“Glad to see you both back in the city, Dad and Uncle.” Reyansh expresses his happiness with a big smile, and the whole ambience in the room is just lighting up with a positive mood.
“Even we are glad to be here to learn of your surprise announcement soon after returning from a successful international conference,” Dad replies in a gentle tone, and Surya Uncle nods approvingly.
“Gosh,Dad! This isn't a big thing, just because I gathered the whole family. It has been happening in the background for a long time, but I just waited for the right time to reveal it.”
“Now you are making us restless, Reyansh. Please tell me now.” Mom's eagerness is so palpable that I feel the weight of second-hand embarrassment for her, in addition to mine.
“Neelima Aunty, aren't you acting a little bit nosy today?” Reyansh narrows his eyebrows playfully, and Mom just breaks into a shy smile. I must admit, my parents adore Reyansh as if he were their own son, and the bond he shares with them is nothing short of endearing. But my connection with his parents is no less. For both of us, our families have always been extensions of each other, a promise to stay together until the very end.
“And aren't you just delaying it, Reyu?” Meenal aunty strikes at him while the place erupts into laughter.
The whole world knows about the deep friendship between my dad and Surya Uncle, but few realize how Mom and Meenal Aunty stand by each other like real sisters. How fortunate I am to be surrounded by such incredible people!
So far, my life has felt like walking on a bed of roses: memorable, cheerful, and peaceful. And I’m certain my future will be just as bright, with Reyansh by my side.
“Alright, guys, I’ll spill the tea now.” Reyansh's sudden statement makes me instantly dizzy and anxious. Just then, I notice something that’s been happening ever since we gathered here.
Reyansh keeps letting his gaze wander restlessly around the house, as if searching for someone, and I can’t help but wonder who.
“Why can't I find Aditi here?” He finally voices out the cause behind his dilemma.
“I already called her to come down. She must be busy with the preparation of her final semester.”
“Okay, let's wait for her. This just can't move on without her presence.” Reyansh's reply amuses everyone in the hall, and my eyebrows knit in confusion.Why is Aditi’s presence so necessary?
Aditi Raina is my cousin, the daughter of my mother’s younger sister. She has lived with us for the past ten years, ever since the tragic road accident that stole her parents’ lives on the spot. My mother adored her sister passionately, and the loss shook her so much that she took on the responsibility of raising Aditi as her own. We all welcomed her with open hearts.
Even though she’s my cousin, I love and cherish her like a real sister.
“There she is!” Reyansh points out, and I turn to see Aditi coming downstairs to join us.
“Come here, sweetie.” Mom calls her, and she sits in the seat beside me on the right while Reyansh is on my left. Our parents are seated opposite us.
“Enough of the delay, Reyansh! Go on with your announcement.” Surya Uncle's authoritative tone increases the tension of the environment, and I am almost clutching the cushion hard not to faint in nervousness.
“I hope everyone will accept and support my decision.” Reyansh’s face hardens, and I can see the sheer determination in his eyes to make things happen his way.
“I would like to date Aditi Raina.” His firm yet determined words hit me like a blow. I gasp, my body going numb as if shutting down, and a lone tear slides down my cheek.
So… all this time, have I been sidelined in his heart?
Chapter 4
Reyansh
I did it. Finally!
Aditi Raina.
The girl who has captured my heart for the past two years.
I’ve known her for nearly a decade, as Amyra’s cousin, the one who calls the majestic Bajaj Mansion her home, ever since that tragic day when fate stole her parents away in a cruel car accident.
I witnessed how the Bajajs opened their arms to her, enveloping her in warmth, treating her like one of their own. For a long time, my interactions with Aditi were nothing more than fleeting moments, brief smiles, awkward nods exchanged across crowded rooms. I barely registered her presence… until everything changed in these last two years. Slowly, like the dawn breaking over a long night, I began to see her in a new light. My gaze instinctively sought her out every time I visited the mansion. And when she appeared, it felt like the world faded around me; I couldn’t look away.
It was as if she held a magnetic pull on my heart. Eventually, I recognized that my feelings had deepened into something more profound: a yearning to spend time with her, to unravel thelayers of her personality, to truly get to know her. I wanted to date her, to explore the potential for something beautiful between us.
But I didn’t want to rush. When I first acknowledged my feelings, I was in my final year of post-graduate studies, and she was in the middle of her graduation. Patience was my ally, and I resolved to wait for the right moment; distractions were not an option. Her final semester starts next week, and while I had planned to keep my distance a little longer, the pull to express my feelings had become unbearable. The urge to tell her, to ask her out, surged through me like electricity.
