"Can't you just keep your mouth shut for a single consecutive minute?!" Ayaan snapped, his patience officially wearing paper-thin.
Aarshi fired back without missing a beat. "Oh, I wish I could! But unfortunately, my tongue simply refuses to cooperate when it comes to arguing with a massive, bumbling bumble-bat like you!"
Ayaan let out a heavy, soul-weary sigh. "What absolute, unadulterated nonsense."
Momo stepped in like a seasoned riot cop to silence both of them. Today, she was a vibrating ball of pure, chaotic excitement because her big brother was finally returning home after two long years. To Momo, this arrival was nothing short of a national holiday. The flight was scheduled to land at 11:00 AM, and with the clock already ticking at 10:30 AM, these two clowns were still bickering. Knowing she couldn't leave this modern-day cat and dog alone without returning to a house leveled by World War III, Momo dragged Ayaan and Aarshi along to the airport.
The moment they arrived, they realized the flight had already landed. A sea of passengers was trickling out of the lounge, clutching luggage and sporting bright smiles as they received the royal celebrity treatment from their waiting loved ones.
Aarshi stood perfectly still, scanning the crowd for their guest. Suddenly, her eyes locked onto a man walking out with his suitcase. He wasn't just handsome; he was unbearably, offensively handsome. Towering well over six feet, possessing flawless, porcelain skin, and sporting a fashion sense so immaculate he looked like a fallen angel structuralizing an immediate runway walk, she was utterly convinced he had to be a literal international supermodel.
When this ethereal specimen suddenly waved directly in her direction, Aarshi's brain completely short-circuited. Panicking, she frantically tried to nudge Momo, only to find Momo enthusiastically waving right back. The pieces finally clicked in her stunned brain: the gorgeous angel was waving at Momo. This magnificent creature was the big brother.
Aarshi stood frozen in a trance, having a full-blown existential crisis over how a single human being could be so physically perfect. As Big Brother approached and Momo threw her arms around him in a loving hug, Aarshi took the opportunity to unabashedly analyze every single millimeter of his face like a scientist studying a new species.
Ayaan watched her, thoroughly creeped out by her intense staring. He roughly shook her by the shoulders to snap her out of it. "What on earth are you doing?!" he demanded.
Aarshi blinked, completely unfazed. "I'm just analyzing how one pair of siblings can look like a masterpiece sculpted by literal angels, while another pair looks like a couple of swamp elves." She glared pointedly at Ayaan.
Ayaan didn't skip a beat, his voice completely deadpan. "Right. Just like your brother looks like a normal human being, and you look like a bridge goblin."
Huffing in offense, Aarshi delivered a swift, brutal punch straight to his shoulder.
Big Brother caught the entire wrestling match, pointed an amused finger at her, and asked with a chuckle, "Are you Aarshi?"
Instantly, Aarshi's face erupted into a furious, tomato-red blush, her cheeks practically glowing. Ayaan gagged internally, utterly disgusted by the sudden display of affection. Leaning closer, Aarshi frantically whispered into Ayaan's ear, "Why can't your brother just live here permanently?!"
"Because he actually enjoys his sanity and likes being away from this family," Ayaan muttered back. "And honestly, same. That's exactly why I packed my bags for boarding school."
"I wasn't asking about you," Aarshi snapped, sending Ayaan's blood pressure skyrocketing.
The trip home was thick with an awkward silence. Aarshi couldn't help but notice that Big Brother and Ayaan hadn't exchanged a single greeting or even a head nod. The second they crossed the threshold of the house, Big Brother completely surrendered his body to the giant sofa in the hall, kicking off his shoes and collapsing right into the cushions. Momo claimed the other couch, while Aarshi dutifully hauled his heavy suitcase up to his room.
When she walked back down to the hall, Ayaan was nowhere to be found. It was glaringly obvious that the bond between the two brothers was practically non-existent.
Momo and Big Brother were deep in a hushed conversation about a restaurant reservation set for 2:00 PM. Aarshi checked the time—it was only 11:30 AM. She eavesdropped with intense focus, straining to make sense of the details, when suddenly, a hand clamped around her wrist. It was Ayaan. With an unbreakable, iron-clad grip, he effortlessly dragged a protesting Aarshi down the hallway and shoved her into her bedroom.
The moment he released her, Aarshi exploded. "Are you out of your mind?! What is your actual problem this time?!"
Ayaan cornered her with a dead-serious look. "Why were you spying on their conversation?"
"So what if I was?!" Aarshi fired back, crossing her arms defensively.
Ayaan pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a heavy sigh. "Just let it go. And please, for the love of God, do not interrupt them."
"Do you think I'm an idiot? Why would I interrupt them?!" Aarshi screamed, before immediately pivoting right back to her gossip instincts. "Okay, but seriously, why is your brother even here today?"
"The interior designer is changing his room, so he's here to pick out the changes himself. He's finalizing his room's interior today," Ayaan explained.
"So he's only here for a single day?!" Aarshi wailed. Ayaan nodded. "Ugh, I wish he could stay forever," she muttered under her breath.
Ayaan caught it anyway. "Are we going somewhere today?" she asked aloud, trying to sound casual.
Ayaan shook his head.
"Oh, I know you're lying! I literally just heard them talking about a restaurant reservation!"
Ayaan let out a heavy, defeated sigh. "Fine. It's a restaurant reservation... for a blind date."
Aarshi's jaw dropped straight to the floor. "WHAT?!" Ayaan offered nothing but a grim, stubborn silence. Lunging forward, Aarshi grabbed Ayaan by the shoulders, shaking him violently like a broken vending machine to force the truth out of him. Ayaan finally cracked, spilling the beans that their parents had rigidly arranged a blind date for his brother this afternoon.
Aarshi smacked him upside the head. "Do you take me for a fool?! What kind of medieval parents arrange blind dates for their kids in this day and age?!"
"Our parents do," Ayaan replied, rubbing his sore head. "Because immediately after this date, Big Brother is getting officially engaged to her."
The color drained entirely from Aarshi's face, leaving her completely pale. The horror was too much to bear. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she shrieked, hitting a high note that could shatter glass.
"What is wrong with you?!" Ayaan snapped, covering his ears. "Our family has been doing this for generations."
"Are you telling me this is a forced corporate marriage alliance?!" Aarshi gasped, wide-eyed. Ayaan nodded solemnly. "But what if he's already secretly into someone else?!"
"I don't have the answers to that," Ayaan said, shrugging.
"I knew it! He's miserable!" Aarshi paced the room in a full-blown panic. Then, a terrifying realization hit her. If Big Brother was trapped in an arranged marriage alliance... did that mean Momo was doomed to the same fate? Aarshi's mind began racing at a million miles an hour, hyper-ventilating over the horrifying possibility that Momo would be forced into an arranged marriage with some random stranger instead of growing up to marry Aarshi's own older brother.
Ayaan watched her expression morph into pure chaos, easily reading the wild, catastrophic thoughts flashing across her face.
Before he could stop her, Aarshi bolted out of the room, sprinted into the hall, and cornered Momo. "Are we going somewhere?!" she demanded, completely breathless.
"We aren't," Momo replied, completely calm. "But Big Brother is."
Aarshi locked eyes with the handsome angel and asked squarely, "ON A BLIND DATE?!"
Big Brother let out a dramatic sigh, giving her a look of tragic defeat. "Sadly, kiddo, your detective skills are spot on this time."
Aarshi looked at him, absolutely devastated. "Aren't you even a little bit happy about this?!"