Tangled Shadows

Chapter 7: Cracks Beneath the Surface

Aanya's POV:

The café was quieter now. Only a few customers lingered, sipping the last of their coffees. My shift was almost over, and I was looking forward to the moment I could head home. After the long day at college and the group project assignment, I knew I had a lot more to handle this evening.

I glanced at the clock. Just a few more minutes. As I cleared the last of the cups from the tables, I noticed how routine this had become for me—balancing college, work, and now this project. Karan and Arjun would be over soon, and the thought made me anxious. Not because of Karan, but Arjun... he was unpredictable.

"Goodnight, Aanya," one of my coworkers called out as she left.

"Goodnight," I replied, waving back. I finished wiping down the counter, exchanged a few last words with the manager, and slipped out the door into the cool evening air.

As I walked back to my apartment, I let my mind wander to the project. What were we going to make? It seemed like such a trivial task, yet it had the potential to bring more complications between us. I wasn’t ready for any more tension, not after the way Arjun had gotten under my skin today.

Finally home, I took a deep breath as I unlocked the door. My apartment was small but comfortable—everything had its place, and it was one of the few things in my life I had control over. I quickly tidied up, straightening the cushions on the sofa and putting away the few stray items lying around. I didn’t want them to think I was a mess.

After about half an hour, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to find Karan smiling warmly, while Arjun stood behind him, his expression unreadable.

"Wow, Aanya, your place is really nice," Karan said as he walked in, glancing around appreciatively.

"Yeah," Arjun added, though his tone was laced with sarcasm. "Cozy."

I narrowed my eyes at him but didn’t say anything. No point in starting a fight already.

We gathered around the table and started discussing the project. It didn’t take long before Arjun and I were at it again, disagreeing over what product we should create.

"I’m telling you, something simple would work best," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"And I’m telling you that’s boring," Arjun shot back, leaning forward, his eyes challenging. "We need to stand out."

"We need to finish the project first," I replied sharply. "Standing out won’t matter if we don’t get it done."

Karan raised his hands between us. "Okay, okay, calm down, both of you. Aanya’s right—we need something manageable. Let’s go with her idea."

I didn’t say anything, but I felt a small sense of victory. At least someone was seeing sense.

Just as we started to make progress, my phone buzzed on the table. I glanced at the screen—Dad. I hesitated, my stomach tightening. I let it ring out. But a few seconds later, it buzzed again.

This time, I sighed and picked it up, walking a few steps away from the table. "Hello?"

"Aanya," my father’s voice boomed on the other end, full of excitement, "we’re throwing a party for Ayansh this weekend. He got his first job, isn’t that amazing? Everyone’s going to be there."

I gripped the phone tighter, my jaw clenching. "Yeah, great. Congrats to him."

There was a pause, then he added, "You should come. It’ll be good to see you."

Good to see me? He didn’t care about seeing me any other time. This was about my brother, Ayansh, and once again, I was nothing more than an afterthought.

"Of course, you're throwing a party for him," I said, my voice rising slightly. "He gets one job, and suddenly, it’s a huge deal. Meanwhile, I’ve been working since I was sixteen, and no one even notices."

"Aanya," my father replied sharply, "this isn’t about you. You’ve always been difficult, always bringing negativity."

My hand shook as I struggled to keep my voice steady. "You don’t get it, do you? I’ve been working to support myself because you refused to. Ayansh gets everything handed to him, and I get nothing—not even acknowledgment."

There was silence on the other end before he finally spoke. "Maybe if you weren’t so hard to deal with, things would be different."

The words hit me like a slap. I wanted to scream, to tell him how unfair it all was, but I knew it wouldn’t change anything. He didn’t care. He never did.

I hung up without another word and stood there, my heart racing. My vision blurred with tears, and I felt the familiar tightness in my chest. I was on the verge of breaking down, but I couldn’t—not in front of Karan and Arjun.

I quickly excused myself and went into my bedroom, closing the door behind me. Once inside, the sobs I had been holding back escaped. It was overwhelming—everything that I had been bottling up for so long. The pain, the anger, the loneliness... it all came crashing down.

I sat on the edge of my bed, trying to steady my breathing. I could hear Karan and Arjun murmuring outside, but I didn’t want to face them. Not now. Not when I was feeling so raw.

After a few minutes, I wiped my eyes, took a deep breath, and washed my face. I couldn’t hide in here forever. They had probably heard everything, and the last thing I wanted was their pity.

When I finally walked out, both Karan and Arjun were looking at me with concerned expressions. The sympathy in their eyes made my stomach churn.

"Are you okay?" Karan asked gently.

I forced a smile, though I knew it didn’t reach my eyes. "I’m fine. Let’s just call it a day, okay?"

They exchanged glances but didn’t argue. Arjun nodded, surprisingly quiet for once.

I felt a wave of exhaustion hit me. The day had been too much, and I just wanted it to end. As they gathered their things to leave, I couldn’t help but wonder how long I could keep pretending everything was fine. But for now, I just needed some peace.

As the door closed behind them, I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes. Tomorrow would be another day, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep holding it all together.

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