Arya's pov

We are standing at the entrance of Verma mansion. They had a high level of security, there were guards at every corner outside the mansion.Yes, finally today I am going to meet Anirudh and Diya's family. Two days back, I told Anirudh that I will meet his family and Today is the day.

Diya handed over her car keys to the guard standing near the entrance then she turned back and signaled me to follow her.

Me being a lost puppy, followed her inside. Reaching the main entrance, Diya nodded at the guard who was standing there and he bowed to her, then his gaze fell on me. And his face changed from a calm one to a cold one .

I smiled at him as Diya said " she is my new friend, Ben. Don't scare her with your scary eyes" he nodded still looking at me and opened the door for us.

Diya held my hand as we entered inside, she blinked her eyes, silently saying that she is here with me. I smiled at her gesture.

I know from the outside I look like a strong girl who is scared of nothing. However from inside I am totally opposite.

I don't know how Diya got to know that because Right now I am nervous.

I am not a girl who interacts with people easily. For me it will take time, sab ki tarah Mai mil gul nahi jati huI. I love to be in my own space, I love to stay in my own space.

I was not like this before but after that incident everything changed for me.

Kehte hai na, ek raat kafi hai insaan ko badal ne keliye. Mere liye ek incident kafi tha meri Puri life badal ne ke liye.

Back then I was a carefree girl,who loves to interact with new people, who loves to make friends and loves to talk more, and everyone loved that carefree girl.

it was all good until a incident happened and it changed my life completely,

i became distinct from my own family,

i stopped meeting people, I stopped talking to people, i stopped making friends and got distant from my present friends. I even stopped going out.

I started to stay in my room more, I started to enjoy my own company, and started to feel comfortable in my own space. I started reading books. that's it.

All this done by the people,whom I trusted a lot after my family. It hurts when you get wounded by the people who we think are our friends and family.

They betrayed and wounded me not because I was a chubby, silent girl, it's because I was a dumb girl who fell into their trap so easily.

That's the reason I hesitated when Diya and Anirudh asked me to be their friend.

Because I was afraid to end up like that again.

Afraid to become alone again.

Afraid ki vo log mujhe use karne faek na de , bandaid ki tarah.

I came out of my thoughts as Diya squeezed my hand hard making me yelp in pain

“ Ahh, Diya what the hell?" I yelled at her. She looked at me with concern filled eyes and I felt bad for yelling at a person like her, who cared for me "I was calling you for the last 5 minutes, where are you lost?" She asked and I shook my head but still the concern in her eyes never faded instead they increased.

Somewhere the little girl in me, who died a long ago, felt happy looking at the concern and care after maybe years.

You know, I was alien to all these feelings,

The feeling of being cared,

The feeling of being concerned

The feeling of being babied

And the feeling of being loved.

All this feels surreal when your own family never did it for you, never cared for you.

At first they got suspicious regarding my behavior towards them yet thinking that I was like this from the beginning.they stopped worrying about me because apparently I am the eldest daughter, who can get her shit together without anyone's help.

Who can fight her battles alone.

Okay, that's for another day.

“No where” I replied with a little smile.

"you sure?" She again asked, this time I nodded with assurance and we entered inside the mansion.

✧

A gasp left my mouth as I saw the interior of the mansion, damn. It's beautiful. It was just like the one I imagined in my dream.

The whole living room is in white with a sky blue pattern.

I saw some people sitting on the couch and chatting.

"looks like a big family" I thought to myself. Hearing our footsteps, Anirudh looked up from his ipad and his eyes instantly lit up looking at us. Anirudh came running to us "itna der kon karta hai yaar, i thought you were not coming!" He asked with a smile.

" Pehle hug to karle baad me puch lena jo bhi puch na hai " Diya said and he hugged us close to his heart.

I looked around and my vision fell on the creatures who were looking at us curiously. suddenly my eyes collided with a pair of ice blue eyes. Which were looking at me intensely , and those eyes felt very familiar.

Do I know him?

Have we met before?

If yes, then Where did we meet?

Where did I see him?

And then suddenly I realized that he is the same guy who helped me that day.

I didn't even thank him. as he was on a call However I thanked his friends that day.

Breaking the hug Anirudh looked at me and smiled, a smile from heart. He held my hand and he took me to his family.

I am astonished that Anirudh's touch never made me feel uncomfortable. The day we became friends Anirudh hugged me for the first time and it felt like a comfortable brotherly hug and again today,now I felt the same brotherly hug.

Growing up without an elder brother or sister, I always craved for the love of an elder brother. yes I have a younger sister and brother but having an elder brother feels different.

Anirudh's hug makes me feel secure and comfortable. After that incident this is the first time, someone's touch is making me comfortable.

That too a men's touch.

"Arya, meeting my family" Anirudh said with a big smile and I smiled at his family.

I joined my hands and I greeted them "Namaste" .they said something which I didn't understand.

I know Hindi well, I can talk well too, however sometimes I can't understand some words.

I'm not touching their feet because in our tradition children greet elders by saying namaste not by touching feet.

{ At this point any one of you felt bad ,then I am sorry because in my home town we don't touch the feet of elders we just greet them by saying namaste, thank you, your Author🌷}

" Arey beta, why are you standing? Come and sit." Anirudh's dadi said and my both best friends dragged me to the nearest couch and made me sit between them. Anirudh's dadi looked familiar to me.

Kaha dekha maine unko?

Why does Anirudh's dadi felt familiar to me?

This is the first time I am meeting her, right?

I came out of my thoughts as I heard someone voice

"So, beta, you came here to study MBBS?" Anirudh's father asked me.i nodded my head sa i say

" Yes uncle, i got my placement here in AIIMS." he nodded.

" Lier! " my subconscious said,

"What?" I questioned back,

" MBBS padhne aaye ho, ya apni nightmares se bhag ke" it said and I became silent for a moment.

Because Somewhere it was right.

" Don't think, that I am interrogating you or something, okay?" Uncle asked and I just nodded my head as both Anirudh and Diya squeezed my hands.

And uncle started his questions

"What does your father do?" uncle asked

" He has a textile business in our hometown" i answered, uncle nodded,

" About mother?"

" A desiner." he nodded,

" Do you have any siblings?"

" Yes, uncle, a sister and brother and both are younger than me" he again nodded,

" And What are they studying?"

" My sister is in her 11th grade and my brother is in 1st grade " I answered and Anirudh yelled near my ear making me close my eyes at his loud voice.

" 1st grade?" He asked, shocked,and I internally chuckled at his reaction, because that's the reaction I got from people wherever I revealed about the age gap I and Rishi share.

"Yes, i and my little brother Rishi has a 12 year age gap . It's because my mother was facing some problems after my sister's birth, she had a c-section and then she conceived after 9 years. At the time Rishi was born I was 12 years old and Avni was 9 years old. Not only that but my cousin Kria and I had a 13 year age gap and my other cousin Eyan and I have a 16 year age gap." I started to blabber about the age gap I share with my brothers and sisters.

Sometimes it feels so good to have a brother and sister who is a decade smaller than you.

At the same time it feels so hard, and annoying.

I mean they can be cute at some age but as the time flies they start to grow old and then begin the real cinema.

I stopped my blabbering as I felt the living room silent and I looked at everyone . God! They are looking at me,With amused expressions along with a little smile on their faces. I immediately looked down, feeling embarrassed.

“Shit!! Idiot.what have you done?”I internally screamed at myself. But I was shocked at myself. After a long time I talked so freely without being uncomfortable.

This family is making me comfortable, I nodded my head internally .

They are really something because I felt very much good with them.

" Wow! I thought you were the younger one in your family." Anirudh exclaimed, breaking the uncomfortable silence, I shook my head in the negative and said "No ,I am not the younger one, in fact I am the first born of my parents. But yes I do have cousins who are older than me." i completed and they nodded.

" Arey bus karo, tum sab kitne sawal puchte ho, bichari Darr gayi ho go.!!" Dadi exclaimed and then she came near to the couch and looked at Anirudh and Diya as she said "tum dono, hato yaha se Hume baat karni hai Arya se." They both nodded and stood up and sat on another couch. Dadi sat beside me and hold my hand in hers and asked

" By any chance ,వర్ధన్ జీ నీకు తెలుసా ?" she asked me in Telugu but that didn't shock me. But how does she know my Tataya?

i nodded my head and said

"yes,he is my grandfather!" listening to my answer her eyes sparkled and she exclaimed "I knew it ,God i'm so happy" dadi stood up and started to dance but stopped and she again sat beside me and asked

{Do you know Mr vardhan?}

{ Tataya - grandfather - dadu}

" So, where is he now? Is he fine?" Listening to her question my face instantly paled and I shook my head negatively. Dadi gasped,a big shock traveled through her eyes. After that she didn't bother to ask me any questions as she understands my pain and what happened.

My grandfather's death was one of the main reasons why I chose to become a doctor.

After my conversation with dadi. The elders left to prepare for dinner and now I am sitting with the younger clan who are scanning me with their eyes. I am feeling someone's gaze on me from the moment the elders left and I think I know who it is. I was about to look at him but Diya's brother asked me while grinning "do you remember me? I helped you that day ?"

" Yeah I do." i replied to him honestly

" Then you remember him too." he said pointing in the direction I was about to look at and then I finally turned to look at him and said " yes , I remember him too and thank you for helping me that day —"

"Avyansh" he said as i stopped in between not knowing his name "Avyansh thank you"

" Don't mention," Avyansh said with a tiny

smile. And 8 don't know but my heart skipped a beat seeing his smile.He was about to say something but a worker came and said that dinner is ready.

So we left for dinner.