8 PM... At Aniket's House
Aniket's car pulled into the driveway. After parking, he headed toward his house.
Just as he reached the door and pulled out his key, he noticed it was already open. Surprised, he walked inside—and spotted Aditya's shoes near the entrance.
Seeing them, a smile appeared on his face and he shouted, “Adi…! Where are you?!”
A voice came from the living room, “You're here!”
Aditya was sitting on the couch, wearing a black shining suit, his hair neatly styled—clearly dressed for a party.
Seeing this, Aniket said, “Wow! You? Going to a party? That’s rare!”
Aditya handed him a card and said, “When you organize the party yourself, you kinda have to go!”
Looking at the card, Aniket replied, “So you got the wish about the reunion party, huh? That means…”
“What?” Aditya asked, tilting his head with a confused smile.
Aniket smirked and said, “Nothing! I’ll just go change.”
But Aditya pointed at the table and said, “Check out your other gifts first! Rudra and Ruhi came by and left them for you.”
Aniket walked over to the table.
Two beautifully wrapped gifts were placed there. He opened them. One was a stunning wooden car. The other—a portrait. Not the best artwork, maybe, but full of emotion. A heartfelt note was attached to it.
Looking at them, Aniket thought, “So… Aditya got the school reunion wish. Ruhi made a portrait for me, and Rudra brought me a car, then…!!?”
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Suddenly, he pictured Saaniya’s judgmental face and Anamika’s fearful expression. The thought made him shout, “No...!”
Aditya raised an eyebrow, “The portrait’s not that bad for you to yell like that!”
Aniket walked over and said seriously, “Do you know what was written in Anamika and Saaniya’s chits?”
Aditya instantly understood why Aniket had screamed. Still, he acted innocent and said, “No! How would I know? You were the one who said—we’re secret Santas, and we’re not supposed to know which wish belongs to who!”
Aniket bit his nails, thinking hard. “One of my wishes came true—having breakfast with Dad. But the second one… the one related to Aditya and Anamika… If that chit went to Anamika… Or worse, Saaniya… I could be in trouble!”
Just then, Aditya patted his shoulder and said, “Are you going to keep thinking or get ready too? We’ll be late! The party starts at 9!”
That’s when Aniket’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Anamika and Saaniya will both be there! I can try to indirectly find out what wish they got!! I don’t know about Saaniya, but Anamika… I can definitely get her to talk!”
With that thought, he grabbed Aditya’s hand and pulled him toward the door. “Come on! We’re getting late!”
Aditya let himself get dragged out, saying, “It’s not that late! You still have time to get dressed!”
But Aniket wasn’t listening. He made Aditya sit in the car and zoomed off like lightning.
A one-hour drive was finished in just 40 minutes, and they reached the hotel where the party was to be held.
The hall was completely empty.
Seeing this, Aditya crossed his arms and said, “Told you. We had time! What was the rush?”
Aniket, visibly stressed, muttered, “Something’s wrong, man…”
Seeing his worried face, Aditya grew serious too. “What’s going on?”
Aniket was scared to tell him. He didn’t know what would happen if those wishes came true.
He took a deep breath and chose not to reveal the full truth. Smiling slightly, he said, “It’s just… those two chits had really strange wishes. I thought maybe you or Rudra or Ruhi would get them! But now…”
Aditya placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry! Everything will be fine. And I know—no wish on those chits could ever be weird or bad… because they’re your wishes. They’re my dreams too… and honestly, I think they should become reality.”
Aniket smiled, “Yeah! Absolutely…! And even if the secret Santa can’t fulfill them—then I will. But I’m not going to leave my dreams unfinished.”
Aditya was a little confused. He knew the wish on Anamika’s chit had already come true, so why was Aniket still so tense? Which wish was he talking about?
While Aditya pondered what could’ve been in Saaniya’s chit, Aniket silently prayed that the chit where he wrote “Aditya loves Anamika” had gone to Anamika—not Saaniya.
Because now that he had seen Anamika up close, he felt—maybe, just maybe—if she found out the truth, she might reconsider her past decisions. Maybe Aditya and Anamika would finally become something more. Or at the very least, a new friendship could begin.
But if Saaniya had found out… Aniket feared she might try to pull them apart.
What Aniket doesn’t know… is that the one thing he feared most has already happened.
But the thing he hoped for—Saaniya trying to stop them—won’t happen.
Because the one he thinks is love’s enemy… is someone who loves love more deeply than anyone.
And yet, every love story she’s been part of has ended in pain.
But this time, standing in front of the mirror, Saaniya made a promise to herself:
“No matter what happens—this story will not end the same way as the others. Anamika and I have fought too hard to reach this moment. Now that it's here, we cannot give up before trying. This story won’t end in blood and tears. We may not be able to return the joy that Aditya and Ira lost because of us… but from now on, whatever I can do to bring happiness into their lives—I will.”
—
But what exactly is Saaniya planning to do?What kind of happiness was taken from Aditya and Ira because of her?And will Aniket ever find out which wish chits Anamika and Saaniya received?To be continued...
