Aanya immediately called Aryan.
Meanwhile, at his office, Aryan was working when he suddenly saw Aanya's name flashing on his phone screen.
He frowned in confusion.
Why is she calling me?
Thinking that something might have happened, he quickly answered.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Aryan..." Aanya said in a worried voice.
Hearing the concern in her tone, Aryan immediately became alert.
"Aanya, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Mr. Aryan," she replied. "But what about you?"
Aryan frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Mr. Aryan, why aren't you eating properly? Why aren't you sleeping well?"
Aryan looked confused.
"What?"
"Yes, Mr. Aryan. I know everything," Aanya said worriedly. "I know you haven't been eating or sleeping properly for the past few days. Haven't you thought about how unhealthy that is?"
"Aanya, what are you talking about?" Aryan asked. "Who told you all this?"
"It doesn't matter who told me," Aanya replied. "The only thing that matters is whether it's true or not."
Aryan sighed.
"Aanya, I'm not understanding anything. And for your information, I'm eating well and sleeping well."
"No," Aanya immediately argued. Don't lie to me, Mr. Aryan. I know you're lying so that I won't find out the truth.
Aryan stayed silent.
Aanya took his silence as confirmation.
"Isn't it because of my marriage?"
Aryan froze.
"What?"
"Yes," Aanya continued emotionally. I know why you're acting like this. It's because I'm getting married, right?
Aryan still didn't answer.
"From the very beginning, you've been hiding the truth from me. You're not admitting it," Aanya said.
Admitting what? Aryan asked.
"That you like me too."
Aryan became silent.
"I know you like me, Mr. Aryan," she
continued. You can't bear the thought of me marrying someone else. That's why you're not eating.
Aryan clenched his jaw.
Mr. Aryan, even now it's not too late, Aanya said emotionally. "Please tell me that you like me too. I... I'll somehow convince my parents and stop this marriage."
Aryan's expression hardened.
"Aanya, listen carefully. It looks like there's a misunderstanding—"
No! Aanya interrupted.
Aryan fell silent.
"Mr. Aryan, why are you still refusing to admit it?" she asked through tears. "You don't want me to marry Kunal, right? Tell me the truth."
Suddenly, Aryan lost his patience.
"STOP IT, AANYA!"
Aanya immediately fell silent.
Her heart sank.
Aryan took a deep breath before speaking again.
"Are you crazy?" he said angrily. "How many times do I have to tell you?"
Tears filled Aanya's eyes.
"I DON'T LOVE YOU. Do you understand?"
Aanya felt as if her entire world had shattered again.
"And who told you that I'm not eating or sleeping?
Aanya couldn't speak.
Aryan continued in a serious tone,
Wait a minute. Didn't you tell me that you had forgotten me and moved on?
Aanya became silent.
Then what is all this, Aanya?
Tears continued to gather in her eyes.
Aryan took a deep breath and said firmly,
"And one more thing. The reason I'm not eating properly or sleeping well is only because of my WORK. Nothing else."
Aanya's eyes filled with tears.
"So..." she whispered brokenly, you're not thinking about me at all?
The moment those words left her mouth, Aryan felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Unable to answer, he abruptly cut the call.
Aanya stared at her phone.
A few tears rolled down her cheeks.
She quickly wiped them away and took a deep breath.
Meanwhile, Aryan sat frozen in his cabin, staring at his desk.
His mood was completely ruined.
Just then, Simran knocked on the door and entered.
"Sir, this file—"
"How many times do I have to tell you to knock before entering?" Aryan suddenly snapped.
Simran immediately became frightened.
After a pause, she replied softly,
"Sir... I did knock."
Aryan realized his mistake.
He turned his face away.
Simran lowered her head.
"Sorry, sir," she said quietly before leaving the cabin.
After she left, Aryan closed his eyes tightly and pressed his fingers against his forehead.
At Aanya's house, inside her room, Aanya threw her phone onto the bed and started pacing back and forth.
"What am I doing?" she muttered to herself.
After a pause, she ran a hand through her hair in frustration.
"Aanya, you are really stupid. I mean, really, really stupid!"
She stopped and looked at herself in the mirror.
Why did I even call him? Why do I still care about him?
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I should move on. I have to move on."
Slowly, she sat down on the edge of her bed and buried her face in her hands.
"What is wrong with me?" she whispered before breaking down into tears.
Later that evening, Aanya and Kunal went to a mall.
"You know, Aanya, I used to come here quite frequently," Kunal said while walking beside her.
Aanya simply nodded.
After a few moments, Kunal looked at her carefully.
"Why do you look so sad?"
Aanya immediately turned toward him.
"What? No. I'm not sad."
Kunal stopped walking.
Then he stepped in front of her and studied her face.
"I can clearly see it in your eyes," he said softly. "Did you cry?"
Aanya quickly turned her face away.
"No."
"Then why are your eyes so puffy?"
Aanya hesitated.
"I... haven't been sleeping well these days."
Kunal frowned.
"Why aren't you sleeping well?"
Aanya didn't know how to answer.
Then suddenly, Kunal grinned.
"Were you thinking about me all night?"
Aanya immediately looked at him in shock.
"What?"
Kunal burst out laughing.
"I'm just kidding."
Aanya rolled her eyes slightly.
As they resumed walking, Kunal said,
"But seriously, you should sleep properly, Aanya."
Aanya looked at him.
"I mean, if you don't sleep, our wedding photos won't come out well."
Aanya stared at him.
Kunal quickly added,
"I mean, girls usually want every single photo to be perfect, right?"
Aanya didn't respond.
A little later, Kunal suddenly pointed ahead.
Look! Ice cream.
Without waiting for an answer, he pulled her toward the ice cream counter.
Two chocolate ice creams," Kunal ordered.
Aanya was about to mention her favorite flavor, but then stopped herself.
After a moment, Kunal looked at her and asked,
"You like chocolate flavor, right?"
Aanya hesitated.
Yeah, it's okay. But my favorite is actually butterscotch.
Kunal laughed.
Wait, what? Your favorite is butterscotch?
Aanya didn't like the way he reacted.
"What's wrong with that?"
Kunal raised his hands slightly.
Nothing. I'm sorry. It's just that I don't like butterscotch at all. It tastes so gross to me.
Aanya frowned.
"Seriously? Everyone has different tastes."
Yeah, you're right though, Kunal admitted with a smile.
Aanya simply turned her face away, feeling slightly annoyed.
Meanwhile, from a distance, a man suddenly stopped walking.
"Wait... is that Kunal?"
His wife looked in the same direction.
"It does look like Kunal."
But when did he come back from the US?the man asked.
His wife smiled.
"Let's go ask him."
The couple walked toward them.
Kunal suddenly heard someone call his name.
"Kunal!"
Both Kunal and Aanya turned around.
Kunal's expression immediately changed.
"Nikhil?"
Before Nikhil could say anything else, Kunal quickly walked up to him and pulled him a little distance away from Aanya.
Nikhil looked confused but then grinned.
"Hey! What kind of friend are you? You came to India and didn't even tell us!"
Kunal looked slightly caught off guard.
From a distance, Aanya watched them in confusion.
Trying to act normal, Kunal quickly smiled and said,
"Nikhil, when was the last time you answered my calls or replied to my messages?"
Looking at Nikhil's wife, he added,
"Sister-in-law, you tell me. Other than your calls and messages, has he ever replied to anyone else's messages or even picked up their calls?"
She laughed.
Nikhil shook his head with a smile.
"Okay, okay. But tell me, when did you come to India?"
"It's been about a week," Kunal replied.
As they continued talking, Aanya quietly walked closer to Kunal.
Nikhil and his wife noticed her and looked at her curiously.
Kunal also noticed and said,
"Well, Aanya, this is Nikhil and his wife."
Then he turned to them.
"And Nikhil, this is Aanya."
Aanya smiled politely.
Nikhil and his wife smiled back.
Nikhil was about to say something when suddenly..
"Aanya, we left our ice creams there. And bring two extra ones for them as well."
Nikhil immediately waved his hand.
"No, no. We don't need any."
"What are you saying?" Kunal replied. "Aanya, just bring four chocolate ice creams."
Nikhil smiled. "Come on, we'll all go together."
"No need," Kunal said quickly. "Aanya can bring them, right?"
He looked at her.
Aanya hesitated for a second before nodding.
"Yeah, okay."
Then she walked away.
As she left, Nikhil said,
"Arrey, it'll be difficult for her to carry four ice creams at once."
Kunal shrugged.
"It's fine. If she couldn't do it, she would have said so."
Meanwhile, Aanya looked back at them from a distance before continuing toward the counter.
Nikhil then asked,
"By the way, why did you suddenly come to India?"
"Mom's health wasn't well," Kunal replied.
Nikhil's wife looked concerned.
"Oh. Was it serious?"
"No, no. She's fine now. She had chest pain, but the doctor said it was just gastric issues. Nothing serious."
"That's good," Nikhil said.
Then he smirked.
"And how's Elena?"
"She's doing well," Kunal replied casually.
Nikhil raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm... does she know that you're shopping here with a girl?"
Kunal laughed.
"Hey, Aanya is just a relative's daughter. That's all."
"Oh, okay," Nikhil said.
"By the way, when are you leaving?"
"Probably in a week."
Nikhil's wife looked surprised.
"So soon?"
"Yeah. It was really difficult for me to get leave from work."
Just then, Aanya returned, struggling to hold the ice creams.
Nikhil and his wife immediately took theirs.
"Thank you so much," they said.
Kunal took his ice cream as well.
Then he looked at Aanya.
"What about you? Aren't you having one?"
"No. I don't want any. You guys eat."
Nikhil smiled.
"Let's meet again before you leave."
His wife nodded.
"Yeah, come to our house."
"Definitely. I'll try," Kunal replied.
After a few more minutes, they said goodbye and left.
Aanya simply smiled politely.
As they walked away, Kunal took a bite of his ice cream.
Aanya, it's really good. You should try some.
No, it's alright.
If you want butterscotch, I can get one for you.
Aanya shook her head.
"No, thank you. I just don't feel like eating."
"Okay. Your wish."
They started walking again.
After a moment, Aanya asked,
"By the way, is he your friend?"
Who? Nikhil? Yeah, of course.
"Then why did he look so surprised to see you in India?"
Kunal paused for a second before laughing.
"No, no. He already knew I was here. He was just joking."
Aanya wasn't fully convinced.
"Then why did he say, 'Let's meet again before you leave'? Doesn't he know about our wedding?"
For a brief moment, Kunal didn't know what to say.
Then he quickly smiled.
"Of course he knows about our wedding. Actually, he and his wife are going on a trip during that time, so they won't be able to attend. That's why they invited us to their house."
Aanya looked thoughtful.
"It didn't sound like that. It felt more like they were inviting only you."
Kunal chuckled nervously.
"No, no. They invited both of us. They just accidentally said only me."
Aanya didn't reply.
A strange feeling lingered in her mind.
Sensing the conversation was becoming uncomfortable, Kunal quickly changed the topic.
Well, don't you want to do some shopping?
Aanya shook her head.
"No. Actually, I'm tired. Can we go home?"
Yeah, sure. No problem.
"Let's go."
—-
Later that night, Devika and Prerna were waiting for Aryan.
Suddenly, they heard the door bell.
Devika looked at Prerna and said,
"Looks like Aryan came. Go and open the door."
Prerna quickly went and opened it.
Aryan was standing outside.
Seeing her, he asked
"Prerna, you're still awake?"
"Yes, Bhai," Prerna replied.
Aryan walked inside and noticed Devika sitting in the living room as well.
He looked at both of them and said,
"Mom, you guys are still awake? I thought Sudha would open the door."
Devika smiled,
"No Aryan. We weren't feeling sleepy today, so we told Sudha to go home."
Then she added,
"By the way, it's already so late. Go freshen up and come. I'll serve dinner."
Aryan nodded and went to his room.
After freshening up, he came back and sat at the dining table.
Devika served the food while Aryan quietly started eating.
Meanwhile, Prerna looked at Devika and secretly signaled through her eyes,
"Ask him."
Devika immediately signaled back,
"No, you ask him."
Prerna quickly shook her head.
"No,no."
Suddenly, Aryan noticed the two of them exchanging looks.
He asked.
"What happened?"
Devika and Prerna immediately looked at each other.
Before Devika could say anything, Prerna blurted out,
"Bhai, Mom wants to ask something…"
(To be continued)
—-
End Of Chapter 77.