"Bonds beyond blood"(on Hold)

chapter 21: aditya call sanvi

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Aditya lay sprawled on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, though his mind was miles away. The fan above whirled in lazy circles, but it did nothing to cool the slight tension building inside him. His eyes followed the spinning blades, but his thoughts were stuck on something—or rather, someone—else entirely.

His brows furrowed, and he muttered under his breath, “Should I call her or not?”

He had been asking himself the same question for what felt like hours. His phone lay next to him on the bed, the screen dark, but the number he had saved earlier felt like it was burning a hole through his mind.

“I have her number… but should I really call? What if she doesn’t answer? Worse, what if she thinks I’m some kind of pervert, calling out of nowhere?” he mumbled, his fingers twitching like they wanted to pick up the phone, but he forced himself to resist.

He turned over onto his side, sighing deeply. His mind raced, replaying the events of the day over and over. He remembered the way she had looked—tense, distracted—when she had mentioned her mother. The worry had been clear in her eyes, even though she hadn’t directly shared what was bothering her. They weren’t exactly close, not close enough for her to confide in him like that. And yet, Aditya couldn’t shake the feeling that he should ask her if she was okay.

“But why?” he asked himself, his voice louder this time. “We’re not that close. I mean, we barely even talk. What’s the point of me asking?”

He sighed again, running a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated with his own thoughts. No matter how much he tried to reason it out, the nagging worry in his chest wouldn’t leave him alone. He genuinely cared, even if he didn’t fully understand why.

Then, of course, there was the hug.

His subconscious mind taunted him, replaying the moment when she had hugged him earlier, thinking he was someone else. The way she had relaxed in his arms, the soft sigh she had let out—it was all so vivid in his mind, like a scene he couldn’t stop replaying.

“That hug...” he murmured, his voice trailing off as the memory washed over him. He could still feel the warmth of her body pressed against his, the way she had leaned into him, unknowingly finding comfort in his presence.

It was just a hug, nothing more. She hadn’t even realized it was him. But still...

“You’re losing it, Aditya,” he muttered, turning over onto his other side. “It’s just a hug. Not a big deal. People hug all the time, right? It doesn’t mean anything.”

But deep down, he knew it wasn’t just the hug that was bothering him. It was the fact that she hadn’t known it was him, and yet, for some reason, that moment had stuck with him.

His mind wandered again, trying to make sense of it all. If she hadn’t meant to hug him, then who had she been expecting? Who was she so comfortable with that she didn’t even need to look before embracing them?

“Ahan,” he said aloud, the name slipping out before he could stop it.

Of course. It made sense. She had probably thought Ahan was standing there. They were close, after all, and she was always laughing or talking with him. Aditya tried to shrug it off, but for some reason, the thought of her hugging Ahan, of her being so comfortable with him, made something twist in his chest.

“Why does it even bother me?” Aditya asked himself, rolling onto his back again, staring up at the ceiling like it held all the answers. “Who she hugs, who she talks to—it’s none of my business.”

But no matter how much he told himself that, he couldn’t shake the irritation bubbling inside him. It wasn’t jealousy, was it? No, it couldn’t be. He wasn’t jealous. That was ridiculous. He barely knew her, after all.