𝙁𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚

Chapter 4 - Amusement

Tiara's Pov

I was making poha while learning to make chai from Anika aunty. My mind was still wondering what I did to that man to get such rudeness from him. Can't grasp Akshit Yadav's hate for me.

While helping aunty move things to the breakfast table, Shruti joined us, injecting an extra dose of laughter into the already lively morning. Everyone joined us at the breakfast table, showing their love for the aroma coming from the kitchen.

After some delightful moments, Akshit joined us at the table. Dadu, with a twinkle in his eye, exclaimed, "How rare! Akshit gracing us with his presence at breakfast today. Are you fine, Akshit?" "Good morning to you too, Dadu," he replied.

The banter continued as aunty served poha to Akshit. He quipped, "I don't eat junk food," and I looked at him with anger in my mind. Without missing a beat, I retorted, "Everything seems garbage to a dustbin," in a whispered comeback. Shruti looked at me with wide eyes, laughing, while Akshit's eyes held a mixture of savagery and amusement. No one else paid attention to what I said; the comeback was shared between me, Shri, and Akshit.

The tension broke when Dadu praised the poha, earning nods and smiles from everyone. Amid the praises, Shruti chimed in, "Wow, Tiara! Mere liye to itna achha kabhi nahi banaya tune (You've never made anything so good for me before). Planning to impress someone with your cooking skills?" We all laughed, and I replied, "Chal jhuti (You liar!)."

After breakfast, Shruti suggested retreating to get work done, especially mine, teasing me about having a toxic overachieving trait. Rolling my eyes, I went up to my room to work. She stopped me in the mid-track, suggesting I go with her to the market in the evening to get to know the place well enough to go around by myself. I agreed and started to retreat back to my room.

Akshit's Pov

After breakfast, I made my way to Dadu's room for some work he had assigned to me. After finishing his work, I thought of making a call to Aarav. My phone was in my room, so I decided to go back.

Exiting the room, as I reached the final step of the stairs, I noticed Tiara in her room, engrossed in her work on the balcony. The door was ajar, offering a glimpse into her room. The sun was casting light on her, making her glow. As I stood there, memories of the morning's banter at the kitchen and breakfast table resurfaced, making me feel both amused and displeased by her responses.

Suddenly, she caught me observing, and our eyes locked with an intensity that spoke volumes. A surge of discomfort lingered between us, and before I could gather my thoughts, she rose abruptly, slammed the door, and left me standing, bewildered and irritated.

Anger fueled my steps as I retreated to my room. The morning's incident replayed in my mind, each thought intensifying my frustration. After pacing through my room for fifteen minutes, I dialed Aarav's number for a much-needed distraction.

"Hey, how come you're calling me today of all days?" Aarav quipped, injecting humor into the conversation.

"You know I'd grace you with my presence when you least expect it."

"Oh, a surprise attack! How considerate of you. I was almost starting to miss your calls - almost."

"Well, you know, I have to keep your life interesting. Imagine the monotony without my random calls."

"Monotony or chaos, it's a fine line. By the way, what's the crisis today? Running out of coffee beans?"

"Hey, don't underestimate the gravity of coffee emergencies. But no, no crisis today. Just felt like gracing you with my wisdom."