𝙁𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚

Chapter 41 - Social media

❝We keep this love in a photograph
We made these memories for ourselves
Where our eyes are never closing
Hearts are never broken❞

Tiara's Pov

"Dii! I'm visiting you in a week!" Kiara practically screamed into the phone. My heart skipped a beat. In a week? I hadn't told her-or my parents-where I was living. How was I going to explain all of this, especially... Akshit? Kiara's voice broke through my thoughts again, "Are you there? Hello? Hi? Excuse me, this is Tiara Sharma's sister Kiara Sharma!"

Before she could get worked up, I quickly responded, "Yes, yes, I'm here! So... when are you visiting?" "Probably in a week. Yup!" she said, sounding chipper. "Oh," I exhaled, trying to sound calm. She gasped dramatically, "Aren't you happy I'm finally going to see you after almost a year?"

I scrambled to cover my nerves. "No, no! Of course, I am. I'm just worried about what Mumma and Papa will say... and how you're going to manage traveling alone!" "Really?" she asked, suspicious. "Stop treating me like a child. I'm 20, for God's sake."

I huffed, trying to deflect. "Yeah, yeah, not the same speech again. But are you sure you'll be okay with all this travel? You know, you could come next month. I'll be free for the festive season, and I can pick you up. It'll be easier."

She gasped again, but this time with exaggerated offense. "Oh my God! You don't want me to come! Do you hate me? Or-wait-are you married? Oh my God!"

Before she could spiral further, I cut in. "No, no, stop assuming things! Like, seriously, anything! Of course, I want to see you. I'm just thinking about your convenience, that's all."

She didn't miss a beat. "First of all, I'm leaving next year, so I want to spend this Navratri with my friends, Mumma, and Papa, here. Next year navratri will be with you. Second, I'm glad to know you still want to see me. And third, I AM coming next week, so you better be ready!"

I laughed along, but as soon as the conversation shifted back to her plans, my mind spiraled again. A big, big problem. She kept chatting about home, but I barely listened. I already knew what I had to do. I had to come clean.

As Kiara kept talking about her plans and what had been happening, I felt the weight of the truth pressing down on me. My hands started to tremble as I gripped the phone tighter, her voice fading into the background. I knew I couldn't lie to her, not anymore. Our relationship was already on shaky ground, and this secret would only make things worse if she found out from someone else. I took a deep breath. Now or never.

"Kiara..." I interrupted softly, my heart pounding. "Yeah?" she said, completely unaware of the storm brewing on my end. "What's up? You sound weird." I swallowed hard, trying to steady my voice. "I need to tell you something." There was a pause. "Okay... what's going on?"

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to find the right words. "I haven't been completely honest about where I'm living." She was quiet for a second, and then I heard the shift in her tone. "What do you mean? You told me you had an apartment." "I did... but... the water system in the building broke a while back. It's been a mess for months now, so I moved in with... Shruti and her family," I said in a rush, my pulse racing.

"Wait, what?" she asked, her voice higher now. "You're living with Shruti di? You never mentioned that! When did this happen?" "A couple of months ago. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to worry you, especially since I know you get anxious about me being on my own here."

Kiara was silent for a moment, and then she sighed. "I guess that explains why you were avoiding sending me pictures of your place. I thought something was off, but I didn't push. You've barely shared anything, Di." I felt a pang of guilt hearing that. She was right. I'd been keeping her at a distance for a while now.