Love Across Time

Thirty Six

-𝓐 𝓒𝓸𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓸𝓯 𝓗𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓼-

The bright sun cast a warm glow as Aanya and Arjun arrived in Hastinapur. Aanya's heart fluttered with excitement as they approached the palace. With each step, her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Arjun, don't steal my attention," she teased, giving him a playful nudge. Despite his tired expression, he humorously complied, drawing a smile from Aanya.

Arjun mentally facepalmed as Aanya stepped on the wrong stair, swiftly catching her before she stumbled.

"So much for keeping the attention on you, Aanya," he quipped, teasing her.

"Shut up, it's your fault," Aanya murmured, causing Arjun to gape in disbelief. Nevertheless, he quietly accompanied her up the stairs, keeping a close eye on her every step.

"Pranipat," Aanya chirped, joining her hands as she stood before Kunti.

"Kalyaan ho, Putri," Kunti greeted her with a warm hug.

"Pranipat Yuvraaj," Aanya greeted Yudhishthir, exchanging a warm smile with him.

"How's everything in Dwarka, Aanya?" Yudishthir asked, his eyes filled with warmth.

"Jab tak ye nahi aaye the, tab tak sab acha tha. Phir toh-" she sighed dramatically, pointing at Arjun. Arjun raised his brows, "I should be the one pretending to be tired. I had to keep up with you -"

"Say more, and I'll push you down these stairs," Aanya warned him, her tone filled with teasing.

"Just make sure you don't fall yourself," Arjun replied, rolling his eyes.

Nakul chimed in with a grin, "How did you both manage to survive without killing each other? Since the time you entered, I can only see both of you arguing."

Aanya started to protest, "I'm not -" but Arjun interrupted her with a sly grin, saying, "Yes, she's not. I'm the one arguing. Right, Aanya?" Aanya responded by giving him a slap on the shoulder, causing everyone to look at them with wide eyes. Arjun sighed dramatically, "Behave."

"Shut up," Aanya said with a giggle. Arjun rolled his eyes as they met everyone's gaze.

"I've missed you," Aanya said, beaming as she hugged Dushala.

Dushala raised her eyebrows, "That's why you didn't want to come to my wedding?"

"Oh! Actually... I'll talk to you about this later," Aanya said with a sigh.

Kunti suggested with a gentle smile, "Aanya, you should take rest."

"Arjun, I need to discuss something with you," Yudhishthir said with a smile, as Arjun trailed behind him.

In the cool, calm evening, Aanya settled down in the courtyard with Dushala, and they began to gab away about everything under the moon. They were engrossed in their chit-chat while sitting side by side, enjoying the serenity of the setting.

Then, out of the blue, a shrill cry pierced the calm air as Nakul shouted in Aanya's ear, "Aanya, look, a bug!" Aanya leaped up in shock, her eyes wide with fear, only to find Nakul looking mischievous and laughing at her reaction. "So, you do get scared of insects," Nakul teased with a smug grin.

"Stupid! Who goes around scaring people like that?" Aanya shot Nakul a glare.

Nakul couldn't contain his laughter and shrugged, "It wasn't my idea. Don't call me stupid."

"But you executed it, so you are stupid," Aanya retorted. "And is this what you've learned to use innocent people's weaknesses to scare them?" she said dramatically, making a melodramatic pose.