CROWNED WITH LOVE : A JOURNEY OF TRADITION AND TEMPTATION

CHAPTER 8 : First Goodbye

HAPPY READING

Aadhyant came and seated in the backseat of the car. Arjun turned and raised his eyebrows at Aadhyant, asking the obvious question. Aadhyant didn't give him attention and started typing on his phone, shrugging him off. Arjun finally asked, "Are you going to explain to me what that was?" Aadhyant unknowingly said, "What was what?" Arjun continued, "When were you going to tell me about her?" Aadhyant said, "There is nothing to tell."

"Come on, man, don't lie to me to my face. I've seen the way you look at her," Arjun insisted. Aadhyant didn't react to his friend's observation and shrugged him off, saying, "I think you should go and have your eyes checked." Arjun understood that his friend wasn't going to admit his feelings that easily. He got quiet as he saw Vihanna coming towards them.

Vihanna came and sat beside Aadhyant. Arjun started the engine after asking for the direction to her house. After 20 minutes, the car stopped in front of a building. Arjun pointed at the building and asked, "You live here?" Vihanna said, "Yes, it's a really nice neighborhood and it's near my office. I got this place at a really nice price." Arjun immediately understood how she got this place, as it was owned by the Raghuvanshis and not easy for just anyone to acquire. Arjun stared in Aadhyant's direction and said, "Of course you did."

Arjun's doubts turned into belief that his best friend was behind her getting this flat. Vihanna thanked both of them for the help as well as the ride. She got out of the car and was about to move towards her building when she suddenly remembered something. Turning around with a smile, she said, "Goodbye Aadhyant." Aadhyant was already looking in her direction, but as she called him by his name for the first time, a smile immediately formed on his lips. His name never sounded this beautiful from anyone else. His neck and ears turned red just looking at her face. He waved her goodbye.

Arjun felt a surge of joy witnessing his best friend's genuine happiness after years. As he ignited the car's engine, Aadhyant broached the topic that had been looming between them, the proverbial elephant in the room. He knew he had to address it with Arjun. "The flat had been vacant for three months, and she needed it, so I thought...," he began tentatively. Arjun, in his usual nonchalant manner, cut in, "I didn't ask you anything."

"Haa, but I know you saale, ki tu marr raha hai puchne ke liye," Aadhyant quipped, and they both chuckled. Arjun, sincerity glinting in his eyes through the rearview mirror, asked, "Bhai, tu khush hai na..." Aadhyant smiled and blinked, confirming his contentment. Arjun concluded softly, "That's all that matters."

Though not blood brothers, their bond was extraordinary. Arjun's single father had served in the palace for the king but succumbed to cancer early on, leaving Arjun in the care of Aadhyant's father, Vikramaditya, and Aadhyant's mother, Gayatri who embraced him as their own. When Aadhyant pursued studies in California, Arjun went along. Upon their return, Vikramaditya wished to divide their business equally between them, but Arjun declined, preferring to serve as his friend's manager. Aadhyant, too, regarded Arjun as a brother, a confidant with whom he could be his true self, devoid of any royal pretenses.

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