Anaya-His heartbeat

CHAPTER-30

SHIVARTH'S POV
A freezing splash of water hit my face, and I shot up, barely holding back a curse. My eyes flew open, and there she was, standing beside the bed, a smug little smile playing on her lips.

“What’s the matter?” I managed, voice still rough with sleep.

"It's already late, Shivarth, and you're still sleeping," she said, crossing her arms with a raised brow. "Weren't you the one lecturing us all about waking up early?"

I sighed, fighting a grin at her audacity. I couldn’t argue with her; she had a point. "Alright, alright. I’m getting up."

After a bit of back-and-forth, I dragged myself to the shower, trying to shake off the unexpected warmth her smile had left me with. But nothing could’ve prepared me for what I’d see when I stepped back out.

There she was, in front of the mirror, adjusting her saree with the grace of someone who didn’t even know her own beauty. A mangalsutra hung around her neck, and she was just reaching for her sindoor. Something stirred in me at that moment, something I hadn’t felt before—a sudden need to be the one to mark that symbol of togetherness on her.

Without thinking, I asked, “May I?”

She looked at me, surprise softening her eyes. After a moment, she nodded. I stepped closer, took the pinch of vermillion in my fingers, and gently applied it to her parting. A strange feeling settled over me as I watched the sindoor mark her as mine. A bond that was deeper than words—something that, somehow, felt right.

We headed downstairs together, and as soon as we reached the bottom, I watched Samaira and Ayaan rush straight to her. My siblings clung to their new bhabhi, smothering her with hugs and laughter as if she’d been part of the family forever. I stood back, unable to help the small smile that tugged at my lips. Her impact was everywhere—she’d been here just two days, yet everyone was taken by her. Seeing them like this, I couldn’t deny how much they already loved her.

After breakfast, we made our way to the car. I walked ahead, and out of pure reflex, opened the door for her. The moment she slid into the seat, I heard the familiar sound of Ayaan’s teasing laughter from behind me, with Samaira chiming in. I shot them a look, but their smirks only grew wider. Ignoring them, I settled in, and soon enough, we were off.

Anaya reached for the car's music system, ready to turn it on, but Ayaan interrupted her, saying, "Bhabhi, Bhaiya doesn’t like music while driving."

Anaya looked over at me, surprised. “Really, you don’t like music?” she asked, her tone almost disappointed. For a second, I felt caught, but I shook my head, brushing it off casually. "Not really," I said.

She grew quiet, her expression falling. "How will we spend such a long drive without music?" she murmured, almost to herself.

I felt something in me soften. Without thinking much, I replied, "It’s fine. We can listen to music." As soon as I agreed to let them play music, Samaira and Ayaan’s faces lit up with identical mischievous grins. They wasted no time, nudging each other and shooting me knowing glances in the rearview mirror.

“Ohh, look at Bhaiya! Letting Bhabhi play music!” Samaira teased, drawing out the word as she gave me a dramatic, teasing wink. “Since when did you become so generous with the aux, huh, Bhaiya?”

Ayaan chuckled, joining in. “Yeah, for years, we’ve been banned from touching the music. But now, for Bhabhi, he’s all ready to turn into a DJ!”

I rolled my eyes, but the corner of my mouth couldn’t help quirking up. “Just pick something, will you?”

Anaya looked back and forth between them, amused but clearly curious. “Alright then,” she said, holding the aux cord like a prize. “What kind of music do you both usually listen to?”