It was an hour since we came back from that mall- I was cleaning up the scattered shelf of books.
I didn't had much but the academic books- and my 9th and 10th books which I refuse to throw. I hate throwing off my things.
Something inside me never likes detachment- and that's why Aaradhya often calls me an emotional fool.
I've a bad habit of cleaning a space which is already cleaned. And what triggers all this is my habit of overthinking.
Whenever I want to act nonchalant, I do all this. My fingers ran over the edges of the books, I haven't touched in months.
I'd a few books of non- fiction and poems which I read when I lose it all, I joked with her that I don't have interest in reading much- but when it comes to those business books or I flip through them like they'll fix me.
It was silent, except for the ceiling fan making that light clicking sound. It always does that. I never fix it.
My fingers hovered over the spine of an old poetry book, the one with dried petals tucked inside, back from when I didn't even know how to explain things to myself. I didn't open it. Just stood there.
And then my eyes fell on it—something out of place on the table.
A pair of bangles. She didn't bought for herself, but I couldn't resist only to end up buying these on our way coming back.
A pair of silver bangles, minimalistic. As much as they looked good on her hands- those scars scared me. Her hand.
It had raw cuts, some looked like they were old- but those fresh ones? Scared the shit out of me.
I don't know how to react? It's not a thing I'd go and talk with others.
I was in my own mental spiral when I heard a voice. "Jaan-e-man" I rolled my eyes at this dramatic.
My best friend, Anirudh was sitting with a pillow in his hand.
"Kya hai?" I asked, while he made a pout.
"Mereko nahi leke gaya naye dost ban gaye hai na abb tere, Sid" He said, as I laughed at him and went to close the door.
(You didn't took me? Yeah, you got new friends?)
"Aae- aae- bhai jo tujhe karna hai na... iske aur tarekke bhi hote hai bhai-" Anirudh spoke, pointing at the door.
I was confused for a second, but a smirk came on my face as I understood what he meant.
I smirked, closing the door and went to sit with him. "Khyaal to bahut sahi hai" I said, going closer to him when he widened his eyes.
(The idea is not bad)
"Abbe agar tu mazak kar raha hai to ye bahut vahiyat mazak hai" Anirudh told, when I laughed at him.
"What do you think?" I asked
"You're joking right?"Anirudh looked genuinely nervous now, inching slightly back on the bed.
"Maybe I am," I shrugged, leaning back, still half-smiling.
"You better be, warna mujhe tujhse thoda distance banana padega," he said dramatically, clutching the pillow like a shield.
I shook my head and laughed, but my eyes drifted—just for a second—towards the table. Towards the silver bangles still lying there.
He noticed. Of course he did.
"Woh kis ke liye hain?" he asked, tone changing.
"Someone," I muttered.
"Sidha sidha bol na Zara" Anirudh almost shouted, when I went near him and covered his mouth.
"Shhhhh!" I pointed, as we both tripped to the bed and a voice came.
For a few seconds, we both lay on the bed with almost cracked back. It was hurting so bad- when the door creaked.
"Haww Agastyaaa" Shreya and Aaradhya sang in the same tone, when I noticed dadi and Zara beside them.
"Nani... dekho nani" Aaradhya teased when Anirudh pulled me away.
"Chee, gandi soch" Anirudh said, making a face of disgust.
"Aree re aisa hi hai anirudh" Aaradhya kept a hand on his shoulder, giving him a side eye.
"Dekh dekh, kaise bully karne lagi hai ye, height pahaunchti bhi hai meri height tak aayi badi bak bak karne vali, boni kahi ki" Anirudh said, when I laughed at the little menace.
"By the way, Shreya- why'd you came here?" Anirudh turned towards her and his voice softened. Dadi who was already done with all of us now took small steps leaving the room.
"Um, because that's my life, and I've feet" Shreya replied, her answers bold as always.
I laughed at her. "What is it?" Shreya asked.
"You started learning how to talk" I made a fun on her, when she rolled her eyes. Shreya was my partner in many activities, until I got to know she was with me so that she can somehow reach to Anirudh and talk to him.
I wonder what she found so good in him?
We were just talking when my eyes faltered at Zara, who was standing at a distance.
"Can we just go outside guys?" She asked, when the girls nodded.
"Kaha tu aur kaha vo.. Shreya and I match because she talks but Zara..."
Anirudh pointed out, when I raised my furrows at him.
"At least I'll have confidence to speak unlike you too who can't speak with each other and about Zara, so opposites attract, Anirudh if she won't be able to speak, I'll speak her part too"
"Haan bas ye zubaan band nahi honi chahiye teri, bechari ki baate bhi tu hi bolega?"
*
His POV ENDS
*
Author's POV
"So Aaradhya, we're planning a night out?" Shreya almost whispered in Aaradhya's ear, while Zara nodded, as she turned towards her.
"Hmm, my grandmother is leaving in few minutes, she'll come back tomorrow, that too most probably at night" Aaradhya spoke, when Zara entered in their talks.
"Let's summon ghosts tonight it'd be super fun" Zara said, a grin evident on her face when Aaradhya and Shreya shrugged their shoulders.
"This is interesting, vaise bhi one night won't hamper much, I already completed my syllabus" Aaradhya spoke as the main gate creaked in.
The hands of three of them got cold until they saw Sid.
"Zara, kumbhkaran aaj soyi nahi?" Sidhnarth teased when Zara threw a pillow on him.
Sid, energetic as always rushed away, only for the shot on him being missed.
"Sid ke bache teri to-" Zara said, as she stood up with another cushion in her hand, her furrows raised.
"Kya kar legi" Sid asked, as he cowardly moved away.
(What will you do?)
"Main aisa marungi naa" Zara said, hitting him with the pillow. Agastya and Anirudh who heard the loud noise now came outside, only to see Siddharth and Zara fighting.
(I'll hit you so bad)
Zara tried to aim cushion at Siddharth once again, but instead of him, the cushion directly lands up on Agastya's face.
Zara gasped. "Shitttttt!" She mumbled under her breath, as she went near him. She was biting her lips, her eyes lowered. "I'm really sorry" Zara said, her gaze filled with awkwardness.
She was fidgeting her fingers, while Agastya simply smiled at her.
"No problem, Zara" he smiled, when Siddharth interrupted.
"Arreee aise kaise no problem? Abhi bechare ka sar phut jaata ya mere" Siddharth asked.
"Pathar nahi hai vo, pillow hai gadhe" Zara said, rolling her eyes but the awkwardness in the room was palpable.
(It's not a stone, idiot)
"Lagta to hai na, irritate karti rahegi" Siddharth said. Aaradhya who was sitting quietly now spoke.
"Kya pareshani hai tumhari? Why can't you let my friend breathe?" Aaradhya asked, as she came in middle of the siblings.
"Behen hai vo meri" Siddharth said, "aap karti hai isse disturb mohtarma"
"As if you know her?" Aaradhya teased him, when Zara took Aaradhya to another side.
"Let it be Aaradhya" Zara said, a smile tugged on her face.
They were just standing casually, when Zara's eyes met with Agastya- it was just for a second, when Zara looked all away.
"We can do a night out tomorrow?" Shreya asked.
Aaradhya nodded, when the girls were exiting. Anirudh suddenly came forward, as he started walking with her.
"May I drop you back?" Anirudh asked, when Shreya simply nodded.
"Dhyaan se chalaiyo kahi accident ho jaeye" Agastya added, giving a sarcastic smile. "I mean road par dekh ke chalana choote bhai"
"Sid do you want to talk something with Agastya?" Zara asked, when he shook his head negatively. "To yaha kyu khada hai?"
"Mujhe Aaradhya se apni notebook leni hai isliye aaya hu" Siddharth said, as he kept a hand on the back of his head.
Aaradhya looked at him for once, as they went inside.
Zara was standing awkwardly, when Agastya came and stood near her. "Aaj aap apne ghar mei lock nahi hai? Aise kaise sahiba?"
(You aren't locked in your room? How is this possible Sahiba?)
Zara was standing quietly.
"I was thinking that you didn't gave the schedule when do you go to temple and when to... gurudwara?" Agastya asked, as he tilted his head.
As their eyes met, Zara threw a scary glare at him. Agastya just smiled at her.
"I understood you'll make a clean chart and then send it to me? No problem sahiba... first make it with glitter pens and then give it to me, I'll paste it on my study table"
Agastya now chuckled at Zara who was giving him a glare... "arre bas pata hai mujhe main handsome hu, tum aise ghurti rahogi to mujhe uncomfortable feel ho raha" he said, smiling while Zara looked at other side, trying her best not to laugh at his lame joke.
"I know you're laughing, you know I don't charge on smiling at all" Agastya said, laughing. "And the dimples suits you, a lot"
"Are you a stand up comedian who loves making people laugh?" Zara asked, as she looked at him.
"I don't know about others, but if I can make you laugh, I love it"
Agastya said, looking in her eyes taking a mesmerising glance of her. They were both looking at each other intensely. The tension between them was palpable.
Zara was about to leave, when Agastya called her out, "uh... Zara,"
"Hmm?" Zara asked, turning behind.
"Kuch nahi" Agastya said, as his lips twisted in a smile.
Zara looked at him, last time before she exited the house.
A smile was there on his face, as he saw her leaving.
****
Aaradhya was taking out the notebook while Siddharth was standing away, his hands in his pocket.
"Jaldi do, mereko jaana bhi hai" Siddharth said to Aaradhya who was busy staring at him.
(Give it quickly, I'll have to go back)
"Why're you so desperate to go back? It's not like I'll eat you or what" Aaradhya said in a polite manner.
"Because I don't like breathing in the same air as yours, now give me the notebook" Siddharth spoke, his voice rude.
Aaradhya glared at him, throwing a cushion. "What did I do?"
"Stay away from my sister's matters, if you or your brother tried to hurt her so I won't be able to forgive it," Siddharth said. "And this is the reason I'm always around when Zara comes here"
"Who're you to talk about this? And why're you being so protective, I bet you don't even care about her, or else you'd have known that she stays inside all the time, which is not a good thing, have you even see her talking, first try to be a brother and take initiatives rather than complaining to others who're genuinely trying to do that" Aaradhya said, her furrows raised.
"And why're you trying? Do you have some plans or-"
"Shut up Siddharth, you know what you don't even deserve to be loved or considered as a friend, from nowhere you're taking new things, just because someone wants to be someone's friend do they need a reason? Like motives, you feel like we'll bully her?" Aaradhya asked, as she came in front.
"Look Aaradhya, my sister has gone through enough, and I'm just telling you all this because I won't take a minute to butcher the person if they decided to hurt her, even a bit, so I thought it's better to warn before" Siddharth spoke, leaving the room when Aaradhya interrupted.
"You don't even deserve to be a brother, Siddharth, chuck someone's friend- a self absorbed guy who's trying to break his own sister's friendship on baseless talks, and I'll tell you one thing I can't tolerate you or your presence at all, and if you tried to breathe near me again, so I'll make you forget how it feels to inhale air" Aaradhya said when Siddharth turned and looked at her.
"I don't deserve to be Aaradhya, but I don't want to leave my sister and cry about it, I was testing you if you'll leave my sister after my words," Siddharth said, a smile tugged at his face. "But you didn't"
He smiled for a minute, but it slowly faltered. "But I still hate you," Siddharth spoke.
Aaradhya rolled her eyes, "as if I'm dying in your love, get out"
"I just want to get more marks in tomorrow's test and then I'll show you" Siddharth said, as a smirk came on his face.
His brownish hair fell messily over his forehead, brushing against his thick eyebrows. The strands looked like they hadn't seen a comb in hours, but still somehow suited the chaos he carried in his presence.
His eyes, a sharp brown with flecks of gold under the light, were still glaring.
"Jao na, dekh lungi main" Aaradhya said, rolling her eyes, when Siddharth left.
A blush came on both of them, Aaradhya was looking at her study table, "padh le Aaru, zindagi mein kuch bhi ho jaeye, iss admi se pyaar karna to last thing hai, I want to be an army doctor, and I know my dreams, no guy no problem" She muttered under her own breath as she sat to study physics.
She was solving the difficult problems of physics, trying to stay focused, but the page kept blurring.
The equations were spinning, not because she didn't know them, but because her brain was busy replaying that stupid smile on Siddharth's face. That annoying smirk, the way his voice had dropped when he'd said "I don't want to leave my sister and cry about it."
"Ugh," she muttered, pressing the pencil harder against the paper. "So much drama. As if I'm in some Ekta Kapoor serial."
But her hand stilled.
His words had been dramatic, sure—but not fake.
He meant it. That was the problem.
Aaradhya blinked hard and shook her head. "Focus," she whispered to herself. "Friction. Circular motion. Gravitation. Not gravitation towards him, Aaru."
Still, her mind wandered.
The way his hair fell over his eyes. The way he glared without blinking. The way his presence filled a room, loud and chaotic—but not meaningless.
She threw the pencil down.
"This is not fair. I can't have a soft spot for someone who threatened to butcher people."
She took a deep breath, picked the pencil again, and looked back at the question.
It was a question about velocity. About things moving forward.
"Right," she muttered, narrowing her eyes. "Exactly what I'll do. Move forward. Alone. Army doctor banungi main. Zara ke bhai se nahi pyaar karungi. Ever."
"Yeah, he's Zara ka bhai and nothing else, he doesn't matters for me AT ALL"
"Kiska bhai, Aaru" Agastya entered her room, while she was flabbergasted listening at her cousin's voice.
"Whose brother, Agastya?" Aaradhya repeated the question, when Agastya leaves the topic.
"Vaise do you know the instagram ID of Zara?" He asked, when Aaradhya raised her furrows.
"For that your and her interest are like super far.... She has two public fan accounts one is meant for drama edits and second for novels and you aren't a fans of both" Aaradhya said.
"Give me the ID I'm not following anyways, I just want to judge her talent" Agastya said, when Aaradhya looked at him with a raised furrow.
"It always comes from these talentless -1/10 guys"
"Tell na?" Agastya asked irritated.
"Her id is 'welistenandwejudge'" Aaradhya told, while Agastya scoffed.
"Really Aaru tell naaa"
"Arre yahi hai, dafa ho ja yaha se" Aaradhya said, frustrated when Agastya stood.
"Kisine kuch kaha hai kya?" He asked, already rolling his sleeves.
(Did someone said something?)
"Nahi, pagal, I want to study, abb jaa" Aaradhya said, trying to bury her angry self in front of him.
"Pagal," Aaradhya repeated under her breath as she flipped a page in her notebook. Her pen hovered over a formula, but her mind? Nowhere near physics.
Agastya didn't move.
He was still standing there, arms crossed, looking at her with those stupidly observant eyes.
"You sure na?" he asked again, voice softer now. "Kisi ne kuch bola toh—"
"I said no, you know me well if someone said me something he/she won't be seen alive" Aaradhya said, while Agastya nodded.
Aaradhya's head lowered looking at the book, her smile seemed forced.
Agastya somehow left the room, muttering the accounts name.
Agastya sat on the edge of his bed, phone in hand, screen glowing in the dim light of his lamp.
@welistenandwejudge.
He typed it slowly, like the words might disappear if he rushed them.
The account popped up—clean, minimal layout. A black-and-white profile picture. No selfies, no bio bragging. Just:
You'll find real reviews, made for my free time :)
The page was filled with books he'd never heard off. Some of the reels had her voiceover but none of video covered her face.
It was just an honest book review.
Scrolling down the page, he found the reviews of Hindi literature, soft poems like
• The Mountains Echoed – Khaled Hosseini
• The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
• Home Fire – Kamila Shamsie
• An Unnecessary Woman – Rabih Alameddine
• Girls Burn Brighter – Shobha Rao
• Room – Emma Donoghue
• The Color Purple – Alice Walker
• Before We Were Strangers – Renée Carlino
• A Man Called Ove – Fredrik Backman
• The Midnight Library – Matt Haig
• The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
• We Are Okay – Nina LaCour
• Milk and Honey – Rupi Kaur
• Home Body – Rupi Kaur
• Pillow Thoughts – Courtney Peppernell
• The Princess Saves Herself in This One – Amanda Lovelace
• Love Her Wild – Atticus
Scrolling down, he paused on a caption under a reel of The Bell Jar.
"I am terrified by this dark thing that sleeps in me."
– Sylvia Plath
No emoji. No dramatic hashtags. Just that line.
Another post had this under Milk and Honey:
"If you were born with the weakness to fall, you were born with the strength to rise."
He hadn't thought of her like this before.
Zara, who mumbled during roll call and avoided eye contact in crowds, had read more in her fifteen years than he had in his entire life. And not just reading for school. She read women who wrote about war and heartbreak, loneliness and love. And then she wrote back—quiet reviews that didn't beg for likes, the reviews under her posts felt genuine- those long overanalysing paragraphs which really held importance.
She wasn't what he thought. Not just a shy kid who hid behind her sister.
There was more. A whole voice living online that she never used in person.
And somehow, that made her more real than most people he knew.
-
<3
Hope the chapter was enjoyable 💗✨
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