Aishwarya, who was tired from all that adventure today, was sleeping like a baby as her son Kunal stroked her head. There was a lovely smile on his face, and his eyes were filled with warmth as he gazed at his mother sleeping soundly.
After making sure she was asleep, he slowly closed the door, making sure that it didn't creak. He met Nitin in the hallway.
"Now, show me the photos." He looked around to make sure that he was alone in the hall with Nitin. It wouldn't matter if Sam was here, but if his mom followed him discretely and listened to their talk, it might spell trouble for him.
"Here, but I am telling you, you are worrying too much." Nitin patted his friend's shoulders, telling him to relax a little. He sat on a nearby sofa, relaxing. He was relaxing, as his time for lookout duty was coming soon.
Yeah, they were doing lookout duty even though they were living in a residential area. It all started when a single piece of rumor reached their leader's ears, and since then they have started doing this lookout duty.
However, he felt that his friend was on a paranoid streak, as this was not the first time that a rumor like that had spread, but he consoled himself by thinking that it was only a matter of a few days. But the truth was, he couldn't do anything in front of Sam and Kunal's decision anyway.
As Nitin was lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice that Aishwarya was hiding near the wall, listening to their conversation (breaching what she always told them about respecting someone's privacy, but in her defense, she was their mother, and she had a right to listen to their suspicious talk and remember, this was all her opinion).
Kunal looked at the photo, and his eyes widened imperatively for a moment before returning to normal.
Back in the villa, Kunal's face shifted from seriousness to a rare smile as he patted Nitin's shoulder. "Investigate the boy and leave the girl to me," Kunal ordered, tossing the phone to Nitin, who yelled in surprise.
While Nitin was rubbing his sore head, Kunal tried to prepare himself to punish him or berate him for his negligence in the morning, but seeing his friend, who had tears in his eyes, his doe eyes questioned him for that hit, which faltered him.
Kunal took a deep breath, grabbed Nitin's shoulder, and peered into his eyes. "I know that you don't take us seriously and believe that we are being paranoid, but imagine yourself in our shoes. Don't let this happen again, please."He patted his shoulder and smiled softly.
Nitin wanted to retort that he was being too paranoid, but gazing at his friend's face, which was filled with fatigue, he froze, unsure whether to speak or not.
"Just trust me, Mate," Nitin responded as he slapped his friend's ass unintentionally, making it jiggle.
"What's wrong with you?" Kunal looked at his friend strangely, slowly backing away from him.
"It's not like that; I wanted to slap your back, but my hand slipped, resulting in a slap to your ass." Nitin apologized desperately.
' If I let him talk, I, a straight as a coconut tree guy, would be labeled as gay. I must stop him; otherwise, my future self is doomed.' Resolving himself to stop his friend from leaving at all costs, he froze when his friend pulled an Uno reverse card and slapped his ass hard in return.
"Bromance forever, bro." Nitin glared at his friend in disbelief; he couldn't believe this was his friend, who used to grow angry if they touched him accidentally.
'He has grown up and shown much.' He thought, with hands raised in the air, dramatically to slap Kunal's plump ass again, forcing his friend to run away.
Aishwarya looked at her sons (she treats Sam and Nitin as her children. ) playing playfully and tried to suppress her laughter, but that smile couldn't hide the worry and fear in her eyes.
***************************************
Sophie's trip to her haven (the park) has been ruined so badly that she might need to find a new one. Due to this, her solace has been ruined and filled instead with more annoyingness and tiredness.
Meanwhile, Sophie trudged towards her office, her shoulders weighed down by the day's unexpected challenges. The haven she once cherished had become a battleground of weariness and annoyance. As she approached the entrance of the 'Haven for Animals,' the facade masked the turmoil within.
The animal shelter's Haven for Animals building loomed ahead, its facade concealing the complexities Sophie had grown weary of. The exterior, painted with cheerful hues and adorned with vibrant signage, was a deceptive mask for the internal struggles she faced. As she approached the entrance, the once-inviting atmosphere now felt tainted with the weight of disillusionment.
Upon stepping inside, Sophie's eyes scanned the familiar sight of rows of cages that housed hopeful eyes and wagging tails. The air once filled with anticipation and compassion, now carried a subtle undertone of frustration. The murals on the walls, depicting happy animals finding forever homes, seemed like distant promises that reality often failed to fulfill.
Volunteers bustled about, their energy in stark contrast to Sophie's growing fatigue. The cheerful chatter and laughter, once a source of solace, now grated on her nerves. The smell of disinfectant, meant to signify cleanliness, seemed like an ineffective attempt to mask deeper issues within the shelter.
The communal areas, where animals once played and socialized, now felt like stages for a performance that Sophie was growing increasingly disenchanted with. The playpens, once scenes of joy, now held a tinge of melancholy. The colorful toys and scratching posts, symbols of diversion, seemed trivial against the backdrop of unresolved challenges.
The medical area, where professionals attended to the health needs of the animals, felt like a sterile space devoid of genuine care. The routine check-ups and vaccinations had become mechanical, lacking the empathy that Sophie once believed defined the shelter's mission.
Heading to the outdoor area, Sophie couldn't escape the feeling of being trapped within a system that had lost its way. Fenced enclosures, meant to provide security, now felt like barriers preventing meaningful change. The laughter of volunteers and the joyful barking of dogs, once heartening, now served as a stark reminder of the facade she had grown tired of upholding.
Bulletin boards showcased success stories, but to Sophie, they seemed more like carefully curated narratives hiding the deeper struggles faced by the shelter's residents. Informational pamphlets advocating responsible pet ownership felt like hollow gestures in the face of systemic issues.
The once-clear purpose now seemed obscured, and Sophie grappled with the internal conflict between her love for the animals and the growing weariness caused by the shadows lurking within the shelter's walls.
Sophie, who was grappling with her internal problems, was awakened by a volunteer who hated her and informed her that a visitor was there to see her with envy on her face.