Anshika's POV :
The clock ticks past 1 a.m., but no one's getting up. The room's a mix of crumpled chits, scattered pillows, and leftover laughter.
Aunty grins like a game show host. "Alright, final round before I force you all to sleep."
Sumit peeks at the next question , already laughing.
"Okay Anshika, yours is* What's one rumor you've heard about yourself that wasn't true—but kinda flattering*?"
I narrow my eyes. "Did you write this one ?"
"Just answer."
I sigh dramatically."Someone once thought I was secretly dating my chemistry teacher."
Anant coughs mid-sip of water. "What?!"
"Yup," I say. "Just because I got full marks once and he gave me a bar of chocolate."
"You seduced him with your knowledge of periodic trends," Sumit snorts.
"I was top of the class, okay?! Let me live."
Sumit peeks at next question."Ohohoho. Anant.* What kind of people annoy you the most*?"
Anant stretches like he's about to deliver a TED talk."People who pretend to know everything. Or people who chew loudly."
I lock eyes with Sumit, who's literally munching on chips.
"I'm right here," Sumit says through the crunch.
"That's why I said it."
We burst out laughing again.
Anant peeks at the next question and looks at Aunty. "Your turn. If you had to relive one day of your life, which would it be?"
She goes quiet for a beat.Then serious.
"Hmm… The day my first child was born."Then she looks at me "I mean the day when Sumit was born.Not because of the whole 'motherhood' thing—" she rolls her eyes, "—but because I got a week off work and free hospital food."
"Mother of the Year," Sumit mutters."For one moment I thought you had two children."
" You really lack a brain "Aunty started laughing.
I scan the next question and grin wickedly."Sumit. If your life was a movie, what would the title be?"
He doesn't even pause."'Mission: Don't Die Single'"
Anant actually chokes laughing."With your flirting skills? More like Mission:Impossible."
Sumit grabs the list of questions again." Anshika… What's one thing you look for in a person you like?"
The room goes quiet again.
I shrug, but my voice softens.
"Someone who doesn't run away when things get messy."
Aunty says, "That's a solid answer.Now the next question is for Anant *What's one thing people misunderstand about you?*"
He doesn't respond immediately.
For once, his cocky smirk fades. He looks down, thoughtful.
"That I don't care," he says finally. "Just because I don't say much… doesn't mean I don't feel things."
His voice is calm, but I can hear the weight behind it.
I glance at him, and for a split second, it's like I'm seeing a completely different person. Not the laid-back, eye-roll machine I met a day ago.
And just like that, the sarcasm slipped away. For a second, it wasn't just him talking. It was a glimpse of something raw.
And stupidly, I wanted to know more.Wait! What am I even thinking. Am I mad.
"Wow. That was… surprisingly real."Sumit blurts, softly.
Anant shrugs, deflecting. But something lingers between —like a secret unspoken, but shared.
Aunty claps her hands. "Perfect. Game over. Bonding session: complete."
Sumit grumbles, "I still think I won."
"You definitely lost," I say.
As we all settle down again—this time no snoring, no pillow wars—there's something easier in the air. Not comfort exactly. But something that feels like the start of it.
________________________________________
I feel like a starved raccoon in a five-star hotel—surrounded by potential but emotionally neglected.
It's almost noon, and I haven't eaten a single thing. Why? Because Swati aunty—my only hope for edible survival—went back to Town X for work. The maids? Gone too. Apparently, the boys sent them away so they could enjoy their bro-time in peace.
How thoughtful.
Sumit was supposed to wake me up. Keyword: supposed. Instead, he woke up his BFF Anant, they had breakfast together, and then… didn't even bother to save me a crumb.
"Oops, we forgot about you," they said.
"There's a 24x7 shop nearby," they said.
Yeah? There's also a 24x7 hotline for basic human decency. Apparently, not in stock today.Maybe try that next time.
And maybe I'll just adopt a new family while I'm at it.
Should've known better than to trust two human Doritos with food planning. One pizza for three people?So I cooked myself noodles like the self-sufficient queen I am.
If I survive this trip, I'm giving myself a medal. And a pizza. A whole one. With my name on it.
While dramatically sulking and scrolling on my phone, I got a call. Aunty. She said she'd tried both of the idiots, but —they weren't picking up. So now it was my problem.
Fine. I left the room like the unpaid babysitter I apparently am… and guess what I saw?
Anant was chasing Sumit like it was a damn Bollywood action scene. Something about stolen pizza.
"Stop running!" I shouted. "Aunty's got important work!"
Did they stop? No. They sprinted to the second floor, still screaming about pizza like it was the last slice on Earth.
So I called Aunty again.
"Did you find them, Anshika?"
"Yeah, but they're reenacting Fast & Furious: Pizza Edition."
"Pizza?"
"Yeah. Don't ask."
She sighed. "Just please catch them for me."
"Sure, lemme just tame the wild hyenas."
I followed the noise to a room tucked in the corner. Dark, dusty, and weirdly dramatic. I flicked on my phone's torch and stepped in like I was about to uncover a crime scene.
"Sumit?"
"Anant?"
A voice finally answered.
"Yeah," Anant said, looking like he was one dramatic background score away from flipping a table.
"Aunty's looking for you. She tried calling."
"I think I left my phone somewhere."
Classic.
"And where's your pizza thief?"
"Still hiding. But when he comes out—he's toast."
"Wow. You guys are on a full-blown Tom & Jerry chase… over one slice of pizza? Grow up."
"It was my slice. There's a difference."
"Your slice? This isn't Game of Thrones. It's just crust and cheese."
Right. National tragedy.
I started looking around and spotted Sumit crouched in a corner like Gollum with the Ring.
"Come out, Pizza Goblin," I said.
He bolted. Anant chased.
I'd delivered the message. Babysitting duties: complete.
I was already halfway out the door—babysitting duties officially over—when the universe apparently decided, Not so fast.
A loud thud.
Then something hard slammed into my head.
And then—
Darkness. Sharp. Sudden.
Pain.