Love's Unexpected Song

✨ CHAPTER 19 ✨

"Bhaiyaa, don't cook too much," Akshit teased, his voice dripping with playful affection. "You've been exposed by the great detective, Mr. Akshit Agnihotri, so don't even think about escaping now."

Reyansh couldn't help but grin at his brother's antics, but before he could reply, his grandmother interrupted. "Yeh kiska hai, Ansh beta?" she asked, her curiosity piqued as she pointed to the hair strands Akshit had pulled from his blazer.

"Tara," Reyansh finally admitted, feeling a slight unease as the name left his lips.

As soon as the name was out, a spark of recognition flickered in his grandmother's eyes. "Tara? Oh, is she the one from the elevator?" Sunita, his mother, interjected, raising an eyebrow at Akshit for confirmation.

"Haan, maa! I told you earlier, Bhai has found my 'bhabhi'!" Akshit announced, a wide, mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Aap logon ko meri baaton par kabhi bharosa hi nahi rehta!" He placed a dramatic hand on his heart, pretending to be deeply wounded by their disbelief.

Reyansh could feel the frustration building within him. "Akshit, this is not how it is," he said, trying to maintain his composure. "Maa, dadi, yeh Akshit pagal hai!"

Akshit leaned in closer, lowering his voice to a whisper, "Haan, jaise aur aaj kal aap pyar mein pagal ho rahe ho," he teased, knowing full well that Reyansh's irritation was growing.

Reyansh shot him a warning glance, but before he could say anything, his grandmother leaned forward, her eyes shining with excitement. "Really, Ansh beta? Is Akshit right?" she asked eagerly.

Reyansh took a deep breath, knowing he needed to clear things up. "Okay, let me explain. Tara is a colleague of mine. Today, during fieldwork, she fainted due to sunstroke. Maybe her hair strands got caught in my shirt button at that moment. Just that, okay?"

His grandmother and mother exchanged a look, seemingly satisfied with the explanation, but Akshit wasn't ready to let it go.

"Bhai, aap aapda ko avsar mein badalne wale aadmi ho! Mujhe bhi sikhao na ye sab!" Akshit exclaimed, bursting into laughter at the absurdity of the situation.

Reyansh sighed, knowing his brother would never stop teasing him. "Is your debit card still working well?" he asked or can say warned him.

"Of course, it's working fine, bhai!" Akshit replied

Reyansh: pray for it then.

"bhaiiii" akshit dramatically exclaimed

Reyansh gave him a notorious look, knowing Akshit was just having fun at his expense. "Chalo, I'm going to freshen up," he said, rolling his eyes one last time before heading to his room.

Once inside, Reyansh let out a sigh of relief. The day had been long, and the playful teasing from his family had only added to the exhaustion. He quickly showered, allowing the warm water to wash away the tension. As he dressed in comfortable clothes, he felt a sense of calm returning.

When he came back downstairs, the aroma of dinner filled the air, welcoming him back to the warmth of his family's presence. The dining table was set, and Akshit was already engaged in a playful debate with their grandmother over who deserved the last piece of cheese garlic bread. Reyansh couldn't help but smile as he joined them, feeling grateful for these moments of simple joy.

After dinner, Reyansh retreated to his room, ready to immerse himself in work. He opened his laptop, determined to focus on the tasks at hand, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Tara. How she had looked when she fainted, the concern in her eyes, the brief connection they had shared-it was all so overwhelming. He tried to push the thoughts aside, reminding himself that it was just a coincidence, nothing more.

Yet, the lingering scent of her perfume and the memory of those soft strands of hair tangled in his blazer wouldn't leave him. His mind wandered, and just as he was about to dive deeper into work, his phone buzzed with a notification.

He glanced at the screen and saw a message: **Hey👋🏻** by Maya.

Reyansh's heart skipped a beat. The name brought back a flood of memories, none of them pleasant. He could still remember the pain of discovering Maya's betrayal-catching her kissing another guy at one of his own concerts. It was the moment that had shattered his trust and pushed him to leave singing behind, something that had once been his passion.

His first instinct was to delete the message, to erase any trace of her from his life. But just as he was about to swipe the message away, his phone rang, and the screen lit up with Maya's name.

The sound of her ringtone filled the room, and Reyansh's heart pounded in his chest. He stared at the screen, his mind torn between the urge to ignore her and the inexplicable pull to answer. A swirl of emotions-anger, hurt, and a trace of something he couldn't quite name-washed over him as the phone continued to ring.

Would he answer? Could he face the past he had tried so hard to leave behind.

Thank you 🤍