𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓

𝐇𝐢 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬!
𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠-𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲. 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝. 🌿✨

𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫

✨𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐡𝐢, 𝟔:𝟎𝟎𝐩𝐦✨

Aarish and Advait were seated in the living room, both engrossed in their laptops, the only sound in the room being the rhythmic clicking of keys. 

The faint hum of the city outside filtered through the windows, blending with the occasional exchange of words between them about work.

Just then, Atharva emerged from the room he was staying in, a serious yet composed look on his face.

"Sir, I've looked into it. If possible, it would be better for you to stay here for the week. It will make coordination easier rather than traveling back and forth to Udaipur," he informed Aarish.

Aarish leaned back in his chair, considering the suggestion. It did make sense-working from Delhi would allow him to oversee everything first hand without unnecessary delays. After a brief moment of thought, he nodded.

"Alright, inform Mr. Thakur's PA that I'll be staying here for the week and working with them closely."

"Understood, sir. I'll handle it right away," Atharva said before retreating to make the necessary arrangements.

As Aarish shut his laptop, Advait stretched his arms and leaned back on the couch, letting out a content sigh. "So... you're staying here only? Not going back to Udaipur?"

Aarish rubbed his temple, the weight of the decision settling in. "No, I have to be here for a week. I'll head back after that."

A slow smirk formed on Advait's lips. "Hmm... that's a good thing. What if that filmy scene repeats again?"

Aarish's glare was immediate, sharp enough to make anyone else back off. But this was Advait.

He simply chuckled at his friend's irritation. Aarish, refusing to entertain him, exhaled sharply and changed the topic. "Are you going back or not?"

Advait chuckled. "Arey, tujhe akele chhod ke mai kaise ja sakta hoon?" (How can I leave you alone and go?)

Aarish shot him a look. "Shut up, Advait, and just answer what I asked."

Advait, thoroughly enjoying himself, leaned forward with a teasing glint in his eyes.

"Nahi, mai bhi yahin ruk raha hoon. Mujhe bhi kuch kaam hai aur dad ki kuch meetings bhi handle karni hain." (No, I'm staying here too. I have some work and some meetings of Dad's to handle.)

Aarish gave a small nod. "Okay."

Just then, his phone buzzed. Seeing the caller ID, his expression softened ever so slightly.

"Kaun hai?" Advait asked, peeking at the screen. (Who is it?)

Aarish ignored him and answered the call. "Aadi? Anu?"

"Hello?"

"Bhaaiii !" Anaya's excited voice rang through, followed by Aadi's dramatic sigh.

"Finally! Aapse baat karna kitna mushkil ho gaya hai!" (Finally! Talking to you has become so difficult!)

Aarish chuckled, shaking his head. "Are you both fine?"

"Yes! Aur humne bohot miss kiya aapko!" (Yes! And we missed you a lot!) Anaya chimed in.

Aadi, never one to miss a chance to tease, added, "Par lagta hai aapne humein yaad bhi nahi kiya. Bas kaam aur meetings!" (But it seems like you didn't even miss us. Just work and meetings!)

Aarish sighed, rubbing his forehead. "You both know that's not true."

Advait, who had been quietly listening with a smirk, suddenly spoke loud enough for them to hear, "Sach mein, bachchon! Tumhare bhai ke paas filhaal kisi aur ke baare mein sochne ka bhi time nahi hai... ya shayad hai?" 

(Seriously, kids! Your brother has no time to think about anything else right now... or maybe he does?)

Aarish shot him a sharp glare, but before he could shut him up, Aadi gasped dramatically. "Koi hai kya? Bhai sa , sach batao!" (Is there someone? Bhai, tell us the truth!)

Anaya giggled, joining in, "Bhai sa, have you met someone."

Aarish groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Tum dono bhi na-"

But his siblings had already started their own debate about what kind of girl their brother might like, completely ignoring his protests.

Advait burst out laughing, shaking his head in amusement. "Good luck handling them, Rishi."

Aarish sighed in defeat, a small smile still playing on his lips. Maybe being away from home wouldn't feel so lonely after all.

Aarish sighed, knowing exactly where this conversation was heading. "Listen, you two," he said in a firm yet gentle tone.

"I won't be able to come home tomorrow. There's a lot of work here, so I'll be staying in Delhi for a week."

"A week?" Aadi groaned dramatically. "Bhai saa, that's too long!"

"I'll be back as soon as I wrap things up. But until then, no trouble, alright? Don't bother Kakisa too much, and behave in school," Aarish instructed.

"Haan, haan, jaise hum kabhi misbehave karte hain," Aadi muttered, rolling his eyes.(Yeah, yeah, as if we ever misbehave.)

Anaya giggled, but Aarish ignored it. "If anything happens, if you need me for anything, just call. I'll be back before you know it."

"Ok, Bhai sa, we'll be fine! Aap bhi apna khayal rakhiye aur jaldi wapas aa jaiye," Anaya said, her voice filled with warmth. (Ok, Bhai sa, we'll be fine! You also take care of yourself and come back soon.)

Aarish's lips curved slightly. "Haan, main jaldi aunga. Tum dono apna dhyan rakhna, aur school mein ache se behave karna, samjhe?" (Yes, I'll come back soon. You both take care and behave well in school, understood?)

"Ji, Bhai sa!" Aadi and Anaya said in unison, their voices cheerful.

With that, they bid goodbye, and Aarish ended the call, exhaling as he slipped his phone into his pocket. He leaned back, rubbing his temple as the exhaustion of the day slowly settled in.

The next few hours were spent discussing a few last-minute business matters before they finally had dinner.

As they wrapped up, Advait stretched his arms, letting out a loud yawn. "So chale sone?" (So, shall we go to sleep?)

Aarish scoffed. "Nahi toh, tujhe abhi mujra karna hai? Agar aisa hai toh tu kar, main chalta hoon." (No, unless you're planning to perform a mujra right now? If that's the case, you carry on-I'll take my leave.)

Advait smirked. "Agar tum chaaho toh main tumhare liye kar sakta hoon, mere Rishuuu." (If that's what you want, I can do it for you, my Rishuuu.)

Aarish shot him a glare. "Shut up, Advait, and go to sleep."

Before Advait could throw another one of his ridiculous comebacks, Atharva cleared his throat. "Sir-"

Aarish cut him off. "Aur Atharva, maine kitni baar kaha hai, kam se kam jab hum akele ho, mujhe bhai bula sakte ho?" (And Atharva, how many times have I told you, at least when we're alone, you can call me 'bhai'?)

Atharva hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Theek hai, Bhai sa..." (Alright, Bhaisa...)

"Ab batao, kya baat hai?" Aarish asked. (Now tell me, what is it?)

"Actually, kal hume Thakur Empire ke office jaana hoga. Aapko kuch legal papers sign karne honge," Atharva informed him. (Actually, we have to go to Thakur Empire's office tomorrow. You'll need to sign some legal papers there.)

Aarish gave a brief nod. "Theek hai, subah 9 baje nikalenge." (Alright, we'll leave by nine in the morning.) 

Then, his gaze shifted to Atharva and Kavya. "Tum dono bhi jaake so jao." (You both should go and sleep now.)

With that settled, everyone turned to leave, but Advait, never one to let go of a chance to tease, smirked.

"Waise... tum dono ek hi room share kar rahe ho na?" He wiggled his eyebrows at Atharva and Kavya. (By the way... you both are sharing a room, right?)

Being husband and wife and working together meant they were often at the receiving end of Advait's endless comments.

"Yes, sir. Of course," Kavya replied, already knowing he was up to something. Advait always found ways to tease her-he treated her like an annoying little sister.

He leaned in dramatically. "Main toh bas isliye pooch raha tha... agar privacy chahiye toh ek alag se hotel room book karwa dete hain." (Oh, I was just asking... if you need privacy, we can arrange a separate room.)

Before Atharva could even react, Kavya picked up a cushion from the couch and threw it at Advait. "What is your problem?"

Advait laughed, dodging the cushion effortlessly, while Atharva simply shook his head, cheeks turning slightly red.

"Shut up, Advait, and just go to sleep," Aarish muttered, already too tired for his antics.

"Thik hai, thik hai, jaa raha hoon. Tum log itne boring kyun ho?" Advait grinned, finally walking toward their room. (Alright, alright, I'm going. Why are you all so boring?)

Aarish sighed, running a hand through his hair before heading to his own room.

As he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, he let out a deep breath. The exhaustion from the day weighed on him, but his mind refused to shut down.

Because even as he closed his eyes, his thoughts betrayed him.

Flashes of deep brown eyes.

The way she had looked at him-surprised, almost like time had paused for a second.

A moment so fleeting, yet somehow, it lingered.

He exhaled, turning onto his side.

This was ridiculous.

✨𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐲 {- 𝐀𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐚'𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞}✨

The morning sun peeked through the curtains as Aashima slowly opened her eyes. A new day, a new beginning. Today marked the start of a fresh chapter in her life-her first day at Thakur Empire as the Manager of the Managing Director.

She took a deep breath, letting the excitement and nervousness settle within her. Pushing aside the blanket, she got up and went to freshen up.

After a warm shower, she stepped out and chose her outfit for the day-a sleek brown pant paired with a cream shirt. It was formal yet elegant, just the way she liked.

Once dressed, she moved on to her usual routine-skincare first, then a touch of kajal, mascara, and a subtle shade of lipstick. A pair of minimalistic earrings and a delicate bracelet completed her look.

With a spritz of perfume and her favorite heels clicking against the floor, she was ready.

As she stepped out of her room, a familiar aroma wafted through the air. Coffee.

Aashima raised an eyebrow, surprised. She made her way to the kitchen and was even more shocked to see Tanya already up and making coffee.

"Arey wahh! Aaj toh Tanu madam jaldi uth gayi!" Aashima grinned, walking up to her best friend and back-hugging her. (Wow! Look at that! Madam Tanya woke up early today!)

Tanya chuckled, shaking her head. "Kya karun, ek din toh mujhe bhi responsible lagna tha!" (What can I do? For once, I had to look responsible!)

Aashima laughed, resting her chin on Tanya's shoulder. "Achha? Kya special hai? Ya bas aise hi akal aa gayi?" (Oh really? What's so special today? Or did you just gain sudden wisdom?)

Tanya smirked. "Well, mujhe laga ki aaj meri best friend ki life ka important din hai... toh ek chhoti si coffee treat toh banti hai!" (Well, I thought today is an important day for my best friend... so a small coffee treat is a must!)

Aashima's heart warmed at that. No matter how much they teased each other, Tanya always had her back.

"Aww, meri pyaari Tanu!" Aashima pulled her into a side hug before picking up a mug. "Come on, let's cheers to new beginnings." (Aww, my sweet Tanu! )

Tanya grinned and clinked her coffee mug with Aashima's.

"New beginnings," she said.

"New beginnings," Aashima echoed, taking a sip.

And just like that, the day had begun.

✨{𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞}✨

The sun had barely risen when Aarish's alarm buzzed. He let out a sigh, rubbing his face before pushing himself out of bed.

Morning jogs were a ritual for him-a way to clear his mind before the chaos of the day began.

Dressed in a black athletic tee and joggers, he stepped out, letting the crisp Delhi air wake him up fully. A few kilo meters later, he returned to the apartment, slightly breathless but feeling refreshed.

Without wasting time, he grabbed a towel and headed straight to the shower. The warmwater cascaded down his body, washing away the exhaustion.

A few minutes later, he stepped out, droplets of water still glistening on his chest, a towel wrapped loosely around his waist. He ran a hand through his damp hair before moving to the wardrobe.

A brown three-piece suit, a sleek black watch, and his signature perfume. He slipped on his formal shoes, giving himself one last glance in the mirror. Impeccable, as always.

Just as he stepped out of his room, a familiar commotion greeted him.

"Kavya, bas! Ye meri coffee hai!" Advait's voice rang through the hall. (Kavya, enough! This is my coffee!)

"Excuse me? Maine ye banayi thi!" Kavya shot back, holding the cup protectively. (Excuse me? I made it !)

"Toh kya? It was kept on the table like that only so its mine now, pehle aana chahiye tha!" (So what? ,I got here first!)

Aarish paused, watching the two bicker like kids over a cup of coffee. 

{Pata nahi dono kaam kaise karte hain saath mein... ye namune. (I seriously don't know how these two manage to work together... what a pair of idiots.)}

On the other side of the room, Atharva was calmly sitting on the couch, watching them with an amused look, as if enjoying his daily dose of entertainment.

Aarish sighed and walked toward them. "Agar tum dono ka ho gaya ho, toh I think we should have our breakfast and move ahead with our day-because, you know, we actually have work to do." (If you two are done, I think we should have breakfast and move on with our day)

Kavya huffed, finally letting go of the cup. "Fine!"

Advait grinned in victory and took a triumphant sip.

They all moved to the dining table for breakfast. Aarish ate in silence, checking his phone, while Advait, as always, had something to say.

"Waise, Rishu..." he began with a smirk, making Aarish stop mid-bite. (By the way, Rishu...)

Aarish didn't even look up. "Don't start, Advait."

Advait ignored him. "Bas yahi keh raha tha ki, last night, you seemed a little lost... lost in thought, or lost in someone special? " (Just saying)

Aarish finally looked at him, expression blank. "One day... you're going to get beaten up by me."

Atharva and Kavya chuckled, while Advait dramatically placed a hand on his chest. "Oho, itni garmi subah-subah? Kya baat hai, Rishu?" (Oh wow, so much heat this early in the morning? What's the matter, Rishu?)

Aarish exhaled, deciding not to indulge him. Instead, he placed his napkin on the table and stood up. "Main ja raha hoon. Atharva let's go " (I'm leaving.)

Atharva nodded. "Ji Bhaisa"(Yes, bhaisa)

"Mere bina hi ja raha hai, Aarish?" Advait said dramatically, placing a hand on Aarish's shoulder. (You're leaving without me?)

Aarish gave him a blank look before shrugging his hand off. "Yes, because I have to focus on work, not drama."

Advait clutched his chest as if offended. "Arre, dukh ho raha hai mujhe! Itna begaana ho gaya hai tu?" (Wow, I'm hurt! You've become so distant?)

Atharva, who was watching the exchange while checking his watch, finally spoke up. "I think we should leave now as it's getting late."

Aarish smirked slightly and walked ahead, while Advait muttered, "Boring log," under his breath before following them. (Boring people.)

With that, Aarish and Atharva headed towards Thakur Empire, while Advait and Kavya left for their respective work, the day officially beginning.

But for Aarish... something about today felt different.

"𝐃𝐨 𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐲𝐚𝐧, 𝐝𝐨 𝐤𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐲𝐚𝐧... 𝐚𝐧𝐣𝐚𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐫 𝐞𝐤 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐳𝐢𝐥 𝐤𝐢 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐟 𝐛𝐚𝐝𝐡 𝐫𝐚𝐡𝐢 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧."

"𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨, 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬-𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝-𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐬, 𝐮𝐧𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠."

💫 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫-𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲.

𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫...

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬! 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝. 🖤✨

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠? 𝐀𝐧𝐲 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐝? 𝐋𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬! 💬

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠... 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭? 😉🔥

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫🌹

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