Pyaar ki Takrar

Chapter 21: Shifting Dynamics

Twinkle rushed into her room, her heart still thudding in her chest. She locked the door behind her, leaning against it as she tried to steady her breathing. What just happened? She closed her eyes, reliving the moment when Kunj had held her so close, his breath on her skin, his voice soft, almost… intimate.

She shook her head, trying to brush away the thoughts. Focus, Twinkle. Yeh sab sirf ek galti thi. It meant nothing. But deep down, she knew something had shifted between them. They were no longer just two people stuck in a marriage of convenience. Something was changing—something she wasn’t ready to face.

Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the wardrobe, pulling out a fresh set of clothes. As she changed, her mind kept drifting back to Kunj, the way he had looked at her, the way her heart had raced. She frowned at her reflection in the mirror, trying to push the thoughts away. Yeh sab kya soch rahi ho, Twinkle? Tum dono ke beech sirf nok-jhok thi, hai aur rahegi. Kuch aur nahi.

But it wasn’t so easy to convince herself anymore.

---

Meanwhile, in the living room, Kunj sat on the couch, staring blankly at the TV. His mind was elsewhere—back in the kitchen, where Twinkle had fallen into his arms. He could still feel her warmth, the way her body had fit perfectly against his. He shook his head, trying to snap out of it.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered under his breath. "She’s just Twinkle. The same annoying, stubborn Twinkle who drives me insane." But even as he said the words, he couldn’t deny that something had changed. He had felt something in that moment—something he hadn’t expected.

Kunj leaned back on the couch, running a hand through his hair. He didn’t want to admit it, but the truth was staring him in the face. He was starting to feel something for her—something beyond their usual banter and arguments. And that scared him.

Before he could dwell on it any longer, Twinkle emerged from her room, dressed in comfortable pajamas. She avoided his gaze as she walked over to the couch and sat down, leaving a noticeable gap between them.

For a moment, neither of them said anything. The silence was heavy, filled with unspoken words and emotions they didn’t know how to express.

Kunj cleared his throat, breaking the tension. "So… kya dekh rahe ho?"

Twinkle shrugged, her eyes glued to the TV. "Kuch nahi. Just flipping through channels."

Kunj nodded, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. She seemed tense, her shoulders stiff, and he knew she was thinking about what had happened in the kitchen. He wanted to say something, to break the awkwardness between them, but he didn’t know how.

Finally, he sighed. "Twinkle… about earlier…"

Twinkle’s eyes widened slightly, but she kept her gaze fixed on the TV. "What about it?"

Kunj hesitated for a moment before speaking. "It was just an accident. We don’t need to make a big deal out of it."

Twinkle nodded quickly, relief flooding her. "Exactly! It was nothing. Galti se ho gaya. Let’s just forget about it."

Kunj smiled slightly, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Yeah, let’s forget about it."

But as they sat there in silence, both of them knew it wasn’t that simple.

---

The Next Morning

The next day, Twinkle woke up early, hoping to avoid any awkward encounters with Kunj. She needed some space to clear her head, to figure out what was going on between them. But as she tiptoed out of her room, she was surprised to find Kunj already awake, sitting at the dining table with a cup of coffee in his hand.