Hearts In Conflict

Chapter 5: Lines Drawn

Kiara stood at the window, gazing out into the evening skyline, her mind spinning from the events of the day. How had everything spiraled into chaos so quickly? She clenched her fists, replaying the argument she had with Aayansh. No matter how much she tried to avoid him, he seemed to have a way of getting under her skin, making her lose her cool.

"Aayansh Mehta," she muttered under her breath, glaring at her reflection in the glass. "I swear, that guy just lives to make me angry."

Her sister, Aisha, was sprawled across the bed, absentmindedly scrolling through her phone. "Still thinking about him, huh?" she teased, not even bothering to look up.

Kiara shot her a look. "Excuse me? Thinking about who?"

Aisha raised an eyebrow. "Oh, come on, Di. You know exactly who I'm talking about."

Kiara turned away from the window, her arms crossed over her chest. "No, I don't."

Aisha smirked. "Sure, sure. Because it's not like you've been ranting about him for the past hour."

"I haven't been ranting," Kiara protested, though even she knew how weak her argument sounded. "I've just been... expressing my frustrations."

"Uh-huh." Aisha finally sat up, placing her phone aside. "Listen, Di, I get it. Aayansh is annoying. He's arrogant. He gets on your nerves. But—"

"But what?" Kiara interrupted, her frustration building again. "He's impossible, Aisha. Every time I try to be civil, he just—"

"—pushes your buttons," Aisha finished for her, nodding. "Yeah, I get it. But maybe there's more to it than that."

Kiara blinked, confused. "More to it? Like what?"

Aisha shrugged, a sly smile playing on her lips. "I don’t know... Maybe he’s not as bad as you think. Maybe he’s just trying to get your attention."

Kiara's eyes widened. "Get my attention? Please, Aisha, don't even suggest that. That’s ridiculous."

"Is it though?" Aisha asked, standing up and walking over to her sister. "I mean, why else would he keep coming around? Why does he bother arguing with you when he could just ignore you?"

Kiara opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. She hated to admit it, but Aisha had a point. Why did Aayansh keep provoking her? Why didn’t he just walk away like a normal person?

"Whatever," Kiara muttered, brushing off the thought. "I don't care what his reasons are. I just want to avoid him."

Aisha snickered. "Good luck with that. Pretty sure you'll run into him again soon. Isn't he attending that wedding next week?"

Kiara groaned, running a hand through her hair. "Don't remind me. The last thing I need is another encounter with him."

"Well, you might not have a choice," Aisha said, a teasing glint in her eyes. "You know how these family weddings are. Everyone's in everyone's business."

Kiara sighed, sinking onto the bed next to her sister. "Great. Just what I needed—more drama."

Aisha patted her on the back. "Hey, at least it'll be entertaining."

"Entertaining for who?" Kiara mumbled.

"For me," Aisha replied with a grin, and Kiara couldn't help but laugh despite herself.

---

The next day, Kiara was determined to focus on work and not let her thoughts wander to Aayansh. She was the CEO of a startup, after all. She had meetings to attend, deals to negotiate, and a company to run. There was no time to waste on unnecessary distractions.