Aayansh’s POV
The alarm rang, dragging me out of sleep. I lazily walked into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and let the water hit me. As I closed my eyes, Ruhi’s face flashed before me. My eyes snapped open immediately. What the hell, Aayansh? I muttered to myself. Why can’t I stop thinking about her?
Lost in my thoughts, last night’s memory suddenly hit me the message I had sent Ruhi. My chest tightened.
I quickly turned off the shower, dried myself, slipped into my bathrobe, and picked up my phone from the bed. I hesitated for a moment before unlocking it.
The first notification made me smile.
Ruhanika Raichand has started following you.
But the very next one wiped the smile off my face.
She sent you a message.
Heart pounding, I opened it. She liked my message. Relief washed over me. At least she didn’t think I was some creep stalking her.
I got dressed and headed downstairs. As I walked toward the dining area, I noticed everyone staring at me.
“What?” I frowned. “Is there something on my face?”
“Are you really our brother, Aayansh Singhaniya? Or is this your doppelganger?” Vivan teased.
I smacked the back of his head. “Now do you believe I’m your brother?”
“Yes!” he winced, rubbing the spot.
“Bhai, what’s with the smile? Any special reason?” Dhruv asked suspiciously.
I glared at him. “Do I need your permission to smile now?”
He immediately shook his head and went back to eating.
Author’s POV
The family sat in the dining hall, but no one touched their food. Their eyes were glued to Aayansh, who was absentmindedly smiling at his plate while playing with his food.
“Bhabhi, are you seeing this or am I hallucinating?” Anita whispered to Seema.
“No, you’re not hallucinating,” Seema replied. “He’s actually smiling.”
“And without reason,” Abhijeet added.
Viraj shuddered. “That smile is too creepy. I swear I got goosebumps.” He held up his arms to show his brother.
Seema frowned. “I think someone has done black magic on my grandson. We should ward off the evil eye today itself. Tomorrow, we’ll also consult Guruji.”
Sanvi, Aayansh’s sister, stood up and went behind him. “Bhai, is she pretty?”
“Yes,” Aayansh murmured, lost in thought. “But even the word ‘pretty’ doesn’t do justice to her. She’s a beautiful angel. My angel.”
Everyone froze.
The silence broke when Vivan, Sanvi, and Dhruv screamed together, “WHO IS SHE?!”
Questions rained down, but Aayansh snapped out of his daze, horrified at what he’d just revealed.
“I’m going to the office,” he muttered, pushing back his chair.
“Bhai, tell us! Do we know her?” Dhruv pressed.
“Move, or I’ll block your cards.”
The threat worked instantly and they moved aside.
But Seema stopped him. “Aayansh.”
He froze, knowing there was no hiding from his mother. “Yes, Mom?”
“Are you really not going to tell us about her?” she sighed. “You’ve grown up, and if you don’t want to share, it’s okay.”
“Mom, it’s not like that,” he said softly. “You know I tell you everything. But I’m confused. I don’t know why I can’t stop thinking about her. I hate when she smiles at someone else.”
“You’re in love, son,” his father said calmly.
“Love? Dad, no, I just met her. How can I love someone I barely know?”
“That’s how love is, son. It happens suddenly, without warning. Right now, you like her. Give it time, and you’ll know if she’s the one,” Viraj said, patting his shoulder.
Aayansh nodded faintly.
“Remember, Aayansh,” Veer Pratap Singhaniya his Dadu spoke firmly. “Feelings can overwhelm you. Don’t bottle them up. Express them, or she may never understand. Take your time, yes, but not too long. Otherwise, someone else might take her away.”
Aayansh’s jaw clenched, his eyes darkening. “Don’t worry, Dadu. No one can take her away from me.”
And with that, he left for the office.
At the Office
The boardroom was filled with murmurs as the meeting ended. But Aayansh hadn’t heard a single word.
“Sir, the presentation is done,” his secretary reminded him.
“Hm.” He barely reacted. Then suddenly, he said, “Sit down, all of you. I need to ask something.”
The employees exchanged confused looks but obeyed.
“My friend,” he began awkwardly, rubbing his neck, “likes a girl but doesn’t know how to express his feelings. What should he do?”
The staff nearly gasped. Their strict, no-nonsense boss asking them about love? Unbelievable.
One piped up. “Sir, you should give her gifts. My girlfriend loves surprises.”
“That’s good,” Aayansh nodded. “What kind of gifts?”
“Branded bags, designer dresses, maybe even a car,” a female employee suggested dreamily.
Pranay, his assistant, rolled his eyes. “Miss, Boss isn’t asking for your wishlist. The girl doesn’t need luxuries, she can buy them herself. The girl murmured something but didn’t say anything.
Sir, first become her friend. Know her likes, dislikes, what makes her happy. Learn everything about her.“Pranay told him.
Aayansh listened intently, then smiled. “That’s a good idea. I’ll tell my friend that.”
But everyone knew exactly who the friend was.
Ruhanika’s Office
Aayansh stood outside her building, debating whether to go in or walk away. Finally, he entered. The receptionist greeted him with respect and directed him to her cabin.
He opened the door without knocking. Ruhanika looked up, a small smile flickering across her lips before she quickly masked it. She dismissed her assistant with a glance.
“Hello, Mr. Singhaniya,” she said smoothly. “What do I owe this personal visit to my office?”
“Hello, Ruhanika. Call me Aayansh, please. I came to discuss the project. I hope I didn’t disturb you.”
“No, not at all. Go ahead.”
He checked his watch. “Actually, it’s almost lunchtime. If you don’t mind, we can talk over lunch. There’s a new restaurant I wanted to try.”
She considered it for a moment. “I don’t mind.” She grabbed her bag and walked to the door. He quickly opened it for her.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
At the Restaurant
They sat opposite each other. While Ruhanika scanned the menu, Aayansh couldn’t take his eyes off her.
She caught his gaze, put down the menu, and smirked. “Say it.”
“What?” he blinked.
“It’s written all over your face. You want to say something.”
He straightened. “I… just wanted to apologize.”
“For what?” she asked, raising a brow.
“For the way I behaved when we first met. I know I was rude. I’m genuinely sorry, Ruhi. I just… I want a fresh start. So, will you forgive me… and be my friend?”
Ruhanika looked into Aayansh’s eyes directly. They both stared at each other for a whole minute before she broke the stare.
“Okay, I’ll forgive you.”
“Really?” Aayansh said happily.
“Yes, and I’m also sorry for the way I behaved with you.”
“No, I mean, it’s fine. We didn’t have a good start, but now we will,” Aayansh said.
“Hmm,” Ruhanika nodded.
“So… hello, Miss Ruhanika Raichand,” Aayansh said, extending his hand for a handshake.
Ruhanika took his hand and said, “Hello, Mr. Aayansh Singhaniya.”
They had their lunch together. Then Ruhanika suggested watching a movie, which Aayansh agreed to, and they went.
They spent a good time together, and this time, there was something different between them. It was their new beginning.
At Raichand Mansion
Ruhanika bid goodbye to Aayansh and went inside her home, a smile still on her face. As she entered the house, everyone looked at her, noticing her bright smile.
“Parth, what happened, Ruhi, that you’re smiling this much?” he asked.
Ruhanika immediately stopped smiling. “Nothing,” she replied and went upstairs.
Everyone looked at each other. Then Rishabh said, “She must have cracked some deal again.”
The others nodded at this, but the mahila mandal looked at each other with sheepish smiles and whispered, “We need to find out who is the guy who made our Ruhi smile like this.”
They all agreed and continued their conversation.
Ruhanika got fresh, laid on the bed, took her phone, and messaged Aayansh asking if he had reached home.
The reply came instantly: Yes, just reached home and was going to take a bath.
Ohh then you should go. Bye, she replied.
But then her thoughts started imagining how he might look in the sho— She cut off her own thoughts when a notification popped up.
No, the shower can wait if you are talking with me.
She blushed reading the message.
She typed, No, you should go. It’s already late and I’m sleepy 😴, and kept her phone aside, trying to sleep. But sleep was far away; her thoughts were somewhere else or with someone else.
On the other hand, it was the same. Aayansh got fresh and laid on the bed, staring at his phone well, staring at a picture he had clicked today. While looking at the photo, he didn’t even realize when he fell asleep.
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