhere, excluding where the bushes are. Ananya forwards her help in searching for them.

"Waise which type of ball it was?" she asks before she begins searching for them.

"Stress Ball!" Nikhil answers standing straight from his bending position, gazing at her and Ananya looks at him weirdly.

Cricket with a Stress Ball? Her look screamed are-you-serious?

He smiles sheepishly in reply, scratching his head.

Whoa! If it's a stress ball, their work is even more difficult! Stress gives stress! Period.

Don't know where it'd have jumped with the shot and it must have jumped a couple of lot more times before settling in one place.

Ananya starts searching for it sighing at Nikhil.

The clock has been ticking-tocking for 10 minutes now and there's no result.

Sia's little stress ball which has been used for cricket isn't found till now.

They sigh getting tired

"I'll search in the Morning, okay?" Ananya comforts little Sia who was about to cry.

"Promise?" Sia stretches her little hand towards Ananya, just like she does for Nikhil.

"Promise!" Ananya, who never promised anyone anything, promised something for the first in her life after ages.

If Sia Mehra was successful in impressing Ananya with her antics in the first meeting, she was successful in stealing Ananya's first promise with her innocent antics again.

"Uff! This little girl is faster than me! Hmph!" He admits grumpily to himself, not really aloud.

Huh! Plants can smell green!

"Seriously, Nikhil? You're jealous of your own niece?" he chides himself a second later.

Not anymore! He's in fact happy Ananya is getting close to his niece and him in some way.

He kicked the jealousy out of his head cursing himself in his mind, "Remember? You're an adult, Mr. Nikhil Nair!"

Behave like one! What's with the fumbling and mumbling all the time? He kicked the whispering voice away. He knows he's fumbling and mumbling, there's no need to remind him again.

He's trying his best not to fumble in front of his dream girl, bruh!

"Okay, Aunty! Bye, Good Night! Sweet dreams!" Sia hugs Ananya's long legs and mumbles into them.

Ananya smiles awkwardly at the sudden hug. She has never been hugged by any kid till now. She has been so distant to affections, living in a world of her own, created by her.

Nikhil scoops his niece in his arms after the little hug he gave her, smiling at Ananya, "Good Night, Ananya!"

"Good Night!" She looks at both the niece and the niece's uncle. A little smile on her face lit up Sia's and Nikhil's faces more. They bid her bye smiling at her.

Nikhil so wanted to stay for some more time.

She might even kill you!

She's smart and she'd figure you're to hit on her.

"Would you like that?" A small voice whispered in his brain.

"Never!" he mumbled, forcing his legs to move forward.

Ananya sighed in relief looking at their backs. She again calls the unknown number, "No one came. It's just my neighbor! You're thinking too much. He must be bluffing, that's it. Good Night!"

Ananya was worried when she got a phone call from Drashti, her best friend, from a new phone number, and what she informed her — left her baffled.

After a few moments of a moment with Nikhil and Sia, she's almost fine with her thought it's just Drashti's hunch.

Nothing much!

Throwing the same on her bestie's face, not literally, she had a moment of relief.

Only to sigh in worry a second later.

If whatever Drashti has told is true, she should be prepared for a mess.

With her anger, that is what would happen.

Unless someone close to her is beside her to comfort her.

To her bad luck, there's no one!

"Don't go there, Ananya!" she mumbles to herself, throwing away the sweet memories that were seeping into her heart.

With the not-so-serene thoughts in her head, she gets inside, to have a restless sleep!

She's not an insomniac, but she has the habit of sleeping for very less time.

She was determined to take care of her health.

Sleep is important for health!

She knew that and just when she thought to have a peaceful and very long slumber this night, Drashti had to call!

Well, sometimes, nothing goes as you planned, especially when it's for your betterment!

"Now don't get into these quotes, again! You had it enough for a lifetime," she chides herself, slipping into her bed, hoping for dreams to engulf her soon.

...

The dark night has dawned, just like every day, and Sun is out from behind the clouds, to lighten up some part of the world, bringing joy to that part of the world.

Isn't it weird that if some part of the earth has been engulfed in darkness, there's another part of the world engulfing the sunshine?

Life isn't different, if your life has shined, there's someone whose life has been engulfed in darkness!

Like Ananya..and Nikhil!

Ananya — who's not much into life, and Nikhil — who's so much into life!

If Ananya's life has been engulfed into darkness, Nikhil's life was filled with Sunshine. In some way!

They're never on par with each other, how would the love blossom between them?

As they say, opposites attract! They surely do.

Ananya does realize this as soon as she wakes up from her sleep, breaking a beautiful dream that was about to break her heart.

Nah! She can never handle Love!

Thus denies accepting the realization that came from a beautiful dream.

A beautiful dream where she saw herself laughing with Nikhil.

She gulps down the slightest hurt down her throat. She can never let anyone tied to her emotionally.

Even if they did, they wouldn't be able to break the wall she built around her heart all these years. Never!

And...Nikhil, na, never!

"I wouldn't let him seep into my heart. Never," she mumbles throwing away a certain handsome face that seemingly laughs in her mind, stammering away in his own fumble-way, and the chocolate brown that twinkled before he smiled.

"Grhh! Dammnit! Not again. The Dream is enough," she huffs in anger, throwing away the bedsheet and going to the washroom to start her day.

It's just 6:00 AM in the morning and by the time she freshens up, it's been half an hour. She cooks a bread omelet for herself and soon gets lost in the world of coding.

Her work consumed her mind, in the wee hours of the morning.

The promise lay forgotten..and that's going to make her regret it soon!

...

Nair's Mansion,

When someone has forgotten the promise given to them, someone has been reminded of someone's promise.

And little Sia was seen running into her Mama's room, early in the morning, after having brushed her teeth and a little amount of milk kept her stomach from growling for a few more hours.

Nikhil who was already up and peeping out from his balcony, lost in the serene view the morning vibes has given him soothed his heart, and the thought of Ananya next door is making his heart dance in its own way, forgetting the rhythm of its own, in its own crazy way.

Aah! The thing love does to you!

Only if his room has been on the right side of the Mansion, he'd have been peeking into the next.

Doesn't it look like a Pervert-y thing?

Nikhil chides himself.

"God! What else will I have to do!" he sighs, rubbing his face, still in his night clothes and not yet ready for the day.

"Mama," he halted his palms from rubbing his handsome face anymore.

What is this little tornado doing in his room?

Wait, she woke up early?

"Great, she is not less than me!" he smirks, walking towards his niece, and before he could take two steps more, the little sweetie bumped right into his legs.

"Ouch, Mama!" Sia rubs her little forehead, frowning at her Mama.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. Lagi tumhe?" Nikhil picks her up in his arms rubbing her forehead and blowing air right onto her forehead, guiltily.

(I'm sorry, sweetie! Did you get hurt?)

He didn't think his niece would run so fast and that too in the early morning!

She's such a sleepy head and little tortoise early in the morning!

What's the reason behind her hyperactiveness?

Little Sia squirmed her little eyes, for it just didn't cool down her forehead but also ticked her eyelashes and so she started giggling, forgetting the little pain caused by her Uncle's knee!

Huh! She'd just reach her Mama's knee if she stood straight and running her forehead straight into his Knee, would hurt a little or more.

"Mama, stop, it's tickling. No pain anymore," she giggles, removing his palm from her forehead and closing his mouth when he doesn't stop blowing the air.

Only to giggle more.

Her Mama just found a way to make her laugh as he continued blowing into her little palm and didn't let her palm move away, distracting her a lot more that she forgot why she came to her Mama's room in the first place.

Another promise laid forgotten! 

To be continued..,

Knew I'm a little late. Busy with work and personal stuff!

Here's the update! Dividing it into two parts. Ananya's Neighbor(A & B), B will be up before Saturday!

Let me know what you think of the update!

Regards,

polymath_land

16/11/2022