The morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a soft golden glow across Ishani's room. She had been up for a while now, sitting cross-legged on her bed, phone in her hand. Reyansh's good morning message had come as usual simple, sweet, and warm.

"Good morning, Mrs. Agarwal."

Ishani smiled but didn't reply. She typed something... deleted it... typed again... and deleted again. Eventually, she locked her phone and placed it aside, sighing softly.

Her heart was fluttering every time she thought of last night. The candlelight dinner, Reyansh's soft voice, the way he kissed her hand so gently and called her "pyari"... and of course, the kiss she had planted on his cheek before saying goodbye. Just thinking about it made her cheeks flush.But that was exactly why she couldn't bring herself to talk to him normally.She was shy. Completely, utterly shy.

Reyansh, on the other hand, was in his room, ready for the day, waiting for her reply like always. Normally by this time, they'd be on call, laughing, talking about breakfast or plans for the day. But today... silence.

"Shayad busy hongi," he thought, brushing off the tiny sting in his chest.

He messaged her again during lunch: "Had lunch?"

Ishani saw the message. She stared at it for several minutes, fingers hovering over the keyboard... but again, she didn't reply.

Two Days Later

The distance wasn't physical, but Reyansh could feel it. Ishani wasn't behaving the way she used to. She responded to messages late, kept conversations short, and avoided video or phone calls.

He tried calling her that evening.

"Hello?" her voice was soft.

"Hi... finally," he smiled, trying to sound cheerful. "Mujhe laga aap naraaz hai humse."

"Nahi..." she whispered.

"Then kya hua? You're not talking like before."

Ishani's breath caught for a second. "Bas... thoda kaam tha," she mumbled.

There was silence for a moment. Reyansh, sensitive as ever, didn't push her.

"Okay. I just wanted to hear your voice," he said gently. "I'll let you work. Bye."

"Hmm... bye," she said, and the call ended.

Ishani clutched her phone. Her heart ached a little. She didn't want to hurt him, but she didn't know how to act normal. Everything felt too new, too real.

Later That Night

Reyansh was lying in bed, scrolling through their old messages, re-thinking the "I like you" she had whispered at the end of their date. He smiled faintly.But now it felt like that Ishani had gone silent.

He typed again: "Are you okay? Just tell me if you need space."

This time, Ishani replied after fifteen minutes: "No, I'm okay. Just... tired."

He stared at the screen. That was all?

The Next Morning

Ishani was staring at her reflection, fixing her earrings. Her mom walked in.

"You're very quiet since yesterday," Kirti said.

Ishani smiled faintly, "Kuch nahi Mummy... bas thak gayi hoon."

But inside, she was battling her emotions. She had never felt this shy around Reyansh before. The way he looked at her, spoke to her with so much love... and the way she had kissed him,it was all too much for her heart to process.

Meanwhile, Reyansh was in the middle of a meeting but couldn't concentrate. His eyes kept going to his phone. No reply since morning.After his meeting, he sent her another message: "Ishani,... I miss talking to you. That's all."

Ishani read it. she was feeling guilty. She didn't mean to ignore him. She just didn't know how to act anymore. Everything had changed after that one evening.She don't know why she is behaving like that.

It had been days since Ishani's quietness had begun to grow louder.

Reyansh noticed everything - the way her messages had become shorter, her replies slower, and her voice softer, almost hesitant. He could sense her heart was hiding behind shyness.At first he was hell confused about her changed behaviour but after thinking about it he get to know the reason and the reason is nothing else but just a kiss even it was not a kiss , it was just a cheek kiss. And being the sensitive man he was, he didn't question her further.Instead, he gave her space.

That day, he didn't message her at all.But he thinks for an idea to make her talk to him.

In evening, as Reyansh walked into his home, he found his mom, Sunidhi, sitting in the living room with Shreya and Yuvaan and with other family members ,casually chatting.

He placed his bag down and said with a thoughtful smile, "Mom, kya hum sab Amritsar chalein? Abhi kaam bhi zyada nahi hai... aur kuch din pehle Shreya aur Yuvaan bhi trip ke liye keh rahe the."

Sunidhi looked at him in surprise. "Haan, acha idea hai! Thoda sabka mood fresh ho jayega."

Shreya beamed. "Yayyy! Finally outing!"

Abhay, Dadi, and everyone else smiled and nodded.

Just then, Shreya looked up and said, "Main Ekanshi ko bhi le jaaun na saath?"(Ekanshi is Shreya's Best friend).

Before anyone could answer, Dadi chimed in, "Haan thik Ek kaam karte hain... Ishani aur uski family ko bhi saath le chalte hain. Sab saath honge to aur accha lgega."

(And this is what Reyansh wanted to spend time with Ishani and this is the idea he had 

thought.)

And without waiting another second, Dadi picked up the phone and called Kirti.

Dadi:"Namaste beta! 

Kirti:Namaste Aunty

Dadi:Beta hum sb kl Amritsar jaa rahe  hain kuch din ke liye... tum log bhi chalo humare saath!"

Kirti smiled on the other end. "Haanji aunty, Thik hai ! Waise bhi Iss week hum log free hain."

Meanwhile Ishani  was returning home from office, sitting quietly in the cab, lost in her own thoughts. Her phone remained untouched in her handbag.

"Unhone aaj ek baar bhi message nahi kiya..." she thought, staring out of the window. "Kahi wo gussa to nahi ho Gaye?"

She bit her lip softly, her mind looping through last night. The kiss. Her silence. And now... his silence.By the time she reached home, she was almost ready to message him - but then Kirti called out from the living room.

"Ishani, iss week free ho na tum?"

"Haan Mummy, kyun?" she asked while removing her heels.

"Accha, toh pack your bags. Hum log kal Amritsar jaa rahe hain Reyansh ki family ke saath... 5 din ke liye."

Ishani's eyes widened. "Kya?!"

Kirti chuckled, "Haan! Dadi ji ka phone aaya tha abhi. Sab log ja rahe hain... toh unhone hume bhi bulaya hai."

Ishani's heart skipped a beat.She was feeling different emotions already and now this.

Everyone at Ishani's house got busy packing for the trip. The excitement of a sudden getaway filled the air. The entire house buzzed with energy.That evening, around dinner time, Ishani came downstairs, tying her hair into a loose bun.

Kirti looked at her and smiled, "Sunidhi ji ka call aaya tha. Vo log kal subah 9 baje ke aas paas yahan aa jaayenge. Phir yahin se sab milke niklenge."

Ishani just nodded and quietly sat down to eat. Her thoughts were elsewhere... actually, with someone else.

After finishing her dinner, she headed back to her room and picked up her phone.Without overthinking, she typed quickly:"Good night."And hit send.

She did it on purpose before he could call or message her, before anything could get awkward again. Maybe if she kept things short and quiet, it would be easier.

 At Reyansh's house

He was in his room after dinner, lying back on his bed, phone in hand. Just then, Ishani's message popped up on the screen.

"Good night."

He stared at it for a second. Then a slow smirk crept onto his lips.

"Aap kriye aapko jitna ignore Krna h Ishani... kal se to hum saath hi rahenge."

He chuckled to himself.Closing his eyes, he thought"Kitni innocent hai vo... sirf ek kiss ke liye itna awkward... Bhagwan jaane aage kya karegi."The thought made him smile  wider .  Tomorrow was going to be interesting.

Ishani stared at the ceiling, wondering about the distance that had grown between them in just one day. "I can't believe I've been ignoring him like this," she thought. "What will I say to him tomorrow? After all this, is he angry with me? Should I apologize?" She felt nervous, unsure of how to act.

On the other side, Reyansh was lying with his arms behind his head, a small smile playing on his lips as he thought about her. "I know she's feeling awkward... but that's okay. In these next five days, I'll make sure she feels comfortable with me." He chuckled softly, imagining how things would unfold, knowing that with time, things would go back to normal, and maybe even better.

Soon, both drifted off to sleep, lost in their thoughts about the next day, the trip ahead, and how the days spent together would change everything between them.

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