26 | haunted house
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The moment we stopped in front of the haunted house, I already knew what was about to happen. Avantika was practically glowing with excitement.
Siya looked like she was considering running away.
And Krish... Krish looked like a man whose entire future depended on this haunted house.
"Bhaiya, we should definitely go inside," he said far too quickly.
I looked at him.
He looked at Siya.
Then back at me.
I sighed. "You're not subtle at all."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Sure."
Avantika immediately grabbed my hand. "Come on! Let's go!"
And just like that, my wife dragged me inside.
The lights were dim. Strange sounds echoed from different corners. A few steps ahead, someone jumped out from behind a wall.
Siya flinched.
Krish instantly moved closer. "Siya ji, don't worry. I'm here."
Siya gave him a flat look. "The ghost is less scary than you."
Avantika burst out laughing. Even I had to look away to hide my smile.
A few minutes later, another loud sound echoed through the hallway. This time Avantika startled and instinctively moved closer to me.
I looked down.
She immediately pretended nothing had happened.
"Scared?"
"No."
"Really?"
"Absolutely."
Another sound came from somewhere behind us. Her grip on my arm tightened.
I raised an eyebrow. "Still not scared?"
"Focus on walking, Mr. Vardhan."
I couldn't help smiling.
For someone who had been the most excited to enter, she was holding onto my arm surprisingly tightly.
Not that I was complaining.
Not even a little.
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☆Krish Pov :-
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This was supposed to be my moment.
My master plan.
My brilliant, foolproof, absolutely genius plan.
Siya would get scared.
Then she would hold my hand.
Maybe stand closer.
Maybe-
A loud growl echoed through the haunted house. I immediately stopped thinking.
"That sounded real."
Siya looked at me. "It's literally a haunted house."
"Right... fake. Obviously fake." I nodded confidently.
Then a ghost suddenly dropped from the ceiling.
"AAAHHHH!" I nearly jumped out of my skin.
My soul left my body, saw the afterlife, and came back.
Ahead of us, bhabhi was laughing so hard she almost couldn't walk. Even Avyukt bhaiya looked entertained.
"Bhaiya, why are they hanging things from the ceiling?" I complained.
"To scare people."
"Mission accomplished."
I took a deep breath and continued walking.
Everything was fine.
Everything was under control.
Then a zombie actor suddenly appeared from a dark corner and rushed toward us.
"MUMMYYYY!" Without thinking, I grabbed the closest person beside me.
Two seconds later I realized it was Siya.
And worse...
I was practically hiding behind her. The silence was deadly. I slowly looked up.
Siya was staring at me.
Bhabhi had stopped walking.
Bhaiya had turned around.
Even the zombie looked confused.
"Krish..." Siya said.
"Yes?"
"Why am I protecting you?"
I opened my mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
"Teamwork?"
Siya rolled her eyes but couldn't stop herself from laughing. Then, to my complete embarrassment, she lightly grabbed my wrist.
"Come on. It's fake."
And just like that, she started leading me forward.
For the next ten minutes, my entire plan was reversed.
Instead of protecting Siya...Siya was protecting me.
This was not how I imagined my love story starting.
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But the deeper we went inside, the darker it became. Strange sounds echoed from every direction.
A door slammed somewhere behind us. I immediately moved closer to Avyukt.
Just a little. Okay... maybe not a little.
He noticed....Of course he noticed.
A smile appeared on his face. "Still brave?"
I looked away. "Yes."
Right then, something suddenly moved beside us. I grabbed his arm so fast that even I surprised myself.
For a second, I heard nothing except my own heartbeat. Avyukt looked down at my hand wrapped tightly around his arm.
Then at me. "Avantika..."
"Don't say anything."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were going to."
His shoulders shook as he tried not to laugh. Which only made me glare at him.
A few steps later, another creepy sound came from somewhere ahead. Without even realizing it, I had completely shifted to his side.
Almost hiding behind him.
Avyukt slowed down and gently pulled me closer. His hand settled around my shoulder in a calm, protective gesture.
"It's okay, bachha."
I looked up at him. "I'm not scared."
"Of course not."
"I'm serious."
"I know."
The amusement in his eyes said otherwise.
Then suddenly a ghost jumped out from a hidden corner. I let out a small scream and immediately buried my face against his shoulder.
For a second, I completely forgot where we were. All I knew was that Avyukt was there. His arm tightened around me instantly.
"Hey, look at me."
I slowly looked up. He brushed a strand of hair away from my face and smiled.
"See? You're alive."
I hit his arm. "This isn't funny."
"It is a little funny."
I glared at him again.
But somehow, with his hand wrapped around mine and his presence beside me, the haunted house didn't feel scary anymore.
And for the rest of the walk, I never let go of his hand.
Not even once.
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☆Siya Pov :-
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At this point, I wasn't even scared anymore. The ghosts were less terrifying than Krish.
One minute he was acting brave.
The next minute he was getting scared by a fake skeleton hanging from the ceiling. I was trying very hard not to laugh.
Then suddenly a loud scream echoed through the haunted house.
Before I could even react- Two arms wrapped around me from behind.
Completely.
Totally.
Like I was some kind of human shield.
I froze.
For a second, I couldn't even understand what had happened.
Then I heard a familiar voice near my shoulder.
"Wifey... save me."
My entire body went still.
What?
WHAT?
I turned my head so fast I almost got a neck injury. "Krish!"
He looked equally shocked.
His eyes widened. "I-"
A ghost suddenly jumped out again. "Wifey, not now!"
And he hugged me even tighter.
I stared at him.
The ghost stared at him. Even the ghost looked disappointed.
Ahead of us, Avantika di had completely lost it. She was laughing so hard she was holding onto Avyukt jiju's arm.
Even Jiju looked one second away from laughing.
"Did you just call me wifey?" I asked.
Krish finally realized what he had said.
His soul practically left his body. "That was a typo."
"You spoke it."
"Then it was a verbal typo."
"How do you even make a verbal typo?"
"I don't know, Siya ji. I'm fighting for my life here."
Another creepy sound played. He immediately hid behind me again.
I put my hand over my face. "This is embarrassing."
"For me too."
"You're literally using me as armor."
"The armor is working."
Avantika di was still laughing.
"Krish, should we leave you here with the ghosts?"
"No, thank you. I already found someone scarier."
"Who?"
He pointed at me.
I smacked his arm.
And for the rest of the haunted house, he kept a very safe distance. Mostly because every time our eyes met, I raised an eyebrow.
And every single time, he remembered exactly what he had accidentally called me.