Is Love Enough ??

Chapter 24

Anika didn't know what to make of Aryaman Khanna anymore. He hadn't changed much. That arrogance that had always been a part of him had increased and not lessened. Anika fixed the clasp on her necklace as she wondered.

He had arrived this morning.... unannounced. To the shock and consternation of one and all. She had been shocked too. At first. Seeing him there. She hadn't expected him to come. But she had invited him. Sort of. And then she had been amused by the looks on everyone's faces. Her parents had almost burst through the seams. And Guddi bua had seemed to be dumbfounded. Rimple had that stupid look on her face. As always. Anika had seen the lot of them behave with Kirti the past two days. They had gone for her sister's throat at every opportunity. For once Anika had been debating internally if she hadn't mistakenly put Kirti in more problem than she already was. She had later confronted her mother and chachi over it. Questioning them on their silence. Where Preeti chachi had at least been sheepish, her mother's words had surprised her the most. 'She is a disgrace to this family Anika, all she has brought us is misery...you invited her here without our permission, had you asked we would have relayed our exact sentiments on the matter but you didn't, so don't go around blaming us for how we feel or react to her', her mother had said with a casual shrug as if she couldn't be bothered anymore on the subject. 'She hasn't even got half of what she deserves,' she had said ending the conversation. Anika had stared at her mother and then at Preeti who had seemed to look a bit worried too. Between her and Vansh, they had tried to shield Kirti but she wasn't around all the time and neither was Vansh. So was it a blessing Aryaman Khanna had decided to show up and take the concentration away? Why had he come? Unannounced? As Anika had watched Kirti, her sister had looked just as surprised. She hadn't known either. But her reaction to the man had been telling.

Anika smiled as she recalled Kirti's expression while she adjusted her dupatta. It wasn't a big party tonight, just some music, dance and food. The way of starting off the big series of events lined up one after the other in the coming days till the wedding. Kirti had gone to Aryaman as if she couldn't see anyone else. As if nobody existed. The hug she had given the man had said a lot about how her sister felt. Though Anika couldn't gauge much from Aryaman's expression. She had seen impatience in his eyes when Guddi bua had finally got a bearing on herself and pronounced him as the son in law of the house. He had registered it but hadn't clarified. There had been a certain reassurance she had seen on his face with Kirti's arrival. And then the famous arrogance had returned. The way he had looked at their father, it had been an open challenge. Anika had been both awed and scared at the same time. To challenge Anoop Singh in his own house, well, needed a certain kind of courage and Aryaman had shown it. But it was also foolish because everyone knew of the fierce temper her father had, including Aryaman. What had he tried to prove? What would have happened if her father had lost it? He had seemed pretty close. Once that drama was over and Aryaman had followed Kirti to the room. Anika had been both curious and nervous about what the day would bring.

Will Aryaman drag Kirti back? Will he tell everyone where he and Kirti stood in their relationship? What would be the reaction? Those questions had made her nervous. Did he love Kirti as much as Kirti loved him? Did he care for her at all? How would he react to their relatives belittling Kirti? Would he realize how he had tarnished Kirti's reputation? Would he repent? Or will he brush those aside as inconsequential? Would he be able to sense her sister's feelings? Those questions had made her curious. She had never associated with Aryaman Khanna. She didn't know the man. She only knew the negatives and maybe a few other facts. But that was it. She had wanted to observe the two of them together and she had. But nothing could have prepared her for the man that Aryaman Khanna was, nor the bond he and Kirti shared. From the second they had appeared downstairs for lunch Anika had been first surprised to see the glow on her sister's face and the twinkle in her eyes. She was suddenly happy. Happy in the real sense of the word. She was smiling and laughing. Unlike the stressed, upset or sad persona that had shrouded her for the past two days. It was as if she had just removed that shroud and donned a happy outfit. And Anika knew how much that had surprised the rest of the clan. Anika had from then on watched the two closely, and Aryaman even more closely. He didn't talk much or express much but the man knew how to put people in their right place. And he had.