Amore Tales (Short Stories)

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The sounds of distant whispers, loud laughters, teasings and dhol was prominent as it was a wedding in the Grover family.

It was around 6 in the evening when the household had finally got free with the haldi function that started around 1 in the afternoon.

The whole family, close relatives and even some distant ones were sitting in the massive lounge that perfectly gathered everyone.

While Ayla was sitting on the right side of Tanvi, Ms. Khanna whose name was Leela was sitting on Tanvi's left side. Ayla knew that Leela Khanna was Tanvi's college time friend seeing that they'd went to separate colleges because of different choices of fields. But no matter Leela was a good friend of Tanvi, probably just after herself, she didn't have a great bond with her as she could never imagine herself talking so freely with Leela Khanna. That woman was surely not to get comfortable with.

As Leela had busied Tanvi in a conversation since 20 minutes, Ayla had no other option but to sit quietly and look at everyone talking.

She felt the couch dip beside her and someone's hand now wrapped around her lean shoulders. Hoping it was Atharva, she turned her face towards the direction of the person and her frown increased as she noticed it was Tarun who was busy giving her a mischievous grin on his boy-ish face.

No one could tell that Atharva and Tarun are real siblings. They were poles apart.

While Atharva was mature in every sense, Tarun didn't have a single idea about what maturity is.

"Bhai is calling you upstairs." He whispered mischievously in his ears and it took every effort from her side not to scream due to happiness.

He had finally come almost after 8 hours as he had to leave her in the morning itself due to some work.

"Okay then, I am off." She grinned almost jumping off the couch and ran to the direction of the modern staircase.

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Her excitement level had no bounds as she took the last step on the staircase now making her walk on the corridor of the second floor.

Instead of going to his room, she decided to go further to the only lounge in this floor that was at the very end of the corridor.

She knew he must be sitting there only, waiting for her.

As soon as she reached the very end of the corridor, there she saw him sitting on one of the couches, his left leg resting on the the right one by the ankle as he was busy doing something on his hand.

Going closer, she finally noticed the wound on his left hand, blood oozing out of it and some splashed on his crisp white shirt as well.

He was wiping and treating the wound with a blank look as if it wasn't hurting him at all.

It only made her heart clench thinking how much pain he must be in but as always wouldn't show.

"Atharva." Mumbling this loud enough for him to hear, she walked towards him who snapped his head up hearing her soothing voice.

He gave her a smile in between this task and this only made her anger increase.

"How are you? How did the day go?" He asked in between as he turned his attention back to treating the wound.