Aanya told them the whole story of what had happened.
Tara looked at her seriously, her expression sharp.
"Aanya… what have you done?"
Aanya lowered her gaze, flustered. "Tara, I wanted to but—"
"Stop it," Tara cut her off firmly.
Aanya blinked at her innocently, her eyes wide.
Tara sighed in frustration. "I thought tonight you would finally propose to Aryan, and you both would be together. But no—you don't want that. You just want to keep admiring him secretly every single time."
Aanya bit her lip and whispered softly, "Well… admiring secretly is also very nice."
Tara gave her a long, serious look.
Aanya fidgeted with her fingers and asked nervously, "Well, Tara, what should I do? I mean, I know I have to propose, but I couldn't. I was afraid… what if he says no?"
Meera leaned forward, her tone encouraging. "But you said he felt jealous—that means he likes you, right? So why do you think he'll reject you?"
Aanya hesitated, her voice trembling. "I mean… yeah, he did feel jealous. But still… what if my thoughts are wrong? If I propose and he says no, then I won't even be able to talk to him. I won't even be able to see him. He'll keep his distance from me forever. That's why I didn't say anything…"
All three of them stared at her in silence.
Aanya's eyes watered slightly as she whispered, "I'm sorry…"
Just then, Mayank and Suraj suddenly walked in.
Suraj frowned. "Aanya, where were you?"
Aanya quickly forced a small smile.
Suraj continued, "I thought we both would dance, but…"
Before he could finish, Tara snapped angrily, "It's late. We all should go. Let's leave." She started walking away.
"But—" Aanya tried to stop her.
Nisha and Meera exchanged glances and quietly followed Tara.
Suraj looked at Aanya, confused. "What happened? Anyway… we'll leave too." He and Mayank walked out as well.
Left alone, Aanya lowered her head, her heart heavy.
What have I done…?
Just as Aanya stood there, lost in her thoughts, someone suddenly called her name.
She turned and saw Rahul approaching. Aanya smiled faintly.
"Oh… Rahul."
Rahul stopped in front of her, looking around. "Well… where are your friends?"
"They left," Aanya replied softly.
"Oh, they left? Even I was about to go," Rahul said, scratching the back of his neck, "but then I suddenly remembered something and stopped."
Aanya tilted her head curiously. "What is it?"
Rahul hesitated, then said, "Well… I mean, we should be in touch, right? So, I came to ask for your number."
From a short distance away, Aryan had just arrived and overheard the conversation. His eyes immediately darkened, watching them intently.
Aanya noticed Aryan standing there, his expression serious.She looked at Rahul and, with a polite smile, said,
"Rahul ji, what's the need for my number? We meet often anyway… so what's the use?"
Aryan's lips curved into an unexpected smile the moment he heard her words, the tension in his eyes easing.
Rahul, a little embarrassed, forced a small laugh. "Yeah… you're right. We meet often, so no need for numbers. Okay then… I'm leaving. See you later. Bye."
"Bye," Aanya replied gently.
As Rahul walked away, she glanced at Aryan again. He was already looking at her. For a brief moment, he smiled softly before turning his face away.
Aanya's heart fluttered, and she couldn't help smiling too.
But from a distance, Nandini stood silently, her sharp eyes fixed on them. She had seen everything—every glance, every smile—and her expression grew serious.
The next day at Aanya's house
Radha sat down beside her husband, Naveen, her expression thoughtful.
"Well, I need to tell you something, Naveen ji."
Naveen glanced at her. "About what?"
Radha hesitated, then continued, "There is one boy named Raj… our neighbors know him well. He's a very nice guy, working in France. They asked about our Aanya…"
Naveen's head immediately turned toward her.
Radha quickly added, "I didn't say anything to them. They just told me their opinion, so…"
"You mean… you want Aanya to marry so young?" Naveen interrupted firmly.
Radha shook her head. "No, that's not what I mean. But… it's a very good proposal, isn't it? And now that your health is better, maybe we should at least consider it."
Naveen went silent for a moment, then said slowly, "Well… if we even think about it, we need to ask Aanya first."
Radha immediately shook her head. "No need to ask Aanya. She won't refuse if it's your word."
Naveen stayed silent, lost in thought.
---
Later, after classes
Aanya caught up with her friends, but something felt wrong. The three of them—Tara, Meera, and Nisha—were unusually quiet, avoiding her eyes.
"Guys, come on," Aanya said softly. "I already said sorry… won't you talk to me?"
The three stayed silent.
Aanya's face fell. "Okay then. Anyway, when did you ever really consider me your friend? You're all better off without me," she muttered emotionally.
At that, the three exchanged a look and immediately stepped closer. Tara gave Aanya a light slap on her head.
"Stop talking rubbish! Of course we care."
Aanya's eyes softened. "I'm sorry… please, please, please…"
The three couldn't hold back anymore—they burst into laughter.
Aanya smiled in relief. "Finally! You guys laughed."
Tara shook her head with a teasing sigh. "Aanya, we weren't angry with you. We were just… upset. Afraid you missed a great opportunity."
"Oh, Tara, you're thinking too much," Aanya said quickly, waving her hands. "It's not like the earth is ending tomorrow. Okay, fine—I'll tell him."
Meera's eyes lit up. "When?"
Aanya bit her lip. "Well… I don't know exactly. But I'll definitely ask him."
Tara leaned closer, serious again. "Then ask him as soon as possible. Do it when the time is right. If you ask in the wrong moment… things could turn out differently."
Aanya smiled gently. "Tara, you think too much. Be positive—nothing bad will happen. Everything will be fine."
Then she suddenly brightened. "Okay, listen—I've already planned something. We're going to eat pani puri! It's been so long since I've had it. Oh, and by the way, I already messaged Mr. Aryan not to come."
Nisha's eyes widened. "Oh no, Aanya… I need to go early today. Sorry, I can't join."
Tara nodded apologetically. "Yeah, me too, Aanya. For the past few days, I've been coming home late… I really can't today."
Aanya's smile faltered. She looked at them seriously, a little sadness clouding her face, then turned to Meera with hopeful eyes.
Meera chuckled softly. "Well… I don't have any work. Let's go."
Aanya's face instantly lit up again. "Okay!" she said with a big smile.
---
At Aryan's house, Prerna lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her thoughts drifted back to Aahil, and a tear rolled down her cheek before she could stop it.
Why am I even doing this marriage? she thought helplessly, her heart tightening. The more she tried to stay strong, the more her tears fell.
Just then, her phone buzzed on the side table. She quickly wiped her face and picked it up — Dev was calling. Taking a deep breath, she answered softly, "Hello…"
"Hey, Prerna. Hi," Dev's warm voice came through.
"Hi…" she replied, her tone dull and distant.
Dev hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "Well, tomorrow's the mehendi, right? And since we won't get a chance to meet then, I thought… maybe we could go out for a bit today?"
Prerna stayed silent, unsure what to say.
Sensing her hesitation, Dev added gently, "It's okay if you don't want to. I just thought—it might be nice to talk. We haven't really had time before, you know? Everything happened so quickly… and we don't know each other that well."
His words made her pause. She knew he wasn't wrong. After a moment of thought, she said quietly, "Okay. I'll come."
Dev's voice brightened instantly. "Really? Great! Then I'll come pick you up—"
Before he could finish, Prerna interrupted softly, "No need for that. I'll come myself."
Dev smiled faintly. "Alright then… see you soon."
"Hmm… okay," she murmured, ending the call.
Prerna came downstairs, adjusting her dupatta nervously. "Mom," she said softly, "I'm going to meet Dev."
Devika, who was sitting on the sofa, looked up in surprise. "How will you go, dear? Is Dev coming to pick you up?"
Prerna shook her head. "No, Mom. I'll go by myself."
Just then, Aryan walked in through the door. Devika turned toward him with a warm smile. "Aryan, you came a little early today. By the way, where's Aanya?"
Aryan replied calmly, "She messaged me that she'll be with her friends for a while."
Devika nodded. "Oh, alright."
Before she could say anything more, Nandini, who had been sitting nearby, spoke sharply. "Seriously? This girl doesn't even have manners—always busy enjoying with her friends!"
Aryan's expression turned serious at her tone. Devika frowned and said gently, "Sister-in-law, what are you saying? She's young—at her age, everyone likes to enjoy. Let her be."
Nandini pressed her lips together but stayed silent.
Devika then turned back to Aryan. "By the way, Aryan, Prerna is going to meet Dev. Why don't you drop her?"
Aryan nodded without hesitation. "Okay, Mom."
---
End Of Chapter 43.