𝑬𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑪𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒆: 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒔

Bangles and Brownies

ＫＩＹＡＮＳＨ

Minutes passed like hours. We're sitting at a restaurant,and we're about to have lunch.
Ayushman is not expressing anything. No anger, no frustration, no disappointment, nor was he upset. As we ordered our food, he took out his phone and started scrolling. I was not nervous but worried about his reaction to my confession.
The food came, and we started to dig in. As I was about to take a bite,he asked me "Raghuvanshi what are your intentions with my sister?". I took the bite and started chewing, and after gulping, I wiped my mouth with a tissue and looked at him. His eyes didn't move an inch. I lay back and smiled as her face flashed in my mind.

"I love her", I answered and continued chopping another piece.

"Is this a joke", he asked, keeping his coolness intact.

"I am a man, Ayushman. I know the kind of topics to joke about. Your sister is not a joke, and my feeling for her is definitely not a joke", I smiled and took the morsel in my mouth.

"Is she aware of your feelings", he asked. I kept my spoon and knife on the table and looked at him as I shook my head.

"That's what I thought", he smirked.
"Why haven't you told her about your feelings", he asked

"I have hurt her", I said. I saw an unknown rage taking over Ayushman's body language. He composed himself and pinched his nose tip.

"What did you do", he asked, and I ended up telling him everything. The whole truth. How I fell in love with her the moment I saw her reading a book in Central Park and how I thanked God for again letting me meet her. I told him how we were all set to go on a date and how I screwed up.

"I'm sorry that I hurt her, Ayushman. You can't imagine how much I'm regretting not telling her the truth and confessing my love for her. Every day is a torture, Ayushman. I see her, but she's always just out of reach. The weight of her silence is unbearable, and I keep replaying what I should have said. It feels like I'm stuck in a loop of missed opportunities, and I'm constantly haunted by the thought that it might be too late to make things right." I added and drank the water.

"I'm not mad at you for falling in love with my sister. I was happy that you were the man who fell for her. I was happy looking at you, always finding a way to be near her and protecting her"

"You see, I am brother, and I'm always going to be overprotective of her. She is the life of Arora Mansion. She is our everything"

"I used to always get scared of the thought of her falling in love with an undeserving man who would hurt her and leave her in pain, but I know you, Kiyansh. I know the kind of man you are. Which made me happy" he smiled and started to eat again.

What the fuck just happened!

"But she doesn't like me that way", I mumbled, enough for him to hear.

"Did she say that to you?", he asked and I shook my head

"Did you hear her talking about not liking you with someone ?", he asked and my answer was the same

"Did someone tell you that?" he asked and I shook my head again. He chuckled and sipped his drink.

"She didn't say anything, neither did anyone tell you this. Then what's stopping you to court my sister", he chuckled again.

"I am in love, I know what love feels like, looks like",... "You love her but we don't know if she feels that sort of feeling for you", he said
"I'm her big brother Kiyansh, I'm always going to be overprotective for her so until I don't see the same in her eyes I would suggest you not confess your love", he was statist to the point.