Tangled Ties

Sleeping Disorder

Avyansh sighed as he entered his room and saw his newly wedded wife sleeping on the bed, still in her wedding attire.

She was truly beautiful, and it wasn’t like this was the first time he had seen her. He noticed her during the first wedding ceremony when he visited their house. She was sitting in a corner, devouring her ice cream as if her life depended on it. The entire place was in chaos, yet she sat there as if she were the only soul in the room.

Later, he learned that she was the eldest daughter of the family, the same one who had run away with her sister a few years ago.

He hated the Singhs, especially her and Sriniddhi, for turning his life into a joke. He swore he would make her life miserable.

Yet, despite his anger, he couldn’t help but silently approach her, gently removing her jewelry before tucking her under the blanket. Grabbing a pillow, he made his way to the couch. Although his insomnia would likely keep him up, he needed to rest, even if just for an hour or two.

Soon, sleep consumed him, though his last thought was of his wife, whose name he still didn’t know.

*******

"No! You sleep on the couch." Aryaa shouted.

"Why would I? It’s my room." Veer replied.

"Hamara. Hamara room hai ab. Sirf apka nahi."

(Ours. It's our room now, not just yours.)

"Nahi, sirf mera hai. Tumne bas kabza kar liya hai."

(No, it’s mine. You’ve just taken over.)

"Are, isme kabza karne ki baat kahan se aa gayi? Ya to hum bed pe soenge ya Varsha maa ko bulane ja rahe hain." Aryaa threatened.

(Where did this talk of taking over come from? Either I sleep on the bed, or I’m going to call Varsha Maa.)

Veer’s eyes widened as he quickly came up with a solution. "Ok, let’s do one thing. The bed is big enough for both of us. You sleep on one side, and I’ll sleep on the other. I promise I’ll keep my distance."

Aryaa hesitated. "No. You can’t sleep beside me."

"And why is that?" Veer raised an eyebrow.

"Be-because... because I have a sleeping disorder! Yeah, that’s why."

"It’s okay. Nothing will happen. It’s not like you’re going to kill me in my sleep." Veer said, leaving Aryaa speechless.

"Alright then. Don’t blame me later for not warning you." She said, settling down on the bed. Veer joined her, and they slept with what felt like a 936,748 km distance between them.

It was around 3 a.m. when Veer heard strange noises. He quickly opened his eyes to see Aryaa sitting on the bed, rotating her head in a strange way while mumbling:

"Thang Bali re, Kitna Bali re, Thang Bali re, Kitna Baja re."

After a few repetitions, she kicked Veer off the bed. He fell to the floor and stared at her in horror.

"Chal Veer beta, jaan bachani hai to bhaag yahan se. Waise bhi, bhai, Abeer, aur Pari kehte hain ki almost sari chudailen raat ke teen baje jagti hain." He mumbled, hastily grabbing his blanket and pillow before retreating to the couch.

(Come on, Veer, if you want to save your life, run away from here. Anyway, Abeer and Pari always say that most witches wake up at 3 a.m.)

Aryaa silently laughed as her plan worked. No, there was no ghost or sleeping disorder — she had just reenacted a scene from one of her favorite movies, Chennai Express.

After a while, she, too, drifted into a peaceful sleep.

*******

Veer’s eyes shot open as cold water splashed over his face. He looked up to see his 'lovely' wife grinning widely. Note the sarcasm.

"Good morning, hubby. I hope you had a pleasant night on the couch." She smirked.

His eyes widened as the memory of last night flooded back, but he wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction of winning. "Yeah, actually. I thought that since you’re my wife, I should listen to you. So, like a real gentleman, I chose the couch."

"Oh really?" she asked before bursting into laughter.

"You-" he began, feeling offended.

"What? What are you going to say?" she teased, laughing again.

"You... you’re laughing at me?"

"No, I’m laughing at myself." Aryaa replied, still giggling.

Veer raised a finger and took a step toward her, about to say something, but his foot slipped on the mat, and they both fell onto the bed together.

Just then, someone walked in, making their eyes widen.

"Arya—oops! Looks like I came at the wrong time." Siya said, turning to leave, but Aryaa quickly pushed Veer away.

"No! No, Di, please come in."

"Are you sure?" Siya wiggled her eyebrows, gesturing between the two of them.

"Yes, Di! It's nothing like that. We just fell." Aryaa whined.

"For each other?" Siya smirked.

"Di! Shut your gutter brain and come in already." Aryaa said, earning a playful slap on the forehead from Siya.

Scratching the back of her neck, Siya sheepishly asked, "Could you help me with this 6-meter piece of cloth?" She gestured to the saree in her hand.

Aryaa sighed and nodded as Veer left the room, giving the sisters their privacy.

*******

The two of them descended the stairs to find the whole family gathered at the dining table, except for Avyansh, which made Siya uneasy.

As if on cue, Aishwarya asked about Avyansh. Veer replied, "Bhai went on a business trip."

Siya’s appetite disappeared instantly. Though they had married under unusual circumstances, he could’ve at least communicated with her. He could have told her he was leaving.

After breakfast, they all settled in the living room, chatting so the new brides could get to know the family. The male members had taken the day off.

The day passed, and everyone retired to their rooms to rest.

As Siya sat on her bed, she pulled out her phone and opened Wattpad. Clicking on the writing section, she began a new story.

"Itni dramatic shadi hui hai meri. I’m sure the readers would love to read it." She chuckled, typing out the story of her and Avyansh.

(I had such a dramatic wedding.)

She had millions of followers, but her account was anonymous, so she used their real names.

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