Love Over Friends.

Chapter 12 - The Brother Returns

Alisha's Point of View:
A loud bang echoed through the house as the front door rattled. All heads turned from the living room so I decided to open it. As I swung the door wide, I was met with a familiar face holding a gift.

"Aaliyah, surprise!" Akshay Bhai exclaimed, grinning at me. His presence was unexpected—he wasn't supposed to arrive until tomorrow.

"Oh, Alisha, it's you. How are you?" he asked, his cheerful demeanor masking the underlying concern in his eyes.

"Uh, I'm okay. How are you?" I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Where's Aaliyah?" he asked and my stomach tightened at the mention of her name.

"Why don't you come inside? It's freezing out here," I said, stepping aside to let him in. My mind raced, trying to come up with an excuse. He followed me to the living room, where everyone was still staring in surprise.

"Look who's here, everyone! Akshay Bhai," I announced with forced enthusiasm.

"I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow," Bhai began, but Akshay Bhai cut him off.

"Well, I couldn't keep Aaliyah waiting, not after everything she's been through," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. The weight of his words settled over us—he knew something was wrong.

"Where is she?" Akshay Bhai asked again, more seriously this time.

"She—she's at a sleepover," Shahrukh Mama interjected, his tone a little too casual.

I couldn't keep up the pretense any longer. "We have to tell him the truth," I blurted out, drawing sharp glares from the rest of the family.

"W-what truth?" Akshay Bhai's eyes were on me now, his expression turning from concern to alarm.

Bhai took a deep breath. "Aaliyah ran away yesterday. Alisha felt guilty about it and wanted to look for her, but I didn't let her go," he admitted, casting a glance my way.

Akshay Bhai's gaze shifted to me, his eyes narrowing as he took in my bruised cheek. "And what happened to your face?" he asked, his voice low and tense.

"Aaliyah and I got into a fight at school," I confessed, my voice trembling as a tear escaped down my cheek. Shahrukh Mama quickly filled him in on the rest of the story, and I could see the anger building in Akshay Bhai's eyes. He looked like he was about to explode.

"I need to text Aaliyah," I thought, feeling a surge of desperation.

Aaliyah's Point of View:
It felt strange to be so far from home, in a city that seemed both familiar and foreign. But there was a small sense of freedom that I hadn't felt in a long time.

My phone vibrated, pulling me from my thoughts.

Alisha:
Your brother arrived today. He was here to take you away. Sorry, we couldn't lie to him. I told him it was my fault. Please come back and go with him. He's worried sick and just wants you to come back as soon as possible. Oh, and you can punish me all you want. I deserve it. Sorry again.

I stared at the message in disbelief. My brother was here? The idea of going back filled me with dread. If I returned, Alisha's friends—or rather, her ex-friends—would continue to haunt us both.

A knock on my door interrupted my thoughts.

"Come in," I called out, and Neel stepped inside, his face lined with concern.

"Why do you look so worried?" he asked.

"It's nothing," I said quickly, locking my phone screen.

"Do you want a tour around London?" he asked, his tone lightening.