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It has been two days since the siblings were in the village.

Natasha was sitting in her room, when she'd spot a person. Her eyes lingered on her door. Her breath struck in her throat, she slowly took her steps nearby the door.

"Meow" she heard, as if a cat was there. She shook her thoughts as she sat to do her college work.

Her eyes lingered on the half closed door, when she went near it. Her hands went sweaty and her face went pale. She'd sense someone. Slowly walking near the door, a small figure with furry  hairs and green eyes, came into appearance. Her tension got erased as a smile came on her face.

Natasha shrugged off the uneasy feeling and focused on her studies. She sat back down at her desk, trying to immerse herself in her college work. The cat, now comfortable, jumped onto her lap and began to purr.

As she delved into her notes, the cat's soothing presence helped calm her nerves. Natasha's concentration improved, and she made steady progress on her assignments.

Hours passed, and the room grew darker as the sun dipped below the village horizon.

At around 8 pm, Abhimanyu knocked on her door. "Natasha, dinner's ready. Come down when you're done."

Natasha nodded, though he couldn't see her. "I'll be right there, bhaiya."

The cat, now asleep, stirred briefly as Natasha gently shifted it to the bed. She smiled, covering it with a light blanket.

As she descended to the dining area, the aroma of traditional village cuisine wafted through the air. The family gathered around the table, their faces illuminated by the warm glow of candles.

Ishaan, quiet and introspective, sat beside Viraj. Adhivik engaged Abhimanyu in a heated discussion about village politics.

"Inko koi aur kaam nahi hai kya? Pura din ladte rehte hai" Natasha whispered to Ishaan.

(Don't they've any other work? They'll keep on fighting the whole day)

Natasha took her seat, Abhimanyu passed a smile to her, as she sat. The dinner conversation flowed, Natasha barely replied to any of their conversation.

However, her gaze occasionally drifted to Ishaan, sensing his underlying unease.

"Ab hum ek dusre se baat nahi karte to iska matlab yeh nahi ho gaya ki tu mujhse koi baat share nhi kar sakta, you always used to share tere dil mein jo bhi hota tha" Natasha said, when Ishaan throws his spoon in the plate, sensing the tension, everyone looked at them.

(We don't talk to each other , doesn't means that we can't share our secrets)

"Kya problem hai Natasha? Maine tujhse kabhi kuch pucha? Nahi na? Nahi karni mujhe terese koi bhi baat, samajh le" Ishaan said, angrily

(What's your problem, Natasha? I don't want to talk with you)

"Ishaan, ye kya tareeqa hua baat karne ka?" Viraj asked, his voice laced anger.

(Ishaan what's this behaviour?)

Ishaan's face reddened, his eyes flashing with anger. "Maine kya kiya? Kuch nahi! Bas yehi problem hai, har baar maine kuch kiya, maine kuch kiya! Kabhi mere baare mein nahi sochte, kabhi mere feelings ka dhyaan nahi rakhte!"

(What have I done? Nothing! That's the problem, always 'I've done this, I've done that!' No one ever thinks about me or considers my feelings!)

The room fell silent, the tension palpable. Natasha's eyes welled up with tears, her voice trembling. "Ishaan, maine aisa kya kaha? Main sirf concerned thi, tere liye..." (Ishaan, what did I say that? I was just concerned about you...)

Viraj's firm voice intervened. "Ishaan, apologize to Natasha. This is just family; we should talk to each other."

Ishaan's anger slowly dissipated, replaced by guilt. "Sorry, Natasha. Maine overreact kar diya" (Sorry, Natasha. I overreacted.)

Natasha nodded, forcing a smile. "It's okay, Ishaan. Main samajhti hoon." (It's okay, Ishaan. I understand.)

The dinner conversation resumed, but the atmosphere remained strained.

As they finished dinner, Abhimanyu suggested, "Chalo, ice cream khane chalte hain." (Let's go for ice cream.)

The family agreed, grateful for the distraction.

As they walked to the village ice cream shop, Natasha fell back, walking alongside Ishaan.

"Ishaan, maine ek baat notice ki," Natasha said softly. "Aajkal tu kuch zyada hi reserved ho gaye ho. Kya baat hai?" (I've noticed something, Ishaan. You've become very reserved lately. What's going on?)

Ishaan's expression turned guarded. "Kuch nahi, Natasha. Bas thik hai." (Nothing, Natasha. I'm fine.)

Natasha's eyes narrowed. She knew Ishaan was hiding something.

Ishaan's POV

"Had hai, why can't I keep up with my emotions? Even if once someone got to know about my secrets, everything will be ruined" I thought, walking back to the mansion. The night light was so beautiful. I always lose my tracks whenever I come here, lost in the beauty of the place

As we walked back to the mansion, the night air enveloped me, and I felt suffocated. My secrets weighed heavily on my conscience. I couldn't bear the thought of my family discovering the truth.

"Natasha's getting suspicious," I thought, my heart racing. "I need to keep her distracted, ensure she doesn't pry further."

The mansion's lights came into view, and I quickened my pace. I needed solitude, time to gather my thoughts.

"Thik hai, Ishaan," I whispered to myself. "Control your emotions. You can't afford to crumble now."

As we entered the mansion, I excused myself, citing fatigue. My family nodded sympathetically, unaware of the turmoil brewing within me.

I hastened to my room, locking the door behind me. The silence enveloped me, and I collapsed onto my bed, my thoughts swirling.

"Why can't I confess to Natasha? Why can't I share my burden?" I thought, my eyes welling up.

But the fear of rejection, of losing my family's trust, held me back.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, and I needed to be prepared.

As I drifted off to sleep, my mind whispered a haunting question:

"Kya main kab tak apne raaz ko chupa paunga?" (How long can I hide my secrets?)

---

Natasha's POV

I sat down, as I looked at the crumbled blanket, the cat had left the room. I closed my room, as I changed into my night suit.

I was quite thirsty, as I looked at the jug. "It's empty" I muttered as I stood off.

Pacing downstairs, I went to kitchen for filling up some water in jug.

"I should make some coffee for myself"

As I went down through memory lane, I remembered how in childhood, whenever we used to come here, how Adhivik bhai used to make coffee for me and himself.

-
Flashback

"Princess, I'll make coffee, you better sit over the kitchen slab" Adhivik enters the kitchen, as he saw his sister making coffee

Both Natasha and Adhivik were nerds, and loved to be awake for whole night to study.

"Adhivik bhaiya, you're going to spoil me," I said, giggling.

"Arre, princess, you're already spoiled," Adhivik teased, expertly brewing coffee.

We sat on the kitchen slab, sipping our coffee, engrossed in our books. The night air was filled with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the sound of crickets.

"Adhivik bhaiya, explain this theorem to me," I asked, struggling with a complex math concept.

Adhivik patiently explained, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

Those were carefree nights, filled with laughter and learning.

---

Back to the present:

As Natasha filled the jug with water, she smiled, remembering those fond moments with Adhivik. She began to prepare coffee, the aroma filling the kitchen.

Just as she was about to pour the coffee into a cup, she heard footsteps behind her.

"Adhivik bhaiya?" she called out, hoping it was him.

But there was no response.

Who would it be?

Tbc! 🫡🫶🏻