Doomed From The Start: A Marriage Agreement

chapter 35: A weekend proposal

      

                      J A A N V I

I was peacefully reading a book within the confines of my room when the sound of rising voices drew my attention. The sound was coming from the hallway and I distinctly registered Arya's voice and the other feminine one, which could only be Tasha's as it reached me. From the sounds of it, it seems like they were caught up in a long heated conversation.
I know it's none of my business but I couldn't help but wonder what their little quarrel was about. Could they be perhaps arguing about me? There's no reason the topic of me might cause tension between them but, is it about the kiss? Did Arya tell Tasha about it? But he claimed it meant nothing to him, I thought bitterly, and why would he tell her about it when he’d already brushed it off like it was just another careless moment? I shook my head, trying to push the thought away.

Still, curiosity got the best of me, and I found myself stepping out of my room, and moving quietly toward the top of the stairs. From where I stood, I could see them in the living room.

Tasha’s face was flushed with anger, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Arya, on the other hand, looked frustrated, his jaw clenched and eyes dark.

Their voices were getting louder, the tension so thick it almost seeped through the walls. Arya’s voice had an edge to it I hadn’t heard before. And Tasha… she sounded furious like she was spitting venom with every word.

I know I shouldn't be eavesdropping on them like that,  but something had me rooted to the spot, unable to tear my eyes away from the scene unfolding below.

I heard Arya’s voice, low and filled with a frustration that seemed almost palpable. "Don’t be ridiculous," he growled, his words clipped, "Jaanvi has nothing to do with it."

I froze. I was right. They were arguing about me. My heart thudded against my ribcage, and suddenly, I felt exposed, as if they could see me standing there, listening.

My grip tightened on the banister. Tasha was throwing accusations, her voice thick with sarcasm and contempt.
"Are you defending her?" Tasha sneered, and I flinched, feeling the heat of that accusation. I wasn’t supposed to be a part of this—at least, not like this. Yet here I am, the unspoken third party in a war I never meant to start.

Arya’s response came, clipped and controlled. “Don't be ridiculous, Jaanvi has nothing to do with it.”
But his words felt...off. Forced. I knew him well enough to know when he was holding something back, and now, his entire posture screamed restraint.

I stayed still, trying to blend into the shadows, unwilling to draw any attention. The argument grew fiercer, Arya’s voice getting louder, more desperate, while Tasha’s was biting, filled with fury.

"Why don't you just trust me for once? Why is it so hard for you to believe me?" Arya snapped at her and walked towards the living room.

"Maybe because you've never given me a reason to trust you, Arya!" Tasha was yelling, following after him.

I took a few steps down and strained my neck, trying to see what was happening.

"For fuck's sake, Tasha!" Arya was shouting, standing in the middle of the living room, his arms thrown wide  "Why are you so goddamned difficult?! I'm trying, Tasha, but you’re making it impossible!"

"Impossible?" Tasha laughed, it was a sound I'd never heard before, full of malice and fury. "Impossible? You want to see the impossible?" She yelled, and before I fully understood what was happening, she grabbed the vase from the TV shelf and threw it across the wall.

I gasped in shock. I watched as the vase
flew through the air and crashed against the wall with a deafening shatter.
Suddenly the room grew deadly quiet, and I held my breath, feeling the onslaught of a Storm brewing.