Fated strings of love

Ch-11 | FIRST LOVE ??

Tara

The next morning unfolded quietly—
but something between us had already changed.

After breakfast, Aditya took me to Dilli Haat.

The place was alive with colors—handmade jewelry, fabrics, little trinkets that felt like stories waiting to be worn.

I stopped at a stall, trying on a pair of earrings, then another.

Aditya stood a little behind me, watching.

Not casually.
Not absentmindedly.

But watching.
“Which one looks better?” I asked, turning toward him.

He didn’t hesitate. “Both.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s not helpful.”

“It is,” he said, smiling slightly. “You just look good in everything.”

I ignored the way my heart reacted—
and bought both.

We wandered through the market after that. He got me ice cream—again.

I was starting to think he loved it more than anything else.

At another stall, I picked up a red dupatta.
Soft. Beautiful.

I bought it.
And then—

I saw it.
A delicate bracelet, Simple, Elegant, Perfect.

I reached out—
and then paused.
Too expensive.

I put it back.
Walked away like it didn’t matter.

“Done?” I asked him, forcing a normal tone.

“I’m hungry,” he replied. “Let’s eat first.”

“I’m not hungry.”
Right on cue—
my stomach growled.

Aditya burst out laughing.
“I definitely heard something.”

I glared at him, embarrassed.
“Fine. Let’s eat.”

We went to a small restaurant and ordered desi Chinese—my favorite.
While waiting, I quietly calculated the bill, pulling out money from my purse.

When Aditya came back from a call, he leaned slightly toward me.
“Why didn’t you start eating, your highness?”

“I was waiting for you.”
The words slipped out.
Soft.
Unplanned.
And for a second—

he froze.
His ears turned slightly red.
“Waiting for me?” he repeated, placing a hand on his chest dramatically. “I’m touched, your highness.”

I looked away.
Annoyed.
Flustered.

Stop it, Tara.

Don’t think like that.
Don’t feel like that.
What if I tell him?
What if everything changes?
What if I lose this… us?

No.
I don’t want more.
I just want this.

After lunch, we went to Garden of Five Senses.
The air was calm.
The paths are quiet.

We walked side by side.
Close.
Too close.

I noticed it—
the way his hand brushed near mine.

Like he wanted to hold it.

My heart skipped.

So I moved slightly away.
And didn’t see the stone in front of me.
My foot twisted.

Pain shot through my ankle.
I stumbled—

but before I could fall—

his hand caught mine.
Firm.
Instant.